Anyone who has a child scared to make a bowel movement and holds it in

[Ziri123]

My 7 year old has had this problem now for a few months where she has been trying to avoid going to the toilet to do a bowel movement when I ask her why she doesn't want to let it out she says it burns so she'll walk around the house and try hold it in and hide from me.  I can't understand why it would burn so I take her to the doctors and she says to give her laxative so that it comes out, even when I give her the laxative and when she goes to the toilet she screams when she does a bowel movement and her movement is soft.  does anyone else have this problem?  I'm starting to this is a psychological problem.

[Sandman2]

Did the doc do a rectal exam to make sure she does not have something like hemorrhoids?   Her stating it "burns" sounds a bit more then just constipation.

[AnnieBrooke]

Please look up encopresis.  Has your daughter had an X-ray to be sure she doesn't have an impacted bowel and colon?  They can get very large from all that "holding."

If she can stand it, one spoonful of oil swallowed in the morning makes soft, slidey poops (not liquidy but just glidey) in the evening.

[specialmom]

I'd try the grape juice.  :))  My son complained of burning as well.  His way of saying it hurt.  good luck

[BLD79]

[[[[  Anyone who has a child scared to make a bowel movement and holds it in ]]]

That was me as a child, I am now an adult, but when I was a child 7-11 yrs old I held it in, and my mom gave me  laxatives to poop. For me I just found the act of pooping to be disgusting, and then you wipe with toilet paper that breaks off and sticks to you, I just hated the whole thing, I also found sitting on a public toilet or a toilet anyone used to be disgusting thinking of the germs. But I do know if you hold it in very long as in not pooping so many days that when you do go to the bathroom it will burn when coming out. As an adult I have to shower after any bowel movement with soap and water washing myself because it disgusts me.

Your daughter may find pooping disgusting, and similar to me and just doesn't like doing it.

[RockRose]

On rethinking,  it sounds to me like it's highly possible she has a yeast rash in her rectal area.  Can you give her a hand held mirror and ask her to look at her rectal area and see if it looks red and inflamed?  She might be too old to be comfortable with you looking.  

[Sandman2]

Very good point by Rockrose.

[Ziri123]

Yes very good point and yes I did take her to the doctor and did exam she said it all looks fine.

[RockRose]

I agree that "burns" is an unusual thing to say.  In that case,  surely there are obvious physical signs - a rash,  an abrasion,  hemorrhoids ,  etc.   It's also kind of hard to imagine the burning to be so severe that she refuses to have a bowel movement.  

[specialmom]

Ugh, sorry your daughter has this issue.  My son has had various issues over the years.  He has similar things as what you describe your daughter has and the problem for him was constipation.  He went on a regular basis but was actually constipated so it was hard for him and hurt.  He didn't like to go.  Then he stopped going and that was a trip to the ER where we learned he had so much fecal matter in his bowel that it was working as a blockage.  He had an enema to remove the impaction.  Poor guy.  The suggestion which really did work for us was to work on his diet and liquids.  He was told to drink at least 1 cup of grape juice daily and to eat fresh fruit often.  That grape juice really did a good job.  We have a neighbor that had their son eat baby food prunes calling it "purple pudding" and that worked for him. Another key is to make sure they are drinking lots of water as well and doing lots of physical activity which helps keep it all moving.   I wouldn't go to laxatives just yet.  Try the juice first.  And do talk to your doctor about it.  I'd never have classified my son as constipated but the pattern my son had is ONE of the patterns that constipation will follow which isn't how we classically think of it.  good luck

[Ziri123]

Thanks