1 year old son with chronic constipation

[mjohnson33]

Thanks for all the info. I will try almond milk after this half gallon of soy is gone. He barely gets 10oz a day of the soy so its not a crazy amount. And I did hear that about the rice milk. How horrible!! Also DS has had stuff with peanut butter on it does that count? We don't have a history of nut allergies in the family but we don't have lactose intolerance either....

[tigerlilly905]

Also DS has had stuff with peanut butter on it does that count? We don't have a history of nut allergies in the family but we don't have lactose intolerance either....

I would think if he's had PB he's *probably* ok w/ nuts, but I would just introduce it slowly as you would any normal food/drink so you'll be able to watch for a reaction.

[mjohnson33]

Ok, I have another question about all of this.....
So here is the situation.  DS is a 12.5 months old and has been on Gerber Good Start for the last 3 months until just recently.....well since his horrible constipation issue 2 weeks ago I have been having trouble getting him to take the formula...he gags at it and acts like its poision....so I would force him to drink and once he would drink it he would be fine, it was getting him to take it that was the problem.  Kara advised me not to force as it could cause and aversion...so I stopped.  Well since Thursday he hasnt had hardly any formula and I was getting very worried that he was going to get malnourished if I couldnt get him to take it. 

As far as the constipation goes....he has been on a ton of RX meds to help remedy this....2 different stool softeners and a stimulant laxative at night.  Since the drop in formula he has been going alot better (he was still having trouble with all the medicine before the formula drop). 

I came to the conclusion his constipation was due to lactose intolerance and I started him on soy milk Saturday. Kept all his meds the same and he continued to go really good.  Well Sunday night we had a bad night and I thought it was because the stimulant was bothering his belly b/c I give it to him at night.  Since he was going good I took it upon myself to stop the stimulant(continue with the other meds) and see how he did the next day.  Well he had a great day pooping still so I did no stimulant last night again.  Well today his poop is thicker....should I be concerned?? 

My question really is this, at first with the soy he was only getting about 2-5 oz a day for 2 days....then on monday I got him to take 12oz and yesterday he had 11oz....do you think the soy may be the cause of the thickness (MSPI and not lactose intolerance) or the drop in the stimulant since I really did both at the same time?  Would those few days on the decreased milk amount cause his poop to change that much??

[mjohnson33]

I also JUST realized one of the stool softeners is called Lactulose.....From Wikipedia,
Lactulose is a synthetic, non-digestible sugar used in the treatment of chronic constipation[1] and hepatic encephalopathy, a complication of liver disease. It is a disaccharide (double-sugar) formed from one molecule each of the simple sugars (monosaccharides) fructose and galactose. It is produced commercially by isomerization of lactose.

If he was lactose intolerant wouldnt this cause him to be worse?  He is taking 14ml a day!!!

[tigerlilly905]

Humm, hard to say  

Are you aware of this book? http://gaps.me/  "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride.  I would highly recommend it, as I believe it will give you great insight into the functions of the gut and what is actually happening to your son.  Don't let the title fool you, the psychological symptoms are only one piece of a damaged gut.

You say he has been on RX meds... have you ever saught naturopathic treatment?  From what you say, I think your son probably has some sort of Gut Dysbiosis tbh    He can have a stool test done which an ND can have prescribed for you.  The Microbiological stool test that we had done was by Doctors Data (we had to ship our test to the States)  It will test for good/bad bacteria counts, fungus, parasites ect that can all be present in his gut causing the imbalances you are experiencing (including the MPI)  

Theres a "GAPS" thread here in the allergies boards if you would like to read along as well.

[tigerlilly905]

Lactulose is a synthetic, non-digestible sugar used in the treatment of chronic constipation[1] and hepatic encephalopathy, a complication of liver disease. It is a disaccharide (double-sugar) formed from one molecule each of the simple sugars (monosaccharides) fructose and galactose. It is produced commercially by isomerization of lactose.If he was lactose intolerant wouldnt this cause him to be worse?  He is taking 14ml a day!!!

posted as you posted... yes, it's probably not helping, especially if he does have gut dysbiosis (which I kinda suspect...) Any pathogenic bacterias, fungus, parasites ect, thrive off of sugars & starches, including lactose.  When these bad bacterias flourish it causes all sorts of imbalances not only in the gut, but overall health as well. Seriously, see if your library has the Gut and Psychology Syndrome book or consider ordering it from Amazon. It will all make sense and offers a natural treatment instead of having to rely on RX meds.  A good qualified ND will have experience with this. Specifically ND's who deal with children who have Autism, has often times gut dysbiosis can be paired with autistic symptoms in older children.

[mjohnson33]

thanks tigerlilly, I will look into that.  Can you tell me who would do the stool test?? His GI?

I would love to do naturopathic treatment but dont know how to go about it.  I do live in the US.

What is a ND doctor??

[tigerlilly905]

ND = naturopathic doctor

Yes, your GI *should* know about it.  Usually a Biomed or a Naturopath is a bit more versed in the subject though. Ask about Microbiological Stool testing which has to be sent to Doctors Data Labs, the second is an Organic Acid Test (OAT) which is a urine test done by Great Plains Labs.  The results from those 2 tests will help give you a clearer picture as to what's really going on in his little tummy.

It took us 4 ND's to find one that was actually well versed in Gut functions The 4th, which we are seeing now and he is quite good - I found through having completed "DAN" certification (defeat autism now) Here's a list of physicians in the US who have completed the training. http://www.autismwebsite.com/practitioners/us_lc.htm  Again, don't let the whole autism title throw you off or scare you. That's just one symptom that can be a result of severe gut dysbiosis.  Most DAN practioners are well versed in matters of Gut health. Just sharing that in case you're looking for another opinion.

When Ds2 first presented with typical gut dysbiosis symptoms (MSPI, severe constapation, severe reflux, mucous stool ect), our regular family Dr was too quick to want to prescribe him hypoallergenic FF, laxitives, zantac ect and I wasn't happy with her ideas. To me, I felt she wanted to mask the symptoms instead of finding the root cause, kwim? That, and there was no way I was going to give up Bf'ing since I believe so strongly in it. So that lead me on a quest through numerous Elimination Diets and naturopaths, until I came across the "GAPS" book and then it all made sense to me.  Both my boys have varied degrees of gut dysbiosis, but Ds2 is by far the most severe. We're working on the treatment still, but the improvements have been quite substancial thus far.

Hopefully Eloise will chime in too... I believe she posted earlier on your thread. She too has read the GAPS book and can probably help you as well.

[mjohnson33]

Ask about Microbiological Stool testing which has to be sent to Doctors Data Labs, the second is an Organic Acid Test (OAT) which is a urine test done by Great Plains Labs.  The results from those 2 tests will help give you a clearer picture as to what's really going on in his little tummy.

Should I ask the GI about this or can I do this on my own??

Thank you so much for all this info.  I really appreciate it!! i have found a ND that is knowledgable in GAPS in my state but its not close to me at all.  So I have emailed her a detailed story and I will let you know what she comes back at me with.

How are they managing your sons gut dysbiosis?  Did they find it though the tests you mentioned in this post?

[tigerlilly905]

Should I ask the GI about this or can I do this on my own??

You usually need a referral by a health care practitioner, but I'm not certain.

That's great you found an actual GAPS practitioner in your State! I'm jealous! There's NONE in Canada.  Even through email/phone consultations you will probably get a lot of help!!

We are managing by following the GAPS dietary protocols, high dose probiotics & digestive enzymes. I've been journaling our story through the GAPS thread on BW.. http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=222014.240  I figured out the gut dysbiosis from the symptoms my boys presented... the tests give a clearer picture for sure. We are still awaiting results of Ds2's tests, but he certainly has gut dysbiosis.

[mjohnson33]

Ok, great! I will also mention this to my GI specialist at his next appointment on the 19th.  But it really sounds very likely thats what he has.  I was a very sick child myself and was on numerous medications for a faulty heart.  I was sick alot and was on alot of antiobiotics.  I too have digestive problems and have dealt with depression in the past....so it all makes perfect sense to me.  Although I was breastfed, I think the sickness outweighed the pros of the breastfeeding.  So i probably passed on my bad gut to DS....

[tigerlilly905]

I hear you completely. With my family history as well and knowing what I know now about GAPS, all the pieces of the puzzle are now fitting together.  I'm so glad this will hopefully point you in the right direction and you'll get some clarity with it all.   Thankfully early detection is key and there's lots of natural steps you can take to heal your Ds Keep me posted

[mjohnson33]

I definatley will and I really do appreciate all your knowledge on this.  I have subscribed to your thread under GAPS on here as well.    I also forgot to add that I was given antbx during labor b/c of my heart issues....

[tigerlilly905]

You're so welcome I'm still learning along the way, but am happy to share what I find out!

I also forgot to add that I was given antbx during labor b/c of my heart issues....

Yes, that will all factor into it. This is the first article I read about GAPS which lead me to the book... it's quite informative http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/31/dr-natasha-campbell-mcbride-on-gaps-nutritional-program.aspx  If this is a treatment plan you choose to do for your Ds, I have posted quite a number of resources throughout the GAPS thread on here, but feel free to PM me if you need any specifics. I have plenty of online info that accompanies the book.  It's not an easy thing to do, but the health benefits are so rewarding. I feel better now then I have my whole life, and have been able to go completely off of thyroid medication! Ds2 could barely tolerate my BM before, and now he can BF no problem. We are having to do solids very very slowly for Ds2, but I know it will come in time. Good luck on the 19th.  

[EloysH]

You have gotten such good advice. 

 Just going back to lactose intolerant -v- MPI. Lactose intolerance can be tested from a stool sample. they look for the undigested sugards.  MPI cannot be tested, you must do diet elimination.  If you want to determine if he has MPI, you shoud eliminate all dairy and soy from his diet, and if he comes good you won't need any stool softeners or anything you will have found the trigger for the bad poop situation.

If you want to look further and try and explore if he has further gut issues, the tests mentioned are all good - personally we went down the road of digestive stool analysis and biochemical testing for zinc, copper, whole blood histamine, parasites and Pyroluria  - ordered by our wholistic paed, and biobalanced trained GP.   If you want a practicioner well versed in the gut, then they should be listed on the autism foundation mentioned or else the Pfieffer institute - associated with Dr Walsh or else BioBalance. All can be found on google. I jsut want to second that - don;t be scared off by autism, the autistic children have more severe versions of the gut issues than our children with food intolerance, allergy and reflux.