Constipated kid - should I be worried?

[seattlesounders]

I was recently diagnosed with mild Crohns, and am constantly worried that my kids might have it. Growing up I never had clear Crohns symptoms but i did suffer from mouth ulcers and a constantly unsettled stomuch especially after eating certain types of food. i desperately want to avoid this for my kids

My daughter is 4 and sometimes complains of a tummy ache (but her bowel movements are fine) and my son is 1.5 and is often constipated.

Given the symptoms should i be worried, and what steps would you take, if you were in my shoes?

 

[Farmwife]

My Grace is constipated on a regular basis.
She takes three doses of Miralax and Senocot at night just to keep her "moving".

Worry is natural. My Grace also has joint pains, eye pains and skin problems along with constipation and stomach pains.

I guess my advice is just watch everything over all. Put the whole picture together. Kids can get constipated anyway. Start keeping a food journal and stopping or reduce the offending foods. You know what to look for because you suffer from this and you'll be able to help them when and if the time comes.

Remember take care of of you, so you can help them. I hope your feeling better soon. Keep up the good work mom.

 

[Tenacity]

I would make sure they have adequate vitamin D which has been shown to help prevent and treat Crohn's. Perhaps at the next doctor's appointment, you could ask them to start monitoring their chemistry levels to make sure they are not lacking in any crucial vitamins, along with what has been suggested above.

 

[DustyKat]

Hey seattlesounders,

Having Crohn's yourself it's little wonder that you are so very vigilant with your own little ones...:hug:...Now that my children are older I often wonder how they will feel when/if they have children of their own and hope that I am able to be a source of knowledge and support for them should the need arise.

If I were advising my children I think I would start by suggesting they track their symptoms via a diary/journal. That way you will get an idea of what is going on, easy to forget what happens in the day when you are running after two little ones! It will also give you some tangible evidence should you feel the need to raise anything with the doctor. Have a look at the suggestions we have in the wiki...

http://www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/Diary-Inclusions

Dusty. xxx

 

[my little penguin]

It depends ...
Track everything.
DS was constipated from the time he started food.
But lots if kids are.
It wasn't until he stopped gaining weight, had rectal prolapse and complained of bad stomach aches that we knew this was not normal kid stuff .

 

[jmckinley]

If I had had concerns when Ryan was younger, I would have kept a journal, given vitamins, and watched his diet more. I didn't think we ate too horribly, but knowing what I know now, I could have done more.

I think you are already ahead of the game by being concerned. Take care of yourself too!

 

[seattlesounders]

Thanks folks. just to share back with the group, the other thing i heard from my doc when i asked him a similar question was to let my kids play outside - in the mud etc and avoid antibiotics as much as possible.

one thing that does worry me about my daughter is that i notice her bottom is red and itchy sometimes. i have perianal crohns so i'm so worried it could be the that. does that seem like it could be a syptom or just a standard thing for a 4 year old?

 

[madhouse_2008]

I was recently diagnosed with mild Crohns, and am constantly worried that my kids might have it. Growing up I never had clear Crohns symptoms but i did suffer from mouth ulcers and a constantly unsettled stomuch especially after eating certain types of food. i desperately want to avoid this for my kids

My daughter is 4 and sometimes complains of a tummy ache (but her bowel movements are fine) and my son is 1.5 and is often constipated.

Given the symptoms should i be worried, and what steps would you take, if you were in my shoes?

hi i have really bad Crohn's, and worry about my 3 girls getting it, my eldest are fine, but my 8 year old, has allways suffered from constipation, she has been given something from the docs witch seems to help, but i no what you mean, i allways worry with mine

 

[DustyKat]

I don't know that a red itchy bottom is normal as such for a 4 year old but I would like to rule out more common reasons for it first. Like hygiene, by that I mean is she wiping herself properly after using the toilet. Do you see her bowel motions? If not have a check and make sure she doesn't have worms.

Dusty. xxx

 

[crohnsinct]

Funny you should mention the playing in the mud thing. I recently went to a symposium and the doc pointed out that in many countries where hygiene practices are poor there is a low rate of IBD and that when these populations move to more developed countries with access to clean water and more vigilent washing practices their incidence of IBD raises (keeping diet etc constant). Just an interesting point so maybe you doc is on to something.

I hope your little one is just experience normal kiddie stomach aches and constipation. My youngest has always battled stomach aches and constipation and after her older sister was diagnosed I asked our GI about it. It didn't seen to peak his interest at all. He said he needed a lot more than that to begin to question. Although parent child relationship with regards to Crohns is much higher than sibling.

 

[Patricia56]

If those are the only symptoms they have, then it is highly unlikely that they have IBD.

Usually there would be multiple symptoms like you had. Growth failure would be a red flag. Belly pain, fissures, mouth ulcers, anemia, elevated ESR and/or CrP labs would all be typical signs and symptoms.

The red bottom could easily be an infection - staph for example. I would take her to the doctor if it doesn't go away after a good bath and some soothing cream.

Constipation can become a big problem if left untreated. You might want to read this information which is very helpful and follow some of it's recommendations. Consulting your pediatrician is a good idea too.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/928185-overview

Best wishes. You sound like you are doing a great job.