Conference moira::parenting

    
    	Chaya,
    
    	We had a mild situation with Emily complaining of stomach
    	aches in the late fall.  We noticed too that she had
    	some difficulty going to the bathroom.  It finally dawned
    	on us that we'd been offering much less fruit once the
    	apple supply dwindled.  Since then, we've been making a 
    	concerted effort to have lots of fresh fruit available,
    	and tend to offer it first when snacks are requested.  My
    	kids'll accept a bowl full of fresh strawberries or melon
    	over almost any other "treat".  A few weeks ago when the
    	pickings were especially thin at the grocery store, I didn't
    	pick up any fresh fruit, and one night Emily called me in
    	to check the blood on her stool, which only happens when it's
    	not soft enough.
    
    	Hopefully, Shruthi's situation can be handled as easily.
    
    	Karen
    

Our daughter had similiar problems at about the same age.  The specialist that
saw her recommended that she drink a lot, especially water.  This did the trick
and was certainly simple.  You might want to ask your doctor about it.

Thanks for the replies so far.

We are trying to get her to drink more water - this kid somehow grew up thinking
water was not a drink :-(  She loves fruits - so yes, we'll try to offer it to
her more often than we do now.  I think at this time, she is old enough to
understand this and will co-operate with us!  In fact, the night after the
doctor's visit, she went out for dinner with friends and she asked for a pizza
with *less* cheese!  At least, she is getting the idea :-)

    More Water, more raw fruts and veggies, as well as cooked, and more
    whole grains, espcially oatmeal seem to be a big help for diet.  you
    may want to hit the laxative once, just to clean things out while
    clearing up the diet, but you don't want to make a habit of the stuff
    if you can avoid it. 
    
    meg

    Be real careful with Milk of Magnesia. It messes up mineral balance.
    I don't think it should be used on a regular basis at all. (I'm not
    a doctor but I recently had an MD tell me my Mom should not have
    been taking it..ya she's got other problems but...)
    
    MY daughter had this problem and it had nothing to do with nerve
    endings. Why would there be a concern about nerve endings. Does your
    child have a spinal cord deformity ?
    
    My daughter took mineral oil daily...mixed with ice cream. Try 2-3
    tablespoons. It'll make it very hard for her to hold her bowel. As a
    result, the stretched area in her intestine will have a chance to
    contract and she will once again feel the urge to pass her bowel before
    it is too big to pass without pain.
    
    There's a note on this...maybe in 330 ? Or contact me off line

Re .-1:

>MY daughter had this problem and it had nothing to do with nerve
>    endings. Why would there be a concern about nerve endings. Does your
>   child have a spinal cord deformity ?
    
>    My daughter took mineral oil daily...mixed with ice cream. Try 2-3
>    tablespoons. It'll make it very hard for her to hold her bowel. As a
>    result, the stretched area in her intestine will have a chance to
>   contract and she will once again feel the urge to pass her bowel before
>    it is too big to pass without pain.
    

Shruthi is not holding it in - she does have a pretty regular bowel movement,
but she can't seem to get rid of all of it !  The doctor's reasoning is that she
doesn't feel the urge to push as much, thanks to the decreased nerve supply.  I
believe there's a medical term for this deficiency, but I don't know it.

What's the difference between using Milk of Magnesia or mineral oil?  I thought
both were just laxatives..

I'm not the expert in chemistry but my understanding is that:

mineral oil is non-nutritive; the body doesn't digest it; it goes 
into the colon and acts as a lubricant 

milk of magnesium is digested and contains minerals like magnesium;
it is intended for occasional use not regular use

I don't mean to butt in. Go with what you trust.

My daughter was also having movements but passing only small amounts.
A pedi explained that there was large painful stool she was not 
passing and the small stuff could be the tip of the iceberg.

I remember reading in Dr Spock about a medical condition that kids 
were born with. I don't remember exactly but as I recall kids with 
this condition had problems from birth. I ruled this out in my daughter's 
case cause the problem was not from birth altho' it did start when she
was very little. Now she's nearly 6 and I still give her mineral oil on
occasion. For a long while she got metamucil as well. The regiment was
prescribed by a pediatric gastroenterologist to whom my pedi made a referral.

Good luck.