Reluctance to poop and very sore bottom

Maia has had appalling poop problems for the past couple of months - basically she's trying very hard NOT to go and as a result is in great discomfort several times a day. We've sought advice before and are giving her laxatives etc. It's so awful for her at the moment, she's screaming in discomfort several times a day :cray: . I'm desperate to find something to help her. My theory is that she has become scared to poop because sometimes it really hurts.

I've noticed that sometimes, after pooping, she has a very sore, very red bottom - it's excruciating for her even to have her diaper changed. I wondered if this is a regular nappy rash or if, given that it's only sometimes, it could be a reaction to some food.

If anyone's child has a known allergy to something which resulted in diaper rash, what did it look like? Were there other signs? How could we tell what's causing it if it is an allergy (can one do allergy testing on toddlers, or should we be trying elimination diets)?

lisa

 

Poor girl!

I know with my girls I have to be extremely careful how much 'acidic' foods they get.

So much that when we started tomatoes (I waited until they were a year) I had to stop again for a couple of months, because both of their tushes were bright red.

And still, they can't have tomato based foods or any citrus fruits too many days/meals in a row or I notice that they start to get really red and sore again.

Hope you figure it out!

 

The rash on Sarah's bottom went away as soon as we cut all dairy out of her diet. A couple of years later and she can now eat dairy no problem. But for a while she just couldn't handle it.

Marissa

 

Poor thing!!!! I actually have the opposite issue, mine poop all the time. But we still have the issue of diaper rash, especially with ds. If he eats too much fruit or pineapple/strawberries in partcular he gets a bad rash. I don't think he is allergic, just doesn't agree with him.
Have you tried the miralx with her?

 

My girls were unofficially diagnosed with a milk allergy at 12 months and at 18 months officially diagnosed with allergies to dairy, wheat, eggs, beef, squash and bananas. They also have a soy intolerance. Our first sign that they ate something they shouldn't is a diaper rash. It is a red rash that is around the anus. (no bumps-that is a yeast infection). It is just bright red and if they have had too much of the allergen they get sore spots that are raw and bleedy looking. When they were little and on soy formula their each cheek around the anus was completely raw and bleeding. It does not go away until the allergen is stopped. Wiping their bottom with wipes hurts them really bad but with a yeast infection (red bumpy rash) it doesn't hurt them to use wipes. They are now two and can tell them when it hurts and doesn't.

Other symptoms...either constipation or too soft of stools, lots of gas to the point I could hear their stomachs popping (drops did no good), cried constantly (prior to feeding, during feeding and after feeding), moaned all night long, stopped gaining weight, extremely clingy and whiny, raised rash all over their torso (not red just raised), fluid on the ears/ear infections.

Once we knew their allergens and eliminated them all of the symptoms cleared up. I would recommend Dr. Doris Rapp's book "Is This Your Child?" I call it my bible and refer to it often.

They were tested at 18 months through a blood test called a RAST Test. I would highly recommend getting one so you can know what you are dealing with. I can understand why she would want to hold it in if hurts as much as my girls say. I usually put a little bacitracin on their bottoms when they get the rash (daycare and family are not so good at remembering what they can and can't eat). It just helps to keep their little cheeks from rubbing together and irritating it more.

 

thank you so much for your responses.

angela, oddly tomatoes are what they recommend for constipation in this country (israel), so we've been loading her with them. i'll stop immediately!

rissakaye, do you think it's possible to suddenly develope an allergy to something that she previously was ok with?

kristi, she lived on miralax for the whole of march. april we tried something called lactulose which she prefers the taste of. sadly neither really help since she spends her whole time forcing herself not to go ...

annie, wow you poor dear finding something to feed your girls, that must have been so hard. thanks so much for your really helpful response, i'm going to check it out with the doctor tomorrow.
lisa

 

apple juice works wonders for becca who also has pooping issues, the sugar softens the stool and helps draw it out. that should be an easy thing to try as you don't want her dependent on the miralux.