fecal incontinence??? | ADHD Information

Thanks OlderMom- I found that link very helpful and actually took the test for PDD and he scored moderate. We will have lots to talk about with our new psychiatrist. I don't know of any neuopsyche's. I do live in a college town so maybe there is one at MSU? No sure

anyway

thanks

If it isn't medical, it could be neurological. Very common in SID kids, which are very commonly on the Spectrum, especially those who seem oblivious to sitting in poop. I go to a site, like this one, that deals with all sorts of autism, to kids who are very severe, to kids like mine who talk well and are doing very well. YOu may want to ask questions there. There is also an online PDD test that the people on the autism site are finding accurate. It's also posted on that site. I'll give you the link. I've found it very helpful. It talks about how psychiatrists often tiptoe around the "A" word (autism) and call the kids everything but, such as SID/OCD/ADHD/ODD/language delayed-apraxia--they'll list a laundry list of dx. that, all together, mean autism, but won't say the word. If they don't say the word, the child can't get interventions. Many of us there have been very frustrated. Just say it already! If it walks like a duck...

www.autism-pdd.net/forum/default.asp

Give it a look. Make an appt. with a NeuroPsych. Other professionals don't really test for it and often, yes, label autism ADHD.

OlderMom38881.6399537037

olie,

I want you to know that I have been were you are and it does get better. My son started having some problems too. I could not figure out what could possibly be triggering it! He would hide his underwear, throw it away, and even tried to flush it one time. I, with my overactive imagination, and seemingly no other excuse, was terrified to think that maybe he was being abused. I took him to his doctor and the only thing that he could offer was constipation. I still don't think that was the real answer(especially in light of the other posts suggesting that it may be linked to his ADHD) but it did help. I sat him down and talked to him to make sure that I wasn't missing anything. Then I asked him why he thought that he was having this problem. He wasn't sure but he was really embarrassed by it. When he realized that we weren't blaming him, that we were concerned and wanted to help him, he worked with us to overcome it. We all heightened our awareness of his times of "business", gave him four ounces of grape or apple juice every morning, and inquired frequently about his regularity. It stopped! Within one week, the dirty britches stopped! From time to time I still ask him about his regularity, especially if I think its been a couple of days. I have also periodically made him drink the juice for a couple of days in a row If I don't think he has gone in a while. I don't know how possibly being constipated has anything to do with "pooping" in your pants but it has worked for us. It may just have been that he didn't feel ashamed anymore and we were able to help him be aware of needing to defecate but whatever it was....I am sure glad its over! Best of luck. I hope that maybe our post is able to help you.

Olie, I must admit I'm not very good about knowing about all the issues already mentioned, but I do believe in chiropractic, and adjustments to strengthen and incease the blood and nerve flow from the lower spine to those organs may help. I used to work for a chiropractic clinic and would see children clear up all the time. It's a very gentle form of treatment that works. It may just be a simple neuromuscular problem easily corrected, not necessarily related to any other disorder or dysfunction. I don't know, just thought I'd run it by you as another option. There is a chiropractic thread started in the alternative section, or you can pm me if you would like more information about it.

Please do not follow the advise of tigris532000. She mentions encopresis but clearly she does not understand the medical term and has not done any research on the topic.

Children with this condition cannot feel their bowel movements; they have no control over the problem. Public humiliation of a child is not the solution, and this suggestion is a great example of ignorance. Your pediatrician can give you proper guidance that does not entail pounding on a child's self-esteem (which is hard to get back with an ADHD kid).

My nephew has a similar problem which began a potty training. Due to constipation he has nerve damage and does not feel like he has to go. Maybe there is some nerve dammage for some reason and he is in the same situation. He has ADHD, sensory issues, anxiety and other issues. Good luck and I hope things get better soon. Hello I am a mother of a 7 yr old boy who poops in his pants and I think I have a suggestion for some of you parents out there. His diagnosis is encopresis. He just didn't want to use the bathroom, he would just sit and poop on himself anytime he wanted. My solution was to make a blue tutu out of his underwear and an old bath sponge taken apart and sewed onto the under wear. I told him that if he poops in his underwear again that he would have to wear the tutu in front of his family and the tutu would go everywhere he goes. And where ever he poops in his pants he would then clean himself up and put the tutu on then we would continue to tell him that he couldn't poo poo in the blue tutu. All I had to do is show him the tutu and explain to him the concequences of pooping in his pants. I no longer have the problem of my son pooping in his pants. The blue tutu remains yet to be worn. after a month of a clean kid and some welcome sanity I am grateful to my friend who cared enough to help me think of this project. The blue tutu remains in just enough sight for my son to remember what could happen.Someday I will have him throw it away and hopefully regain some self esteem into my child Then have him checked out medically to rule it out and if it is not medical it is behavior. My ds has always been oblivious and this was a problem for us into 3rd grade at least. Not so much at night but during the day. I don't know what to tell you. Our problem was ongoing, ever since potty training. I feel for you because I know how upsetting this is. I know if you have had bedwetting problems that you've tried many different things but one thing that helped us was dri-nite. I got one off e-bay for about . It clips to the front of his underwear and has a wire that goes to a small unit that clips to his pajama top. When he wets, the moisture activates a shrill alarm and the child wakes up. We used it for about 3 weeks and never had another bedwetting problem again. Hang in there, age helps a lot. This is common in kids with sensory issues and in autism (both low and high functioning). If he smeared it, I'd say it's behavioral, but it doesn't sound like he's doing it on purpose. Has he gone for a physical exam? Is your child pretty aware of what's going on around him or is he sometimes oblivious? Does he act embarassed? It's common with a lot of disorders. Sometimes it's just a physical thing.Who diagnosed your son and who is treating him? OlderMom38880.4651273148Hmmmm, I don't know what to tell you about that. My 14 year old has always been a lazy wiper and we went through a period five or six years ago where he didn't want to take the time to wipe at all. Once he started going to gym with the other kids though that problem cleared right up He still is a little lax about it sometimes, but he has never had incontinence. I'm not convinced your son's problem has much to do with ADHD or his medication. Does he have a therapist you can talk to about it?

He was diagnosed by a psychologist through a series of tests and observations. He has a therapist and we see a psychiatrist for his meds. I am in the middle of switching psychiatrist because I just think there is something more going on with him and everyone has been very vague and not real helpful. He is very embarrassed about the accidents and will not admit to it. I do believe he has some serious sensory issues. He cuts tags out of his shirts only wears certain socks and so on. My gut feeling is he has some form of autism. No one will say this. They danced around bipolar but the phsychiatrist said no way.

I just feel for Erik-I know he is embarrasssed. He can't join many sleep overs due the urinary stuff and now the fecal problem

Hello, My son Erik is almost 8 and was diagnosed ADHD combined type and ODD. Wellllllllllllllll, he has always had a problem staying dry at night-he has only had about 3 dry nights in his life. But lately he has been having BM's in his pants. He sometimes doesn't wipe well and it is just smears but he has actually had formed "poop" in his underwear. He started this after he began taking Tenex (also on concerta). I thought they were accidents but sometimes it is quite evident he knows there is feces presant but prefers to sit in it! Or he is too embarrassed to tell me. He has been hiding his soiled underwear and putting his bowel movements in the trash.

Anybody ever experience this behavior or problem?

[QUOTE=olie]

Anybody ever experience this behavior or problem?

We had same problems with our son at age 6 . We found after searching for information, it was suggested we try plain water or slaine enemas to clean the toxins from the bowel. You make the enema up from warm water and salt 2 teaspoons to 1 qt of water. I can give you more information just email me cutemomof42003@yhaoo.com or you can get the information and procedure form Dr. Scott p[ublic questions and answers at doctorscotts@yahoo.com

[/QUOTE] Oh my, keep the enemas to a minimum. They can be humiliating for the child and affect them psychologically. I would only do it if there's been no BM for over 4 days. Especially at age 5+.

olie, my son had the same problems, ongoing from when we began potty training.

I was worried about the sleepovers. I purchased a bedwetting alarm like susieb did. Mine was from www.bedwettingstore.com--it flashes, vibrates, and makes 8 alternating sounds (my son is a sound sleeper). They give you a chart to track progress and email you great tips. I also bought their mattress cover that holds a pint of liquid. It worked. Now he has a night time accident every 10 days or so, and then the alarm goes right back on for 1 week. I asked him why he stopped peeing in his sleep. He said he hates the sound of the alarm.

Regarding the soiling issue, do you think the medication is constipating? My son has ADHD. He had encopresis (you should google that word). He held it, it collected, he became constipated, and then developed encopresis--which iresults in the soiling. He didn't know he was soiling because his colon had lost sensation. It was stretched from the constipation. He hid his underwear. I got a prescription for miralax which he got once a day. And once a day he ate 1/4 cup of kellogs bran buds (no, other forms of bran don't cut it). And 30 after breakfast and dinner he had to sit on the toliet every day for 15 minutes. Two months later the miralax dose was down to 1/4 of the original dose, he still ate the bran buds, and we had stopped the toliet sits. I really think the problem developed because he just couldn't focus on more than one thing at a time, bodily function or not.

Ya! thanks NoTellin I will check on encopresis-that is a very good possibility. We just started to have him clean his own soiled underwear. I am also going to tell him if he is not doing it on purpose we will need to go visit the doctor (he does not like going to the pediatrician) We have Miralax at home that his brother was prescribed.

Hey I got a private email from that "troll" who says that meds are kiliing our children and his/her daughter developed ITP etc etc only it was under another screen name (different from the screen name post I saw on the board) This person was basically telling me to "watch out for you senior members " because your med happy" eeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkk

thanks all