Parenting: Dealing with chronic constipation

Uh, this is a long email, and someone is at their wit's end, but let me bring it to you quickly.

"Hi, Joanna.

I'm writing as a concer- I, I'm concerned about my five-year-old son, who is about to start primary school next week.

He's been struggling with chronic constipatian- constipation since he was a baby.

He's been taking pediatric laxatives, uh, on and off since he was one years old," the poor fella.

"In the last year, he's been increasingly soiling his underpants and had a lot of accidents.

We went to the doctor, and we were put in touch with an incontinence nurse, who was great.

She explained how the connection between his brain and his bowel has become disrupted due to the fact that he was withholding poos for so long." Now, this is a very, very long-

Yeah

... email.

So there are a lot of problems, but I'm just gonna go towards the end of it.

"I've tried star charts for toilet sits.

I've tried social stories.

I've explained everyone must poo and that he can't stop the poo.

Uh, but he can't stop going in his underpants.

I've explained it will not be nice for other kids if they smell his poo.

I've explained to the teacher, or I've explained to him that the teacher will not wipe his bottom when he's in big school.

I, big school.

I no longer know the correct thing to say to him.

Sorry for the long email." And the email was a lot longer.

Yeah.

That is from Barbara.

She is really looking for some help, and it sounds like she has tried all sorts of things.

Yeah, and I- you're right.

The, the full email goes through details.