Another piece to the puzzle

Last week Mr. C was admitted to a children’s hospital for bowel impaction treatment. Any of you who know our family personally, or have read past posts, are aware this is not a new issue for our family. We have been struggling with regularity for years.  

We first started working on this issue with E. Due to sensory issues related to his autism, he had issues with constipation which lead to blockage and painful elimination. This lead to fear and withholding. With a lot of work and medication, we were able to clear these blockages and retrain his body and now he has very little issues in this department.  

Now we are facing this issue again with C. We know the drill and we have tried ‘cleanout protocols’ from various doctors, yet we are not having the same success. Unfortunately, he ended up admitted to a hospital with an NG tube feeding him medicine to make things move. This is the worst-case scenario for him so far, and as unfortunate as it is, at least he is making progress to being healthy again.  

Most of what we have learned this visit is not news. He is diagnosed with Encopresis and Functional Constipation. So, we were sent home with a follow-up visit scheduled 8 weeks out and told to medicate daily with a stool softener like Mirlax and a laxative.  

Once home, I was reviewing lab notes that were available through the doctor’s web portal and learned something new which may or may not have a huge impact on how we deal with this situation long term, but was still something interesting. The x-ray that we had done to locate and officially diagnose the “fecal impaction” also caught something else. C has Spina Bifida Occulta. 

Thankfully the mildest form of Spina Bifida and we really don’t know yet how this will evolve as C grows, and we deal with his various issues but it really does help add another piece to his puzzle. This could be contributing to his elimination issues and may even be a factor in his ADHD diagnosis. I’m constantly fascinated by all the tiny things that add up to an issue. Time to study more and learn as much as I mother can and make more notes in the ever-growing health binder I keep for these boys.