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Suggest Treatment For Difficulty In Bowel Movement Due To Large Stool
Question: My son is 13 months old and is experiencing a large bowel movement. The large mass is protruding out of his rectum... he has been unable to pass it for over an hour.. we don't know what to do.
Brief Answer:
If the mass is fleshy, rush to an emergency room right away.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic.com
I understand your concern and I really appreciate you seeking help.
From the description, it is not clear what the mass really is. However, I can make an educated guess.
The mass, if it looks fleshy, then it is a prolapsed rectum. Any attempt to take it out can be disastrous.
The best thing to do is to get your son looked at by a pediatric surgeon immediately.
I would suggest you to take your son to the ER and get him examined. If it is a prolapsed rectum, the doctors in ER should be able to reduce it (Push it back up).
If it is not fleshy, then it might be impacted stool.
Even if it is hardened stool, I do not think it is wise to ignore the other possibility, and if not careful while removing it, the hard stool may injure the rectum, so you should go to the ER.
Other possibilities are rare and not worth considering at this time.
I urge you to take your son to the ER at once.
Hope this information will be of help to you.
You may update me about the progress once everything is settled.
Wishing your son a speedy recovery.
Kind regards
If the mass is fleshy, rush to an emergency room right away.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic.com
I understand your concern and I really appreciate you seeking help.
From the description, it is not clear what the mass really is. However, I can make an educated guess.
The mass, if it looks fleshy, then it is a prolapsed rectum. Any attempt to take it out can be disastrous.
The best thing to do is to get your son looked at by a pediatric surgeon immediately.
I would suggest you to take your son to the ER and get him examined. If it is a prolapsed rectum, the doctors in ER should be able to reduce it (Push it back up).
If it is not fleshy, then it might be impacted stool.
Even if it is hardened stool, I do not think it is wise to ignore the other possibility, and if not careful while removing it, the hard stool may injure the rectum, so you should go to the ER.
Other possibilities are rare and not worth considering at this time.
I urge you to take your son to the ER at once.
Hope this information will be of help to you.
You may update me about the progress once everything is settled.
Wishing your son a speedy recovery.
Kind regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Thank you so much for your time... we will take him right now.
Brief Answer:
You are most welcome. Please update me if it is okay with you.
Detailed Answer:
Hello Mrs XXXXXXX
I hope everything will be alright soon, kindly update me once everything is settled. I would like to know that your son is fine.
Thank you for using healthcaremagic.
Take care.
You are most welcome. Please update me if it is okay with you.
Detailed Answer:
Hello Mrs XXXXXXX
I hope everything will be alright soon, kindly update me once everything is settled. I would like to know that your son is fine.
Thank you for using healthcaremagic.
Take care.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Hello Dr. XXXXXXX D,
I'm sorry, I never received your follow-up... had I known, I would've gotten right back to you.
We went to the ER and they manually removed the mass of stool. We informed the Dr. that on May 16 we switched from Neocate Infant Formula to Peaceful Planet VegLife-Toddler Supreme Formula. We told him how everything seemed to be working out just fine, until May 22. He advised us to give him 1 tsp. of mineral oil in his bottle first thing in the morning. So, we did but things really didn't change.
Also, I just want to let you know that we have a soon to be 5 year old daughter who has many food sensitivities. When I stopped breast feeding, we decided to approach things with our son just like we did with our daughter. And that was to take all dairy, soy, eggs and gluten out of his diet. We haven't had him tested for any allergies yet. We are planning on doing that really soon.
I called our Dr. later Monday afternoon and informed her of what was going on and she told me to give him an enema and for us to schedule an appt. with her. So, I followed her advise and he was able to go and feel a little more comfortable from that.
We saw our Dr. yesterday and she was pretty sure that it was the new formula and too much fiber. She advised us to take him off of the new formula and try Goat's Milk. She also told us to give him 1 tsp. of Miralax twice a daily. He just had another painful bowel movement but we are hoping that after 72 hours he will start to feel better.
Is that what you would recommend? We just want to make sure that we are doing the right thing. Thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it!
I'm sorry, I never received your follow-up... had I known, I would've gotten right back to you.
We went to the ER and they manually removed the mass of stool. We informed the Dr. that on May 16 we switched from Neocate Infant Formula to Peaceful Planet VegLife-Toddler Supreme Formula. We told him how everything seemed to be working out just fine, until May 22. He advised us to give him 1 tsp. of mineral oil in his bottle first thing in the morning. So, we did but things really didn't change.
Also, I just want to let you know that we have a soon to be 5 year old daughter who has many food sensitivities. When I stopped breast feeding, we decided to approach things with our son just like we did with our daughter. And that was to take all dairy, soy, eggs and gluten out of his diet. We haven't had him tested for any allergies yet. We are planning on doing that really soon.
I called our Dr. later Monday afternoon and informed her of what was going on and she told me to give him an enema and for us to schedule an appt. with her. So, I followed her advise and he was able to go and feel a little more comfortable from that.
We saw our Dr. yesterday and she was pretty sure that it was the new formula and too much fiber. She advised us to take him off of the new formula and try Goat's Milk. She also told us to give him 1 tsp. of Miralax twice a daily. He just had another painful bowel movement but we are hoping that after 72 hours he will start to feel better.
Is that what you would recommend? We just want to make sure that we are doing the right thing. Thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it!
Brief Answer:
Switching the formula could be the reason for constipation.
Detailed Answer:
Hello Ms XXXXXXX
Thank you for writing back to me with the details and progress. I am relieved to know that it was not a serious condition and turned out alright.
Switching the formula is most likely the reason for this acute constipation resulting in stool impaction and you did the right thing by taking your son to an ER.
About the allergies,
If both of you (that is the mother and father), do not have any allergies, then it is reasonable to assume that the allergies your daughter might have developed to foods is most likely due to a sporadic genetic mutation and not a hereditary one.
This sporadic mutations happen and there is nothing much we can do as of now, that is until we find safe gene therapeutics going (which are unfortunately mired in controversies due to illogical religious sentiments all over the world).
If however, any of you have any such allergies, then it would be prudent to be on the safer side.
I do not know the reason for not breastfeeding your son, although it is a personal choice, breastfed children turn out to be much better in health, intelligence and resistance to infections. That apart, introduction of a different formula often requires time for adjustment.
All the hype about gluten free stuff is mostly marketing strategies by corporations as the latest studies are revealing increasingly.
By the age of one year, children should be eating from the family pot, no special formulas are necessary at this age.
Slow and gradual exposure to possible allergens would also be beneficial in the long run as that gradual exposure desensitizes even someone who is already allergic.
I understand your concern given the fact that your daughter does have allergies.
I think more investigations need to be done to identify the exact things your son may be allergic to, and carefully exclude those only and give him everything else.
Goat's milk as a remedy for allergies is unsupported by scientific literature, so I have no comments on that.
Miralax will be helpful, but a better choice would be lactulose, please discuss with your doctor before considering this alternative.
Miralax contains polyethylene glycol, which works by holding water and makes the stool soft. Lactulose also works in a similar way.
Miralax or lactulose need to reach the stool to make it softer, so the already formed stool that is in the large intestines will be still hard and it will be difficult to pass it, hence your doctor's advice to give an enema (which will lubricate the passage so that passing the stools is easier).
I would suggest your to include fruits and green leafy vegetables in your son's diet and avoid formulas which have eliminated every last bit of fiber from them.
Introduce fruits like bananas, apple, oranges, water melons slowly, also add green leafy veggies (boiled, preferably in a tasty soup or the likes).
It is the lack of fiber in the diet that results in constipation, and the solution is to make sure the food consumed contains the necessary amount of fibers.
I apologize for the delay in responding to your follow-up, I sincerely hope you will find this answer helpful.
Wishing your son best health.
Warm regards.
Dr. Yogesh
(If you are satisfied with the answer, please close the discussion and rate and review the answer, however, if you have additional questions, you are most welcome to ask me further).
Switching the formula could be the reason for constipation.
Detailed Answer:
Hello Ms XXXXXXX
Thank you for writing back to me with the details and progress. I am relieved to know that it was not a serious condition and turned out alright.
Switching the formula is most likely the reason for this acute constipation resulting in stool impaction and you did the right thing by taking your son to an ER.
About the allergies,
If both of you (that is the mother and father), do not have any allergies, then it is reasonable to assume that the allergies your daughter might have developed to foods is most likely due to a sporadic genetic mutation and not a hereditary one.
This sporadic mutations happen and there is nothing much we can do as of now, that is until we find safe gene therapeutics going (which are unfortunately mired in controversies due to illogical religious sentiments all over the world).
If however, any of you have any such allergies, then it would be prudent to be on the safer side.
I do not know the reason for not breastfeeding your son, although it is a personal choice, breastfed children turn out to be much better in health, intelligence and resistance to infections. That apart, introduction of a different formula often requires time for adjustment.
All the hype about gluten free stuff is mostly marketing strategies by corporations as the latest studies are revealing increasingly.
By the age of one year, children should be eating from the family pot, no special formulas are necessary at this age.
Slow and gradual exposure to possible allergens would also be beneficial in the long run as that gradual exposure desensitizes even someone who is already allergic.
I understand your concern given the fact that your daughter does have allergies.
I think more investigations need to be done to identify the exact things your son may be allergic to, and carefully exclude those only and give him everything else.
Goat's milk as a remedy for allergies is unsupported by scientific literature, so I have no comments on that.
Miralax will be helpful, but a better choice would be lactulose, please discuss with your doctor before considering this alternative.
Miralax contains polyethylene glycol, which works by holding water and makes the stool soft. Lactulose also works in a similar way.
Miralax or lactulose need to reach the stool to make it softer, so the already formed stool that is in the large intestines will be still hard and it will be difficult to pass it, hence your doctor's advice to give an enema (which will lubricate the passage so that passing the stools is easier).
I would suggest your to include fruits and green leafy vegetables in your son's diet and avoid formulas which have eliminated every last bit of fiber from them.
Introduce fruits like bananas, apple, oranges, water melons slowly, also add green leafy veggies (boiled, preferably in a tasty soup or the likes).
It is the lack of fiber in the diet that results in constipation, and the solution is to make sure the food consumed contains the necessary amount of fibers.
I apologize for the delay in responding to your follow-up, I sincerely hope you will find this answer helpful.
Wishing your son best health.
Warm regards.
Dr. Yogesh
(If you are satisfied with the answer, please close the discussion and rate and review the answer, however, if you have additional questions, you are most welcome to ask me further).
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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