concerning GI problems

[abbeys mom]

does anybody experince GI problems? abbeys doctor has told us that she is very full of poop and has been for over a year. she is always complaning about stomach pain.she will be seeing a gi doctor soon.are there any diet suggestions that anybody has.

[Carmell]

Hi,

I don't have scientific proof, but I'm finding many little ones with scoliosis also suffer GI problems. Many have constipation and a chronic condition. Many are laxative dependent because their bodies can't push through the stool. Many have Gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying). This means their stomachs and GI system doesn't push food through as quickly as most people. The food just sits. The longer it sits, the less they eat. The longer it sits, the harder it is to push out.

Seeing a GI doc will be a good idea. My Braydon is now 11.5yrs old. He has GERD, Gastroparesis and is prone to constipation. He has been on various laxatives and stool softners since age 3. There is a website that has a list of constipating foods and non-constipating foods. I'll post that if you are interested.

Getting her cleaned out will be a challenge at first, but you'll be amazed at how well she does after. Her appetite will be better, her skin will look better, she won't fatigue as easily, etc. It's amazing how well we feel when our GI system works properly.

Good luck - I hope you can get in to see a GI doc soon. If not, please ask the ped if they can help you with a bowel "clean out" plan first.

[Spencer's Dad]

Once again, I agree with Carmell. I'm sure that scoli affects the GI tract, although you will be hard pressed to find a GI doc who will admit or confirm that. Spencer's GI issues have calmed down a lot since his fusion. I'm sure that his curve was pushing all his insides into places they were not supposed to be and that was a large part of his GI problems. He is still on motility drugs but we haven't had a bad upper GI day for about four weeks (knock on wood), which is the longest we have gone since his nissen surgery.

That said, I will also say that you need to make sure there are not any other underlying causes to the constipation. Does your daughter have any other diseases or syndromes besides scoli? Have you ever had any genetic screening done? Metabolic disorders can cause constipation and you need to rule them out before you start changing diet too much. Eliminating some foods or increasing others can make things worse if the underlying cause of the constipation is metabolic. Fortunately metabolic problems are usually very treatable. However, if the underlying cause is nuerological then there might be treatment options or there might not be too much you can do except motility drug therapy (stool softeners, laxatives, stimulants, etc).

You also need to be prepared for a very unsatisfying visit with your GI doc. GI medicine is tricky stuff and the docs usually have a difficult time deciding on a diagnosis. Mostly, the answers we get from them are "I don't know" and "well, all we can do is give it a try". Granted Spencer is a pretty complicated kid, so maybe you will have a better experience then we have had.

Carmell is also right in that once you get things cleaned out your daughter should be much happier. The big problem then is keeping things cleaned out, and thats why you need to determine if there is a cause for the constipation if you can. Otherwise in a short time you will be right back where you started, or on continuous drug treatment. So go see your GI doc as soon as you can and remember to ask questions about possible nuerologic and metabolic causes for constipation.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[conni60640]

Billy has multiple congenital birth defects, several of which affect his GI issues along with the scoliosis. That said, like Spencer, his eating has improved nicely after the fusion surgery. However, his constipation has not, but that is mostly due to neurosurgical reasons from his tethered spinal cord, which was reoperated on at the same time as the fusion...

I do really feel that things were "squashed" in there, and it affected his GI system... Good luck with the doc, but yes, sometimes it feels like we know more than the doc when it comes to specialized causes of GI symptoms, so the visit might be frustrating... Something like Miralax to help soften her stool may help with the constipation (my older son takes it) ...