Encopresis Treatment

About This Article on Encopresis Treatment

Warning....we are going to be talking about bowel movements and toileting so some of what is written here may seem unpleasant. However, if your child suffers from encopresis then I am sure you will read on because what you have had to both endure personally is both stressful, frustrating and emotionally draining.

So the words will seem like nothing in comparison with what you and your child are going through. I’m sure you are desperate for an encopresis treatment.

What is Encopresis?

Encopresis is when a child or person has no control over their “secondary” bowel movement based on constipation. So in other words, it is involuntary resulting in soiling their underpants.

Generally, they suffer from a blockage in the bowel and they soil due to an overflow around the blockage. The bowel can be stretched and as a result the child cannot feel the poo coming. It can be semi-soft to completely runny. It can happen a few times a day or once a week.

Symptoms of Encopresis

It is not uncommon for children who suffer from encopresis to also suffer from food intolerance symptoms. Sometimes a child is even toilet trained but starts soiling as a result of encopresis. Treatment may be needed up until they turn thirteen in some cases. The psychological reaction from the child who needs encopresis treatment can be as such that they completely deny they have even soiled. Because of the ongoing issue of soiling, a child will sometimes try to hold a poo in because they are concerned about soiling and the implication this has as well as the embarrassment. This just makes the problem worse to the point that they go from being constipated to now suffering from encopresis.

The main symptom of a child that needs encopresis treatment is that they are soiling regularly even after toilet training. Other symptoms are bed wetting, moody or cranky and they sometimes soil in their sleep. The smell of the stool is usually quite bad because the poo has been sitting in the bowel longer than it should.

Ideas for Dealing with Encopresis

Here are some ideas on how to deal with the situation while you undergo encopresis treatment which will be explained in part two of this three part article.

Have toilet wet wipes on hand for those times that you just need to wipe up a little
Make sure your child is getting plenty of sleep. The more hours before midnight, the better
Don’t subject your child to reward and punishment or star charts as this will make it worse for the child. You cannot have reward without punishment. If they don’t get the reward, and given this is highly likely when suffering from encopresis, then they are already being punished as it’s natural opposite and they will not feel good about themselves and not because they didn’t try their best.
Remember that they have little or no control over their bowels so you need to treat this in a different way.

Encouragement is fine but praise such as “good girl” or “good boy” is detrimental. That’s what you say to a dog and we are dealing with children who are people too.
Put the child in the shower if needed. It is easier to do this sometimes and water is great to sooth the body. Or, after a wipe up, let them have a bath to assist in reducing toxins in the body. Pure epsom salts are great for detoxifying the body.
Buy extra jocks / undies. If the soiling is too bad to soak the underpants then just toss them in the bin to minimize stress for you both and say nothing further about it.
Check the sitting position of the child while they are playing as this is sometimes an indication that they may need to use the toilet.
Check for flatulence and encourage your child to sit on the toilet and see if anything is coming.
Keep spare wipes and change of clothes along with a few disposable plastic bags in your car.
Keep a plastic seat protector in the car in case you cannot do anything about it until you get them home. Wind down the car windows.
Tell siblings not to name call as this just makes it worse for the child with encopresis on a psychological level.
Make the school aware that your child is to go to the toilet as and when they need, not as the teacher decides.
Don’t make a fuss of it. Simply get the situation sorted as quickly and quietly as possible using any of the above until you see the encopresis treatment taking effect.

Encopresis Treatment – Part Two is now available where I give you the exact, simple encopresis treatment. Then, you will want to read on for the final part to my encopresis treatment article. Please share with the buttons below this article so that others will learn from my work.

Your News On Food brought to you by

Eileen Baudinette

Food and Health Commentator.

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Disclaimer:

I’m no medical expert and information contained on this blog is written through my own experience with the aim of furthering your education on health. It is your responsibility as to how you use this information and I cannot be held liable for any misinterpretation or misuse of the information provided.