ok, this is getting old
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ok, this is getting old
| Sun, 05-06-2007 - 9:21pm |
This post is not for the weak at heart or those with weak stomachs.
I understand that bowel *issues* are not uncommon for AS kids.


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I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I feel for you, I really do cause we have poop issues here too.
Here's hoping this becomes a non-issue for all of us.
Heather
(((DEB)))
I feel for you. Doing diapers STILL at almost 4.
I sigh with you cause my little one cares LESS if he messes himself. He'll sit in it and not even care.
<3
Nora
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/irishwildrose/pp2.jpg
((((Debbie))))
This is a very tough issue to deal with day, in day out, and I
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
That cottoneil thing is a good idea, and I might use that for my 11 yr old. He still has problems wiping, and he prefers to have long nails and that really grosses me out.
If they can't help on the wiping, then maybe you could at least get the school to follow up on the hand washing. That, they can do.
{{{Deb}}}}
{{{{Debbie}}}}
Common for ASD kids or not, issues are issues. I have had real turmoil over dealing with those annoying things that are basically what makes my child special needs. I beat myself up a bit because my son can't help it, and I feel like a monster, doing the rough equivelent of wishing my blind child would see. I don't have any advice. I have learned that beating myself up is not helpful. If I find an alternative, I'll post it right away!
Sidney
Deb,
I'm right there with ya. My DS is is 8 and still needs to be coerced into pooping every day. If I don't insist he will withhold for days. He doesn't do the best job cleaning up, but flushable wet wipes do help. Even with multiple reminders to flush and wash he nearly always forgets (or chooses not to) and is sent back to finish the job. If I am lax about checking, he will come to the table with poop under his nails - just gross. I am tired of cleaning out poopy underpants and finding dirty balled-up toilet paper in the hamper (which he has stuffed in his underpants to avoid staining). This is one area that I, too, am so done with. He's 8 for goodness sake!
No advice. Just lots of (((hugs))).
Melissa
I'm there with you too! My 8yo just FINALLY got to where he's less smeary and disgusting. I insisted on wiping his tail until several months ago 'cus he just got poop EVERYWHERE (walls, toilet, clothes, hands, anything withing 3-4 feet of the toilet). He's still not terribly thorough, but since he's so much better than he was, I let him take care of himself. At least he finally wants to be independent which is a big step up for us. I also cleaned my 10yo NT ds behind until he was 7-8yo 'cus he was so fanatical about being clean that he didn't think he could do a good enough job by himself. When I finally forced him to begin cleaning himself, he was using nearly 1/2 tub of moist wipes a day until he became better at wiping. He hated using TP, so he'd only use wipes for a long time.
Some things we've discovered:
Moist flushable wipes. Since we use so many, I get the Walmart cheapy ones (they're just called "moist wipes," in a turquoise wrapper with the other flushable wipes in the toiletries section of the store). They're bigger but thinner than regular moist wipes but smaller than a baby wipe. You get 80-count for 86-cents.
Hand sanitizer. It is sooooo hard to get the kids to wash their hands, that I started keeping a bottle of hand sanitizer next to the sink (got idea from my sister). The kids still have to be reminded sometimes, but they are MUCH more likely to use hand sanitizer as they rush out of the bathroom than they are to wash their hands.
Baking soda is great for getting smells out of laundry. You can get big bags of it in the laundry section of Walmart.
If you can afford it, a toilet with a bigger hole in the outtake. The plumber told us you also have to make sure the pipe under the toilet is big enough or it doesn't make a difference. We had some damage in our bathroom that had to be repaired, and when we had it done, we got a better toilet. I LOOOOOOVE our toilet! The kids have only plugged it up a couple of times since we got it, but before it was plugged all the time, either 'cus of how much bm they had or how much paper they used or both. I cannot say enough how much I love our toilet. Since we have air vents on the floor of the house (how stupid is that?!), we occasionally got toilet water down the air vents, too, when the toilet overflowed. Blech!!! Have I said how in love with my toilet I am?!
Oh, it just hit me. Are you sure your ds is simply doing a poor job wiping, or could he instead/also have "leakage?" If the bowels get too backed up, the bowels get blocked, and only looser stool can ooze past which leaks uncontrolled into the undies.
I never imagined I'd be so knowledgeable about poop or so aware of other people's bowel habits! Sorry you're having to go through this.
Hi,
I'm really sorry, pooping issues suck. We are going through it as well with my 9 year old. We have been going to the Encopresis clinic at UofM Hospital for about a year and a half. For the most part it is getting better. We are out of pull-ups. He does have a couple accidents a week though. I have a small bucket that I put his underpants in, and wash a few pairs at a time without scubbing them first. I just soak, wash, soak again with bleach, wash. I hate scubbing them so this works for me, and I don't have to smell like poop all the time. Maybe you could look into an Encopresis clinic too, our insurance covers about half, depending on what doctor he sees, usually he sees two there at the same time. My insurance covers a good portion of this, the doctor's don't list it as ASD related, just a problem kids go through. Good luck, oh, I only buy plain white undies so I can bleach the heck out of em!
Carey
We've been dealing with the constipation issue with my 7 1/2yo for years now, gosh, maybe 5 years? He didn't fully potty train until 1st grade. Yes, they allowed him in school with pull ups due to the disability. He's supposed to take Miralax daily, but now that he doesn't always want chocolate milk, we're finding it tough to get him to take it (can't put it in soda!). I cannot tell you how many days of school he's missed because he gets so backed up and I have to give him an enema, then stay home for the day with him in a pull up to get it out.
I definitely feel your pain with the wiping. What I did is put regular baby wipes in the bathroom and he is instructed to put them in the garbage. He's been doing great with that. He doesn't wash his hands well and I end up having to help him with that again. That stink is TOUGH to get off their hands!!!
I'm thinking it's time to see if he's got something more going on, the Encropesis (sp?) sounds like what we're dealing with. I just need to make sure to give him the Miralax more though, but that's my fault.
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