This blog is my place to vent and share resources with other parents of children of trauma. I try to be open and honest about my feelings in order to help others know they are not alone. Therapeutic parenting of adopted teenagers with RAD and other severe mental illnesses and issues (plus "neurotypical" teens) , is not easy, and there are time when I say what I feel... at the moment. We're all human!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

To poo or not to poo...

This falls under the heading, TMI so feel free to skip it.

Kitty is constipated. Always. Saturday she was diagnosed with yet another UTI (urinary tract infection). She's had surgery for this (age 9), and they apparently are common for females with issues with constipation. Many of her meds cause constipation, and her hygeine is non-existent "down there."


Apparently she hasn't pooped since Thursday, and I know this because it was HUGE!! and unflushable. Poor Hubby - he is sooo lucky he has no sense of smell and ends up with this job a lot. *insert slight sarcasm - lots of sympathy - facial expression here*


She gets sodium docusate (stool softener) daily, and we've even given it to her twice a day. Since Saturday I've been giving her Miralax in her cranberry juice daily... Nothing. Nada. Zip.


Except for some interest when she was told it might help flatten her tummy (she actually looks about 6 months pregnant all the time now). Kitty seems completely uninterested. I don't think she's holding it in though.


So I talked to one of the pediatricians (not her regular one), and he suggested giving her a Fleet's Enema!!! What?!!! How am I supposed to do that? She barely let the nurse practitioner even look at her private parts, with the reassurance that she would not be touched at all (even then she had to be bribed with the promise of a Twix bar).
So now we've been told she needs to see a pediatric urologist and a gastroenterologist. That's a lot of co-pays. I wonder if there are any around here that take Medicaid? How do I find out? Guess it's time to search the internet.
Anyway, I'll let you know how it all comes out. (Yes, horrible pun intended. Please don't hate me! You're the one who chose to read this far after being warned!)

6 comments:

Flutin' High said...

Hi Mary, thanks for your Mother's Day greeting!
I have Kitty's problem too. There are lots of natural remedies for constipation: castor oil (one tablespoon at night, it's tasteless), psyllium seeds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyllium_seed_husks).
Also, a doctor will probably just tell her also to get enough exercise and drink lots of fluids. I'm sure there are accupressure points too that you can find on the net.
Hope this helps, your cuz in Germany

Unknown said...

Sigh. Reminds me of myself when I was a kid.

I agree with you about the enema - no way.

Sounds like from the last post the miralax worked well... can you just stay on that?

tracy

Jules said...

Wouldn't it make more sense that she gets the UTI's due to lack of hygiene as opposed to being constipated?

marythemom said...

Hygeine is a definite issue for Kitty, and definitely not to be ruled out. I just know that the nurse practitioner said it's also very common for constipation to cause UTIs as well.

We've been working on the constipation and she hasn't had a UTI since. Her tummy is less pronounced too.

Mary in TX

Jules said...

That's awesome! I'm glad to hear that she's doing better in that area. I think the weirdest thing I've learned about RAD is the hygeine issues, especially for teenage girls. You don't think negative reactions from peers (you smell like a litter box) has motivated her at all?

marythemom said...

Nope. Only emotionally disturbed kids will tell her to her face that she reeks. Other kids just avoid her. She assumed that the girl was a witch (which of course she apparently was), and paid no attention to the validity of the comment.

Adults are ignored too. Even when they sent her home from school for the smell, it was our fault for taking her home on a field trip day (the school left it up to us, but this was the third time we'd had to drive all the way out there). No connection in her mind to the poor hygeine. *sigh* Gotta love RAD!

Mary in TX