My 3 yr old cf granddaughter is constipated and has been for about 6 months. Her pediatrician has given her laxatives for months, and the cf team seems to dismiss this, I guess because it's so different from diarhea. But she doesn't want to eat and isn't gaining much weight (although some), she feels bad, probably from stomach ache. She doesn't take enzymes. Is non-enzyme related constipation part of cf?
constipation
- Thread starter Molly
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Molly,I have a 3 yr old daughter that does take enzymes but still suffers from occasional constipation. Our CF team is always very helpful. Here are some tips they have given us
runes/prune juice or plenty of fruits (bananas are the only exception)Plenty of fluids to soften the stoolMineral Oil - given at night only to start as per the bottle or your pharmacist. It is sold as a liquid or in a jelly form. We were told to give it to her for 2-3 days the first time and then only occasionaly afterwards. I only used it for 3 days and never had to use it again. It is bought at your local pharmacy.If your CF team won't prescribe anything then these are the natural forms you can use. If the pediatrician will prescribe something you may ask for Lactulose. She used this when she was younger and it made her go within the hour.AM
runes/prune juice or plenty of fruits (bananas are the only exception)Plenty of fluids to soften the stoolMineral Oil - given at night only to start as per the bottle or your pharmacist. It is sold as a liquid or in a jelly form. We were told to give it to her for 2-3 days the first time and then only occasionaly afterwards. I only used it for 3 days and never had to use it again. It is bought at your local pharmacy.If your CF team won't prescribe anything then these are the natural forms you can use. If the pediatrician will prescribe something you may ask for Lactulose. She used this when she was younger and it made her go within the hour.AMHiyaJust to say I am 37 years old, have CF and I suffer from constipation quite a lot. I have done for years now. I do not take enzymes either as I am pancreatic sufficient.On another note I also have a 16 year old son. I always like to add that, to give you positive inspiration about CF.Rose MarieScotland
my grandson is 8 years old. Is doing great;he has been taking enzymes since birth. I NEVER heard of a CF paitent not taking them.He had one episode of constipation; when we discovered he was putting his pills in the cold air register. Now he knows how IMPORTANT they are to his health. GOOD LUCKinfinding what works for you.CF Nanny i 1,Sis
Hi there,I am 27 w/c.f and when i was little I had really bad constipation. I was afraid to go to the bathroom alone. I was given bran everyday on my breakfast cereal and like other people say I had to drink alot of fluid.....water, juice whatever.Even though I am healthy I am always always on enzymes. I amself have never heard of any C.F not taking enzymes. Healthy or not they are needed.....to help the breakdown of food to be more easily digested. Now I take sachets called "Movical" if I feel I need them. It is a strong laxative, but it helps.I would talk with your C.F team about it. It is very important that it is addressed right away. If left untreated it can lead to other complications like faecal impaction...which is not very nice. Plus just the stomach aches alone for a young girl are not pleasant. Also the not gaining weight is another huge factor. What if your granddaughter gets sick and can`t fight the infection because she is too weak from low weight gain?Anna27 w/cf
i dont know what kind of meds your grandchild is on, but my son Sam had a pretty big bout of constipation in December of 2002. He is 4. He had recently been increased from 4 creon 5 pills a day to 5 creon 5 pills a day and from 1 prilosec a day to 2 prilosecs a day. After three days of the new medicinal levels, he suffered acute abdominal pain and discomfort. The Cf clinic increased his meds and when i told them i thought the new change to his medical habits had something to do with it, along with the advice of my pediatrician, they relented and changed his levels back. But the problem still remained for three weeks. Hard to believe that a small change in meds had such painful ramifications for my son. one visit to the er and two visits to the doctor to check for fecal compaction and lots of enemas later, Sam is doing fine now. The cf clinic did put him on Lactulose 1 tsp twice a day when he appears to be impacted. He was born with intestinal obstruction known as meconium ilieus, so i was worried and rightly so about intestinal obstruction.ask about lactulose and also enzyme intake. i hope this helps...email me and let me knowwoodnymph@alltel.net
Rose,As a mother of a 20 year old son with a still questionable diagnosis I am very hopeful with your response. Although not a heavy build, seems to have more lung involvement and not gastro problems. Any advice about the constant cough? We see a pulmonologist when needed. I am very worried about what the future holds for him.