Sudden change in poo

Salli

New member
I was just wondering whether anyone has ever experienced a sudden change in their CF childs poo. Archie's poos have been really good but for the last three days they have become quite mushy, smelly and mucousy. I have increased his enzymes with his solids as maybe I wasn't giving him enough but it doesn't seem to have helped. Is it possible to get a dodgy batch of enzymes? The change just coincides with when I started a new bottle of enzymes - any advice?? Or could a possible cold lurking in the background cause this?
 

thelizardqueen

New member
Is he on any new med? One of the most common side effects of meds is diahrea (sp). It could very well be his new bottle of enzymes. I would check with his doc, let him know how Archie's stools have been since you started the new meds.
 

anonymous

New member
Ditto to the above. DD is on an oral antibiotic and it changed her stools considerably. That has made it really difficult to use the poo as an indicator of how the enzyme is working. Is Archie eating anything different? A new solid or an unusual food could impact it, too. And it COULD be the new bottle of enzymes. The first time we had really noticable changes in the poo, our nutritionist's first question was, "Did you just start a new bottle of enzymes?" She said it happens fairly often with certain brands. I'd start a new bottle and see if it makes a differeence. And, of course talk to the DR.
 

anonymous

New member
My doctor must tell me 15 times each appointment that when we go for prescription refills, we have to make sure that the pharmacist DOES NOT give us a generic substitute. My daughter is on Creon, and if the pills do not say Solvay on them, you have gotten a generic.
 

Salli

New member
Thanks guys, Archie isn't on any new meds but he is trying new foods - it could possibly be that. He is allergic to cows milk and peanuts so may be quite sensitive to something I am giving him. I have started some new enzymes today and it does seem to have improved - he's only done one little poo this morning which was still a tad suspect but nothing since then. The other enzymes did say Solvay on them but thanks for that tip for future reference.

Question.... can you over enzyme? Sometimes I will go to breastfeed Archie and give him his creon x 2, but then after a couple of mins he pulls off with wind or just doesn't want it and won't go back on. Sometimes I feel I am forever giving him enzymes for such a little amount only to top him up an hour later - does anyone else have/had this problem??
 

anonymous

New member
Did the enzymes look different when you emptied them out. I know a couple of people have indicated their enzyme beads looked different -- brown or discolored, not uniform in shape and they had malabsorption problems.

As far as giving them enzymes and not being interested or eating/snacking here and there -- It's all a period of adjustment. I worried when I'd give DS his normal dose of enzymes and then he wouldn't drink much of his formula. When he got a little older, I'd give him snacky things that didn't require enzymes -- white grape juice, baby food pears or fruit...

Another thing to consider is maybe he had/has a little stomach bug.

Liza aka ratatosk mom to a 2 3/4 year old
 

anonymous

New member
About over-enzyming: Our son is 3 and his CF doctor said if he was getting too much enzymes he'd be constipated. It's never happened and we generally tend to err on the side of too much instead of too little. He's a constant snacker and it's hard to get it right so when he's grazing we try to give him enzymes after he's eaten for a few minutes instead of before.
 

anonymous

New member
Ditto to the annon poster above. If you give him too much enzym's you will constipate him. As for giving him 2 enzymes before a breastfeeed/botlefeed, try giving him some after. eg if he has only had half of his normal intake just give him one enzyme instead of two, that way your not giving him too many.
My daughter alway's has poo problems. She will go for a month with no probs, and then bang mushy, smelly, mucousy poo. Her doc said its normal for that to happen depending on the food they eat and if they have tried something new, it can usually set it off.
Nothing abnormal and nothing to be concerned about.
PS: i f you think he is not having enough enzymes, try adding a half more and see what happens. I doesn't hurt to try.
Sometimes you need to play around with them untill you get the intake right, and as they get older their intake will increase.
Hope this helps.
 

Salli

New member
Thanks for all the advice - poo seems to have settled down. I will start splitting his dose of enzymes with the feeds in which I think he will be fussy and give them at the end if he has more than expected - great idea.
I think it must have been the food. I belnded up some of our dinner which was chicken schnitzel and veg - forgot that the chick had been dipped in egg and thats a no-no until 12 months. Only gave him a small amount - 1 teaspoon but he did come up in a few hives so that probably set his poo off for a couple of days - who knows. Thanks again for all your helpful tips<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
 

Salli

New member
It could be teething.... he hasn't cut any yet but there's got to be one on the way... how long do you find Ethan's poo's go yucky for?
 

ehtansky21

New member
Those darn teeth take so long to come in sometimes, that it was different everytime. Sometimes I was sure a tooth was going to cut thru momentarily, and then it would disappear completely. So.....sorry no good answer there.
When upping Ethan's enzymes, I always look at everything. Yes his poop is a little off, but it doesn't smell different, his appetite hasn't really changed and he is still gaining weight so I would wait before considering changing his enzymes.
Hope this helps.
 

eli

New member
My 16 month old daughter has CF, and her poos change all the time. T he doc's said its normal, ecpecially when they are a little and your trying to get their enzymes right. Aslo check the amount of fat in the food and ajust enzymes according to fat and protein in the food. Hope this helps.

Regards Eli.
 

anonymous

New member
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>eli</b></i>

My 16 month old daughter has CF, and her poos change all the time. T he doc's said its normal, ecpecially when they are a little and your trying to get their enzymes right. Aslo check the amount of fat in the food and ajust enzymes according to fat and protein in the food. Hope this helps.



Regards Eli.</end quote></div>

Hi Eli

My daughter is 2 years old. When she was younger, her poos changed all the time also. It is quite normal, even though it certainly doesn't seem like it. I find the older she gets that her poo seems to be more normal.

Charlotte<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
 
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