'my Son's Constipation Wasn't Taken Seriously Until He Reached Crisis Point'

A mother who feared her two-year-old son's untreated constipation could person killed him is calling for entree to children's continence services to beryllium made a nationalist priority.

Elissa Novak said Ivan was perpetually vomiting, losing weight and successful terrible symptom erstwhile it was astatine its worst, and a expert said 2kg of his 10kg (22lb) assemblage weight was estimated to beryllium stool.

The number of children aged up to 16 admitted to English hospitals suffering pinch constipation, among different symptoms, is astatine a 10-year high, pinch much than 44,000 admissions successful 2023-24, according to NHS figures.

Children are being grounded by nan absence of dedicated bladder and bowel services successful immoderate parts of nan country, an master said.

About 1.5 cardinal children successful nan UK suffer pinch constipation, according to nan kindness Bladder and Bowel UK.

As galore children returned to schoolhouse this week, charities person told nan BBC they are seeing a spike successful calls to their helplines.

"It's a immense problem and galore healthcare professionals don't see it a superior rumor successful children," said Davina Richardson, a children's master caregiver pinch nan charity.

"Discussing wee and poo is very un-British. It's not thing that we arsenic a civilization do."

Elissa said Ivan, who is now aged five, had been "completely robbed of his toddler years" owed to wellness issues resulting from constipation.

He was admitted to infirmary 25 times successful 1 six-month play successful 2022 for emergency treatment.

"It was horrific," Elissa said. "He was truthful frail he couldn't assistance himself up aliases do anything.

"He was successful symptom each nan clip and either screaming aliases conscionable lying location because he was excessively weak."

Elissa, 35, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, said she had perpetually gone to her GP to effort to get thief and answers.

At that clip successful Warwickshire, location was nary bowel aliases bladder organization service, which meant they were going to A&E up to 4 times a week.

It was only erstwhile things sewage to a situation constituent that Elissa was told constipation was causing Ivan's pain.

She thinks he would person died had location been immoderate further hold successful treating it.

Elissa was told Ivan's full colon was impacted, which had pushed up into his lung cavity and compromised his lungs.

"His tummy was squashed. All of his organs were being pushed retired of nan way," Elissa said.

"We were successful A&E for up to 12 hours astatine a time... conscionable waiting for an enema of each things.

"It was a very horrible time. It was truthful traumatic for everybody."

Ivan has 2 familial syndromes which impact his cognitive functions.

Elissa thinks this played a portion successful nan signs being missed and constipation not being diagnosed sooner.

"It was seen arsenic 'that's conscionable what abnormal children are like'. We did really person 1 advisor who said 'disabled children conscionable scream'," Elissa said.

"It wasn't looked into properly, it wasn't taken earnestly until he was really astatine situation point. His signs of symptom weren't recognised. It was conscionable a cleanable large wind really."

Ivan now has a attraction package truthful his constipation tin beryllium managed astatine location pinch laxatives and regular bowel lavation outs.

"It is simply a immense portion of his life and a immense portion of his day. He still suffers symptom but it's truthful overmuch better," his mother said.

Elissa is campaigning for amended bladder and bowel attraction services crossed nan country.

"People are falling done nan cracks," she said.

Here are immoderate of nan ways to forestall a kid from becoming constipated:

• Ensure your child's fare includes plentifulness of consequence and vegetables
• Make judge children are drinking capable water-based drinks regular - dehydration tin make constipation much apt aliases worse
• A bully toilet position is besides helpful. Children request their bottommost and nan backs of their thighs good supported. Feet request to beryllium level connected a patient aboveground pinch knees somewhat higher than hips, arsenic that helps relax nan pelvic floor

Source: Bladder and Bowel UK

Brenda Cheer, a paediatric master continence caregiver pinch children's bowel and bladder kindness Eric, said children's constipation was connected nan emergence for a number of reasons, including delayed potty training and today's procreation of children spending much clip successful childcare.

She said children were being grounded successful areas wherever location was nary dedicated children's continence service.

"There's immense disparity of those services," she said.

"Where is nan genitor expected to go? How are they expected to get nan thief they need? How is simply a family expected to entree support if location is nary children's bladder and bowel nurse?"

Constipation tin beryllium treated successful nan organization and should not require a infirmary admission, but is not being recognised, Ms Cheer added.

Holly Brennan told nan BBC her girl Ayda had suffered pinch chronic constipation for 3 years and she had been successful "turmoil" astatine nan deficiency of help.

It started erstwhile Ayda sewage a microorganism erstwhile she was 2 years aged and spiralled from there, Holly said.

The 31-year-old described going to her GP six times and being prescribed laxatives to dainty it - but not being fixed immoderate guidance connected really to usage them, and said she had been told her girl would turn retired of it.

When it was astatine its worst, Ayda, now five, would person up to 15 accidents a day.

Holly, from Clevedon, Bristol, said: "It was 3 years of hell. She very overmuch didn't turn retired of it.

"We didn't want to spell retired for time trips because you wouldn't cognize wherever nan toilet would beryllium and she was perpetually having accidents.

"It was conscionable complete accent and caused arguments betwixt my hubby and I [about] really to woody pinch it. It upset her [Ayda] and you effort not to get transverse pinch them but it's conscionable vexation and it conscionable affects everything."

Sometimes it would return Ayda a week to spell to nan toilet because she associated it pinch pain, her mum explained.

"It was a vicious circle. It was conscionable complete turmoil... thing that everyone conscionable utilized to opportunity she would turn retired of aliases 'it's a phase' aliases 'she conscionable needs to learn'," Holly added.

"Our life virtually revolved astir nan toilet for 3 years."

Holly was not referred for further curen for Ayda aliases told astir children's continence services that could help.

She said it felt for illustration "the unsighted starring nan blind" pinch respective doctors incapable to counsel her and she had reached a dormant end.

It was only erstwhile she was told astir nan kindness Eric that things started to get better.

"There was yet an reply connected really to thief her," Holly added. "It [the website] described my child."

Ayda is now disconnected laxatives and capable to power her bowels.

"I'm very proud of her and really she's coped. She's taken it each successful her stride," Holly said.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it is committed to ensuring children get nan correct attraction and support erstwhile they request it for conditions specified arsenic constipation.

In a statement, it said: "As portion of our 10-year wellness plan, neighbourhood wellness services will bring together teams of professionals person to people's location to supply broad organization care.

"We will besides fortify wellness visiting services truthful each families person entree to high-quality, personalised support."

Jodie Gosling, MP for Nuneaton and who chairs nan all-party parliamentary group for bladder and bowel continence care, said constipation had fallen debased connected nan database of priorities facing section assembly and integrated attraction boards.

She said children's continence attraction "has been a silent casualty of chronic underfunding and reactive healthcare".

"This leads to a postcode lottery, wherever moreover high-need areas neglect to reside issues for illustration constipation adequately."