Adventures in a potty

So Sumner has been struggling with certain aspects of potty training. He currently goes to a bowel management clinic, where he has attended for a year, and spent a year with a GI, AND a few years with our pedi getting things straightened out. It is a constant struggle. He doesn't really "get a feeling." He takes medicine to help him...

Today he had to go and Jack went with us to the bathroom for one of the trips. Jack announced in the stall:

"Mom we need to tell those doctors that the Dulcolax and the Mulcolax might be too much for Summy !"

I could not help but giggle. There has to be something funny about spending hours a day in a bathroom.

Apoocalypse 2012

Tonight we began "the great cleanup of 2012." Wait...let me back up. (Pardon the pun!)

Last Wednesday we were able to secure a last minute appointment for Summy with the GI doctor at Children's hospital. We've been waiting months to see him and had an August appointment.

After going over everything we have been doing and everything we have done, he assured us it was all what we should have been doing. An internal exam revealed that the muscles were strong but the colon was stretched to the size of an adult. (My heart hurts writing that!) He told us "some cases are easy, others hard. Sumner is hard."

So tonight we began "a-poo-calypse 2012" as I am calling it. A 5 day regime of Miralax, ducolax by mouth, and adult enemas. Followed by daily Miralax and 3x a week suppositories. We return in 5 weeks for a recheck.

I wish I could wrap our house in a preemptive pull-up!

Goodness, where have I been?!?

I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted. So much to fill you in on, and so busy!

Evaluations through the school district have been going well. Sumner's evaluation was completed and showed many things we thought it would. Although it is completed and we are happy with the results, we have decided to pay for him to be privately tested by a psychologist. We need to know exactly what is going on with him, and decide if we need to tailor his therapies to match any new diagnoses.

Jack's school evaluation is still underway. We have also decided to have him tested by the top neuropsych in the city. He had his first appointment on Wednesday and it went "well." Jack tired extremely easily and the session lasted about an hour and a half. We are anxious to see exactly what the testing uncovers, but the neuropsych already noted low muscle tone for Jack.

Both boys have been having tons of accidents. An incredibly frustrating amount of them, actually. We already knew Summy had encopresis, and Jack was diagnosed with dysfunctional voiding at the 5 year pediatrician appointment. However, I am exhausted from changing their clothes constantly. Someone on my SPD list posted a link to this book, and I ordered it Monday and have been avidly reading it. We're hoping to "clean them out" and see if that helps them stop having so many accidents during the day. (Maybe Jack will then night train???)

Soccer has had ups and downs. The first game went really well, but last game was a struggle. Jack was exhausted and tried many times to get out of playing during the game. Super embarrassing. He did make it through to the end with some encouragement/threats. Hoping tomorrow goes better. They both enjoy playing which is the important part.

Haircuts continue to be the bane of my existence. (I still cut the boys hair with scissors.) Anyone out there have suggestions of what works with your kids?

happy tears

TONS of pics to post, just had to tell you that today Summy pooped on the potty. TWICE!

I cried tears of joy. The teachers let him "e-mail" me from special needs preschool this morning to tell me. Then he did it again tonight.

We might actually be beating this encopresis thing!

The great poo misadventure of 2011

Soo...

How do you even follow up a title like that? Summy's been hoarding poo for quite a while now...probably something like 4/5 months. Oh, he'd trick us by taking us for a little ride on his "poo roller coaster:" sometimes he'd go a week before going, other times a few days. Just when I would get super worried, he'd go.

On a side note, sometimes I feel like all I deal with is poo and other body functions...if it isn't scooping cat boxes it's "skid marks" in Summy's underwear, or pee all over the bathroom walls because shooting it in zig zag streams is of course hilarious...I digress. This motherhood thing doesn't pay enough!

Last night Summy woke up crying because it had been a good week since he had last gone. I had given him a little something to get him moving on Saturday, but to no avail.

We were up for HOURS while I rubbed his tummy, etc. etc last night. No fun. And of course, I began to worry.

So I called the pediatrician, and the nurse was indignant with me on the phone: "What do you mean he hasn't gone in a week?" (you horrible mother!) "Are you sure he didn't go an you didn't know about it?" (because clearly you work and that could have happened!)

So after the guilt tripping, I set up an appointment.

Long story short, this is serious. Our kid has serious sensory issues, and a serious poo logjam up in there. And there was only one remedy prescribed.

So we went to no less than 4 locations to find said remedy. (And in the car, Sumner questioned: will the poo medicine go in my mouth? (no) Well how will I get it then?!?) Ok, ok, I'll admit, I might have laughed a little bit at this part, or at least until tears streamed down my face.

Two boxes of pediatric enema later, Sumner gave birth. Now, we must give him medicine to force him to poo daily, for months, possibly upwards of years.

I told my husband in the car: this is the stuff marriages are built on. One day we will look back and say, "these were the best days of our lives!"

Or something like that.

Potty Training Frustration

Our kids are "potty trained."

However, Summy has started hoarding his poo. I know there's a medical term for it, and so far we've not discussed it much with the doctor. I know it is because of his sensory processing disorder. It is just.so.frustrating. He'll sometimes go as long as a week before unleashing something that looks like it needs to be named.

ew.

However, it gets very tiring. He's pretty good at not going at school or daycare. He's not afraid of automatic flushers anymore, he's not afraid of public bathrooms. He just won't let it out.

So I ask you special needs moms out there...anyone else with a similar situation? Advice?

potty.

So here's the latest on the potty front:

Jack's there. He's staying dry, he's yet to poo in the potty, but he is about 90% there as far as p/t goes.

We decided to back off on Summy. He was just having so many accidents, and I felt like I was tricking him into sitting. I don't think he has the muscle control yet. Also, with the therapy, he has started to unravel. He's been stimming a lot and has been very vacant/absent. He's also been highly agitated. This is normal, but I think p/t might be too much right now.

I plan to retry in a month or so. He's still sitting and having successes, so that's good.

We're hoping to call a developmental psychologist this week and sit down to meet about Sumner.

potty?

Here's a blow by blow update:

Tuesday night Summy finally started being successful on the potty. (5 total accidents) Jack stayed dry all day.

Wednesday Summy had 3 accidents, Jack 2. Pretty good day. Jack asked if we could "please wear underwear again tomorrow"

Today: Jack had 2 accidents, one being a "#2" (that is just awful I will say) and Summy's had 1 accident, but hasn't pooed in 3 days.

I am thoroughly exhausted and hopeful that with my husband off tomorrow afternoon and the weekend, it's going to get a little bit easier. So far it hasn't been too bad but doing it mostly alone has been exhausting.

Pig in a blanket

On Sunday the boys were getting ready to get into the bathtub. I had already taken Summy's clothes off because nothing makes them happier than running around naked.

I went in to take off Jack's clothes, and he was in the bathroom with David, throwing bath toys into the water. I went to take off his diaper and he laughed, and ran over to throw in a rubber duck. As he bent over, David said "eew! he has a turd stuck to his butt!" We were both grossed out, but got a good chuckle and I wiped him up and threw it away.

It wasn't until he ran back over to get more bath toys from the bin that we noticed the problem: the turd had been the end of a very long log that looked scarily like a pig in a blanket, and was lying on the floor in front of David, who had completely not noticed.

We are affectionately referring this to the "pig in a blanket incident." Please begin engraving our parent of the year award.



edited to add: in honor of you, boufmom!

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