Our journey with constipation

It all started when Seth was 4 months old. I got the flu and my best friend offered to take Seth for the day. I had some frozen milk, so I reluctantly took her up on it and sent him on his way. At the time, he was having 3-4 baby bowel movements a day (yellow mustard kind). The next day, he had nothing, and it would continue that way for days at a time. He wouldn’t have a poopy diaper for 8-10 days, and when he did, it was like little rabbit pellets.

I tried everything natural that I could come up with: Epsom salt baths, prunes, prune juice, apple juice, LB extract (from the herbal store), Baby move, essential oils (two different companies), calcium/magnesium, leg exercises, etc. I would try each one for a week hoping for some change, but nothing seemed to help. I even did several together AND take things for me, so he would get it through the milk! I got super regular, but it didn’t seem to help him.

I mentioned it to two different doctors (same practice, different appointments/months), and they both said it was normal for some kids and I shouldn’t worry about it because he was exclusively breastfed. I didn’t believe them.  After 5 months, I finally resorted to using about 1/2 of a Pedia-Lax glycerin suppository every couple of days, just to give him some relief. They were supposed to take 15 minutes to work, but he would have a messy diaper within 5 minutes. I researched Hashimotos, obstructive bowel, etc. so I finally asked the doctor to give me a referral to a GI doctor. It took 6 MORE weeks.

Meanwhile, over the next month, on one Friday night, he couldn’t sleep. ALL NIGHT! He kept waking up, straining, and crying. SOMETHING wasn’t right. The next day, Saturday, I spent the whole day researching on the internet and in my books, crying out to God for an answer. Finally, I found something else to try.

According to the University of Michigan Health System, constipation is a symptom  of iodine deficiency. Once an iodine deficiency is definitively diagnosed, it is  often suggested that an individual incorporate more iodine-rich foods into the  diet or add iodized salt to meals, says the American Thyroid Association.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/493441-iodine-constipation/#ixzz2VSj0JMgg

Huh, I thought. I know that kiddos with Ds can have thyroid problems, so maybe he’s deficient in iodine!

I had some bottles of Nascent Iodine (after the Japanese Nuclear fallout threat, and Alaska being possibly in danger due to the wind currents), so I thought, what can it hurt. I’ll try an iodine skin test to see how he does. So, I put two drops of nascent iodine on the back of his wrist. I also put some of it on me. I could practically watch his absorb. Mine stayed for hours. The next day, HE HAD A MESSY DIAPER!! (Here’s an article on the effectiveness of nascent iodine. And btw, I got the nascent iodine on sale, but I can’t remember exactly where I ordered it, but the amazon link is the exact type I have and use.)

I thought to myself that maybe it was just because it had been a few days. Maybe the suppositories are helping his colon remember what it is supposed to do, so I waited again for a few days. I put it on again on Wednesday night. Thursday, he had THREE messy diapers! After that, I put a drop on the back of his wrist daily, and every day, he would have a poopy diaper!! I was SO excited that I had solved it!! (My husband was SO proud of me!! :D)

Finally, the appointment with the GI came. I took the iodine with me and told the gal that I had figured out what the problem was. She completely dismissed it and said it was just a fluke that his body had just figured out how to have a bowel movement again. (Honestly, that’s exactly what she told me!) WHAT?!?!! I did SIX MONTHS of different things to try to help his bowels “wake up” to no avail. I even used the scientific method to test my theory, stopping treatment – NO bowel movement. Start treatment – BOWEL MOVEMENT! HELLO!!! She also told me that I was wasting my money giving him ANY vitamins, because they weren’t doing any good. “People never used to take vitamins, and were fine.” she said. WHAT?!?! SERIOUSLY?!? People also used to work in the soil IN THE SUNSHINE, eat fresh-cut organic food, fresh grass-fed meat, AND work their tails off too!! It isn’t like it WAS all those years ago, AND people STILL died of all kinds of diseases! YOU, my supremely “educated” doctor, are an IDIOT!

Oh, well, bringing my blood pressure back down now….

She did check his little bottom and said everything looked fine physically (which is what I really wanted to know anyway) and sent us on our way. Oh yeah, btw, when we got the bill, it was for $786!!! For 10 minutes of being berated by this gal!! Yeah, I’m still not over it…. She wasn’t even the GI I was supposed to see! Gaaa….

Anyway, my naturopath was impressed with my sleuthing. I have since taken him off of the iodine after he started taking his multivitamin, zinc, and selenium. I slowly quit applying it, and he hasn’t had a problem since. Usually he goes 2-3x a day, but he definitely goes at least once a day. And HE is a happy little boy!

 

And that, my friends, is my story. I SURELY hope it helps your child with Down syndrome. PLEASE let me know if it does!

4 thoughts on “Our journey with constipation

  1. Im sitting here at 1:20 am reading this entry and I honestly can’t want to try this! My daughter hasn’t gone on her own in a very long time. GI tell me everything’s normal, just ” low tone” but I’ve never bought that! So I use baby suppositories every few days . I know its something else, I just can’t figure it out. Ill give this a Try and ill check back with you. I pray it works … I hope your son is going well!

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