Reply from dennis, Child's Age 33 - 11/18/02 - IP#: 209.62.194.204


I have almost never post. However, while surfing through the net, I ran into this board a few times. I have some interest as my child, now a young woman, didn't get out of day diapers until six and night diapers until seven. When she was four, she had a bout of what is now called encopesis. At that time, the doctors called it an impaction and recommended we keep an eye on her stools and bms. Normally, she had at least three bowel movements per day (or more). She did a morning load in her diapers before, at, or shortly after breakfast. Even after she was out of day diapers, she had that bm almost every day. If she missed the morning bm in her diaper, we would ask her if she had a bm in school, or whould leave a note with her for her kindergarden teacher to confirm any messy diapers during the school and day care hours. She would get sick, running a fever, abdominal tenderness, even if she missed one full day of bm's. What we found that worked was to give her a bottle of papaya juice. The bottle wasn't to baby her, but to allow her to suck on the bottle and produce her own enzymes as well as use the enzymes in the papaya juice to lubricate her bowels. It worked within two to three hours after the first bottls. When she was blocked up, she found it much easier to use her diaper, than to sit for long times on the Pot. After a few days of this treatment, she became regualar again and went back to daytime training pants and night diapers. Until she was finally dry at night, we encouraged her to do her morning BM in her diapers. Whenever her stools became hard, we gave her the bottle of papaya juice that nignt, and she was OK in the morning. We had to do this about once a month. We did all of the right things, without understanding the nature of encopresis. We responded to the problem before it got out of hand. You might want to try this with your 11 year old. She would be wearing night diapers like her little sister and your would have a good indication of her constipation, impaction problems before they get out of hand. Congratulate her every morning when she fills her diaper. After a while, perhaps only a few months down the line, she will request to use the potty every morning, as did my daughter. She never had the problem after seven years.