Holding bowels/bladder

by David Tapley
(Westbrook, ME. U.S.A.)

I am curious to see if there is any correlation with SPD and bowel and bladder habits. Our 22 month old daughter has been assume-ably holding her bowel and bladder for over 4 months.

We originally felt she was constipated, but then realized she was holding it fearing pain, and yet she inevitably caused herself to be impacted. She ending up going about every 4th or 5th day, with a very large and rock-hard stool, and the worst episodes of pain a parent can witness.

Our Pediatrician said we needed to give her Milk of Magnesia to keep her stool soft and runny. So then we had our daughter trying to hold wet stool, which was constantly leaking and causing immense diaper rash. We were told to up the dose and keep what we were doing. We feel we were put between a rock and a hard place.

Our daughter is the happiest child in the world, yet she has to endure this ordeal over and over again. We feel that our Pediatrician was giving us a Band-Aid treatment for a bigger SPD issue. Our pediatrician was fully aware of our daughter's SPD, yet left us pulling our hair out. We have fired her, and we are searching high and low for answers. I am trying to contact our daughter's SPD occupational theraist, and we are attempting to see a ped. GI specialist. Does any one have any advice or answers?

At 39, I now realize I live with SPD issues. I feel that the fear of pain, holding, and SPD are all related. I appreciate any and all help that we can get.