Unstuck - The Official Constipation Coach Blog

Here is a scenario that is incredibly common in the world of chronically constipated kids: my child was doing great, pooping every day, but sometime after we potty trained them, they got backed up and have been struggling ever since.  How does this happen? How can it be avoided? Potty training offers several opportunities for constipation to enter the picture.   Scenario one:  Some kids are experts at peeing in the toilet, very early in life. They are mostly potty trained at 18 months and they never look back. Sure, they might still be in pull-ups at night, and sure, they...

I finished writing my last blog post about MiraLax and immediately wanted to write another post addressing the many worries that some people have about MiraLax.  I’ve heard a lot of them in my career: "MiraLax turned my kid into a nightmare." "It gave her seizures." "It made him so angry he hit a wall." "He was totally normal and then started having the symptoms of autism as soon as he started on MiraLax." Oh. My. Goodness. These are real struggles, and I don’t want to discount the wisdom of the parents who attribute these challenges to MiraLax.  And, listen,...

Ahh MiraLax. Doctors love it. Parents love it but only every now and then. Or they hate it because they don’t think it works. Or they know it works but they hate the thought of their kids being on a laxative. Kids are usually OK with taking MiraLax. But parents … Parents take some convincing.  But here’s the thing: If you were researching how to manage constipation in kids back in the 80s or 90s, you would have found several studies reporting that laxative use alone is not effective at treating childhood constipation in the long-term. When treated with lactulose...

Have you ever found yourself wondering: why is my kid (or my student, or my patient) so grumpy lately?  I learned early on from my incontinence patients and their families that constipated kids can sometimes be irritable kids. They have outbursts, they refuse to participate in activities, they just want to sit around.  Time after time, I advise families to do a clean-out (after checking with their doctor, which I always recommend), and they come back gushing: “she’s eating so much more!” “He’s running around and playing instead of just moping!”  It makes sense, right? I won’t make assumptions about...