To Answer Some Questions.........& Preschool

Today I signed my baby up for preschool. OK, she's not a baby, but she seems like one to me! She will have a visit from her teacher next Wednesday afternoon, and start school Thursday. School will be from 12:30-3, M-Th. I will be providing transportation. We have skipped her nap the last two days in a row, and she's been in a complete meltdown the last two evenings. My thought? She's too tired. I moved her bedtime to 7pm. Perhaps it needs to be earlier while skipping a nap? She wakes up about 7-7:30 no matter what time she goes to bed.

I really like the teachers. Each class has three teachers and 11-20 kids. So, good ratios. They provide lunch there as well, so I have to get the diet info requirements signed off by Children's Hospital so they will give her reasonable substitutions.

I'd like to answer some commenter questions:

Children's Hospital feels she doesn't have ANY control of her pooping at this time.

A kid only has control of this if they are fully functioning and have no medical problems. That would be a defiance/control/noncompliance issue to run into encopresis at that point. The doctors don't feel this applies to her. But more specifically for her, her upper and lower intestine are stretched out so far that they aren't functional. Laxatives will have to push the poop out for her for months while her intestines heal. Once she is pooping soft poop once or more times a day, her intestines will take an additional three+ months to heal and begin to function on their own. In my daughter's case as well, the doctor feels she became so constipated either thru developmental delay and/or her brain not telling her "it's time to poop/pee". Then her upper and lower intestines were so stretched with holding all the poop that her upper and lower intestines lost their function to move poop. Even if she wanted to, she has no ability to move her own bowels at this point. Sorry to be so gross. You have no idea how grossed out I was Wednesday hearing all this for hours on end! Blechk!

She has no muscle control at this point over her bowels. Her sensations aren't working either. So, two strikes against her body.

I did ask the doctors "so, what is her responsibility in this? I mean, it's her body after all. She needs to take control of it." This is when they explained at this point and age she has no control of this situation and it would be medically impossible for her to have any control over it. They said it would be like an adult trying to control a charlie horse. Not gonna happen.

So, I at least feel at this point she's not emotionally or behaviorally playing out aggressions, control, problems, etc. thru her pooping.

The doc did say that her responsibility in all this is to 'obey' me on everything I tell her. All the toilet sitting, drinking all water, pushing more water all day than she would like, accepting "no" when I tell her she can't have something on the "no" list, eating what I give her to help her stomach (food, drink, meds) without giving me a fit, temper tantrum, crying, etc. She just has to buck up and do it all to heal.

By the way, this laxative is giving her a rash. Any suggestions? I think I'll give it a couple days and see if it goes away. She is only on the high dose for 48 hours, then goes to a reasonable amount daily from there on out.

Thanks for all your support! It really helps this journey to know there are so many interested, caring, supportive people like each of you!