Not a very pleasant topic, but here goes anyways. My son is 20 months old and has had diarrhea for the last 4 weeks. Numerous trips to the doctor haven't helped. All tests have come back normal. He has lost 1 lb in the last month, and is still losing. He is also throwing up (usually only at night, in bed!), but the doctor still tells us to just wait it out. He is still eating and drinking, and acting normally for the most part.
I think something more is going on with him, but don't know what to do. Since it's already been a month, I don't want to wait it out any longer. I was told to try adding powdered acidophilus to his drinks, but this hasn't helped either. Any other suggestions that you have would be very much appreciated!
Melanie
I would take him to see another doctor! I can't see how this is normal. I would be very careful about what you feed him. Sugary snacks and drinks and other junk foods will only make this worse. Good luck with your little one. I hope nothing major is wrong. (08/02/2007)
By tracey
I would be concerned about the weight loss, too. Has your doctor checked for parasites and bacterial infections? Does your son drink a lot of milk (dairy products) or sugary juices (or with sorbitol)? There is something called "toddler's diarrhea". This is all talked about on this site:
I sure hope you find an answer soon. God bless you! (08/02/2007)
By SL Edens
Lactose intolerance can cause diarrhea and vomiting. So can teething. Good luck with your little boy, hope it's nothing serious. (08/02/2007)
By joan pecsek
Get a 2nd opinion. Just because this Dr. didn't find anything doesn't mean there isn't something wrong. I don't think diarrhea and vomiting is normal. Not to scare you, but there is a disease where the person cannot tolerate any gluten. I think it's called Celiac's disease. Might very well be diary products, too. What type of Dr. has he seen? Good luck and let us know what happens. (08/03/2007)
Some kids develop milk allergies which are similar, but not the same as lactose intolerance. Milk allergies can happen at any age. One of my daughters had it and it caused exactly what you describe. I had to switch her to soy only for one year, then slowly wean her back on to regular dairy items. She's fine now thank goodness, but they tested her too and nothing ever came up. I read up and took away all the dairy and she was suddenly okay. Goodluck. (08/03/2007)
By Celeste
My daughter used to get diarrhea from red dye #40. I guess it is probably an allergy thing. My doctor never figured it out; I did. It would also burn her little tush. We cut it out of her diet and viola no more! As long as she doesn't drink red Koolaid or punches she is okay. She can still eat red candy and such. Sure sounds like you should start eliminating one thing for a few days and then try another and see if it helps. (08/03/2007)
By Kathy
Do all the above and also take a look at the gums. I'd bet he is teething, too. That can also be a cause of the diarrhea. With it being this long, odds are it might be more than one reason. Keep the Pedialyte going, but most of all don't ignore it and don't depend on just the opinion of one doctor. Last, keep a food diary, notate when he gets ill or has a full diaper and see if there is a pattern you can detect.
Best of luck. The hardest job on the planet is being a mom. (08/03/2007)
By Ginger
Please make an appointment with an allergist, not just your regular pediatrician. Diarrhea can be caused by food allergies, especially a milk allergy. As an adult with a serious food allergy, I can attest to the fact that early recognition can make a world of difference. If other likely causes have already been investigated, a food allergy is a very likely cause for what you describe.
An allergist may do skin and/or blood tests to check for immune responses, but the primary test will probably involve eliminating common allergens from your son's diet (and yours, if you're still nursing at all) until you find what's causing the problem. For example, you may eliminate dairy products for a month, eggs for a month, etc.
An ER doc's job is basically to stabilize and refer. So, if you go to the ER, they're probably going to give your son some electrolytes and make sure he's hydrated, then tell you to follow up with your pediatrician. The ER's job is not to provide the kind of research, guidance, and involved diagnosis you need. Instead, get your pediatrician to refer you (if your insurance requires referrals) to an allergist, and perhaps to a gastroenterologist as well. These kinds of doctors will be better able to investigate and discover the causes of your son's problem.
Don't worry about offending your pediatrician, by the way. Your general pediatrician's primary job is to treat the ordinary issues that accompany childhood, provide regular checkups and evaluations, and make sure you get to see the appropriate specialists for anything that isn't readily treated in the pediatrician's office. An allergist and gastroenterologist are completely reasonable next steps in your case.
(08/04/2007)
Think B.R.A.T. diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Also, look at the fiber content on the breads and cereals. Increasing his fiber content might help. Make sure his electrolytes don't deplete, keep pushing the Pedialyte. Also, see another pediatrician! Your child's health is more important than offending the doctor. (08/04/2007)
My son had diarrhea for over a year, what we have learned is that since he was a premature baby there is the possibility that he could not digest everything the way he should. We needed to take away from him some of his favorite foods like chicken nuggets, cheese, anything with oil involved. It did eventually stop and he is fine, but thin now. He's 11 years old now. Good luck and don't stop looking for an answer, your child deserves to feel better! (08/21/2007)
By Judy
If you have pets, you might look into the possibility of intestinal parasites. They cause vomiting and foul smelling diarrhea. (05/19/2008)
By Andrea
Our doctor said no milk until firm bowels for 24 hours. We're trying soy. Also, Triple Paste is a life saver! It is expensive, but worth it. (05/23/2008)
By Kay
Alright, my two children have the same thing. 8 weeks now of diarrhea for two kids. My son is 3 and my daughter is 14 months old. They have done a week of stool tests and countless blood tests all to have everything come back normal. We are set to see the GI doc next week. I located info on toddler diarrhea before finding this site and think I am going to take the advice about the diet given. My kids fit the profile, they consume lots of juice. But both of my kids are still gaining weight and growing normally. So no more juice for now and hopefully it will clear things up. Here is the link for toddler poop that I found most helpful.
Hope this helps someone. (06/12/2008)
By Denise
If your child has a bad rash, make sure you are using alcohol free wipes, or just use tissue with Vaseline on it. If your wipes have alcohol in them it is going to burn the rash and hurt bad. (07/04/2008)
By Jill R
I know this post was 3 years ago, but I'm so glad to hear other parents talk about "toddler bowel syndrome". My son will randomly get bouts of diarrhea for two or three days. The poop is bright yellow, smells awful, and is so acidic it will make his butt bleed. This most recent bout ran down his legs and has caused a small rash on the back of his legs.
Diarrhrea: I realized that any time he ate birthday or shower cake then he'd have diarrhea for days. I'm assuming that's caused by the high amount of sugar in the icing. The way that the body breaks down sugar puts more liquid in your stool. We try to watch his sugar intake, give the BRAT diet when needed (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), and watch his diet. The BRAT diet consists of foods that are bland and low in fiber. He loves cheese and other dairy. If he has too much then he gets constipated and just one or two days without a bowel movement will result in a bout of horrible diarrhea of 6-7 very acidic poops a day.
Diaper rash: Because his skin is also so sensitive, he's had many diaper rashes with or without diarrhea. After trying nearly every diaper rash cream on the market, we found that 100% Vaseline works better than anything else. It provides a protection between his skin and the poo without adding chemicals such as zinc oxide to the mix. Ive come to the conclusion he's allergic to zinc because all creams make it worse. He had a second degree bleeding burn from the time he was one week to 6 weeks old.
Also, plain cornstarch (very cheap) or baby powder with cornstarch helps to soak up that liquid (poop or urine) as soon as it comes out. My sons butt was bleeding from an almost 5 week long diaper rash until the first time I used cornstarch. After two changes, his butt was 50% better. I put this on my son at every diaper change until he was one and a half.
Also, my doctor suggested Huggies Supreme or cloth diapers for awhile until the diaper rash heals because they also will soak up the liquid. Now that he's in pull-ups we use Pampers Night-time Extra Absorbency pull-ups.
I know that having a little one with a hurting belly and butt can be heart breaking. I hope my post helps other parents (and their babies' butts)! (02/07/2010)
By Todd Mom
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