Patient's question:
Doctor, hello:My child is now 1 year and 2 months old. He never eats properly, and whenever he eats, he spits out food, spraying it everywhere. What could be wrong with him? Also, his recent bowel movements have been black, is it because he has a "fire"? His bowel movements are also poor, only having one bowel movement every three days. What should I feed him, or what medicine should I give him? My child doesn’t eat vegetables or fruits either. He refuses to eat fruits at all; he spits them out after taking just one bite and then stops eating. It’s really driving me crazy. Please, I really need your help. I will be extremely grateful to you. Thank you again.
Doctor's answer:
Hello: Black stools suggest a hospital examination to rule out occult blood. The treatment for pediatric constipation should be as follows:(1) Training bowel habits to cultivate a habit of regular bowel movements. When a child is defecating, it is best to avoid external distractions, such as playing or reading stories to them, as this may divert their attention and hinder defecation.
(2) Correcting poor dietary habits, such as picky eating, and increasing the intake of high-fiber foods like chives and celery.
(3) Shaving soap into finger-sized pieces, about 3–4 cm long, moistening them with water, and inserting them into the anus to stimulate defecation.
(4) Using glycerin suppositories for enemas, with a dosage of 5–10 mL per time.
(5) Mixing glycerin with an equal amount of water for enemas, with a glycerin dosage of 5–20 mL per time.
(6) Boiling 30 grams of white honey over low heat until it becomes viscous, then shaping it into pills. For children the size of a little finger, use 1 pill per time, inserting it into the anus.
(7) Using 1% soap water or physiological saline for enemas. For children under 3 years old, saline is more suitable. The dosage is 50 mL for those under 6 months, 100–200 mL for those aged 6 months to 3 years, 200–300 mL for those aged 3–7 years, and 300–500 mL for those over 7 years.
(8) Administering liquid paraffin before bedtime, with a dosage of 0.5 mL per kilogram of body weight.
(9) Taking 9 grams of Mahuan Runtian pills before bedtime.
(10) Taking 1–2 pills of Niuhuang Shangqing pills before bedtime.
(11) In some cases, a child’s stool may be very hard and stuck at the anal opening, requiring an adult to manually remove it to relieve the child’s discomfort.