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Battling constipation with the physically and developmentally disabled

Okay, occasionally I am going to write about things that I know Quincy would rather I not share with the world.  I have to apologize in advance to her for this.  However, some of these sensitive issues make up the biggest challenges that parents and caregivers face in their daily care of the children.  Constipation is a very real and very persistent issue.  It has been the topic of numerous conversations amongst my friends who also have children similar to Quincy.

Children like Quincy do very little weight bearing activity and because they do not move their bodies as much, or in the same way, as other kids their systems suffer.  The cocktail of medications they take can make this even worse.  For Quincy we do several things on a daily basis to combat constipation.  First, we try to always feed her meals that are high in fiber.  I also use Miralax daily in her water.  This product seems to be easiest to manage and isn’t fast-acting.  Through trial and error we have learned what dosage to use to keep her regular without having any surprises.  Finally, we will often give her an evening snack of a Pediasure with fiber to keep her regular and help with her other nutritional needs.

Even with all our efforts, sometimes she just gets backed up.  I have no idea why this occurs.  We are religious about being consistent with our efforts.  And still, sometimes it just doesn’t work.  We keep daily records on Q, to make sure we keep track of her meds and other important issues, so we know when it’s been a few days.  At this point there isn’t much left to do but the ever-dreaded enema.  They work.  It is always a last-ditch option but there are times when there is simply no other option.  Impacted bowels can be incredibly painful for our children and are a lot more miserable than an enema.  So, keep a box or two of Fleets in your medicine cabinet.  It’s not expensive and it is effective. Fighting the battle with constipation is worthwhile…Quincy sleeps better, eats better and feels better when her system is working properly. 

Tags: Constipation, medical issues

Incontinence and hygiene supplies

I know there are some topics that I will write about that I’m quite sure Quincy would rather I not share.  I am willing to take my chances with her to discuss another daily struggle…finding affordable, comfortable and effective incontinence supplies.  First, let me talk about comfortable and effective.  Quincy has as much bladder capacity as anyone her age and it’s incredibly important that what we use doesn’t leak and doesn’t irritate her.  We are currently happy with Attends Breathable Briefs.  This product has side tabs which makes changing much easier than with pull-on briefs.  They are made of a soft, stretchy fabric that won’t bind or irritate her skin.  Also, they can fit snugly without being too tight so they aren’t as noticeable under her clothing which is important when you are thirteen.  We use a Poise Ultimate absorbency pad inside the diaper and with this combination we can avoid most leaks.  I was thrilled to find Poise pads available by the case at Costco last week for about $40/case which is a huge savings over what I pay anywhere else.  Now, let me discuss affordability.  I used to purchase the diapers from Geneva Woods pharmacy in Wasilla for $115/case.  That seemed to me to be an excessive price.  We do not have Medicaid or private insurance to pay for these supplies but never succeeded in getting them to discount the price.  I finally found Frontier Medical in Wasilla would sell them to me for about $75/case and was stunned.  I mean let’s be realistic, Frontier Medical is still making a profit at that price so Geneva Woods was making a killing.  You can judge for yourself what kind of business would knowingly make that kind of profit on someones need for diapers, but I can tell you that they aren’t getting another dime of my business.  Recently I found this incredible dealer on the Internet, JustAttends.com  that sells the same products for about $65/case and FREE SHIPPING!  The people at the company are incredibly attentive and professional and it really is free shipping…even to Alaska!  So, if you have to pay for incontinence supplies out-of-pocket like we do, you should check out this company.  They are great!  So, that’s my little shout-out for the week…hope it’s helpful to someone!!