Toddler nearly suffocated to death by POO after constipation crushed his lungs
A TODDLER was left “screaming in pain” after severe constipation crushed his organs.
Doctors estimate that roughly one sixth of tiny Ivan Novak’s 12kg bodyweight was made up of poo.
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Opening up about the tot’s condition, mum Elissa, 35, said the constipation caused her son to vomit constantly.
Initially, she had no idea what was causing Ivan so much pain and she revealed she would take him to the hospital up to four times a week.
Elissa eventually discovered constipation was the reason for Ivan’s suffering, with his colon pushing against his lung and stomach.
Speaking to the BBC, she said: “His stomach was squashed. All of his organs were being pushed out of the way.
“We were in A&E for up to 12 hours at a time… just waiting for an enema of all things.
“He was in pain all the time and either screaming or just lying there because he was too weak.
“It was a very horrible time. It was so traumatic for everybody.”
Elissa, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, said that Ivan, now aged five, had been “robbed” of his toddler years by his condition.
In 2022, at the peak of his pain, he was admitted to hospital 25 times over the course of six months.
Pictures show Ivan’s stomach visibly swollen due to the constipation.
Concerned Elissa told how the tot struggled to even lift himself up during the worst months.
After frequent trips to the GP and to the A&E department, doctors finally informed Elissa that her son’s entire colon had been affected.
She believes that the late diagnosis could have been fatal if it had been any later.
Part of the reason for the delay in his diagnosis was Ivan’s genetic conditions that affected his cognitive skills, Elissa claims.
She continued: “It was seen as ‘that’s just what disabled children are like’.
“We did actually have one consultant who said ‘disabled children just scream’.
“It wasn’t looked into properly, it wasn’t taken seriously until he was really at crisis point.
“His signs of pain weren’t recognised. It was just a perfect storm really.”
Signs of constipation on children
According to the NHS website, these are the symptoms to look out for
Yur child may be constipated if:
- they have done less than 3 poos in the last week
- their poo is large and hard
- their poo looks like “rabbit droppings” or little pellets
- they are straining or in pain when they poo
- they have some bleeding during or after having a poo, because their poo is large and hard
- they have a poor appetite or stomach pain that improves after they poo
If your child is over 1 year old, soiled pants can be another sign of constipation. Runny poo (diarrhoea) may leak out around the hard, constipated poo. This is called overflow soiling.
After being diagnosed, Ivan was put onto laxatives and his condition is now managed with daily bowel wash outs.
According to charity Bladder and Bowel UK, roughly 1.5 million children across the country suffer with constipation.
The amount of children aged up to 16 admitted to hospital suffering with constipation is at a 10-year high.
In the year 2023-24 alone, there were more than 44,000 admissions, according to official NHS figures.
Davina Richardson, specialist nurse from the charity, explained it is not considered a “serious” issue by some health workers.
She said: “It’s a huge problem and many healthcare professionals don’t consider it a serious issue in children.
“Discussing wee and poo is very un-British. It’s not something that we as a culture do.”
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