Dr. Fischel reviews

Background: my son is 3 1/2... between the ages of 1 1/2- 3 he had very bad constipation issues. Sometimes to the point that it required ER visits and manual disimpactions/enemas.

Fast forward to 3 years old... I switched his GI doctor, we switched up his regimen, and now at this point have been able to wean him off almost all of his laxatives... he has not had a constipated episode in the past 6 months!!

However, here’s our issue now... the kid is beyond frightened to poop on the potty. Adamentely refuses to go anywhere near or even sit on the potty. He is totally trained to pee in the toilet and does that without an issue but every time he has to poop he wants a diaper, he’ll cry that his poop is going to hurt on the potty. We’ve literally tried everything... including bribery. My husband and I have been at a total loss with this whole thing. Finally, his GI specialist referred us to Dr. Fischel, she has a degree in psychology and I believe is a behavior specialist... works with many different types of needs but one thing she is well known for is her potty training techniques and successes.

Basically, I just want input from anyone here that has worked with her, good/bad/indifferent. We had our first appointment with her today and to be quite honest, I was quite taken back. She’s extremely strict, comes off to be very rough around the edges. I walked out of there not knowing how to feel. However, she broke down her very regimented potty training protocol which seems like a great plan and at this point I need to try anything and everything.

Dr. Fischel reviews

We worked with her. She is very straight to the point. Her plan mostly worked for us. She's the only one around who works with poop withholding. She did help us. My son is beyond stubborn and resisted her plan. Plus he went to full time day care at the time and they were not on board with her plan. I actually just consulted her again recently because he is in a UPK program this year and the school nurse wants to help (he's had a few poop accidents at school). We are in a better place, but I can't see him pooping at school. He is still on miralax and I can't wean him off at the time. My son has potential celiac so we do have a medical issue too, but the behavioral part of it complicates since I don't know how much of his constipation is due to his withholding. She does come off as tough but I think its because she wants you feel like she can help. We also work with the Stony Brook GI team.

Hang in there.... I know the poop thing can be really stressful. My son is 4 years old. I'm about to convince him to go poop after dinner now!

Re: Dr. Fischel reviews

I have not used the doctor but I wanted to tell you that you are not alone! My oldest was not pooping on a toilet until a little over 4.5 years old. Just like your son he was peeing on the toilet but would not poop. We had a system. He would tell me he had to go and we would go in the bathroom. I would help him put a pull up on. I would leave the bathrrom and he would call me when he was finished. I would go in there and help him clean himself and then we would put underwear back on. He was totally trained just not going in the toilet. It was so stressful! I would have to sometimes give him miralax and even pedialax a couple times to help him go because he was holding it.

Nothing worked! We told him he could pick anything in the store. I even read about how you keep the pull up on and they sit on the toilet and just gradually cut a hole and make it bigger until there is nothing really there. We just kept talking about it and then 1 day we "ran" out of pull ups and he needed to go. He went on the toilet and that was it. It still isnt easy. Sometimes I can tell he is holding and I will make him take a bath because that always makes him have to go. I am very clear also. I tell him he needs to sit in the warm water until he needs to poop. Now sometimes he doesnt even step into the water and he tells me he needs to go.

The point of me posting is to let you know that it is ok and your child will go on the toilet. I searched for answers and people who were having similar situations. Not every child will be potty trained at 2 or 3. Sometimes it takes a little longer. It is ok and now my son at a little over 5 is doing great. Peeing and pooping in the toilet! Lol

Dr. Fischel reviews

My son did not go poo on the potty until he was almost 6 years old. And at 7 he still has accidents sometimes. I don't know that I would take him to a specialist for the issue. To me, it was not that big of a deal. He has major issues with constipation and being able to go. The more I tried to push the potty, the worse it got. But he did eventually grow out of it. And he does now go on the potty. I would give it some more time, all kids are different, especially if there is an issue.

Re: Dr. Fischel reviews

Message edited 11/9/2018 4:19:14 PM.

Re: Dr. Fischel reviews

Thank you ladies for all of your insight and words of encouragement. It’s beyond stressful.

To, NewlywedT.... it ended up being more
Of a diet issue with my son... he’s never been picky but during that time he went on a bit of a hiatus with fruits and vegetables. Plus he was drinking a tonnnn of milk. I started to being really stern with his meals and reintroducing the foods that I know he needed. I started diluting some of his bottles (half milk, half water) and I saw almost immediate results from that alone. I started making meals fun for him... he’s completely obsessed with Dinosaurs. I found these vegetable dinosaur shaped foods from Dr. Pragger... and would make a game out of him eating the Dino’s tale, body, etc... so that he could grow big and roar loud like a dinosaur. I read multiple articles that stated that it takes at least 7-10 introductions to certain foods before the child will even try it sometimes. So I just kept consistent with them and I swear it really works. The first few times he wouldn’t even look at certain foods... then slowly he made his way to tasting and then finally eating them. Now, my son eats anything from fruits/veggies/fish/meats. During this time his GI doc had him on Miralax and a bar of ex-lax a day. Now, he’s completely off the Miralax... still on half bar of ex-lax but once he’s pooping on the potty that will be stopped as well.

Re: Dr. Fischel reviews