Expert: Dr. Kristina Conner - 2/22/2008

Question
Hello.  My six year old daughter has always strained with bowel movements.  We have tried so many natural things (acidophilus, aloe juice, etc) to help her but nothing seems to give very much relief.  The past few weeks she is complaining of "leakage" when she urinates.  She runs back to the bathroom several times to wipe.  Her pediatrician ran a urinalysis which showed no infection but did show a trace of blood.  He wants to see her for examination but I am trying to hold off because she has an appt with her chiropractor/kinesiologist on Monday and the pediatric office is flooded with flu patients.  Back to my story, last night she said it felt like she had a bowel movement ready to come out but it wasn't coming.  She kept grabbing her rear end.  I looked and could see nothing but smelled a bowel movement.  I am VERY concerned because my husband and his side of the family ALL have colon problems (ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, etc).  Also, my daughter did receive several vaccinations (not all of them) as a young child and I have read horror stories about twisted intestines, etc due to vaccinations.  Can you shed some light on this for me?  If the chiropractor can't help, what should my next step be?  I don't think we have a lot of time.  Thanks so much!

Answer
Hello Lisa
Thanks for your interest.  I am not clear on where the blood is coming from, so I think you would need to find this out first.  Blood in the urine, without an infection, can be the sign of a kidney condition.  Blood in the stool, possibly contaminating the urinanalysis, can be a sign of a fissure or hemorrhoid (which would not be surprising given her history of constipation) or a more chronic condition, like ulcerative colitis.  The possibly exists that there can be torsion of the intestines, but that's much less likely, and she would probably have pain & other symptoms, too.  
My best advice would be to have her examined with a through history taken.  If the chiropractor can do that, that is fine, but if not see her pediatrician.  A naturopathic doctor (www.naturopathic.org), if there is one in your area, could do that as well, and give you more natural options for treatment.  But even if you see the pediatrician for a diagnosis, and then seek out alternate care for treatment options, at least you will have then ruled out or found any serious conditions.  
I don't want to scare you; this could be a benign, treatable condition just as easily as anything more serious.  Without getting more infomation & examining, we can't be sure--hence the need for further work-up.  I am an advocate for alternative treatments of many kinds, but recognize the need for a through assessment before treating.  
I hope that is helpful.  Good luck.  
Dr Conner