Bowel Management is a program developed for children who have problems with bowel control. This may include constipation or soiling (also called fecal incontinence). The goal of a bowel management program is to clean the colon of stool (poop) and prevent accidents. An effective bowel management program will improve your child’s quality of life and function.

Treatment Options

We will work with you and your child to determine which treatment options are best for your situation and care needs.

Enemas

Enemas provide an artificial way to empty the colon daily and prevent accidents. We will teach you how to administer enemas at your child's clinic appointment and give you the necessary supplies to get started.

Laxatives

Laxatives may be recommended to manage constipation. There are many different types of laxatives. We will work to find a laxative and dose that works for you child.

Daily X-Ray

Abdominal X-rays may be done at any facility, but an Intermountain Healthcare facility is the easiest since we’ll be able to view images immediately.

Another option is to use a facility connected to Primary Children's. We have a relationship with some facilities with the ability to share images over the internet. Please contact the PNP to see if your local facility has a relationship with Primary Children's.

If you choose to use another facility, send your images to us via email. We will need to see the images the same day they are done. This requires you to ask for a copy of the image on a disc in a .JPG or .JPEG format. Send the image as an attachment in an email to sarah.zobell@imail.org.

Additional Supplies

You may need to purchase additional items for the bowel management program:

  • Pectin
  • Glycerin
  • Castile Soap

Appendicostomy (Cecostomy)

Some children may require long-term enemas as part of their bowel management. An appendicostomy (or Malone procedure, sometimes called a MACE or ACE) is an option once we have established an enema program that is effective in cleaning the colon daily and keeping your child free of accidents. With an appendicostomy the daily enema will be given through an opening on your child’s belly, providing privacy and independence for your child.


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