Ivan Novak, now five, was left screaming in agony as his organs were crushed due to severe constipation. His mother Elissa said his toddler years were ‘completely robbed’
A toddler was left in excruciating pain as severe constipation crushed his organs, causing him to scream in agony.
Elissa Novak, the boy’s mother, revealed that her son Ivan’s worst symptoms included constant vomiting, weight loss and unbearable pain. A doctor later estimated that 2kg of his small 12kg bodyweight consisted of faecal matter.
NHS data indicates that hospital admissions for children under 16 suffering from constipation have reached a ten-year high. Between 2023 and 2024, over 44,000 such admissions were recorded in English hospitals.
Ivan, who is now five, had his early childhood years “completely robbed” due to this condition. In a six-month span in 2022, he was hospitalised 25 times.
READ MORE: Stop flushing the toilets to help survive water shortage crisis, Brits warnedREAD MORE: ‘I went to A&E thinking my appendix would burst but was sent home with paracetamol’
“It was horrific,” Elissa, hailing from Nuneaton in Warwickshire, shared with the BBC. “He was so frail he couldn’t lift himself up or do anything,” reports the Mirror. “He was in pain all the time and either screaming or just lying there because he was too weak.”
The 35 year old mum sought advice from her GP repeatedly, desperate to find answers to help her little boy.
However, at that time, there was no community service for incontinence in their county, resulting in them visiting A&E up to four times every week.
Eventually, Elissa discovered that constipation was the root cause of his pain, and she believes that if it hadn’t been treated sooner, he might have lost his life.
Doctors informed her that his entire colon had been affected. The organ had been pushed towards his lung cavity, and his stomach had been “squashed”.
“His stomach was squashed. All of his organs were being pushed out of the way,” Elissa revealed. “We were in A&E for up to 12 hours at a time… just waiting for an enema of all things. It was a very horrible time. It was so traumatic for everybody.”
The lad also has a genetic condition that affects his cognitive abilities, which Elissa reckons might have contributed to the late diagnosis.
“It was seen as ‘that’s just what disabled children are like’. We did actually have one consultant who said ‘disabled children just scream’,” Elissa shared.
“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.”
According to Bladder and Bowel UK, around 1.5 million kids in the UK struggle with the condition, and they’ve seen a spike in calls to their helpline as the little ones head back to school this week.
Davina Richardson, a children’s specialist nurse with the charity, stated: “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.”
#Toddlers #organs #crushed #hes #left #screaming #agony #due #severe #constipation
