Pediatric PT Testimonials
When we first met Kristen and began at In Control PT, my now 5-year-old, hadn’t had a voluntary normal poop in four years! We had been to two GI specialists and had eventually been told that it was a behavioral problem that we should start disciplining for. Something about that just didn’t sit right with me, and before going to a behavioral psychologist to figure out why my son couldn’t poop on the toilet but instead had sometimes 6-7 accidents per day, I called Kristen. I was at my wit's end, frustrated, upset, just not understanding my own child. For the first time, someone on the other end of the phone said “Come in. I think I can help your son.”
Having a fear of doctors, especially medical professionals that wanted to look/touch/or talk about his bottom, I was genuinely impressed with how quickly Kristen was able to establish a rapport with my son. As my son was learning, so was I! I’ve said in nearly every visit, “My mind is blown!” He didn’t have a behavioral problem at all! He had weakness in the muscles, a disconnect from the intestines to the brain, poor coordination, and an inability to sense urge. Kristen began teaching exercises, getting us on a bowel schedule, making sure he was drinking enough fluids, and always patiently answering a worried mom’s questions.
The evening that John sat on the toilet and actually pushed out a poop, I burned dinner and the smoke detectors went crazy! We were dancing and laughing and I cried! Without Kristen and her program, I don’t want to think of where we would be. She just recently helped me coordinate a plan for school, and my son is just thriving! We are by no means done; we actually still have a long road ahead, but for the first time in a really long time, I understand the path and I have so much hope that my son will eventually “stink up the bathroom” (as he puts it), without even thinking about it!
-Megan W.
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We started seeing Kristen a few months ago for our 5-year-old who had never pooped in a toilet; it was always on the floor or in his pants. We had reached the end of the rope with cleaning poop from our floors, cleaning or tossing underwear, dealing with rashes that occurred - including at school! As parents, we weren’t sure where to turn to until someone suggested In Control.
Once seeing Kristen our son sat on the toilet for the first time ever. Kristen was extremely kind and patient that he felt comfortable with her each visit. Through many appointments, biofeedback and different exercises our son has graduated from “poop therapy” (we enjoyed the spin on PT). Our 5 year old started pooping in the toilet and actually knew what to do to push the poop out. It’s amazing! His favorite part is taking a picture to send to Kristen and I’ve never met someone so happy to see a poop picture as Kristen no matter the time of day. She truly made this journey feel like a team effort and I can’t thank her enough for helping our family reach this milestone. If you or someone you know has a child having any type of trouble take them to In Control with Kristen- you won’t look back.
-Kayla S.
When we were referred to Mrs. Kristen (as we call her) by our family physician I was very skeptical. Our then kindergartener was having potty accidents and bowel leakage while at school almost on a daily basis, he was also consistently waking up wet in the mornings. We were very frustrated and so was he. Kids at school had started to notice his problem and were starting to make fun of him. We had tried every kind of punishment in the book and had chalked it up to him being a stubborn child. But I was wrong, Mrs. Kristen listened to our concerns and was very reassuring to us as parents that this was not the child's fault nor ours. She was not quick to hand out medications or excuses as most Drs. will and did do. Through physical therapy and some hard work on his and our parts, our son has been able to regain control of his muscles and of his bodily movements giving him a boost in his demeanor and self-confidence. For this, we will forever be grateful to Mrs. Kristen.
-The May family
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Patient Testimonial - Before I went to the physical therapist, I always wet the bed. I never got to go to sleepovers. When I first walked into the physical therapist, I didn’t think it would work. The therapist gave me a piece of paper that showed “irritants”, food and drinks that make you wet the bed. Then, she gave me another paper that had things I had no idea what they were for. The therapist told me to go to the bathroom every two hours, drink 60oz a day and don’t eat any irritants after 4:00. I felt like this stuff wouldn’t work, but I felt glad that there some way to fix me wetting the bed. After a few weeks, I started to wet the bed less. I now no longer wet the bed, I felt grateful that I stopped wetting the bed.
-I.S.
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My name is Rhoda. My husband, Ray and I, decided to foster children 2 & 1/2 years ago. Our first foster son we received was JJ. He was 10 at the time. They told us he was the victim of severe neglect and abuse. They also told us that most likely due to the trauma he endured, he has some some "leakage" when going to the bathroom. Unfortunately, it was quite a bit more than "leakage."
When the police brought JJ to us, he came with a few feminine pads. Shortly after realizing his issues, we put him into disposable underwear. He did not have the ability to feel the urge to have a bowel movement. I remember a time during a youth service, he had soiled himself. I was astounded that he could not feel nor smell that he had done so. My heart broke for him. I thanked God that I just happen to be there at that time to rescue him from any ridicule he may have received from the other kids. We soon realized it was time to get medical insight.
Our doctor referred me to a G.I. specialist. After a running lab work, she concluded that this was a result of years of neglect.
My husband and I were very disappointed at the prognosis. We were hoping for a quick out patient surgery and all his issues would be taken care of. Unfortunately, this was not going to be a quick fix. My husband thought physical therapy was a big waste of time and gas. He thought JJ was doing this as an act of aggression, or sheer laziness.
The G.I. specialist referred me to Kristen Fields at In Control Therapy. After examining JJ, she sat down with me and explained in terms I could understand what was going on with him. Kristen explained to me that because of his neglect, JJ's colon had stretched out so much from being impacted with poop that he could no longer feel the urge to go to the bathroom. She proceeded to encourage me that there was hope for JJ. A regime of water, exercising targeted muscles and Miralax and Benefiber down the line would get him on the road to recovery. His stomach was quite extended when we first got him, no doubt bloated with feces. After a few months of following her instructions, his stomach had gone down remarkably.
With Kristen's patience and guidance, JJ is well on his way to being able to feel the urge to know when he needs to go to the bathroom. We have worked this program diligently and have seen tremendous growth, significant confidence and healing in JJ. It will be almost 2 years since we have going to In Control Therapy. It was not a "quick fix" that my husband and I were hoping for. One definitely has to put the time and effort into the program...but I for one believe the result is well worth it. My husband now says, "There really is something to all this physical therapy after all."
-Rhoda C.
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I don’t even know how to express just how thankful I am that we found Kristen. Our daughter was diagnosed with Encopresis. I had lost ALL hope of finding someone to help our little girl. After two initial bouts of constipation and prescribed treatments of daily laxatives, our daughter developed a really horrible rash. Then, the nightmare began. As a result of the awful pain, she began to withhold her stools and soiling her underwear. No matter what we did or how clean we kept her, the rash was not getting better. She also endured numerous scary doctor visits, X-Rays, a hospitalization for cleanout, a colonoscopy and lastly a very painful biopsy of her rash.
After all of that, we were left with the Encopresis diagnosis but no real solutions were offered. My heart broke over and over for her as I watched her in fear and pain every day for months. I went to bed every night wondering how to help her. My daily thoughts revolved around finding a way to stop this and thinking how terrible it would be for our sweet little girl to be teased or bullied in school because she smells.
There HAD to be a way to fix this without laxatives, enemas and such… On a last-ditch effort to find help and a stroke of good luck, I found Kristen. She spoke with me on the phone and for the first time in months, I felt like there was help! I held back tears of hope and relief after I got off of the phone. Right away, Kristen successfully treated the rash and I noticed day, by day my little girl was slowly becoming herself again. Then, Kristen began treating the Encopresis along with some scarring and behavioral issues that had resulted from this situation. It was a Godsend that she not only specialized in Encopresis, but she was a wound care specialist, too!! Our daughter went from horrible rash pain, screaming, and withholding on the potty to sitting calmly, and pooping regularly. Her rash has healed and she has also stopped soiling! That seemed like something so unrealistic just a few months ago. Kristen has been 100% instrumental in helping this fearful little girl become healthier and HAPPY again. I feel like I am getting my little girl back! ♥♥ She loves “Her Kristen.” ♥♥ She has fully recovered. It is entirely possible!
Pam W.