Emily Dollar Starnes, MSN, APRN, FNP, CRNA

Hi! I’m Emily, and I’m your encopresis expert!

My journey with encopresis started several years ago when my previously potty trained kindergartener started having stool accidents. Despite having worked in medicine my entire adult life (though mostly in intensive care and anesthesia), I had never even heard the word encopresis before. And like many of you, I was confused, frustrated and desperate for answers to help her.

It took me several months of seeing doctors, asking questions and lots of trial and error to find solutions that worked for her. One physician I met along the way said it was “easier to get a liver transplant than to find a knowledgeable provider to treat encopresis” (Dr. Fredric Daum). I was fortunate enough to work with some of the best encopresis providers, and learned an enormous amount. I also quickly learned that encopresis rarely has a singular solution. It typically involves a multi-prong approach, which can make it even more complex for some children. While I was in the trenches trying to figure out how to solve my own child’s encopresis, I vowed to myself if I ever did figure it out, I would make it my mission to share what I had learned to make it a less confusing, less isolating and much easier (and faster!) journey for other parents.

I discovered I had a passion (and a gift) for simplifying the solutions for encopresis. I created an online support group that become very popular for this very reason. I was able to break it down into easily understandable goals and also provide much needed support and encouragement to parents. While working full time in anesthesia as a CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist), I went back to graduate school to expand my knowledge and become a FNP (family nurse practitioner) specifically to help kids and parents tackle constipation and encopresis.

Encopresis can be incredibly overwhelming. As The Encopresis Expert, I can give you the tools you need to easily achieve your toilet training goals for your child. As a parent of a child that *used* to have encopresis (and is now doing incredibly well and enjoying an active, full life) AND a provider, I have a unique perspective and skill set. I am intimately aware of the challenges and struggles encopresis inflicts on the entire family. I am here to offer you guidance with natural solutions and a positive behavioral approach to get your child pooping regularly AND in the toilet. It’s attainable! And I’m here to hold your hand the whole way.

I’m looking forward to helping your family find healing!

Emily Dollar Starnes, MSN, APRN, FNP, CRNA