Bed Wetting - Red Oak, TX

i used to babysit for a girl who had a similar problem. she was wetting the bed constantly and they finally found out that her bladder muscles hadn't formed correctly and they were just too weak. it wasn't a problem during the day because she could feel the need and go to the bathroom. it was only a problem at night. she was put on medication for several years and the muscles eventually strengthened. She is now 14 and no longer takes the medication or wets the bed.

Speaking as a girl who wet the bed until she was 12, PLEASE TAKE HER TO A UROLOGIST.
I was on the medication but I went through spurts like your daughter. They finally found out I had reflux and this has permanently damaged my kidney. I had surgery at age 12 and never wet the bed again.

The devices that they have on the market, and many insurance companies pay for them, really work, and they are not cruel. There are so many different models and brands out there, you can get a device that does not vibrate but instead makes a noise to wake the person up. Your daughter will not have to use the device forever, her brain will get conditioned to wake up when the bladder is full.

Ask your pedestrian for more information about the devices or you may go as far as asking for a referral to urologist.

Ok, my nearly ten year old daughter would be mortified to know that I'm sharing this, but since we're in a pretty anonymous type of setting, I think I can share her situation without worry of the wrong people knowing... :-)
Anyway, I'm in a similar sort of boat. She has done fine for the last many years and then all of a sudden about 6-8 weeks ago, she has started bed wetting at night. Last week it was five nights :-( She dislikes it as much as I do but says she doesn't know why she's doing it. I went to go wake her up at about 11:15 last night to make her go to the bathroom but she had already had the accident (she went to bed at 9:00). I haven't taken her to the dr or anything yet but I was talking to a good friend the other day and she had her take on it. She wondered if maybe because my daughter is definitely showing early signs of puberty and a serious growth spurt over the last six months if it could also be hormonal or maybe she's sleeping harder these days (due to the growing so much so fast recently). The bad part for us now is we're leaving next week for a trip to D.C. and she will be sharing a bed with a female adult family member so I think I'm going to have to buy her some big kid night pants.....Plus what to do about friend sleepovers here or there..... Anyway, obviously I haven't given you any great advice to help but just wanted to share that there are other big girls out there that have issues like that sometimes, too. I think I'm going to give my daughter a bit more time to see if she can self correct the problem before we consult the doctor. Best wishes to you and your daughter.

Did they measure her osmality and ADH (anti-diuretic hormone, also called vasopressin) before and after they put her on the drug, which was likely synthetic ADH? If she has low ADH, then her poor kidneys are telling her body to get rid of the liquid as soon as they can. I have that problem as an adult due to exposure to toxins (from mold and Lyme disease). If the drug worked, there really are not alot of long term side effects. I do agree with your theory of trying to take her off the drug and see if she can do without it, but if it was helping her, I would keep her on it. Bedwetting can be so bad for ones self-esteem especially at that age.

I had the bedwetting until I was 10. In hindsight, that was likely due to an undiagnosed dairy allergy (although, it was possibly related to mold exposure as a child). You might try to track her problem for a while and see if it correlates with increases in dairy consumption (i.e., on nites where she's had pizza and ice cream say). The theory is that the dairy can irritate the bladder causing an increase in urination. I also was a very, very deep sleeper (until I had kids), so that could well be the total explanation IF you've eliminated the true physical issue and dairy allergy.

Hi S H,

Have you ever had your daughter adjusted by a chiropractor? I am a chiropractor and I have treated a lot of children for bed wetting. The nerves that supply the bladder come out of the spine. If the nerves have pressure on them, they can not function properly. By having her adjusted that will remove the pressure off of the nerves and allow her bladder and sphincter to function properly. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me at ###-###-#### or visit my website at www.sullivanchiropractic.com. Thanks! Dr. Sandra S.

I was a bed wetter for a LONG time. I took medication, which helped, but the best thing was my parents waking me to go to the bathroom before they went to bed. My parents tried the vibrating thing, and it was just annoying. It is a metal-ish sheet that goes under the sheets on your bed, and it makes a lot of noise when you move around in bed. Also, the only thing it did was wake me after I'd already started going to the bathroom. Clothes and sheets still had to be changed, and it was very stigmatizing.

Chances are, your daughter is embarrassed by this situation as it is. This alarm will only draw attention to that. Trust me!!!!!

Now, as an adult, I have found that I have a very small bladder. That, compounded with my sleeping so soundly, is what caused my problem.

I also agree that you should take her to a urologist. But prepare her for that, too, because the exam might make her uncomfortable. Please msg me if you have any questions.

when i was 4 yrs old i was wetting the bed and my clothes etc. my mom thought it was just laziness at first and that i just didnt want to get up, but after a really long time battling with it she took me to the dr and he said i had a severe bladder infection and that i had blisters on my bladder. i had to go into the hosp and they put dye into my bladder to see what was going on and thats when they saw the blisters etc. my urologist dr put me on medication at the age of about 6 or 7 and i had to take it til i was 14. thats when we found out i was completely cured. this is not that uncommon in children and young teens, they could have some medical issues that need to be addressed. im so thankful that my mom took me to that dr, he was a wonderful dr and many times he didnt charge us at all for coming to see him. he always measured my growth,weight,height etc. and he always made sure i knew to tell my dr's i would have eventually while i was growing up that ive had kidney and bladder problems. ive never forgotten that and now that im 37 and i have 2 beautiful little boys, one is 8 yrs old and the other just turned 3 mths old on 5/1/08, that has really helped my dr's when theyve needed medical history etc. so make sure you take her to see a urologist and they can perform tests that maybe regular dr's wouldnt have thought of. my mom took me to several dr's too and none of them could find out what was wrong until we went to this urologist. so i understand where shes coming from. watch for different symptoms as well, mine were: burning when urinating at times, strong urine odor, urine color is like a medium to dark yellow and when i went to the dr they made me urinate in a cup and you can see some of the infection floating in the urine, i know that sounds really gross but i actually saw it. my dr was very much into showing his patients and teaching them how to recognize different things thats wrong with the body. i took medication since i was 6 or 7 til i was 14 and there were no side effects and it didnt make me sick or stomach cramp etc. the only thing was when i first started the meds i was on a liquid and that tasted really horrible!!! so the dr found the same meds in a capsule and i started taking that and its been fine ever since. i dont have to take it anymore, but the dr also told me to watch out on drinking alot of sodas etc because it can cause kidney infections etc.. my husband had to go to the emergency room several years agon because he had kidney stones and the dr asked if he drinks alot of sodas and he said he drank lots of dr.pepper and the dr told him that dr pepper was the worst in causing kidney stones. so now he wont drink anything with caffeine and he only drinks sprites. i hope this helps a little bit and i hope she gets better soon.

I went to a chiroprator and in one of his classes he discussed how he help a 9 year old patient from wetting the bed. In some cases it is related to the spine. It would be a healthy, non-embarrassing approach for her and hopefully would work only after a few adjustments. She might want to try it.

Best of luck.

Hi! I can definitely empathize with you. My daughter is in high school and we're still battling this. Her's seems to be triggered by horomones also and always around her period. We've done the pills (I agree I don't want her on meds all of the time for something that isn't daily and they weren't effective) and the alarm (it was demeaning for her). Finally we went to a urologist that felt it was tied into her bowel movements. He recommended fiber (benefiber in the morning) Surprisingly it's worked. Good luck.

My son is 12 now and we had problems with this up until he was 11. I always told my son, it was normal and he would grow out of it. It was hard on him because he had to wear pull up to bed and it posed issues when he would get invited by friends for a sleep over. Nevertheless, I would explain to the parent in confidence and he would go in the bathroom at night and put them on very low key just before bedtime. The parents and the kids never made a big deal out of and I attribute that to good parents and good kids! This went on for some time and his dad would tease him about it and blame me for not being able to get him past this. However it is very normal as peditricians will tell you and the child will grow out of it. The important thing I would suggest is to not make a big deal out of it and speak to your child about how it is normal and they will grow out of it. Otherwise, I would tell my son.. why do they make pull ups for kids up to 85 or more pounds. We tried a prescription drug to help with the bedwetting for the last several months before it stopped entirely. It was nice when he did get invited to a friends house to help with the bedwetting and would stop him from having to wet the bed that evening. We saved it for those occasions so we wouldn't have to use it all the time. Now, my son is completely over the bedwetting and not because we tried a million and one different ways to "cure it" but let nature takes it's course and work it in time. It is a difficult thing but there are alot more kids out there with the problem than you think, it just isn't talked about. Good luck and don't worry. It will eventually stop. I know the tendency is to be concerned but that just worries the child and makes it worse. I believe part of the problem with our son was that his father teased him about it at a very early age and that stressed him out. Let him know it is okay and you both will get through it in time. That is what they need. Reassurance from the parents and alot of love.

Good morning! Have you tried taking your daughter to a urologist? Since they specialize in those systems, they might have a better feel for treatment options. Joshua Fine, who cared for my mom a number of years ago, is a fine physician and a very compassionate one. If he is still there, he was practising out of Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. Best of luck. B

First, there will be others on this site that tell you it's not normal and that you should worry. I say don't worry. There are plenty of people out there with the same issue they just don't talk about it because other people make them ashamed. It's not something they do on purpose, it's a physical problem that there isn't a magic pill to cure.

Second, the kidneys are supposed to shut off urine production when you sleep, so the bladder should not be full. The shut off mechanism is the hormone, which she probably doesn't have enough of and thus the meds. So deep sleep or not, her bladder isn't supposed to be full, but it is because her kidneys didn't shut down production. She may grow into having enough of the hormone in the next year or two.

Third, the alarms work. So do plastic mattress covers and wetness pads that are easy to remove and keep the bed dry. Ask your daughter if she wants to try the alarm, if she does, go for it. You can buy them at www.bedwettingstore.com

Good luck.

I myself had the same thing. Going to all the doctor's made everything worse. The day I started my period, was the day I stopped wetting the bed. I would ask your daughter what she wants to do about it ( ignore it and it will go away eventually, meds...etc) Let her be a part of the solution. She probably has a lot of anxiouty (sp) about it all. I know I did. Hope my 2 cents helped

Dear SH:

My son had the same problem. We purched a little device over the internet that clipped onto his underwear, and emitted a beeping noise at the first sign of wetness. It would get increasingly louder until the child woke up and reset it. It was small, so he was not uncomfortable. In just a couple of weeks, he quit wetting the bed. At first the alarm would get pretty loud before he woke up, but as he became accustomed to getting up he did so sooner until he was waking up before it even went off. Cruel? No. I think it may be much more cruel to do nothing! However, like others have said, your daughter is old enough to help research what is right for her.

By the way, we purchased waterproof pads and those things were torture! I slept on them for 1/2 of a night, and just about burned up - I was drenched in perspiration!
Jen

Hello, my name is J. and I have experience this problem. My mom has told me stories about this and also I remember quite a bit. I wet my bed until I was around 14 yrs. old. The doctors had all kinds of theories for me. I went to my first OBGYN when I was 8 yrs. old. My mom, like yourself was very frusterated about the whole thing. Finally when I was about 12, I told her I didn't want to go to the doctors anymore and to just leave it alone. She didn't want to but I begged and begged and finally she said she would leave it alone for a while but then we would deal with it again. I eventually grew out of it. Of course I don't know if it is the same situation but eventually it just went away. I did not only pee in bed, I wet myself all the time, in school, in the store, were ever. The doctors kept saying that I have a weak blatter and when I gotta go, I gotta go! I know this isn't really advice but I just thought I would share my story with you. I feel for your daughter because I was there at one point. Good luck with it all. Keep your head up.

My son had the same issue, he started having trouble when he was about 10 and went on for several years. We found a really nice urologist in Carrollton.

Ralph Posch
###-###-####
Trinity Professional Plaza II
4325 North Josey Lane Ste 205
Carrollton, TX 75010

My son, my husband and I have all seen him. He is very gentle and kind. We have all had various in-office proceedures done. He is extremely through and informative.

My son was on the hormones for about 2 years with no side-effects but all the benefits. Dr. Posch always recommended a vacation from the pills every 4-6 months. We finally hit the place on one of them that he was accident-free and we were able to discontinue completely.

I took my pre-teen daughter to childrens for a work up. She cannot seem to make it in time and has no control of holding her pee. She drips and sleep heavy at night so she has to wear a pull style panty. She hates it but... The urologist at childrens believes it really starts with a constipation problem. He started by gettign her regulated so she had more room and less pressure. He did this of course after checking the size of her bladder and making sure it was not backing up into her kidneys. She was normal everywhere just not on a bowel schedule. It has made a huge difference for us. I advice you to see a child urologist not a general doctor. Do the full work up of tests. This you know is very hard for her.

I have heard from a friend that if her child had any dairy products for supper or even afternoon, they wet the bed. Seems like they could have it for breakfast and lunch. You might try that.
I can't remember the name of the star, but he played Little Joe on the Bananza TV series. Said he wet the bed in high school and was sooooooooo emparrassesd, but of course wouldn't know until he woke up, and his mom would humuilte him hanging out the sheets, like he could quit. Don't remember what happend that he finally stopped, but I'd go to a new Dr. if the diary product doesn't help. good luck

Ask her if she dreams that she is going to the bathroom. I did for years and found out that my mother did also. In the dream, you go to the bathroom, sit on the toilet and then begin to urinate. As you get wet, you wake up (sometimes) and realize what happened. I even remember a time when I was still asleep, took off my wet clothes and put them in the kitchen trash can. My mother heard me and came to ask me what I was doing. That woke me up.

If it is a dream, maybe that will help the dr to know what to do. I finally grew out of it, most of the time. However, I do remember having an issue just about a year ago but I woke up as soon as I felt damp. It is the dream all over ago. I guess I just sleep soundly.

See a pediatric urologist. We took our son to one at Children's Medical Center several years ago. I believe his name was Dr. Michael Baum. She could have overactive bladder regardless of her age.

In the meantime, get some pads for her to sleep in. There are several brands; Poise and Serenity are both good. They stick to underwear like menstrual pads and come in various grades of absorbency. They are comfortable and would save the sheets, her underwear and her embarrassment.

Hi S H,

I have an 8 yr. old that was having issues with training at night and we used the alarm/vibration set up and it worked awesome. She is a VERY sound sleeper so I didn't know if it would work - it did and in a short period of time. It is well worth it!

T.

The reasons medication and waking her up at 11:00 don't work is because both don't help to retrain the bladder. While you get her up to empty her bladder, it is not training her to respond when the bladder fills (like we do) and wake up to go to the bathroom. Medications for a similar reason. If there is no medical reason for the bedwetting, my experience is the bed alarm is effective.(and not cruel). Go to bedwetting.com
and look at the different types of bed alarms. We got the one that is wireless that come with the panties with the sensors in them (they look like hanes panties) and the second there is moisture a very loud alarm goes off from a wireless alarm and wakes the child up to go to the bathroom. The kit comes with bed pads to protect the sheets. Typically w/in 2-3 months, the child is dry. Ours is in month 2 and nearly dry. Only the occasional wet night. She likes it (she is 9), because she is able to take care of things on her own. She gets up when the alrm goes off, goes to the bathroom, changes into another pair of panties, attaches the alarm, changes her pad on her bed, and goes to sleep.
She feels in control. It may seem cumbersome and cruel, but it is effective and alot less cruel than the potential damage to self-image and self esteem bedwetting can promote at this age when self image is forming.

I myself wet the bed until I was 15. My mom always thought it was an emotional thing; I was abused by my biological father until I was 8. I sucked my thumb until I was 8 as well; at that time the dentist put something in my mouth attached to my teeth that hung down so when I put my thumb in my mouth it wouldn't go in far enough to suck on it. Right after that happened, I started wetting the bed. I continued to wet pretty much every night until I was 15. I remember trying everything, but nothing seemed to work. As an adult my OBGYN has told me that I have a VERY small bladder so maybe that was the problem. As suddenly as I started wetting the bed, I stopped wetting. It was just instant. The only advice I really have is to continue to be supportive of this extremely humiliating problem and to know that it will subside someday. My son is now 5 years old and is still in pull-ups because he wets every night. I am grateful for my own experiences though because it helps me understand his and to not act like it is something he can control because it is absolutely not. Good luck to you, God bless.

I wet my bed until for a long time too and my doctor told my mom to give me an extra blanket at night. I guess animals pee on themselves in nature to keep themselves warm. It worked for me :) Good luck to you!

Like the others who have responded, I too was a bed wetter, except I continued to do it well into my twenties. I know, embarassing. I took medication, but ended up being allergic to it, so I just had to deal with it.
I didn't drink anything at least an hour before bed, and I always would dream that I get up and use the restroom, and when I felt myself a little wet, it was too late to stop.
It might help, as the the other people have suggested, to get your daughters input on what she thinks you should do, continue to try different medications, the vibrating thing, etc. That way so wont feel so ashamed about it, make sure that she understands that it is not her fault. I know that I thought it was the worst thing in the world, until I was about 12 and my mother really kept me involved. But finally I outgrew it, but I am still afaid to wake up in the middle of the night having wet the bed after a few years of not doing it.
I wish you luck to you and your daughter

I don't think the meds are a bad idea and that vibrating thing sounds like it would work great. Let her be the one to decide what you should do... I wet the bed until I was 9 and I would have loved a medicine or contraption that would wake me up so I would not wet my self. I HATED wetting the bed so anything that would help me I would have welcomed. I eventually grew out of it by exercising my bladder during the day and holding it for long periods and drinking water during the day so I would strech my bladder. I know that is probably no the best thing but it helped me. I slept so soundly as a kid that I never woke up to go to the bathroom.

Good luck-
A. J

I bought an alarm from www.bedwettingstore.com and it cured my 6 year old son. It is NOT cruel, it has a clip for the underwear (for boys) and you pin the beeper-like device on their shoulder and at the first sign of wettness, the alarm goes off with a loud sound and vibration. The first few nights I had to actually wake him up, he slept through the loud noise, and then eventually he did it all himself. I also bought the bed pads so if there was an accident I only needed to change pads instead of the sheets. Two pads + an alarm cost like $125 and I got the higher end alarm. My 5 year old will be wearing it as soon as school is out. It really works!!!! Good Luck.
J.

I had a similar problem until I was in 3rd grade. My parents took me to a urologist. After several exams/test they determined that my problem could be corrected with surgery. I would highly recommend taking her to the doctor and ruling that out before you look into another medication or vibration device. I am in my 40's now and still remember how embarrassing it was when I would have accidents. I also agree that you should allow your daughter to make the choice as to whether or not to use the device if surgery can not correct her problem. I wish you the best in helping your daughter.

I would encourage you to read up on enuresis, and also to look at the website, www.soilingsolutions.com for further information. Soiling Solutions helped us find answers for a daughter's struggle with encopresis, which is having bowel accidents without realizing it's happening. Good luck to all of you!