Bedwetting... - Bothell,WA

My son had similar night time issues when he was about the same age. The doctors put him on medication, but I can't remember the name because it has been about 5 years. The doctor also told us that his bladder may not have caught up to him yet and this can cause night issues. After awhile he grew out of this and we stopped using the night pants. I would suggest talking to his doctor, they might have some suggestions for you. Take comfort in knowing that this is not unusual and it does get better. :-)

Hi H.,
Went through the same thing with my now 12 yr old boy. I remember the struggle well. My son Jerred wet the bed until around a year ago. I did the same things you did with waking him up and cutting back on water. I even tried medication (gave him nose bleeds and I was worried about side affects). What finally helped Jerred was a Potty pager. I bought it online. It was recommended by his pediatrician. It is a pager that is attched in their boxers or briefs and it vibrates and wakes the child up as soon as it senses moisture. Getting Jerred to wear it at night was a struggle as he considered it a very rude awakening and called it a torture device. The vibrations aren't that bad it is the waking up out of such a deep sleep so suddenly that they dislike. I initially had trouble with consistency since I didn't have the heart to make him wear it every night. Once I put my foot down and said he is going to wear it for a month every night, wet or dry. He did it. He was dry in about a week. He continued for the rest of the month with the pager then no longer needed it. It has been over a year now, and I think he has had maybe 1 accident. I wish you luck with what ever you decide.

Hi~ I have never dealt directly with bedwetting but my step sister had that problem. She ended up going to a chiropractor and after 3 adjustments no more bed wetting. I hope this helps.

First thing my brother and I growing up was bed wetters and just to let you know you'r all most there because for some reason puberty will kick his bladder in to catching up with his body. good luck with you getting out of that sling.

T.

Hi H.! My name is J. and I am new to this group! I am a mother of 3 and my son who is now 8 had a bed wetting problem when he was 6, but he has out grown it. I do however have a friend who's son had a bet wetting problem. Now I'm not the kind to start thinking the worse but this is just one more thing to check off the list.....but her son had a type of spinabifita. His nerves were not exsposed so it was hard to find but the doctors told him that was part of the problem with his bed wetting. I know that we have wonderful doctors in the Portland Metro area, but sometimes doctors can over look things. Wouldn't hurt to mention it. How ever as one mom to another it sounds like you are doing a wonferful job and exceeding your son's needs so keep up the good work and it will all work out in the end :) Keep us posted!!!

Hi my name is T. I have a son he is 12 yrs. old that wets the bed to but we have very different situations. Have you thought about taking him to a pediatric urlogist they have tons of information it has helped my son he is now on ditropan and it has helped quite a bit. My brother was a bed wetter until he was about 10 I believe he eventually grew out of it. I wish you the very best.

I used to be a bedwetter until I was 13 because I was such a deep sleeper. I remember my mother had us in a program where they sent us a special buzzer and a pad that if wet, the pad would set of the noisy alarm to wake me and my mom up so she would make sure I went to the bathroom. It worked for me! I'm not sure of the company's name, but I do plan on finding out so I can use it for my daughter who is a hard sleeper as well.

have his bladder checked. Small or weak bladders can be hereditary. It is nothing to worry about but it may give your son peace of mind to know that it is not his fault. Bed wetting even up to age 13 is a lot more common than people think. My daughter just stopped wetting the bed and she is 12. She suffered from an underdeveloped bladder. Good luck too you and yours.
T.

I can empathize with the problem of bedwetting. I myself was a bedwetter. I don't want to dash your hopes, but I wet the bed until I was 15. My mom took me to numerous doctors who had me wear a sensor in my underwear, and also had me not drink liquids after a given time. Nothing they tried worked. The doctors said I would just have to outgrow it. I eventually did. It was tough for a while, but my friends understood - when I was at sleepovers and I had to put a rubber sheet inside my sleeping bag.

I was also a VERY deep sleeper. I know that my dad wet his bed until he was 14 or so also, so it might be a hereditary thing. All I can say is that it will end sometime. You can try reassuring your son that he's not the only one like this and that it's just something that happens, no fault of his.

Another side note. My mom never tried waking me up in the middle of the night. If I wet my bed, then I wet my bed. If you're waking him up and he's still wetting maybe it's better to just let him get a good nights sleep.

I hope this has helped you in some way. Good luck and keep your chin up. He will grow out of it and he'll be a more compassionate young man for having experienced this.

~~~K. :)

Hi H.,

Just a few things sent up a red flag. If your son seems to drink excessivly and is difficult to wake you might have his blood sugar levels checked. If he has a high fasting glucose, they can do further blood work to determine if he has juvenile diabetis. Sometimes they are bed wetters until they are diagnosed as they drink more water than average. They are also difficult to awaken as high blood sugar surronds the brain with sugar and makes you feel really tired and difficult to awaken. Just an easy thing to check, and if all is in order there then maybe the monitors would work.
Best of luck to you and your son.

T.

You've got a beautiful attitude toward all of this. I would recommend geting your son to a pediatric urologist or just an urologist for an exam and discussion of causes and therapies. The most important thing is that your son not be made to feel that he is bad or deserving of censure. I suspect that he will grow out of this, but talking to the specialist is the only way to be sure. And don't assume you can talk to just any old urologist. Get one who is well-regarded in the medical community. So talk to more than one doc for a referral.

Can your husband help with the middle of the night patrol for a while? Google bedwetting and see if any other good products show up, as well as good articles on the topic. The Mayo clinic is always a reliable website, as is the Harvard Medical site. You might also check out info from the AMA and the National Institutes of Health or the Surgeon General. Again, your doc may be able to recommend websites.

Good luck, and remember that most things are healed by time. Patience is your friend.

Hi, I was just talking to my chiropractor yesterday about this very subject. She said bedwetting after four years old is often attributed to a lower back adjustment, helping the nerves communicate to the brain from the bladder. Worth a try! And alot easier on his body than drugs. Good luck!