7 Year Old Bedwetting Concerns

Hi L.,

I work for a pediatric chiropractic specialist and I have seen wonderful results with bed wetting in children this age. And contrary to what someone might think, this can start "out of nowhere." The brain controls everything and there is a definite line of communication. When that communication is diminished then conditions show up. It doesnt take much to misalign a spinal bone especially in a rough and tumble boy. Think about the fact that the spine is the very first thing to develop in the womb...it HAS to be important. Go to ipca4kids.org and find a specialist close by. 😊

Regards,

M.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say your child was potty trained at 2.5 and stopped wetting the bed at 4. If he was wetting the bed, he wasn't potty trained. Or do you mean he was dry all day and just wet at night? If the latter, that's extremely common and normal.

I would definitely see a pediatric urologist. We did. Our son was nowhere near being reliably dry by day until past the age of 4, and he was still wetting at night past the age of 7. Aside from never getting a decent night's sleep (which is essential for his brain development), we were all frustrated with sheets and laundry and so on. And he couldn't go on sleepovers or really even be in a vacation rental unless we took all kinds of absorbent padding and waterproof sheets. FYI We did the alarm thing, and that was a nightmare because it only goes off after the child is already wet - we got talked into spending the money without the doctor really explaining the uselessness and downside of it.

I'd say that 2-3 urinations in 30 minutes is excessive. I'd question the blanket statement of "a small bladder" - which is what they usually say when they don't know. You've ruled out diabetes and UTI, which is a start. My guess is (which you should consider as JUST ONE possibility in talking to the P.U.) is that your son has gone through a growth spurt and has more urine, but has not really been through the developmental stage of "full bladder notifies brain to wake up." Nocturnal enuresis - nighttime bedwetting - can affect kids into their teens. Our P.U. told us he has kids as old as 18 in his practice - more often boys, but not always.

The answer for us turned out to be a simple medication called DDAVP which had no side effects and helped our son sleep through the night. He took it from 7-11, went off, began bedwetting again after 3 months or son, went back on until age 12.5 or so. By then, his body had developed enough that his natural warning signals kicked in, and he never wet the bed again. But of course it could be something else entirely, from an anatomical abnormality to something the pediatrician missed or didn't check for.

Go get a consult.

I wonder if the illness didn't do some sort of damage to his bladder. Seeing a urologist might be the right thing to do.

One of the symptoms of PANS/PANDAS is bed wetting and urinary frequency. My son has PANS, but not these two symptoms.
PANS is a autoimmune illness. When kids with PANS get an infection or virus, their autoimmune system goes haywire and without getting too technical, it causes inflammation in the brain, specifically in the basal ganglia. It often goes undiagnosed . Check out this site for an overview. He he has some of the other symptoms, you really should have him evaluated for PANS/PANDAS. Message me too, if you want.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/pandas/index....

ETA: I just read your other posts where you discuss twitching, spitting and possible ADHD and some of the behavioral stuff. I really think your son might have PANDAS. Please consider getting him evaluated. Take materials from the internet with you to bolster your request for testing. I am saying this because treatment can work (antibiotics) and when done earlier in the process, the outcomes are much better. Left untreated your son could have more challenges ahead, like OCD and aggression.

See the urologist.

It's true that because of the small bladder, he may need to urinate more..
also.. look at some pregnant women whose bladders are squished by the baby's head.. those women have accidents..
I see this is possibly akin to that.. except in your son's case, his bladder is just naturally smaller.... he can't help it.. now, like for women, there are kegel exercises to strengthen the bladder, perhaps your son just needs more toning..

Part of the dilemma is that as kids get older, they make them SIT all day in classrooms.. while in kinder or first grade, they are granted more physical activity and allowed to stand and run..

by 7 years.. we have the kids sitting too much,, I think that is hard on a bladder and weakens it... I am no doctor.. but imagine the body... while standing.. there is vertical alignment.. sitting... look at how we squish everything.. now imagine doing that for hours...

Of course having an urologist check it out is a good thing..
Also, definitely look into articles that mention how school age children sit too much in school..
one of the first things they say in yoga is..... once we get into school and begin sitting all day with NO stretching to release the muscles and nerves.. is when stiffness sets in and other life long problems..

I would try and locate articles on yoga and why sitting all day is a problem.. in those articles, you might find more answers..

I wish you the best

He's growing. Plus he could be constipated. The heavy poop lays on his bladder and pushes the pee out.

I don't know...my 8 year old does this, but in the last few years he has been through divorce, 2 moves, adhd diagnosis and treatment, new stepdad, abandonment from his bio dad....I kind of give him a pass on it for now. It depends on what else has been going on. If there have been routine changes or structure changes, that will do it.

It's a bit involved, but do you know exactly how often he's peeing through the night? If you've ruled out UTI/and diabetes tests came up negative as you said, and he's going frequently. I would suggest looking into this:

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/pollakiuria

It's primarily a daytime condition, but the urologist we went to for my son said its not at all uncommon for it also to be present at nighttime. It is apparently more common in boys. It would explain the frequent needing to go, without something like a UTI or diabetes being present.

i'm glad you're taking him to a urologist. lots of 7 year olds wet the bed from time to time, or even all the time, but since this stemmed from an illness and simply hasn't recovered, i have to think this is not something like a small bladder. it definitely sounds as if it's connected to the virus incident.
although i don't understand your first sentence. if he wet the bed until he was 4, how do you figure he was 'potty trained since he was 2'?
khairete
S.