Bedwetting Teenager

Hi,

It probably is stress. With that being said. Any time there is a change like that , I would take him to a doctor just to be sure. Also check for a UTI

Hi,
I can almost guarantee that at your son's age there is a physical problem that has developed. Bed wetting often stems from a decrease in hormones at night, that are usually active to cause your bladder to not produce so much urine. when the hormones are not functioning properly the bladder continues to produce the same amount of urine as during waking hours.
I have read that foods high in magnesuium help this process and maybe even a supplement. But I do think you should bring him to the Dr. There could be a variety of reasons for bedwetting at his age and there is medication to help as well as bladder training.
No doubt he is very embarrassed.
M. - pediatric nurse

I had a very similar problem with my oldest son when he was around the same age. The first thing I did was take him to his doctor to make sure there wasn't something physical wrong. The doctor ruled that out but did ask me to make a chart of a few things and check the chart with the bed wetting episodes. Some of the things I had to keep track of were heavy homework days, bed times, outings, how much fluid he drank, etc. We came to the conclusion that when he was up later then his normal bed time doing homework or out with the family or friends he would drink fluids more then usual. We had a very civil discussion (no yelling or accusing him of doing it on purpose for attention.....like some people had suggested he was doing) about it and finally made an agreement that no matter what time he anticipated he would be going to bed he could not drink more then a sip of water after 7pm. And he would make it a point to go have to the bathroom before going to bed. This worked great. If he stuck to the "rules" he didn't have any more "accidents". It didn't take him long to figure out that if he didn't stick to the "rules" he was going to wake up wet!

One other thing the doctor suggested is to "play it down" when it happens. In other words don't make a big thing of it. He should not be punished either....the embarrassment and guilt he is feeling is enough punishment. Put a waterproof pad on his bed under his sheets and keep a clean set of sheets and blankets handy. When it happens, just have him change the bed and his clothes. I also showed him how to use the washer and dryer so he could secretly do them by himself and his siblings would be none the wiser. He liked this because his siblings did get to the point they were teasing him about it. He was old enough to understand what we were telling him and to take responsibility for his actions.

One good thing did come of all this other than he didn't have "accident" any more.....I never had to do his laundry after that. He knew how to work the washer and dryer and enjoyed it and to this day has always done it himself. haha

I would take him to a pediatrician right away. He could have developed diabeties, and you want to be sure to rule that out. There could be other physical problems - a kidney infection might be the cause. With an older child like that, I would rule out physical problems before thinking that it might be related to stress. He sounds like a nice kid.

I have a pre-teen that has the same problem. For the longest time my son whom is 12 didnt wet the bed but up until about 2 yrs ago he started to. I was really concerned and took him to his doctor to find out what was wrong. He had us try no drinks after dinner as well as many other things, but nthing worked, so he sent us to a Urologist. The Urologist ran some tests and we dscovered that he has bladder spasms and that when he gets stressed out it gets worse. So we have him on some medication to help him and it works as long as he i taking the meds. We have to make appts ever so often to check to see if we can take him off or what to do. The Dr said it wouldnt be forever that he has to take them. It's just until hs body can handle the stress better. I hope this can help you out som.

Hi there: I don't want to alarm you, but please make sure your son does not have Type 1 Diabetes. I went through the same thing with my 8-year-old son last year - he started wetting the bed and at the same time he was having behavioral problems at school, and as he is a very bright and sensitive kid, his pediatrician assured us that the bed-wetting was stress-related. It got worse and worse, and was coupled with notable thirst, and it turned out to be diabetes. Our doctor had done a urine test for diabetes, but not a blood test (she did not really take it seriously as a cause when I raised it as a possible issue). Make sure your doctor looks at this seriously.

I hope for your son's sake that this is just stress-related - not that that is easy either! Wishing you and your son the best,
E., Brooklyn

I had a foster daughter for a few months who was wetting the bed at age 10. I thought it was due to stress, but it just so happened I had been in a car accident so I was seeing the chiropractor regularly. I had her adjusted a few times and the bedwetting stopped. Apparently there was a part of her spine that was out of alignment.

It is said that bedwetting or Nocturnal Eureneesis (sp?) is not emotional or stress related. Bedwetting is actually hereditary. Can you believe that? Give this website a shot,
www.kidshealth.org
in the search window, enter bedwetting and all bedwetting articles and stories come up. You can also go on google and do your research. You might also want to see his pediatrician on the subject and he might recommend a urologist. Good luck.

I have a 13 year old step son who wets the bed. If we wake him up in the middle of the night, he won't wet the bed, but if we set an alarm he just turns it off and goes back to sleep. He says he thinks he won't wet the bed because he wakes up; he thinks his problem is that he sleeps too hard. But he still wets the bed every night wether he wakes up or not. The only thing that works is for him to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. His biggest problem is that it doesn't bother him. He's decided that it's normal and he shouldn't be embarrassed. I guess that could be a good thing, but it worries me that he's going to have this problem into adulthood. He's been to the doctor, and they say he's fine. So we don't really know what to do besides putting a waterproof sheet on his bed and try to wake him up before he wets. I'm sorry to not have any possitive advice, but I just wanted to let you know that there may not be anything wrong with your son- he's probably perfectly healthy. If his problem is anything like my stepson's, it may only be solved by his learning to control his problem. Good luck.

Hi. Me, being a diabetic, I think that you should take your son to his doctor to be seen and question this. And after that if you still don't find the advice that you're looking for then I think that you should find the names of some specialists in your area. bedwetting is one of the many signs of diabetes. And also keep an eye on your son. is he getting tired quickly? Is he drinking too much? Those are some of the other things to watch for too. I hope everything turns out to be ok. Good luck.

Two thoughts occur to me off the top of my head: since he's hitting puberty perhaps he is having nocturnal emissions and covering it by putting water on to clean up? If he is having bladder problems I would get him checked out for a urinary tract infection or (and I only mention this because I was sexually abused as a child and know this is the sort of thing it can trigger) carefully check out that he is not undergoing some extreme bullying or inappropriate sexual contact.

Find a Certified Pediatric Hypnotherapist to address the situation; he'll be dry in no time!

Have you taken him to the doctor to rule out any medical issues (ie; kidneys)? Sometimes kids wet the bed because there is a serious medical problem. I would talk to his doctor first and if there is nothing medically wrong, take him to see a therapist that cane help with the stress.

Good luck!

L.

I just read an article in a magazine that really made me think of you when I read your post. It has nothing to do with bed wetting per say, but it has to do with children like your son. Smart,sensitive, advanced classes, all A's, athletic, etc...This boy(in the article)commited suicide as a H.S. Senior.No one had any idea. Not his family, teachers,or friends. He told one person only. I am not implying that your son would do such a thing. But, the mother of this boy , after speaking to other parents of similar children, said had she only known, she would have tried to help him deal with all of the pressures he was dealing with. They seem to take it all in. If they do poorly, it can really affect them, but even when they do well the pressure to continue can be overwhelming! They are just children, and sometimes they need to be reminded! Maybe your son would benifit from speaking to someone? The article was inLadies Home Journal, March 2008. (Has Dolly Parton on front.) if you want to read it. I hope you do not take offense from my suggestion, I only mention it because the article struck such a cord with me. And also because it seemed to be something that most parents are not aware of(according to the article.)I hope you find this helpful, and wish you good luck!

MILK MILK MILK...my brother and I were bedwetters...and I did not know until my daughter was born and had training problems...that she was allergic to milk, and in fact, most of my family was...my brother would eat a bowl of cereal at night before bed and always wet the bed. When we took my daughter off milk products..she stopped bed wetting.

Read Lendon Smith's --foods for healthy kids

MILK is usually the culprit with bedwetting..milk allergies.

try it...take him off all dairy products..cheese, milk..watch and read labels..no milk...no dairy products...and you may see a radical change in bedwetting.

I have a 13 year old cousin who has this problem. He has always wet the bed and wore diapers until he was 8 then switched to depends at night. I know that he has started seeing a therapist a few times a week (he also has some OCD issues) and it has really helped him. One of the things the therapist suggested is setting an alarm clock for 2am and getting up to go to the bathroom. This seems to be working b/c he doesn't have to wear the depends anymore.

I SO feel for you and your son - I went through that for several years with my eldest son. It has now been probably about 9 months since he last wet the bed but he is now 15. He trained at 3 and was dry round the clock for years. I believe the problem started when he was about 8 or 9...in retrospect, I would say emotional stress as a few years later my Mom's Alzheimers got bad and our marriage took a nose dive. He had been very close to my Mom and my ex filed for the divorce when she went into rapid decline. The divorce was long, bitter and nasty and dragged on from my Mother's death 10/28/03 until it was finalized 10/25/04... Looking back, although he started bedwetting before everything was apparently bad I'm sure the underlying stress and problems were already ongoing and he was always very gentle and sensitive and probably subconsciously felt things weren't right. We tried all the standard suggestions - try waking him during the night to go, limit fluids after dinner, limit snacks etc after 8 etc but none seemed to really do it. Everytime I would think we found the cause (ice cream before bed, sleeping deeply etc) and it would stop for a few days or weeks it would happen again. I took him to a pediatric urologist and they did an ultrasound. She felt that it was important that he start drinking more water during the day and wrote a note for him to be able to have water during the day at his desk (which he was too self-conscious to do). She felt that his bladder was a bit on the small size and would benefit from taking in more water during the day to stretch it out some. He was out of school for a few months with mono which left him with very bad depression. When it came time for the 8th Grade Washington DC trip she prescribed that nasal spray that can be used for sleep overs etc. Ironically, it was just after that trip that it all stopped suddenly. Unfortunately, he also went from an A student to failing...and has picked up other bad behaviors that we are working on now. So, as awful as the bedwetting was...I am hoping that he will return to being an honors student and having sensitive gentle behavior. The changes that came with the end of the bed wetting have been terrible. I would definitely recommend a trip to the urologist though...and also, as a toddler the pediatrician had noted that he had an undescended testicle...by the following year it came down so we hadn't done the urologist then. He was physically of average to just below average stature (height & weight) for his age, but was quite small 'down there'. As all the hormones seemed to kick in and as he got hairy legs, deeper voice etc he suddenly became 'man-sized' and the bedwetting ended...so there may also be a hormone component to it.

You have so much to be proud of .. when we are stressed it increases our negative energy and decreases the positive. Keep him happy and balanced at home.

It could be a UTI or bladder reflux. Get him checked out. Bladder reflux can cause more problems with the kidneys. Both myself and my daughter had it, so please feel free to message me with questions.

Have him checked by his doctor to rule out urinary tract infection or other physiological muscle control issues. If your mother's gut feeling says it's stress, I'd go to the bank with that....
Just like with younger children, have him empty his bladder before bed. If he's not sleeping well, use natural ways to have him get enough exercise during the day and to relax before bed. There are natural relaxants and sleep aids that would help him destress if he tends to be a more anxious kind of person. Hot showers before bed, a relaxing and enjoyable activity, sharing a book etc... are natural ways to relax before bed. His hormones are still in a state of flux and may be playing a role in increased stress-levels and perhaps even physiologically on his urinary system.
Best to you.

I was thinking a UTI as well, or I hate to say it but are you sure he is urinating and not having "wet dreams" or masturbating or something like that.

The other thing I was thinking was that maybe he just had a growth spurt and his bladder hasn't caught up yet?

I know since you said it only happens when he is over worked and stressed it probably isn't any of those things, but I just wanted to throw them out there.

I do remember my 15 year old used to wet the bed and we kept thinking he'd outgrow it...well he finally did but I know even as recently as when he was 13 he would bring down wet sheets in the morning on occasion. I don't know why, but he managed to work it out.

Sorry to mention "sensitive" things, but he is of that age!

D.
mom of 5, ages 15- 15 months

I started wetting the bed at night when I was about 11(hadn't since toddler age before then.), turned out I had a pinched nerve that was leaning on my bladder at night. I would take him to a doctor, there may be some simple cause for this. Good Luck!

Dear JH, you should advise your pediatrician or perhaps bring your son to a Urologist. It may be what you have stated,but it may be an infection or something. A male friend of mine went through this when he was around the same age 12-13 and his parents would punish him for it....turned out it was due to a kidney infection!

Take care, K.

Your probably right about the stress and being teased. Thirteen is a hard age for all kids. Maybe if you start waking him up during the night again like when he was little. I'm sure he would be happy to get up if he knew it meant he wasn't waking up wet. Also, try to make sure he isn't staying up too late. If he's overly tired he's going to sleep harder, and may not get the signals that he needs to get up and use the bathroom. Also encourage him to talk to you about everything. It could be a big help to relieve his stress to you.