Being a single, working mother comes with a long list of challenges, from worrying about finances to finding family time. But Peggy Brown* experienced another type of challenge she was not anticipating: her son's bedwetting.
Though Brown's daughter was out of diapers when she was 2, her older son, Thomas*, who was then 4 1/2, struggled with staying dry at night. As her son grew older, bedwetting continued to be a nightly occurrence.
"I tried everything and anything to help my son with his bedwetting," says Brown. "I will admit it was frustrating on my end. I would wonder if he'd ever stop. But, I also tried to be sympathetic to him as well."
Brown tried the usual bedwetting remedies to help her son stay dry, such as limiting his water at night and waking him up every hour to take him to the bathroom. But getting him up all night was keeping both of them from sleeping. "I could barely function at work the next day," she says.
Her luck was no better with moisture alarms. "The bed alarms did not work because my son slept right through them," she says.You also can find basic bedwetting information on the National Kidney Foundation's Web site at www.kidney.org. Just look for the "bedwetting" link.
Brown's pediatrician soon prescribed a nasal spray to help Thomas control his bedwetting until his bladder matured. "He hated the nasal spray and choked every time," says Brown. "But he did it to avoid the embarrassment and smell associated with his overnight bedwetting."
Shortly after they began using the spray, her insurance changed, requiring her to switch pediatricians. Her new pediatrician felt that the medicine was too new to the market, and the long-term effects of using the medicine daily were not known. "The new doctor would only prescribe bedwetting medication on sporadic occasions, such as sleepovers and overnight trips," says Brown.
She was unhappy with the doctor's decision and felt like they were back to square one. "My son was horrified and could not understand why something that finally worked was taken away from him," she says.
While at home, Thomas used GoodNites® Underpants to keep the sheets dry. Though the pediatrician would prescribe the nasal spray for sleepovers, Thomas was so nervous about having an accident that he would stay awake the entire night. "He usually opted to avoid sleepovers and dreaded anyone wanting to sleep over at our home," Brown says.
Brown admits that the years of nightly bedwetting took its toll on her and her son. "Sometimes I would be angry at him and think 'If he would only try harder,' yet I knew deep down that it wasn't his fault and that he was ashamed," she says.
The bedwetting eventually started to affect her son's self-esteem, especially since his younger sister had no problems with staying dry at night. "I was heartbroken for him," says Brown. "I was confused as to why it was happening, sad that he struggled with it, sometimes angry over it and determined to stop it."
This determination to help her son guided her to a motivational treatment program for children with enuresis. The program used methods that were somewhat different than she had tried previously. Her son was encouraged to drink as much water as he could at night and sleep on an uncomfortable surface (he used flattened, cardboard boxes under his sheet). A company representative also kept in daily contact with Thomas to monitor progress and give him words of encouragement.
Brown noticed the wet nights gradually began to slow down. After about three months, Thomas stayed dry for 30 consecutive nights. He had a relapse after four months, but soon went back to staying dry. At the age of 11, Thomas could officially say he was no longer wetting the bed.
Brown questions if one thing can be attributed to helping her son stop bedwetting or if it was a combination of events, such as age, treatment and determination. "The motivational program believes that they helped my son," says Brown. "I think part of me agrees with that as well, since within months of starting the program he was cured."
It's hard to know whether Thomas stopped bedwetting because of treatment or if he just outgrew the problem. One thing that Thomas and his mother are certain of – they are glad that bedwetting is a thing of the past!
