Reply from Darren, Age 24 - 12/12/02 - IP#: 213.106.133.xxx adultbb-c846 Hi David. A few years ago I was in the same predicament. I spent 3 years at University wetting the bed. I've never been dry at night for as long as I can remember, I've just found out this year that I have Aspergers Syndrome (an Autistic disorder) which could be why I wet the bed so much (and also other problems). One of my main problems was when I first went to University I was offered a shared room. I declined it for obvious reasons, I didn't tell the University why although it probably would have worked to my advantage. When I got my flat the first thing I made sure was I had plastic sheets on the bed and used Huggies Dry Nites (in the UK we have two types of Dry Nites - Blue bag (Small) and Green Bag (Large), the large ones mention up to about age 10 but I can still fit in them easily (I'm about 30" waist and there is plenty more stretch in them after that!). If you have your own room it should be quite easy to hide these items. With a plastic sheet I always thought my mates would notice the noise but no-one ever did (or no-one ever commented on it). It might be better to get the waterproof anti-allergy ones then at least if anyone does notice you could always use asthma, hayfever or allergies as an excuse as to why you have one on. As for the Dry Nites, if you hide them in your wardrobe or chest of drawers and only use them at night no-one is going to notice them there and even if they do Dry Nites look very much like normal underwear it would be very hard for anyone to know what they were for. Don't forget though to cover them with something like a pair of boxer shorts (or pyjamas) in case the fire alarm goes off at night (it didn't happen to me but if the building was on fire the last thing I'd want is to be taken out by a firefighter wearing nothing but a pull-up!) Now the only problem is getting them in and out of the house. Inbound - Plastic sheet - this only needs to be brought in once (or twice depending on how long it lasts). If you have a college bag, take some of your stuff out of it when you go shopping to make sure you have enough room, buy the plastic sheet and put it inside your college bag. Go back home and no-one will know what is inside your bag. As for washing the plastic sheet you could take it to the launderette, or if you get the 100% plastic sheets that don't absorb (just protect the bed), they can be wiped down with a sponge or a towel. I found the 100% plastic sheets to be the best as they protect the bed well and don't need washing as much, can be just wiped down with a sponge in the morning. Dry Nites - Unfortunatly walking through the door with a green bag full of pull-ups is kind of the largest give away to bedwetting but there is a way around this. Again get your college bag when you go shopping and put them inside the college bag. Or you could get two of the thick bag-for-life style and put the pull ups in one bag, wrap it up, and then put them inside the other bag, the only problem is if some nosey housemate wants to know what you have bought. College bags work far better as theres no proof you've bought anything. Outbound - Get a big black bin bag for your room. Put your dry nite inside a nappy bag, then a carrier bag and finally inside the black bing bag. That way the nappy bag hides the smell, the carrier bag hides the nappy bag and the bin bag hides everything from view. When the bag is full (add some normal rubbish in with it as well or else it might look (and despite the nappy bags, smell) a bit obvious)) and just put it in the normal waste. Don't forget if anyone does go dustbin delving and finds your pull ups, if they want to tell anyone they've got to at first come up with a very good excuse as to why they were looking through the rubbish and then also figure out which person the rubbish came from. But if you don't feel safe about dumping them in the normal waste you could always find a bin in the high street and throw them away. If you are sharing your room with someone else, you could tell them about your problem. I've told numerous people about my problem and none of them have been bothered in any way about it or teased me in any way. If you don't think you can tell your room mate you could always go to the College and ask for who you see about confidential medical problems you are having and make an appointment to go and see them. They are very good and will help work things out. Most places understand bedwetting at any age. It's really only kids that tease people about it. Don't forget if your friends do tease you about it, they aren't your real friends! |