Reply from Steven, Child's Age None - 12/6/01 - IP#: 65.35.243.54Hi, I'm Steven, age 16, and a bedwetter (my entire family were wetters at some point in their lives when they were young). The bedwetting does bother your son because he is trying to hide it by hiding the underwear and covering the sheets. He needs to be made to understand that it will pass with time and there are a lot of us with the same problem. Medication can help but there are side effects associated with most forms. DDVAP helps (can be purchased as a nasal spray) but sometimes there are headaches as a side effect. If you have tried alarms and most other "cures" the only thing to do is let time take care of it. Your frustration is understandable and associated with the extra workload involved. My suggestion would be to use some form of diaper (most all of us do). My immediate recomendation would be Goodnites pull ons. They fit kids well in excess of 125 pounds. They look like underwear, can be handled by him with privacy, and are disposible. I know this will be difficult for your son. He must be made to understand that the diaper is just a tool to better cope with the problem (like a wheelchair or brace for someone who cant walk). Talk to him like an adult and use terms that are not babyish (like the term "night grear" instead of "diaper"). Explain all of the benefits: take care of it himself,privacy,dry bed to sleep in and a much better nights rest, much less laundry, no smelly room, and, if handled correctly, can be used during sleepovers without the other kids finding out. Show him the section in the drug stores with adult diapers explaining that all ages use them and show him this site and let him chat with the other kids in the 11 to 20 group (we all have been thru this and can offer suggestions and support). You may also need to get a couple of washable pads for the bed as well because of occasional minor leaks. I use cloth diapers and plastic pants myself because it provides the best protection with the least expense in the long run. Another good product is Youth Attends which are more like the disposable diaper with tabs and can be purshased on the internet from a number of companies. If you have additional questions or your son would like to talk, let me know and i will send you my e-mail address. I am also in the chat room 11-20 as well(Steven 16 with the bear logo. Good luck. |