Ottakee Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Our new foster boy is having daytime wetting accidents---from 1 to several a day and some night time wetting. Just want to have some ideas of what this could be as he has a doctor's appointment coming up. He is a very chuncky young man---about 4'10" tall and wears a men's 36 inch waist pants and x-large shirts. His 16 year old sister is diabetic but we dont' know if it is type 1 or type 2. He has had a lot of trauma lately as less than 2 weeks ago his mother passed away unexpectedly and he ended up at our house while his sisters at at another foster home. His diet it getting healthier and he is getting LOTS of exericse--like hours on the trampoline, running around here, playing basketball, gym class and recess at school, etc. he does seem to drink quite a bit---not excessive but quite a bit, mostly water and it has really warmed up here the past few days My first few thoughts are: trauma/stress something with blood sugar bladder infection spastic bladder or other medical issue I will try to get a bit of medical history today from a friend of the mom but with mom gone and no recent doctor's visits, it is hard to figure out what is going on. He is a sweet, sensitive child and tries to hide this from me. I did tell him that it was NOT a big deal and that very often kids that come to live with us have these issues but to please let me know of at least bring the laundry to the laundry room so I could wash it right away. This morning after he left for school I found a pile of wet bedding with an "I'm sorry" note on it as well as wet clothes in 2 other places. Any other ideas? I plan to ask the doctor for a urinalysis and full blood work with A1C, thyroid, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 It sounds like you are on the right track. One more thing to think about ... constipation. Even though he may seem to have regular bowel movements, he may be blocked up a bit with softer stool moving around the harder stool. This can put pressure on the bladder and make it harder to feel when he has to go. Even though you have told him it is no big deal, it is to him. He is probably embarrassed and wants to not deal with it. Just keep being supportive and tell him that it is really important that it get into the laundry right away. If he is old enough, ask him if washing it himself would make him feel less embarrassed. Don't frame it as punishment (that you are still willing to wash things), but if it makes him feel better. The avoidance behavior is not going to go away over night, especially if this is a learned behavior due to previous shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I would rule out any physical reason with the DR, but suspect trauma may play a big role also. Is he seeing a counselor?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I would also ask about silent seizures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 When is his appointment? It certainly could be psychological, but with his sisters diabetes diagnosis, it's even more concerning. Can you get him in this week? Poor kid! :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 His appointment is next week for a full physical. Given he is on medicaid, it is hard to get kids in but I might be able to get him in earlier if needed. I hope to talk to the neighbor who was mom's friend tonight and ask about this and if it is new or long standing. I am trying to be very descrete with this as I know it is terrible for an 11 year old boy but hopefully he can give me more honest answers so we can figure out what is going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 His appointment is next week for a full physical. Given he is on medicaid, it is hard to get kids in but I might be able to get him in earlier if needed. I hope to talk to the neighbor who was mom's friend tonight and ask about this and if it is new or long standing. I am trying to be very descrete with this as I know it is terrible for an 11 year old boy but hopefully he can give me more honest answers so we can figure out what is going on. Feel so sad for him, what a rough time. What a blessing for him that he is with you, and that you care! That would be great if they could get him in sooner, or maybe you could at least ask for lab work (a fasting glucose) to be done in the meantime based on symptoms. If it showed anything, I'm sure they would squeeze him in sooner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 If you have access to a glucometer, it is really easy to check blood sugar on your own. If you are inclined to buy one, the least expensive brand is ReliOn from WalMart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 The other thing that comes to mind is dairy allergy. This would be easy to rule out in just a few days. If you could switch to almond or coconut milk and give no dairy at all you'd know quickly. But even a morsel of dairy would cause wetting if this is the issue. It is the most common cause of wetting - see even the goodnights website from pull-ups for verification. Bc/ trauma can cause GI issues or exacerbate them, I am guessing it may further incite this. My son has this. He is adopted. If he even has a burger left on a plate next to a burger with cheese and the cheese bumps his burger, he will wet the bed. It is shocking how little will affect him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Also, can they test for a uti? I got my first ever this year. It was a kind that doesn't cause any pain, but causes incontinence. I happened to be out of town on business. I literally wet uncontrollably mid-day several times before heading to urgent care. I'd have to suddenly squat down to stop the flow. It was horrid. I'd ask him privately if he wants to wear something so no one knows. If it is a uti, d-mannose from any vitamin store in quadruple doses all day will stop it very quickly. Now I use that and not antibiotics. it is a sugar that feeds on the e-coli. It doesn't affect diabetes or anything too. I read about it online in my desperation to stop getting them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Would the school he attended have any information for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 I have an appointment at noon today for him. I got some more information from a friend of mom. Hoping the doctor can help us figure this out. It will also be a good way to get the order for blood work so that we can do that and have the results available when we have his physical next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 With a dairy allergy, it can take up to a month to get all the proteins out of the body and for you to know for sure. I don't think you would get a quick answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 With a dairy allergy, it can take up to a month to get all the proteins out of the body and for you to know for sure. I don't think you would get a quick answer. Sorry - I misled you. I forgot how long it took at the beginning. Once the proteins are out, it is very obvious when they've had dairy if it causes bedwetting. But it does take like 6 weeks to get all dairy out of system and I can't recall how quickly the bedwetting stopped as we stopped dairy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I feel so sad for the young man. I agree about checking with the school and helping him find the most comfortable way of dealing with the accidents. For night time, consider double sheeting the bed with a wet barrier between the sets; it would make for easier changes. A discrete designated laundry bin with a closed top might also help with the embarrassment. I hope the doc can help; I image this is a pretty big burden to an 11 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 sounds like you've got some good ideas. another possiblity is a sinus infection - or even an infection in another part of the body. sometimes an infection will cause muscles to relax. (I know it sounds illogical - but in our family, there has been a connection.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Has this happened at school? If not, I'd look more at his recent trauma and try a bathroom schedule until he's more adjusted to living with you. I hope you can get it solved soon for both of your sakes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 Update: Just got back from the doctor. Urinalysis was clean. Got more history from him and the doctor and it looks to be emotionally based. She did order blood work to look at other issues. For now though we will just use reminders. He will be starting counseling, etc. asap as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 FYI, many doctors will assume emotional when they don't see an overt physical cause. It may or may not be. It took years to get a proper encopresis diagnosis for my son because they assumed it was "emotional." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 diabetes or pandas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Things that worked good for us when DD11 went through her last really bad kidney infection with lots of wetting and huge embarrassment associated with that. 3 layers on the bed - waterproof layer, sheet, waterproof layer, sheet, wareproof layer, sheet. That way if she woke up wet and uncomfortable in the night, she could strip off the sheet and waterproof layer and go back to sleep. Otherwise, if she slept thru the top layer can be stripped off easily in the morning. Laundry baskey with lid in the bedroom so she could change easily with little fuss and stuff the wet sheets and clothes in there hidden away. I would pick up the basket each morning for DD and wash it all. Spare clothes in the backpack in a non-see thru plastic bag so she could change when she was away from home. I would check the backpack each day and swap out the wet clothes if needed. No big deal. Lots of water and fresh veggies to keep the digestive system moving smoothly (avoid constipation!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 So glad you were able to get in right away. You will be in my thoughts as you get through this tough time with him. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Did the Dr. check his blood sugar there in the office in addition to ordering labs? I'd want to know on that right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 This morning after he left for school I found a pile of wet bedding with an "I'm sorry" note on it as well as wet clothes in 2 other places. . This just broke my heart. :( I think it is very likely stress/trauma induced but a good physical check up is a good first step. My 12 dss wets every single night. He has had a few day time accidents too, but not in over a year. It is tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 The poor boy. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Try a chiro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinchick Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I'm so sorry to hear that this child is having a difficult time. While it seems likely that there could be any number of emotional/physical contributors to the wetting problem, I'll second the recommendation to consider constipation. DD recently started wetting the bed out of the blue - like every night. I called her pedi, who sent her for an x-ray. Turns out she was full of poop and it was squeezing her bladder so she lost control. According to the doctor, even though DD was having a BM every day, she wasn't evacuating enough and it was backing up. We've been giving her Miralax every day and the wetting has resolved. The doctor also recommended starting a regimen of using the restroom every two hours, and I found that did improve things while waiting for the X-ray results and the laxatives to kick in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 You've already gotten lots of good suggestions. Just thought I'd add a hug. I had a foster sister with CP who often had accidents, and she'd been shamed over it for so long that it took years for my mom to teach her to handle them appropriately instead of hiding clothing and bedding in her closet. I hope you can get to the bottom of it quickly. Poor kid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Update: Just got back from the doctor. Urinalysis was clean. Got more history from him and the doctor and it looks to be emotionally based. She did order blood work to look at other issues. For now though we will just use reminders. He will be starting counseling, etc. asap as well. Please ask for an x-ray to rule out constipation. You just can't rule out constipation without one. My 6 year old was having bowel movements every day, and the doctor could not feel anything with palpated his abdomen. Urinary incontinence was the only symptom, and the doctor felt it was behavioral since it only seemed to happen when he was playing on the computer. The x-ray showed moderate constipation. He has to take Miralax for two months because chronic constipation stretches the colon, and you need to keep it moving well for a long time so the colon can return to normal size. I would want diabetes testing due to his size, his sister's diagnosis, and the amount he's drinking...just to rule it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 We have a follow up appointment next week. I did get more history on him and his wetting. We will follow up on the constipation as well. He is eating much healthier here and drinking a lot more water instead of sugared drinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I feel so bad when they do the daytime "accidents" because they can lose the ability to go the way normal people go. And if our response is to remind them at set intervals, they aren't building up their body's natural way to hold at least some urine so they can't do that then get frustrated (along with frustrating the adult) when they have to go NOW despite being in the car, needing to sit through 5 more minutes of something, etc. And then the frustration and embarrassment causes more dysregulation which causes more issues in various ways to bring them back to "the emotional reason" for on purpose wetting. It is such a vicious cycle. Thankfully, one of mine is down to doing it only when really scared or angry. The other is still working on the part of being able to hold it for more than 3 seconds because he wasn't holding it at all. At least now HE is trying which helps. I wish he was old enough to do some of the "exercises." I think they'd help. But even if he were old enough, he's not emotionally ready for something like that. Anyway, at least this little guy has YOU. That is a really goood thing as you understand and are patient about it. Not everyone would be. If I hadn't started out with this with very little people, I'm not sure I would have "gotten it" the same. Night time accidents is one thing. On purpose or not fully potty trained anymore is much more complex and less understandable unless you've seen and experienced what we have as foster parents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lianegil Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 This is my first time commenting on this subject, I am so glad I found this site. After reading the bed wetting comments I see I am not alone still it I'm very concerned, My 11 year old who is 5'8" tall has been wetting the bed, three times now, he has been on the medication Stratria for ADHD for over a month now, it was 18 mg now it went up 25 mg the past few days, I read in one of the comments about watching about much they drink before going to bed, He has been thristy more then normal, Stress maybe some, Issues with his dad although he seems ok in his over all behaver. his last check up went without any problems that might lead up to the bed wetting so I have no idea what to do, except call the doctor and maybe looking into therapy. Any advice would help. Helpless and worried mom San Diego,Ca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saw Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 My youngest has daytime wetting at times. We're still doing testing to see what the underlying cause is, but in his case I've noticed that it gets worse if he is constipated and when he is stressed. When he is neither constipated or stressed, it's quite manageable, as long as we limit water (dr's orders) when we're out and remind him to use the bathroom often. With stress, I noticed that a couple of times he would be stressed from things happening at school (kids teasing him) and start wetting. Because he wasn't telling me about the teasing, I couldn't figure out what was going on, until afterwards. We've had a lot less wetting since he switched schools, because of less stress. Is it possible your son is stressed because of things happening at school or extracurriculars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Foster son moved 2 weeks ago. The wetting did get much better towards the end. I think it was mostly stress related and just the chaotic environment he came from. With more structure, calm and predictable home life, more exercise and a better diet it did slowly get better.......but would show up again around times of stress like court hearings, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Foster son moved 2 weeks ago. The wetting did get much better towards the end. I think it was mostly stress related and just the chaotic environment he came from. With more structure, calm and predictable home life, more exercise and a better diet it did slowly get better.......but would show up again around times of stress like court hearings, etc. I just realized that this was an old thread that has just been bumped up by our new member. (Welcome, lianegil!) Ottakee, it sounds like your foster son was such a sweetie. I hope he's very happy wherever he is living now, but I'm sure he misses your loving home. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 This is my first time commenting on this subject, I am so glad I found this site. After reading the bed wetting comments I see I am not alone still it I'm very concerned, My 11 year old who is 5'8" tall has been wetting the bed, three times now, he has been on the medication Stratria for ADHD for over a month now, it was 18 mg now it went up 25 mg the past few days, I read in one of the comments about watching about much they drink before going to bed, He has been thristy more then normal, Stress maybe some, Issues with his dad although he seems ok in his over all behaver. his last check up went without any problems that might lead up to the bed wetting so I have no idea what to do, except call the doctor and maybe looking into therapy. Any advice would help. Helpless and worried mom San Diego,Ca Do I understand you to say he has only wet the bed three times? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 It doesn't sound like it in this case - but we've had sinus issues cause incontinence. I think it's just the immune system being taxed relaxes the muscles. (I first made the connection years ago when my dependably dry child suddenly started having accidents. . . .which stopped after she was treated for a sinus infection.) good luck in helping this child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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