Lifelong bedwetters?

[vaslav]

Remember body-worn urinals which had to be fitted by a specialist to your anatomy? Often advertised in the press. They worked when upright by day [that was not my problem] but were unwieldy at night trying to get the hydraulics right in bed! I did not persevere.....!

 

[vaslav]

1. If you are a lifelong bedwetter at, what age did you accept that it was going to be forever?

2. Do you still hope for a cure?

3. If you stopped wetting, would you be able to sleep without diapers?

I was told by the Urologist in my twenties that with medical my history I would probably not “outgrow” bedwetting. In my forties I tried some drugs. I took them for about a year and greatly reduced my bedwetting to the point I could wear only a pad at night. Because of the side effects my doctor had me discontinue them. Three months later I was back in diapers and finally accepted that I would need to wear them the rest of my life.

I still hope for a cure, but without drugs it is very unlikely.

My wife says even if I quit wetting, I would not be able sleep without diapers. She is always right.

1. I guessed when I started work, kept trying for a cure as youth & adult, but now "accept"!
2. Not in this life......
3. I have tried and failed. I need the assurance of nappies, rubber sheet and pants - then I sleep well.

I tried the drugs but they left me dehydrated as a side-effect. Decided best be a lifelong, as I am!

 

[sissybaby34]

As an adult I went to hospital for a urologist appointment. When called I found he had six male & female students in white coats with him! He said he was sure I would not mind, as it was a teaching day. There was a bit of tittering when he said I was a bedwetter. He proceeded to examine me "below the belt" and sent me with a paper to radiology. The paper said "Lifelong enuretic" - first time I had heard the phrase! At least I knew what I was......!! Later on he did a bladder examination under general anaesthetic - cystoscopy. Thankfully it was OK.

I think "tittering" was totally unacceptable. A few years ago I was in hospital for a neurological investigation at a well known teaching Hospital here in the UK. At one point I had several students along with a consultant around my bed. They were all 100% professional in there approach to the tasks in hand. Most medical professionals will respect the patient no matter what.

 

[vaslav]

Bedwetting seems as "common" as the so called "common cold"?! Our evolutionary ancestors must sure have experienced it. It is a global phenomenon in all known historical cultures internationally.
So how did our parents and caregivers and schools make - and still make - such a big deal of it?!
Discuss!!

 

[Wetshisbed]

B

Bedwetting seems as "common" as the so called "common cold"?! Our evolutionary ancestors must sure have experienced it. It is a global phenomenon in all known historical cultures internationally.
So how did our parents and caregivers and schools make - and still make - such a big deal of it?!
Discuss!!

Back when I was growing up it was seen as a lazy disgusting habit rather than a medical problem. Something to be stamped out as quick as possible. My mother would have had a he'll of a time though with having to heat the water for her old single tub upright washer and then trying to get things dry if it was raining. I know see her frustration of having a nightly bedwetter.

 

[vaslav]

B

Back when I was growing up it was seen as a lazy disgusting habit rather than a medical problem. Something to be stamped out as quick as possible. My mother would have had a he'll of a time though with having to heat the water for her old single tub upright washer and then trying to get things dry if it was raining. I know see her frustration of having a nightly bedwetter.

You are right! modernisation has certainly changed the game. Even astronauts can cope on mission! And what about extraterrestrials ?!

 

[Karoq]

I was not dry at night until I was 6/7 and was put into Terry nappies and plastic pants. I was then dry for few years and then started to wet the bed again aged 11 and into my early teens so it was back into Terry nappies and plastic pants. I was then pretty reliably dry from age 14 until my mid twenties when I suffered a spinal injury and started to wet the bed again. By now there were disposable adult nappies available and I got them on the NHS. I have wet the bed every night since then and that was over 35 years ago. Unfortunately subsequent spinal problems and multiple surgeries has left me wearing adult nappies 24/7 as I have no sensation of having a full bladder and needing to wee. I can tell when I have weed or am weeing as I can feel that the nappy is wet. I now use the Tena Slip Maxi Active Fit and they are just part of my normal clothing. If by some miracle I was to stop wetting the bed I don’t think I would be able to sleep without wearing a nappy as I would always be fearful of wetting the bed again and would just not be comfortable as they are so much part of my life.

Your story and history is so like mine. Bedwetting child, got pretty much dry in late teens although still had odd accidents then stated having back issues in mid 20’s / early 30’s. Not wet every night but a back pain flare up, or drinking , or tiredness through shift work wouid result in wet nights, and my wife insisted I started wearing nappies again . At 40 I had spinal surgery but this had been left too late and although my back is fixed I’ve never had a dry night since and have also started to have daytime issues too with OAB and sometimes urge incontinence. I’ve got IBS and diverticular disease too so if that flares up I’ve occasionally had bowel accidents. So, thank god for Tena slip

 

[ballyhooser]

I was a nightly bed wetter till 18-19 and in diapers nightly. Then it was very on and off throughout my 20’s like 3-5 times per week. Still in diapers most of the time. Then when I hit 30 it’s started coming back with vengeance and went back to being a nightly occurrence by my early 30’s along with day time continence getting worse and within few months I was wearing diapers 24/7 due to no warning or sensation throughout the day. At almost 40 now I’m still using diapers 24/7 for U-IC and over these years I’ve seen multiple specialist along with my family doctor and I’ve taken medication and done all the tests and ultrasounds and MRI/CT scans and so on. Best they can say is it neurogenic bladder along with nocturnal enuresis.
As for a cure there isn’t one and I’ve adapted to live my life without the need for extra medication or a cure and I’d say I accepted that I’ll require the use of diapers permanently around 4-6 years ago. It definitely wasn’t an easy realization especially after have the tiniest bit of hope throughout my 20’s. But once I realized that it’s out of my control and it’s just MY disability that I became comfortable enough owning it and just doing whatever it takes to not let it keep me down.

Exactly where I’m at. Best of times was my 20’s when I might have a dry night once or twice a week. Always have worn diapers at night and grew tired of daytime issues as well. Added disposables during the day along with my cloth at night. Stress over the issue, especially during the day basically vanished. I’ve been 24/7 for 17 years now and aside from sometimes inconvenience of changing during the day, all is well. I am fortunate that being wet never causes any skin issues, at all. I accepted 24/7 many years ago, and am very content with it. I also must add it is VERY convenient.

 

[Teddy02]

There is an interesting pattern emerging here. Like many before, I was a bedwetter with never a dry night until I was 12. At my English boarding school I dried up, but not completely. Waking up in a wet bed that had leaked all the way through and soaked the floor has to be one of the most humiliating moments of my life, let alone doing nothing for the self esteem. Six bedwetters were eventually put into one dormitory, all with the red rubber sheet. Mid 20s to 30s I was pretty much dry but it gradually returned to every night wetting by my 40s. Endless visits to urologists were always inconclusive. I also had the hospital trip with attending students watching me wee into various containers! Daytime wetting started in my late 30s thankfully it was infrequent, but I started to wear nappies during the day as an insurance, quite wisely on some occasions. I often wondered if I was feeling so secure in my nappies that I began to use them when I might not have needed them. I think I was a DL from my 20s with some TB (I never wanted to be babied) thrown in. It took me a long time to reconcile my desires with my needs and I am still not sure if it was ‘chicken or egg’ that came first. Now I am legitimised as I have had the prostate operation an just enjoy my conundrum.

 

[DamianTheAngel]

1. If you are a lifelong bedwetter at, what age did you accept that it was going to be forever?

2. Do you still hope for a cure?

3. If you stopped wetting, would you be able to sleep without diapers?

I was told by the Urologist in my twenties that with medical my history I would probably not “outgrow” bedwetting. In my forties I tried some drugs. I took them for about a year and greatly reduced my bedwetting to the point I could wear only a pad at night. Because of the side effects my doctor had me discontinue them. Three months later I was back in diapers and finally accepted that I would need to wear them the rest of my life.

I still hope for a cure, but without drugs it is very unlikely.

My wife says even if I quit wetting, I would not be able sleep without diapers. She is always right.

1. I haven't accepted that my NE will be lifelong, but I don't reject that it could be. By the time I graduated high school, I think it became less of a source of shame for me, and more of just a fact of life.

2. I do still have hope. I'm in my early 20s, and I still think it's possible that it could go away on its own, or that it finally stops and stays gone after prolonged efforts at getting dry, which has really frustrated me in the past.

3. I'd definitely be able to sleep without a diaper. I still sometimes forget to pad up or doze off before I can, which isn't catastrophic as pullups aren't the only measure in place. If I no longer needed protection at night, I don’t think I'd miss a beat.

 

[sport1]

There is an interesting pattern emerging here. Like many before, I was a bedwetter with never a dry night until I was 12. At my English boarding school I dried up, but not completely. Waking up in a wet bed that had leaked all the way through and soaked the floor has to be one of the most humiliating moments of my life, let alone doing nothing for the self esteem. Six bedwetters were eventually put into one dormitory, all with the red rubber sheet. Mid 20s to 30s I was pretty much dry but it gradually returned to every night wetting by my 40s. Endless visits to urologists were always inconclusive. I also had the hospital trip with attending students watching me wee into various containers! Daytime wetting started in my late 30s thankfully it was infrequent, but I started to wear nappies during the day as an insurance, quite wisely on some occasions. I often wondered if I was feeling so secure in my nappies that I began to use them when I might not have needed them. I think I was a DL from my 20s with some TB (I never wanted to be babied) thrown in. It took me a long time to reconcile my desires with my needs and I am still not sure if it was ‘chicken or egg’ that came first. Now I am legitimised as I have had the prostate operation an just enjoy my conundrum.

I slowly became a nightly bed wetter.

 

[Wetshisbed]

I slowly became a nightly bed wetter.

My bedwetting came back in my late 40s. Within 6 months I was back to nightly bedwetting and am seldom dry at night now.

 

[bedwetter669]

I pretty much a lifelong bedwetter. Wet every night until about age 18. Stopped for a short time, then started back up again. Still wetting every night at age 73.

 

[sport1]

I pretty much a lifelong bedwetter. Wet every night until about age 18. Stopped for a short time, then started back up again. Still wetting every night at age 73.

The same for me 85.

 

[Boopa]

I'm 37, born in 1986. I grew up with bedwetting. I stopped in my teens. But both of my parents are "boomers" so the fact I always was a bedwetter wasn't something they actually dealt with. It was considered a family secret and a shame, so I was never seen by a doctor for it. It was just something we kept secret. They always bought me diapers and we just kept it "in house"

I lived with it into my teens. I was 15/16 when I pretty much stopped. Or at least went down to like once or twice a month.

Then in my late 20s I had a bad sexual experience, and not long after that I started again. Same deal, I never really saw a doctor for it. But I did revert back to wearing diapers at night. I did however seek out therapy at the time. And I did discuss the issue with my therapist. We talked about meds, but I just was honest and admitted that I didn't mind wearing diapers. We talked about how they are comforting and kind of a safety net for me.

And here I am...37 and still a regular bedwetter and managing the issue with diapers. At this point I'm comfortable with it. And it's just part of my life. I don't really see a need to use meds or any other medical intervention.

 

[Inconinmiss]

I initially became dry at night when I was not much over 2 years old. I had rheumatic fever between the ages of 5 and 8 and was sporadically wet at night when I was running a high fever. At age 14, I had major abdominal surgery, after which I had major bleeding problems, which somehow damaged the nerves that control urination. My ability to sense when my bladder is filling is impaired; and I get sudden intense urges to pee that are followed after a few minutes by involuntary urination. I was in diapers 24/7 throughout high school. By the time I went to university (after doing endless Kegel exercises), I became generally able to stay dry during the day so long as I have quick access to a bathroom whenever sudden urges to pee occur. Throughout my adult life, I have needed to wear a diaper at night and during the day unless I have quick access to a bathroom. This situation has parsisted into my old age. I'm now 81.