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But I'm Too Old to Wet the Bed...

Support and Hope for Teens With Nocturnal Enuresis

By Amy Carey

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Try asking your parents for help first; many children who wet the bed have parents who had the same problem as children, so your mom or dad may have even gone through the same thing when they were your age. Even if they don't have a history of nocturnal enuresis, your parents or another trusted adult will probably be more concerned about helping you overcome this problem than making you feel self-conscious about it.

Keeping it to yourself prevents you from getting medical attention if necessary (something as simple as a urinary tract infection could be to blame). Plus, if a doctor can't find a physical reason for your condition, he can give you advice about how to work through bedwetting.

What About Social Situations?

Bedwetting teens have concerns greater than wondering which classmates will be at the football game. They may be too preoccupied with how to hide their wetting problem to enjoy social situations. While there are ways to keep enuresis a secret, advisors at ERIC suggest that "it is sometimes better to trust a few close friends and tell them about your problem. Once you've said it, hurdles like staying away overnight just disappear."

If you're comfortable doing so, give your friends the facts that you have a health condition, and tell them you're following a plan to correct this condition with your doctor's support. You can give them the statistics; they may not know how common enuresis can be in older children. When you're comfortable talking about bedwetting, you won't have to feel isolated from your friends.

If you don't feel you can share your "secret" with your friends, or you're afraid your friends will be uncomfortable with your condition, talk to your doctor and parents about strategies to help prevent nighttime wetting. Try to avoid drinking caffeinated beverages before bed, and don't forget to urinate several times before hitting the sack.


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