My thoughts exactly at your age. Now I know 50% of teens have the same problem. Best route is medical: doctor, enuresis clinic, continence nurse. Clinic & nurse are well used to helping teens and understand how you feel. Others on this board will have good advice too - we all have personal experience of the problem. Good luck.

Thank you. It is difficult to talk about with the doctor because I have another issue that we are trying to deal with which is more distressing. But I do not yet know whether to succumb to diapers. At the moment my mum buys me pullups, but I refuse to wear them, and spend my allowance on bed pads and just wash everything.

You can by-pass GP and self-refer to Continence Adviser for your area., who will understand the problem. Usually very helpful.

50% of teens?? I know it's more than most people think, but that seems far too high. But you certainly aren't anywhere near alone.

Medically, the "why" is of course a medical issue over which you have no control, just as if you had diabetes, or had to wear glasses, or any other of the many physical conditions we inherit or acquire through no fault of our own.

Metaphysically... of course, who knows. But most likely some good can come of it just as with any difficulty you go through that ultimately makes you stronger... as long as you don't let it defeat you or consume your life (which I'm well aware is easier said than done!).

There's no right or wrong answer when it comes to "diapers" (which I think is a poor word choice, as it implies something infantile that is in no way true of your medical condition)... it can be managed just fine by washing things, as I did for years, but wearing protection does offer certain conveniences that I'm sure you realize. It comes down to what is most convenient and comfortable for you.

But there is a caveat - I think it was very wisely that you chose the word "succumb" to wearing protection - because once you learn to be dependent on it, it is very difficult to "unlearn" and may even materially affect your chances of reducing or stopping your wetting by natural means. This statement is somewhat controversial but years of personal and online experience have convinced me of its truth. No need to rush into anything, but do think carefully and choose wisely. And remember you can always change your mind about such a decision, however much other people on boards like this might suggest otherwise.

you say you do not want to succumb to diapers. but consider the fact that they will allow you to feel dry and can give you a better nites sleep and also avoid that cold wet sticky feeling you get when everything is soaked in the morning

Dear Owlie97

You sound exactly like my son. He had the same problem until he was 20. Notice I said had. We tried everything; went to several different doctors and were willing to try almost anything.

The doctors all told us basically the same thing theres nothing more we can do, you will just have to outgrow it. But when we asked? No one had any answers and no doctor seemed to be able to do anything except write a prescription, suggest any one of several gimmicks like alarms, etc. or tell us to exercise, cut back on fluids after 6:00 p.m. blah, blah, blah.
I began to try to do research on my own but quickly found that there is not very much information on the web that is useful. I discovered some very interesting things that seemed to be associated more often than not with nocturnal enuresis. They were:
Very heavy sleeper
Snores (at least occasionally)
Very intelligent or above average intelligence
No other serious physical, mental or emotional problems

I had been diagnosed with OSA or Sleep Apnea a couple of yeare before and was placed on a CPAP machine. The change was truly nothing short of a miracle. Then I began to suspect that my sons nocturnal enuresis may be related to poor sleep. I took him to the same doctor that diagnosed me with Sleep Apnea and requested that he do a sleep study on my son and explained why. The doctor agreed. My son was now almost 19 years old and still wetting the bed almost every night if not every night.

The sleep study was done and the test showed that my son did indeed have sleep apnea. A CPAP machine was ordered for him. He started using the CPAP machine the first night. His bed wetting stopped IMMEDIATELY. That was more than 5 years ago and he has only had one night where he wet the bed and that was because he drank a very large amount of fluid one evening.

So, my advice to you is to get your parents to take you to the doctor and request a sleep study. I have made posts on this site in the past about this but it has been a while. Since my son was diagnosed with sleep apnea, a lot more information has come out about sleep apnea and the association that sleep has with other problems including nocturnal enuresis. . Anyone interested can read more on the American Sleep Apnea Association website at www.sleepapnea.org look under diagnosis and treatment; Childrens Sleep Apnea or click on this link: http://www.sleepapnea.org/diagnosis-and-treatment/childrens-sleep-apnea.html

My son and I were willing to try anything to help him overcome his problem.
If you are like me and my son are, you feel the same way. until you have had a sleep study done, you have not tried everything.

Best of luck to you. If I can answer any questions or assist in any way, please let me know.

God Bless you.

It's not so easy to motivate my mum to help me with this. I will suggest the sleep study thing, but I don't think she will be interested. She has pretty much given up trying to help me with this and just decided I'm doing it on purpose or it's my fault. Thank you for the suggestion, I will certainly try it.

Its not your fault. Try a bedwetting alarm. These systems helped my daughter and I am sure they will help you too.
Get one at www.chummie.com

Re: my reply #1 - Correction: For 50% read 1 in 5 [One in Five].
Sorry for weak math!

I have a overactive bladder. It is OK during the day on medication.
At night as I sleep sound I have to wear a diaper to bed.
I am now so used to putting on a diaper under my pajamas, I just dont think of it. It is just part of getting ready for bed.
I say better a wet diaper than a wet bed.
Hope this helps.
If I was you I would wear diaper to bed, you will get used to it and it will just become part of the regular routine.
Just dont worry about it. "

I am a mom of a sixteen year old boy with the night time bedwetting problem. HE WETS EVERYDAY, HIS WHOLE LIFE!!! I always look back and think what could we have done different. Did we leave him in pull ups too long??We had pull ups, then we didn't, then we did, now he will not wear anfdd has been without for years!!!Yes we wash sheets everyday!!! He is part of that too, not as punishment but needs to be involved and part of taking care of self !!! It is crazy. Then we tried Desmopressin which worked BUT it doesn't work anymore for him. Doctor (urologist)didnt understand why. His "insides" are healthy, he is bright, athletic eats well and even stops drinking after 6. SO we follow all the rules and still....What does work, to an extent is the "pad" alarm. It does what it says ; it wakes him up at the first sign of wetness but it usually wakes me or his dad up first and then we wake him and he goes. He is a DEEP sleeper so thats eems to be the common thing he has with everyone. What I don't get though is may peole are deep sleepers - and they don't wet, why some people??

Thanks to what BigDawg123 wrote, I am going to a sleep specialist - worth a shot. And then he will try Hypnososis. One thing at a time. Thank YOu.

To Owlie97, try the alarm, It is about $80. Are you a deep sleeper???

Hi Owlie & Sunnydays. I was looking on internet for information on Primary Nocturnal Enuresis [PNE]. I have collated some info on My Journal which is open to all DS members Maybe helpful?

please conciser sleep apnea. It is a common problem, when the brain does not get enough oxygen bed wetting can result.

When I was 15 I was hardly ever dry at night. Back then the medical proffesion were not very good at finding a cause. "Oh don't worry he'll grow out of it" was the stock answer although at 15 they did at least refer me to a continence nurse and for the first time my mother was able to get some practical help with matteras covers and adult sized disposable nappies. These were hopeles and almost always leaked but I gues sbetter than nothing. I wore them at night for several years.