Teen Daughter Incontinence

[laurasmom]

Hi everyone,

I have a teen daughter who has always wet the bed. She does wear diapers at night for that and we haven't had any problems since we switched from Goodnights to Tranquility ATN's. However, in the past few months she has had some wetting accidents. At first it was nothing serious just a few accidents. We had a check-up and her doctor sent her to a specialist who diagnosed her with polyuria which is caused from her Type 1 Diabetes. Her blood sugars are under control and she has a pump but wetting accidents are still occurring and more frequently. We have more specialist appointments but I am so concerned that she is going to wet herself that I think she needs to wear her diapers all day. Her father and I mentioned this to her and she was not on board with the idea but with all of these accidents happening, I am thinking one time will be embarrassing enough that she just might agree to it. Any tips on how to help her?

[MSUSpartan]

It's odd that she would have polyuria unless she had uncontrolled blood sugar. That usually results from the kidneys trying to excrete excesses sugar, and water going along in the process.

Incontinence in diabetics can also result from diabetic nerve damage, but that's also related to [long term] unresolved blood sugar issues.

In any case, I think you should let it be her choice ... until and unless she wets somewhere she damages property. Then you might have to put your for down.

[gtrudeau88]

All I can suggest is bringing her to a urologist versus a general practitioner. The knowledge difference between the two is substantial.

[Wetters]

Hi, laurasmom. I'm sorry to hear that your daughter is having daytime wetting accidents in addition to her bedwetting. I can understand her reluctance as a teen to wear diapers during the day. Without knowing the volume and frequency of her wettings and how much she weighs, it's difficult to recommend a strategy. If her volumes are moderate, the 3 absorbent panties offered by Depend might work for her, together with interim bathroom breaks throughout the day, to avoid her bladder becoming overly full. Once all of her doctors have had a chance to formulate an opinion and weigh in on what's causing the daytime incon, all of you will be in a better position to consider her options and decide what's best for her. Welcome to the forum - I wish you and your daughter the very best.

Wetters

[batman381327]

Welcome to the forum laurasmom. Hopefully, you can find some recommendations from the group that can help your daughter cope with this issue.

[MightyChipmunk]

For a teenager, i think there would be a lot of different factors to consider. Having an occasional accident may be easier for her to hide, then wearing diapers constantly. Wearing diapers could also create more bullying then having an accident if is was discovered. Overall you will probably need to consider how much she is wetting, to determine the protection needed. Diapers will make it harder for her to use the bathroom, and keep it secret from her peers. Also Tranquility diapers tend to be noisy, I have had clients realize that i am wearing a diaper when i have used tranquility in the past. A lot of cloth backed diapers will wear out after about four hours, even when dry, and need changed, just because they start falling apart and don't seem to stay on well. Seni and abena tend to have the best cloth backed diapers in my opinion. I use these with abena holding pants, which help them stay in place. You might also want to consider disposable underwear since she will be able to use the bathroom easier that way. If her wetting is mild, she may also be able to get by with a pad.

Overall, it will need to be her choice though. She will have to be the one whom faces the bullying one way or the other.

If she doesn't decided to wear any protection, you can also talk to the school. She is covered under the american with disabilities act, and should qualify for a 504 plan (which allows accommodations for students). In her case an accommodation could be made that would provided her unrestricted access to the bathroom. You can contact the special education office, the counselor or the principal to set this up.

[mattwp]

what about a pullup they are easy to hide and may work just fine for the not so good times a note to school nurse and a couple back ups at the nurse office and nobodycould tell

[MightyChipmunk]

I work in mental health with children. I have had several schools do exactly that with other kids with similar problems. You can also find a backpack with multiple pockets and have one of the pockets hold a spare or two.

[mattwp]

just wandering how things are going

[laurasmom]

Hi everyone,

There was nerve damage because we didn't get the right diagnosis of diabetes for quite sometime. That all seems in the past but the incontinence has stayed. Around Christmas time she realized that she did in fact need to wear diapers in the daytime as her accidents were far to frequent and were happening at school. So far she has been wearing the pull-up style as she goes to the washroom for her bowel movements. Our new problem is having her change the pull-up when she needs to. She likes to pretend that she is not wearing a diaper and will wear it until it leaks. I have been in contact with her school and their suggestion is giving her a teaching aid to make sure she has her diaper on (there have been times where she has gone to school without a diaper, sneaky) and to check when she is wet. These would be just visits to the SPEC Ed room in between classes where the aid just asks to see that her diaper isn't wet, if it is, she just changes quickly, and goes back to her regular day. I haven't given an answer to this because I know she will be embarrassed but I don't want her to have a rash and I don't want her to have leaks (what is the point in the diaper anyways?). Just wanted to know what your opinions were on this.