www.incontinentsupport.org

Hi folks. I'm new here. I have a couple of questions for you if you don't mind....

First off I am no stranger to incontinence and bedwetting. I wet for years..well into my early 30's. I always used diapers in one form or another to control it. To my surprise my night wetting stopped all together a few years ago although I still have urge incontinence during the days.

A few months ago I began to feel that I had sleep apnea. I know that self diagnosis over the net isn't ideal and I haven't been to my doctor to confirm it yet but I do have some of the signs and symptoms; extreme fatigue during the day, wake up tired, heavy snoring. I had gotten so used to being this way that I never really noticed the symptoms until my wife pointed out that I hold my breath in my sleep. I know I need to see my doctor.

I am worried that my bedwetting will return if I get diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea. I am under the impression that my previous bedwetting was caused by really deep sleep and it ended as my sleep apnea symptoms became acute. Has anyone here had bedwetting return as a result of being successfully treated for sleep apnea?

Hi FarDistance,
Thanks for your first post and welcome to the forum. You've asked a question that I've never heard before. It's hard for me to imagine there's a relationship with the two, but what you say males sense.

Sleep apnea can be pretty dangerous if not treated. Hopefully your bedwetting won't come back with your therapy. However, I think your body would benefit without sleep apnea even though your bedwetting might possibly come back. Good luck, and by the way, how far distance are you anyways? ......Paul Martin

Hi Paul. It seems strange to me that I stopped wetting the bed when I began to develop the sleep apnea symptoms. It could just be a coincidence which is what I am hoping for anyway.

Wetting the bed is pretty minor compared to what sleep apnea can do to you so even if the wetting comes back I think I would be much happier and healthier getting a good nights sleep. I was hoping that someone here had gone through the same ordeal and could let me know what to expect.

Hi FarDistance,
I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea as well as a rare form of insomnia, I know what a combination. I have heard that if someone goes into a really good sleep that it would be possible to start wetting if your brain doesn't recognize the signals. When I fist started using my CPAP machine and was getting some really good sleep, I found it harder making it to the bathroom in time. Not only that, but when I would take off my CPAP mask for any reason, I had a very hard time getting back to sleep.

Since then I have become incontinent but not because of sleep apnea.

When you take the first step and talk to your doctor they should recommend that you go for a sleep study. This study will show what is going on with and in your sleep. Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor or the sleep doctor about your concern about bed wetting. They should be able to answer your questions and help you relax and calm down about it. I personally took the attitude that if wearing a diaper to bed helps me get the sleep I needed then so be it. What a blessing my CPAP has been for me.

K.T. Thanks for your reply. I have heard that sleeping with a machine is like a 'night and day' (pardon the pun) between what sleep was like before without the machine. Does it really make that much of a difference?

I am coming around to the idea of not worrying about the bedwetting and just taking care of the apnea. I mean who really cares if I am wearing a diaper to bed in the long run. I'm so used to them now its not a big deal as it once was. I will admit that it would be frustrating to have the wetting return after being dry at night for so long though.

Not the end of the world....

For me, it has been a huge difference using a CPAP. The biggest problem I have is I will fall asleep watching T.V. and the wife will tell me to go to bed. Great, so I stumble to bed half asleep and when I put on my CPAP, all the air filling my lungs wakes me up. Over that last 4 years I have learned how to deal with that. Now that I use a CPAP I have been having dreams again. I never really thought about not dreaming until I saw the specialist about my sleep problems. Another thing that helped me is I lost a few pounds, not much about 10, but that too has helped my breathing problems at night.

The only other thing that has really helped is that I am diapered at night therefore I don't have to take off my CPAP to go pee.

Today there are to many different types of mask. I have switch to a small nasal pillow type. I don't like to have my mouth covered so the one I have works great. I had one of the sleep study nurses to marvel at how little air loss I had when I was wearing it. She had never seen the one I had and her instruments had never given her that high of a reading before.

One thing that really bothers me is that when I got mine, the insurance was billed about $2000 for it. I later found the exact same unit online for only $500. If I would have had a choice, it would have been cheaper for me to have bought one online, but you never know till after the fact. I hate the prices that are billed to insurance and how much we have to pay out of pocket. Sorry for the little rant.

Have your doctor refer you to a sleep doctor, in the long run it really is worth it. I know of someone, many years ago that almost died because of sleep apena.

Far, I strongly urge you to take care of the apnea and let the bedwetting make its own decision. I have apnea and have used a CPAP for ten years. With apnea your blood oxygen level goes way down, and your blood pressure and heart rate go up. Your heart is a lot more important than your mattress.

I first went in for a sleep study back in 1999, and had to spend the night in the hospital with about 92 wires hooked up to me. When I went back for a followup they had a new little machine you could take home and hook up yourself. Believe me, it's worth it for your health. I was not incontinent until a few months ago, and it's just drips and dribbles all day and night. I can't see how it would be related to apnea, but I urge you to take care of the problem as soon as possible.

_________________
Fred

I asked about nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting). They said it was far more common in those with sleep apnea than the normal population.

I'm on my third CPAP now, one of which lasted over 15 years according to the Dr's records. He couldn't believe how many hours it had on the meter.

Mine's at 14,855.

_________________
Fred