College freshman with incontinence

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My daughter has always had issues staying dry at night. I did as well but not as frequently as she is dealing with it. We have managed with medication (immapramine) as she was growing up, only when she had overnights or was away at camp as we were afraid medication would lose it's effectiveness. Anyway, she leaves for college soon and I am so concerned about this causing anxiety. I hate that she has to deal with this. Has anyone dealt with this particular issue and have any advice as far as how to discreetly clean up, etc.

 

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The College should have a special needs intake form to fill out for dorm living. She can pair up with someone with similar issues.

 

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The only way to handle bed wetting discreetly is to wear good protection at night. Without protection you're going to be dealing with wet sheets, clothes, mattresses. Not to mention smell. For about $1 a day she can be completely secure at night. Just go to the bathroom in the morning, remove the wet one, and dispose.

I would also recommend talking to the admissions about it as well.

 

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Thanks for responding. I have some Silouette's I bought and am going to approach her to try them before she leaves. She has been adamantly against it up to this point.

I did call admissions hoping she could be matched with someone with similar issues. But it's a very small school and they had not dealt with it before.

I am getting waterproof everything to try to protect the bed and pads, etc. I know for her not to be doing laundry constantly she is going to have to wear something at night. I have always tried not to make it a big deal and do her sheets for her. But now it's on her.

 

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I agree, and she may night more than pullups as most are not made for overnight use. Also, I would talk to admissions as had been previously mentioned.

 

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Depends lack leak guards, which makes them lackluster for night issues.

If she isn't happy about the Silhouettes, she probably isn't going to be happy with a heavy diaper style brief. I would maybe try a Tranquility Style pull up or the Tena Overnight Pull Ups with a disposable bed pad and the medication.

I recommend disposable bed pads because the reusable ones are going to eventually smell, particularly if she is using the pull ups. Depend makes bedmats, so does Goodnites.

 

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Thank you all so much for your responses. I'm so glad to have found a place to ask questions.

Speaking of medication, does anyone know if immapramine loses effectiveness if used regularly? Or maybe there is a med I'm not aware of that may help?

Again, she is not every night but goes in stages of doing great for a month or two, then going back to it every night for a few weeks, etc.

I'm wondering if it's stress related. We still need to be prepared either way.

 

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I think your daughter is going to just have to accept that she will need to wear adequate protection at night. I am a 35 year old bedwetter and very recently had to accept the same. I imagine as hard as it is for me it's probably harder for her being in a dorm setting.

Just be supportive. It's not her fault, it's not "child like" or "baby like". Rather it's responsible adult management of a medical issue. Diapers aren't just for babies, they make them for adults for a reason. Washing sheets all the time is a pain and unnecessary. Focus on stressing to her the practical benefits and downplay all of the embarrassing aspects of it.

I'm trying to convince myself of all of this too but I know it's all true. We're just so conditioned from out toilet training days that accidents are shameful. I think parents these days employ more positive methods of toilet training but when I was little shame was a big motivator (are you a big boy or a baby? Wetting the bed is for babies. Do you need to wear diapers like a baby?). I think this sticks with us and is the source of our feelings of shame if we have continence problems as adults and also the source of the stigma around incontinence.

Good luck.

 

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I have wet the bed my entire life and wet during the day also. It's just a matter of using good protection that is available nowdays. The medicines for me, produced some unpleasant side effects. I have opted for the thick disposable diapers and plastic pants and use a heavy vinyl mattress protector. I carry a bag with extra diapers in the car when I am away from home for changes and use an automatic delivery system for my diapers. All my co-workers and friends know I wear diapers and this makes my life a lot easier. I wish your daughter good luck and if you need to know where to buy supplies I can furnish that information. The university is different than school when kids find out about your diapers. I had a few friends in High School and one had the same problem as me. At the university I went to, which was quite large, my dorm room had 2 other students that also wet the bed and used diapers.

 

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Hi,I know I'm a little late to the conversation but I have been on Imipramine hcl 10mg for about 3 years now without needing to raise the dosage yet. But I will say that it's not 100% effective. I still have an occasional wet night, usually if I'm not careful about restricting liquids and using the bathroom a few times before bed. Definitely wait about an hour after taking the Imipramine to go to sleep as it seems to take a while to kick in. I know that when I was on oral contraceptives it seemed to make my wet nights occur even less so my doctor speculates that it may be hormone related as well as other things. I'm 21 and a woman and have had a similar experience as your daughter. I used to be wet every night then it would get better for a few weeks then go back to every night. You sound much more understanding than my parents ever were which is great! I definitely would say have her get some type of night time protection just in case. And maybe keep a journal for a while and see if there's any links like stress or hormonal changes i.e. her menstrual cycle those kinds of things. That will also help when it comes to talking to a doctor. I'm really happy with the overall help the Imipramine provides though. And you or she is also free to PM if you want to talk further in depth but I have no problems talking publicly as well. College is stressful so it's nice to find a way to lessen this one "stressor" as much as possible but sometimes its a matter of learning about your own body and accepting that it's something to live with and manage.

 

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I'm late also however, after 5 years of university the only person who ever found out about my issue was my boyfriend. I went on medication only in my second year of university. It is possible to have a normal university experience. I brought plenty of sheets, made sure to stick to my own bed, and I was very quick witted when anyone asked me questions about why I change my sheets so frequently. My problem with pills during this time was that they cannot be taken with alcohol. I started taking the pills a week before my 19th birthday (legal age in my country) and did notice a change in my alcohol habits - it affected me at a greater and faster rate than it ever did before. I realize this is silly, and that alcohol should not be taken into consideration when you're trying to fix a medical issue, however, this condition has robbed me of so much normality that I wanted to have a regular university experience.

Having a normal university experience is possible, if you are careful. I got a plastic sheet, and often changed my sheets in the middle of the night while my roommate was sleeping, and just tried to take every precaution I could.

Good Luck

 

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In college I shared a studio apartment, so I told my roommate. It was no big deal for him.

 

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wondering how this worked out....I wish people would come back and post updates.