The Loneliest Runner

Sarah Silverman – Raunchy comic Sarah Silverman released her autobiographical book called The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee and, as the title suggests, she really is one of the first celebrities to openly write about the urinary incontinence issues she suffered into high school. The first chapter goes into detail about her bed wetting problems and some of the events going on in her life at the time. The title of her book pretty much says it all: she once wet the bed but with help (in her case, a bed wetting alarm) she was able to move on with her life and become successful.

Sonia Sotomayor – The Supreme Court Justice has stated numerous times that wetting the bed as a child may have saved her life!  When she suddenly began wetting the bed and feeling thirsty all the time she saw her doctor who diagnosed her with diabetes.  Diabetes is treatable if caught in time.

Michael Landon – The famous actor of “Bonanza” and “Little House on the Prairie” fame took his name from the phone book, but when he was growing up as Eugene Orowitz he claims he had problems wetting his ben until he was a teenager. In 1976 Michael directed a movie called The Loneliest Runner which was about a runner whose mother would hang the wet sheets out his window to embarrass him, forcing him to run home quickly and hide them from his friends. Similar incidents happened to Michael with his own mother and he rarely spoke to her after becoming successful.

Vince Vaugn – Actor Vince Vaughn reports that his mother did the same to him until he was a much older child. Vince once claimed in an interview that his most triumphant moment of childhood was “waking up dry” and he went on to explain that he was a bed wetter until very late. He has said nothing about suffering from nocturnal enuresis as an adult.

Suzanne Somers – Actress Suzanne Somers blames at last some of her bed wetting as an older child on her father’s abusive behavior and her rough childhood. She eventually solved her problem with a bed wetting alarm after about two months of use. In Suzanne’s case her brother Danny also reportedly suffered from bed wetting, as is common in some families. Alcoholism also runs in Suzanne Somers’ family and she wrote extensively about growing up in an abusive household in her book Keeping Secrets.

Franklin D Roosevelt – The 32nd President of the United States suffered from polio and for most of his adult life had to wear diapers due to his enuresis problems. President Roosevelt is considered one of the most successful president’s there ever was and he never allowed his handicap or other conditions get in the way of doing his job.

Martin Clunes – British actor and comedian Martin Clunes has recently come out saying the he suffered from bed wetting into his late teens and early adulthood. He is on record as saying he is a very deep sleeper who tried both conditioning with a bed wetting alarm as well as desmopressin (a drug which is designed to reduce the hormones which produce urine) but he still suffers to this day.

These are just some of the famous people who have wet the bed in their time.  It shows you and your children that bed wetting is a manageable problem and one which should not limit you or your ability to live a full life in any way.

Doctors who administer Botox for bladder conditions say that the toxin works by paralyzing the nerves in the body that cause the bladder to become stimulated. Without this stimulation the bladder doesn’t feel as though it needs to empty itself so often and the patient is able to urinate much less. This means that someone who used to urinate 5, 6 or even 8 times a night now may only need to urinate once or twice and may get much more healthy sleep with less wetting incidents. Botox has been approved for other unconventional uses over the years. Originally approved as a drug to eliminate wrinkles, Botox can relieve migraines, prevent eyelid spasms and even provide relief to people who suffer from excessive underarm perspiration.

The approval of Botox by the Food and Drug Administration for overactive bladders comes at a time when there were not many other options available. Some doctors estimate that nearly 70 percent of patients with overactive bladders don’t respond to the drug treatments that are currently available.

This solution does not treat all the different types of bladder problems and it may not help everyone who has a problem wetting the bed. The FDA has specifically mentioned that this treatment often works well on patients who have bladder problems and incontinence issues caused by multiple sclerosis or from a spinal cord injury. That means it may also help people who suffer from secondary adult onset nocturnal enuresis, but will probably not help people who have a more heredity primary nocturnal enuresis condition.

The drug is administered into the bladder with through the urethra that can be done in a doctor’s office under general anesthesia. The treatment of Botox is actually administered directly to the bladder with the effects of the procedure becoming evident in as little as a week’s time. Estimates vary, but the treatment will last anywhere from three to six months for most patients. Once they feel the need to urinate more frequently again they can return to the doctor to have the procedures repeated. Most people in the trial studies stated that their quality of life was greatly improved after the procedure and they said that needing to repeat the procedure every few months was a small price to pay for being able to enjoy life again.

There’s no word yet on whether Botox will have the same effect on other types of bladder and incontinence problems or whether or not it will help those who wet the bed due to other conditions that are not spinal cord related or due to multiple sclerosis.

If you’ve suddenly started wetting the bed at random intervals when you never have before, then you probably suffer from a secondary nocturnal enuresis (SNE) which is a specific kind of nocturnal enuresis that’s also sometimes known as adult-onset enuresis.

Your first bed-wetting incident may seem random or sudden, but the first thing you’ll want to do is try to find a pattern or cause for your night time wetting problems. You’ll want to be like a detective and try to retrace your steps on the days and evenings before you wet the bed, trying to figure out if there’s any pattern or similarities that you can find. You’ll want to look for any sort of specific behaviors or feelings of stress or anxiety that may have contributed to your bed wetting issues.

If you can’t find any particular pattern on your home you might want to speak with anyone you spent time with or a housemate or bed partner if you did anything unusual or unexpected. If you can’t find a pattern but your bed wetting issues randomly persist then you may want to consider buying a bed wetting alarm.

Sudden and random bed wetting as an adult may be the sign of a more serious condition. You’ll want to speak to a doctor about your bed wetting if you can’t find a cause for your issues or if you begin to suspect you may be suffering from an underlying medical condition.

It is especially important to see a doctor for adult onset nocturnal enuresis because an otherwise healthy adult who begins wetting the bed could have a more serious undiagnosed condition. Bed wetting can be an issue for adults of any age, though younger adults and teens who have begun wetting the bed without prior history may want to see a doctor sooner rather than later. There are many different causes of adult bed wetting, and some of them could be quite serious if not caught and treated quickly.

You may want to initially go to your family doctor or general practitioner to discuss your bed wetting problems. Your doctor may know if you have a family history of bed wetting or if genetics are the cause. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions about the detail of your night time and daytime urination. Any little clue could help a doctor figure out you are suddenly wetting the bed when you never did before.

You may then be referred to a specialist, based on your initial exam. People who suffer from adult onset bed wetting can expect both a physical exam as well as a pyschological profile or interview if the doctor deems it to be necessary. You may need to undergo a urinalysis, give a urine culture, have blood work done or even have an ultrasound to pinpoint some of the possible physical causes of bed wetting.

While most cases of adult bed wetting are caused by physical ailments there are those rare cases that could be caused by stress or anxiety. A doctor may also be able to identify a behavioral change that is contributing to an adult’s bed wetting problems. Bed wetting adults who may have physical issues with either bladder control or bodily functions may be referred to a urologist, a sleep disorder professional or other medical specialist.

Bed wetting by adults can be classified as other primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) or secondary nocturnal enuresis (SNE). Both types of bed wetting can display the same symptoms, but the treatment and solutions are often different.

PNE (primary nocturnal enuresis) sufferers are people who, as children, teens and adults, had bed wetting issues throughout most of their life. These periods of bed wetting may vary from frequent to infrequent but have plagued the person over a number of years beyond early childhood. Primary nocturnal enuresis often, but not always, leads the individual to suffer from psychological and self-esteem issues if not treated by a medical professional. Sometimes physical ailments are the root cause for bed wetting in adults who have been doing it all their lives.

SNE (secondary nocturnal enuresis) is defined as bed wetting which begins as teen or adult often years of not having any such bed wetting problems. Secondary nocturnal enuresis is sometimes refereed to as adult onset enuresis, though children who are potty trained and have spent at least six months without a bed wetting episode are sometimes diagnosed with SNE if they begin wetting their beds again.

Adult bed wetting can be caused by any one of a number of conditions such as an enlarged prostate in men, pelvic issues in women, physical abnormalities, urinary tract issues and infections, bladder cancer, sleep apnea or even diabetes. Certain medications, excessive alcohol or other lifestyle changes could also contribute to adult onset nocturnal enuresis.

There are many possible causes of adult bed wetting, whether it’s primary or secondary nocturnal enuresis. A medical exam by a qualified urologist or doctor my help identify some of the causes as well as some of the possible treatments for your adult bed wetting issues.

The causes for teen bed wetting are generally the same as the causes of bed wetting in older adults, and again the question of past history and the question of what type of nocturnal enuresis a teen is suffering from comes into play. An adolescent who has wet his or her bed throughout childhood years would most likely be diagnosed with primary nocturnal enuresis, while a teen who only suddenly began wetting his or her bed would be classified as suffering from secondary enuresis.

In older sufferers of nocturnal enuresis physical maladies and injuries can sometimes be attributed as the cause for occasional or regular wetting of the bed during sleep. In young adults and teens injuries and weak muscle tone are generally given a lower priority as a possible cause. Instead, many doctors who are assisting teens with nocturnal enuresis will consider a teen’s sleep habits, hormone levels and anxiety and stress levels first. The hormone ADH, for example, should reduce the amount of urine produced by the body at night. An imbalance of this hormone can be a contributing factor to bed wetting.

That being said, many younger teens and adolescents are still growing and have smaller bladders than they will have as adults. The nerve sensations of a full bladder should often wake a teen or preteen, but those stimulus-response mechanisms are not always fully matured and could still be developing. As a result some preteens will grow out of the problem as they get older and their bodies wake them when their bladder is full.

Physical ailments should still be considered because wetting the bed can be a symptom of a more serious or dangerous medical problem. Diabetes, sickle cell anemia, bladder cancer or an undiagnosed spinal or other internal injury are all possible causes for sudden nocturnal enuresis in teens.

Sadly, excessive alcohol consumption can sometimes be the cause of teen as well as adult bed wetting. Adolescents have a lower body mass than most adults and often have adverse reactions to smaller amounts of alcohol than their adult counterparts. In some cases the prospect of wetting the bad has actually discouraged young adults from consuming alcohol.

A study of the young adults family, social and educational life may take place to see if there are any unrecognized or unreported causes of stress and fatigue. This can all be done with quietly and anonymously by a doctor, without revealing the teen’s private issues. This study could also turn up genetic information which could be attributed to the cause of nocturnal bed wetting. If one or both of a teenagers parents are bedwetters then a teen is much more likely to also wet the bed during his or her lifetime.

Because the psychological implications of bed wetting could be more damaging for teens, parents and adults should to their best to encourage open communication and honesty when talking to a young adult or adolescent about bed wetting issues. Reassurance and positive talk can help immensely. If you have a bed wetting story, be sure to share it, but keep your teen’s privacy by not sharing the issue with anyone else that your teen doesn’t want you to. Teens, like any adult, who are wetting the bed should discuss this issue with a medical professional or family doctor as soon as possible.

When a woman is pregnancy her nutritional needs change as the baby changes. Her body is no longer just trying to help an adult woman function, but also grow a new baby inside of her. While some pregnant women have very few sleep issues, others are plagued by them. While each woman is different, there are some general similarities in the discomfort women face from one trimester to the next.

As the baby grows the placenta (where the baby is formed) begins to enlarge and actually push against the other internal organs in a woman’s body. Most women experience the need to urinate much more frequently, even during the night, initially in the first trimester. Needing to urinate two or three times a night is not uncommon and because sleep may initially be uncomfortable with a growing body, a woman may be more awake and aware of a need to urinate than she might otherwise be if she were sleeping soundly. Many women change their dietary habits and vitamin intake when they are pregnant and while these changes provide the woman and baby with vitally needed nutrients, there may be some side effects as well.

In the second trimester most women experience some relief from the need to urinate frequently as the baby adjusts and shifts position in the women’s body. Many women report that the second trimester is a more comfortable time of pregnancy than the first and third trimesters.

By the time a woman is in the third trimester the baby is now large enough to be pushing against the woman’s bladder, which can lead to increased urination and even nocturnal enuresis in some cases. Pregnancy brings a lot of stress and other health issues to a woman’s body that could also be contributing to wetting the bed unexpected, including some pelvic issues, possible sleep apnea, certain medications (though they should be limited), increased bladder infections and obviously the stress of having a baby.

Regular visits to an obstetrician should help minimize some of the bed wetting issues, but talking frankly with your doctor about any and all issues during pregnancy is a good idea. Not all pregnant women wet the bed and sometimes the pregnancy may not be the cause of the nocturnal enuresis. A simple bladder infection can cause all sorts of urination issues in women as well.

To avoid wetting the bed when you’re pregnant you’ll want to do all the things you might normally do if you weren’t pregnant: limit fluid intake several hours before sleep, try to get as comfortable as possible, perhaps use a bed wetting alarm. When you learn that you are pregnant you will probably also want to use water resistant mattress pad to protect your mattress in case you have any bed wetting incidents or your water breaks while you are asleep.

Congratulations and good luck!

Homeopathic medicine is a field of study in which practitioners claim to look at all aspects of a person’s health to formulate treatments. This alternative medicine approach is different from the field of traditional medicine in which only the single symptoms are treated. Natural or herbal medicine is a field of study which largely concentrates on using various parts of plants for numerous medicinal affects rather than the traditional medicine approach of actually “making” a chemical or medicine in a laboratory. Both homeopathic and natural medicine fields emphasize using chemicals, herbal substances and other materials found naturally to treat an illness or malady.

Among natural and homeopathic medical practioners there are numerous beliefs and disagreements about what certain natural herbs and medicines can and cannot do. Just as with traditional medical doctors, different practitioners often want to treat the same illness in different ways. Most natural or homeopathic treatments have not been evaluated by licensed medical professional or the United States Food and Drug Administration, so caution should be taken when trying any of these remedies. You should always consult a doctor before trying any new medicine, you should not take any unknown substance if you are pregnant or nursing and you are taking all of these remedies at your own risk.

That being said, there is some agreement about what natural substances can give some relief to adult bed wetting and inconstinence problems as a whole in adults. Many natural or herbal remedies for night time bed wedding include some combination and portion of one or more of the following natural substances: Causticum, Equisetum Heymale, Kreosotum or Kreosote, Belladonna, Sepia and Sulphur. The amounts, mixture ratio and exact application of these natural substances varies widely and is much too complex and expansive for this overview of natural adult bed wetting remedies. Because any company can make claims about herbal or natural substances being included in its products without backing up the claims, it is best to stick with large, well-known natural and herbal remedy companies when purchasing products.

Fortunately, there are some bed wetting remedies that are produced by reliable companies that use some if not all of the above herbal and natural substances. Again, most of these products are marketed for children so you may want to speak with a medical professional about the best way to use these remedies to help relieve you of some of your bed wetting problems as an adult. Many natural doses for natural products are simply doubled for adults. As with any medicinal treatments, these products may alleviate some of the symptoms but they will not necessarily cure or directly treat the cause of your nocturnal enuresis.

Hyland’s Bedwetting Tablets – These 100% natural quick dissolving tablets are easy for children or adults who have a hard time swallowing pills. They are designed and marketed for children who wet the bed, though adults can also use them by simply following the dosage instructions for “children over the age of 12″. These bedwetting tablets contain both Equisetum hyemale and Belladonna, two of the more common natural substances usually prescribed for bedwetting issues. Hyland’s reports that these pleasant tasting tablets have no side effects.

Hyland’s Ignatia Armara – Often used because of it’s natural relaxing affect and help with sleeplessness, Hyland’s Ignatia Amara is also prescribed by some homeopathic medicine practitioners to help relieve bed wetting in elderly adults. Ignatia Amara is sometimes called St. Ignatius Bean and it is generally used to treat nerves, reduce anxiety and anger (often associated with grief), ease stress, relieve irritability and to put an end to sleeplessness. Hyland’s reports that it’s Ignatia Amara is non-habit forming, aspirin and and acetaminiphen free and has no side effects.

Be-Dry Bedwetting Formula – The Be-Dry Bedwetting formula is advertised as a natual homeopathic remedy that claims to relieve nervousness in children and teens. It works quickly and it’s makers report that it is free of gluten, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives and is even okay for lacto vegetarians. It’s main ingredient is Equisetum.

Homeopathic and natural remedies for adult bed wetting are not for everyone, but they can’t be dismissed because many people have had great success with them. For legal reasons we can’t be responsible for your actions, so please understand that any natural or homeopathic medicine is taken at your own risk. Again, consult your doctor before taking any medication, natural or otherwise and you should be okay.

Many doctors are beginning to pay much more attention to natural and homeopathic remedies simply because they often get results where other, more traditional treatments sometimes fail.

Please feel free to let us know of natural or homeopathic remedies you’ve had success with when it came to eliminating and preventing bed wetting in adults and adolescents.

There are also plenty of homeopathic and herbal medicines designed to help bed wetting in addition to the more traditional FDA approved drugs and treatments. Homeopathic drugs should never be taken at the same time that you are using prescription drugs because of the risk of interaction between the two.

Your qualified doctor or medical professional should be able to best choose the prevention and treatment methods that will work best for you. Here are some of the more common medical drugs that can be used in the treatment of adult bed wetting cases.

DDAVP (Desmopressin Acetate) – This is a synthetic version of the ADH diuretic hormone which actually decreases the amount of urine the body produces at night. It comes in a pill or nasal spray form, though the pill form seems to have less side effects than the nasal spray, which can cause irritation, nasal congestion and nose bleeds. The adult or teen who takes DDAVP is still advised to limit liquid intake before bed time because drinking large amounts of water can be dangerous while using DDAVP. The drug does not actually cure any underlying condition. It only treats the symptoms associated with nocturnal enuresis, so it can be taken at night on a regular basis or only when needed.

Tofranil (Imipramine) – This is an antidepressant drug which has been used to help children who wet the bed for years. It is not entirely understood how it works, though some speculate it affects sleep cycles or muscle relaxation in the body. Tofranil is often used in young adults, though in rare cases it can cause personality changes, so a patient taking Tofranil should be watched carefully. Tofranil must be used with care because it is dangerous, and even deadly, if not taken properly.

Ditropan (Oxybutynin) or Levsinex/Levsin (Hyoscyamine) or Detrol (Tolterodine) – These are all anticholinergic drugs which help bed wetters by reducing bladder contractions and spasms and allowing the bladder have a greater capacity for holding liquid. Side effects are minimal, with dry mouth and facial flushing being the most common. Some of these have not been approved for use in younger children.

A single drug may not offer a complete solution for a younger or older adult who wets the bed. Often these drugs can be used in conjunction with one another to give bed wetting relief to a grateful adult who is at his or her wits end. Again, these drugs do not work for everyone and cannot be considered a full cure for adult bed wetting. Rather, they are designed to treat temporary or occasional symptoms and can be used in conjunction with other bed wetting preventive measures such as behavioral modification and trying one of the various kinds of bed wetting alarms.

You Can Stop Adult Bedwetting If You Really Want To: Bedwetting as a mature person is not enjoyable and positive thinking alone will not alleviate the problem. Most unwanted bed wetting problems are a result of some sort of physical issue and not necessarily related to a lack of will. It’s easy for a non-bedwetter to dismiss the problems of wetting the bed at night, but it truly is something that’s out of a victim’s conscious control most evenings.

Adult Bed Wetting Only Affects Elderly People: The kind of adult bed wetting will often determine when a person will first experience a bed wetting incident. It is true that many people first start to suffer from adult bed wetting when they are more mature, but that isn’t always the case. Bed wetting is a unfortunate condition that can strike any person at just about any age – including teenagers and even preteens.

Adult Bed Wetting Has No Treatment: Even without visiting a doctor adults can begin to prevent nighttime bed wetting with specially designed bedwetting alarms and behavior modification steps. While simple mental exercises may not prevent adult night time urination, there are many things which can be done to solve the problem. There are many natural and homeopathic remedies for adult bed wetting as well..

It’s very important to remember that adult onset nocturnal enuresis might be a sign of a serious medical problem. Men and women who suffer from night time bed wetting should meet with a medical professional as soon as possible. With the correct treatment adult bed wetting can almost always be prevented and treated safely.