Dr Catherine
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Girl
8-15 years

Hi I'm 19 and I have wet the bed all my life I have ongoing bowel problems such as chronic constipation that is under control well trying to get it better with laxido and others anyway I have wet the bed all my life and tryed everything seriously desmopressin alarms dry nights everything seriously and it's now going into adult life and I hate it have you got any advice I drink fine through out the day empty my bladder before bed everything and see when I dont drink I wake up soaking but when I do drink I wake up wet what is that?

Bedwetting can be incredibly frustrating particularly when you feel like you have tried it all!! I am assuming you are working closely with a continence specialist so I am not sure if I can add much to what you already know ... unfortunately when it comes to the conditioning alarm the success rate sits around 75% meaning it does not work with everyone. About 10-15% individuals experience some relapse after the first cycle of use – when this happens you need to reintroduce the alarm treatment although you will find that you become dry much quicker the second time around. For some people it can take up to 3 cycles of treatment so perhaps it might be worth giving it another try??There are some more alternative methods that have met with different degrees of success. Please keep in mind however that these have not received the same level of research support as conditioning alarms or medications. Hypnotherapy has been successfully used to help individuals either hold their urine overnight or wake up and go to the toilet. This can be used on its own or in combination with the conditioning alarm. Your best point of contact for hypnotherapy is the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association http://www.ahahypnotherapy.org.au/, which has branches in each state. They also have a free advisory line: 1800 067 557. Another alternative form of treatment that has met with some success is chiropractic manipulation. This appears to be more relevant for individuals whose bedwetting is the result of a poorly aligned spine. If this sounds like a suitable option you should first contact the Chiropractic Association of Australia http://chiropractors.asn.au (1800 075 003) who will be able to recommend someone in your area that has experience in treating bedwetting. Some individuals who wet the bed may benefit from restricting certain foods from their diet. Dairy, citrus and a diet high in sugar have all been linked with a higher risk of bedwetting, There are a number of ways you can try and determine whether food intolerances are contributing to your bedwetting. The easiest (and safest) approach would be to visit a Naturopath. They may recommend you begin an elimination diet, which involves removing all foods from your diet that could be affecting your bedwetting and then you carefully reintroduce the foods, one at a time. Good luck! Kind Regards, Dr Cathrine