Adult Bedwetting
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 11:59 am
Hello, new here. I have an issue I'd like to share and perhaps get some advice.
I am a 28 year old healthy male. About 3 years ago, I sustained an injury while golfing. It was a stupid thing, I was leaning out of a moving golf cart to collect a ball after an errant shot. I felt a "pop" in my lower back that sent me into nearly a week of indescribable pain and an inability to walk, stand or sit. After a few days of not being able to move from the bedroom to kitchen, my wife convinced me to see a chiropractor. He discovered that my L4 and L5 spine had moved out of place and were causing my muscles to spasm. However, after about a month of twice weekly adjustments, I was able to put the injury aside and move on with my life.
About 6 weeks after the incident, I woke up one morning to discover I had urinated in my sleep. It was a small amount, maybe only an ounce or two, contained mostly by my underwear and the top bed sheet. This occurred a handful of times the next month, my wife not noticing, as I kept it to myself and was able to wash the sheets each time before she returned home from work. As time went on I had more and more low back pain and convinced myself to go see my primary doctor. He ordered an MRI and it was discovered that I have a pretty substantial loss of cartilage in my low spine that was causing my discs to put pressure on one another, pinching one of my nerves in the process. He prescribed a muscle relaxer and a narcotic to help me manage the pain, as well as some core strength exercises and some advice on lifestyle changes.
I started to take the medication probably no more than once a week, when I had uncomfortable pain and couldn't function. After doing this for the first couple of weeks, I woke up in the middle of the night on one occasion to find myself soaked in urine. It woke my wife as well, and we both chalked it up to "one of those things", cleaned up and moved on. But then I started noticing I was having small leakage during the day as well. I would be sitting at my desk at work and would discover that my underwear would be wet - not even having a sensation that I needed to use the restroom until it was too late. I purchased some male "guards" to wear but was determined to keep this new problem from my wife as much as I could.
I returned to my doctor and told him about the problems I was having and he told me to stop taking the medication he had prescribed, but didn't really offer an alternative solution. It's been a couple of years now and I continue to have occasional night incontinence, maybe only once or twice a month and in small amounts. The daytime accidents are few and far between and haven't really been an issue. We did purchase a waterproof mattress cover and this seems to be a temporary solution. When we travel to visit the in-laws or stay overnight in a hotel, I will wear a diaper as to not soil someone else's bed. I've only had one "accident" on a trip that I can remember and fortunately my wife has been very accepting of the problem and we've been able to keep it discreet from others. Regardless, it still causes embarrassment for me and I won't put the diaper on in front of her and will wear clothing over when I sleep so it's as unnoticeable as possible.
My primary physician has since retired and our health plan assigned us to a new doctor. She is a female, however, and while I like her care I am reluctant to discuss this issue with her. It's partially embarrassment and perhaps my overall reluctance to avoid doctor's offices and tests whenever possible.
I guess my question is, will this be something I have to live with the rest of my life? I'm not really sure where the problem lies, either with the medication (which I no longer take) or the ongoing issues with my back. Even though I've changed my lifestyle to keep my spine from acting up, I still have the issue with the bed wetting for whatever reason. I did bed wet as a child, but nothing past the age of perhaps 5 or 6 and up until this incident never had a problem for at least 20 years. As far as I know, there isn't a history for this type of thing in my family.
Thanks for reading and hopefully someone can offer some insight.
-M
I am a 28 year old healthy male. About 3 years ago, I sustained an injury while golfing. It was a stupid thing, I was leaning out of a moving golf cart to collect a ball after an errant shot. I felt a "pop" in my lower back that sent me into nearly a week of indescribable pain and an inability to walk, stand or sit. After a few days of not being able to move from the bedroom to kitchen, my wife convinced me to see a chiropractor. He discovered that my L4 and L5 spine had moved out of place and were causing my muscles to spasm. However, after about a month of twice weekly adjustments, I was able to put the injury aside and move on with my life.
About 6 weeks after the incident, I woke up one morning to discover I had urinated in my sleep. It was a small amount, maybe only an ounce or two, contained mostly by my underwear and the top bed sheet. This occurred a handful of times the next month, my wife not noticing, as I kept it to myself and was able to wash the sheets each time before she returned home from work. As time went on I had more and more low back pain and convinced myself to go see my primary doctor. He ordered an MRI and it was discovered that I have a pretty substantial loss of cartilage in my low spine that was causing my discs to put pressure on one another, pinching one of my nerves in the process. He prescribed a muscle relaxer and a narcotic to help me manage the pain, as well as some core strength exercises and some advice on lifestyle changes.
I started to take the medication probably no more than once a week, when I had uncomfortable pain and couldn't function. After doing this for the first couple of weeks, I woke up in the middle of the night on one occasion to find myself soaked in urine. It woke my wife as well, and we both chalked it up to "one of those things", cleaned up and moved on. But then I started noticing I was having small leakage during the day as well. I would be sitting at my desk at work and would discover that my underwear would be wet - not even having a sensation that I needed to use the restroom until it was too late. I purchased some male "guards" to wear but was determined to keep this new problem from my wife as much as I could.
I returned to my doctor and told him about the problems I was having and he told me to stop taking the medication he had prescribed, but didn't really offer an alternative solution. It's been a couple of years now and I continue to have occasional night incontinence, maybe only once or twice a month and in small amounts. The daytime accidents are few and far between and haven't really been an issue. We did purchase a waterproof mattress cover and this seems to be a temporary solution. When we travel to visit the in-laws or stay overnight in a hotel, I will wear a diaper as to not soil someone else's bed. I've only had one "accident" on a trip that I can remember and fortunately my wife has been very accepting of the problem and we've been able to keep it discreet from others. Regardless, it still causes embarrassment for me and I won't put the diaper on in front of her and will wear clothing over when I sleep so it's as unnoticeable as possible.
My primary physician has since retired and our health plan assigned us to a new doctor. She is a female, however, and while I like her care I am reluctant to discuss this issue with her. It's partially embarrassment and perhaps my overall reluctance to avoid doctor's offices and tests whenever possible.
I guess my question is, will this be something I have to live with the rest of my life? I'm not really sure where the problem lies, either with the medication (which I no longer take) or the ongoing issues with my back. Even though I've changed my lifestyle to keep my spine from acting up, I still have the issue with the bed wetting for whatever reason. I did bed wet as a child, but nothing past the age of perhaps 5 or 6 and up until this incident never had a problem for at least 20 years. As far as I know, there isn't a history for this type of thing in my family.
Thanks for reading and hopefully someone can offer some insight.
-M