Hi Jessica, it is difficult to say why one sibling wets the bed while another doesn’t. Sometimes it is helpful to think about bedwetting just like other behaviours or skills. While you may be better than your siblings at running or swimming, their bladders just seem to be a little better than yours at storing urine overnight. Just as they will get faster at running, your bladder will eventually develop to a point where you can sleep through without wetting. When it comes to the treatment of bedwetting everyone is unique so what works for one does not necessarily work for another. If you have not done so already I would recommend that you get you parents to ask for you to be referred to a Pediatrician who specializes in treating children’s nighttime incontinence. Conditioning or bedwetting alarms tend to experience the best success rates. Treatment can take between 3 and 6 months and it is not uncommon to return to bedwetting one or two times before achieving permanent dry nights. Many teenagers who wet the bed worry about attending sleepovers, slumber parties and school camps – so you are not alone. It is important that you are able to attend these special events without the constant fear of somehow being discovered by your friends. The first and most important thing to do is to discuss your bedwetting with a trusted teacher, so that you will have someone you can go to for help while away. Often there is more than one student attending camp who wets the bed, so teachers (if they are aware) will organize sleeping arrangements so that you can share sleeping accommodations. There are two main options when it comes to managing bedwetting while away on camp. Firstly, you can attend and wear DryNites. One boy I knew wore his DryNites under a pair of Nylon tracksuit pants that made a ‘swishy’ sound so that no one could hear that he was wearing absorbent pants – in the morning he just put them in a plastic bag and hid them in his overnight bag when he changed in the bathroom. Its good to have a few practice runs before you go. The other is to use medication. This is something that should be discussed with your doctor and should only be used in the short-term.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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