Enuresis alarm (bed wetting alarm)
"He became dry in two weeks"
Interrupted night's sleep. Washing machines that run too smoothly. Difficulties for the child to sleep away. This is what everyday life looks like for many parents of children who are not dry. So it was with Carin and her family. Today her son is eleven years old. He has been dry for a year now.
Floorball and orienteering. Football. Jobs and family. House. Carin, 43, is busy during the day. At night then? Well, then Carin and the rest of the family sleep. Nowadays. That was not the case before. When the son was six years old, he still peed in bed. Not sometimes. Without every night. Once or twice. The situation caused Carin and her husband to turn to the care, whereupon they were referred to a pediatrician's office. Here they were told that their case was not a priority.
- It was thought that he was still so small. Then we went to a private pediatrician with experience of bedwetting. Here things went better and we got Minirin prescribed - a drug that reduces the body's urine production. But the treatment gave no result. Nothing happened, says Carin.
The night activities continued. They tried their best with different types of underlays to avoid washing the mattresses every day. The weeks went by. Became to months. Year.
- We were careful not to incur debt. He couldn't help but wake up. At the same time, of course, it was a stressful year for all of us. To be calm and show understanding when you are awakened in the middle of the night. Every night. It was tough.
About three years after the experiment with Minirin, they received a new referral to a pediatric clinic. Karin's son would soon be ten years old.
- Now we were recommended to treat with bedwetting alarms. Said and done. They chose a small, wireless enuresis alarm where the sensor is attached to the pants and which emits a signal when it comes in contact with moisture. For the first few nights, Carin or her husband had to wake their son when the enuresis alarm went off. They followed him up so he could pee ready and then new pajamas and on with the alarm again. But after just under a week, he began to wake up himself from the enuresis alarm.
- Sure, we needed to change pants, but he fixed it himself now. And then one morning, after another week, he was suddenly dry when he woke up. The next night also went well. After all the years of interrupted night sleep, we now all had to sleep. The bed wetting treatment took only two weeks. I really think it shows that conditioning works - that it is possible to teach the brain to wake up before it is too late.
For safety, they used the bedwetting alarm for another month. But it remained quiet in the house. He was dry now. For good
3 tips from Carin
Treatment with enuresis alarm
The word enuresis (Latin) means bedwetting, therefore bedwetting alarms are also called enuresis alarms. In everyday speech, the term bedwetting alarm is often used.
Bed wetting alarm is a common and uncontroversial method for treating bed wetting and consists of an alarm part and a moisture-sensitive sensor part. The alarm is triggered when the first drops of urine reach the sensor, which directly sends a signal to the alarm part, and teaches the child to eventually wake up before it gets wet in bed. The method is based on classical conditioning, which means that the child through association learns to associate the alarm sound with a toilet visit. It is important that an adult parent or relative is available at the beginning of the treatment and ensures that the child wakes up and goes to the toilet when the bed wetting alarm goes off. Some children sleep very heavily and therefore do not wake up by the alarm signal at the beginning of the treatment. After successful treatment, the condition has led to the child waking up the child by himself and going to the toilet before the enuresis alarm is activated. Usually there is a gradual reduction of kisses in bed, before the child becomes completely dry. The gradually reduced amount of kiss should preferably be logged in a weekly chart to follow the child's progress during treatment. Initially, the child may need parental help to wake up. The treatment, which has no side effects, has a good chance of success, but may at the same time require some work from the family. In the event of a relapse, which is not entirely uncommon, a new treatment is started. Each child is unique and the treatment method that suits your child is best decided in consultation with your doctor, urotherapist or enuresis nurse.
