Reply from Tom, Child's Age N/A - 1/27/04 - IP#: 159.39.19.xxx   parbb-c1736

Laura, you probably hit the nail on the head when you said that your son has been growing rapidly for the past year or so. It’s fairly common in children going through puberty and adolescence, that during a growth spurt not all parts of the body grow at the same rate and sometimes the bladder is left behind. A bladder that is temporarily too small can result in increased frequency of urination during the day and bedwetting at night, especially if he is a very deep sleeper. This will most likely end on its own when his bladder growth catches up with the rest of his body. From all you have written it appears that your son is a well-adjusted young man who does not have a nappy fetish but is comfortable with using them as long as the problem persists. I would do nothing more than let nature take care of the problem, which should occur when his body stabilizes at his full adult growth. By the way, DDAVP is not a course of treatment that will cure bedwetting; it is a synthetic hormone that slows urine production by the kidneys for several hours after taking it. This helps some children make it through the night without wetting most nights, but is not 100% effective and bedwetting will return immediately if it is discontinued.