HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1986-08-20, Page 15Lutoknow Smegnoll Wcboo ay9 Mt 209 9 Il906----" c ZO
Hope for a dry night's sle
By John Tanasychuk
Star Staff Reporter
BY THE TIME Ted was six
years old, the Johnsons real-
ized their son had a problem,
He was a bedwetter who
would wake up in a dry bed just, two
days a year.
And after taking him to five doctors,
after countless tests, prescriptions, hos-
pital stays and even surgery, their son
was still wetting the bed.
"During his 15 years, we would be
fortunate if two days out of a year -the
bed would be dry. One night wouldbe
the first night he'd go to visit someone.
And he might have been staying awake
because he was embarrassed," says the
boy's father, a local man who asked
that their real names not be used.
UNTIL FEBRUARY, their last
attempt had been five years ago when
Ted was put through two days of tests.
And the conclusion from the so-called
medical- experts? "Too bad. He'll have
to grow out of it."
But earlier this year they heard of
Dry Bed Training and its founder and
. director Vincent Fowler, who for. 14
years, has successfully treated more.
than 10,000 bedwetters.
The Johnsons sent away for free lit-
erature and saw their own story being
played out. "You never stop to think
that other people think like this," says
the father. What hit them hardest was
a news story that linked • bedwetting 'to,
arson. "My son tried to burn down our
shed. That's when I said; 'Who cares
how much it costs. People spend $3,000.
- on bracesi' " . - '
After 13 weeks on the program, Ted
was dry and they started to notice
other changes. "My son has always
been very quiet, very withdrawn: He
seldom talks to us. He was teased a lot
• when someone who'd let him stay at
his home let the cat out of the bag," he
says. .
BUT TODAY, eight weeks without a
wet bed, the •Johnsons are seeing
changes.. Ted is now much, calmer,
reaching out for affection from his
family in a way,they've never known.
"I would have liked to see a. 100 per
cent turn around in my son.' There has
to be more time. I have only begun to
see a glimmer ofhope that he may
change, that he may mature,"
Ted follows many of the patterns of
the estimated 22 million children and
adult bedwetters, or nocturnal enuret-
ics as the condition is medically known
in North America. Unfortunately, says
Fowler, it's still a closely closeted
problem few people are willing to seek
help for or even discuss with their fam-
ily physicians or friends.
But bedwetting, he explains, can
leave emotional scars on both children.
and parents if the problem isn't treated
quickly. And as a general rule, says
Fowler, children should be able to
make it through the night within six
months of being toilet trained during.
day time hours.
WHILE THE MAJORITY of inquir-
ies ,come from parents of , four-year-
, olds looking for a solution prior to their
children starting school, many parents
wait too long. •
There are plenty of folk and tradi-
tional remedies but Fowler says they
do more harm than good.
Since bedwetting happens because
the bladder isn't being controlled, Wak-
ing children during the night or pet-10-
ing liquids doesn't work, Fowler says to
think of• the bladder as a muscle and
the only way to strengthen it is to -hold
liquids. '
'To offer a child a reward ..to
accomplish something when they're
sleeping, they can't win.
It sets them up for failure.'
•
Bedwetting causes a tiny bladder
and so does waking or reducing liquids:
You actually encourage' them to bed -
wet by waking them," he says.
Some parents will reward their
children 'for a dry night or scold when
bedwetting occurs. But ,Fowler says:
"To offer a child a reward to accompl-
ish something when they're sleeping,
they can't win. It sets them up -for fail-
ure," he says. ' -
SCOLDING ONLY makes the prob-
lem worse because the children end up
denying the problem to their parents.
And while Fowler says it isn't as
prevalent as' it once was,'. traditional
medical intervention may worsen :a
condition. The American Academy' of
Pediatrics says less than one per cent
of bedwetters have a medical problem
and both the U.S. Food and Drug Admi-
nistration and the American Medical
Association say drugs are not the treat-
ment of choice.
Quite simply, Fowler says drugs
don't work. Antidepressants, sold
under such names as Tofranil, Presa-
mine and Elavil, are most often pre-
scribed. But according to the FDA's
Poison Control Data Base, 18.7 per cent
of children who accidently overdosed
on these drugs from 1971 to 1978 re-
quired hospitalization compared to 4.6
per cent with other drugs,
THE SAME STUDY showed the
death rate for these drugs is 33 times
greater than all other drugs. "Poison-
ing of children by tricyclic antidepres-
sants is emerging as a _significant
public health problem," says the FDA.'
Fowler' says medical solutions have
also included X-raying children's geni-
tals, which can ' lead to sterility in
males. A surgical procedure where the
urethra, or urinary passage, is .
enlarged has also been' popular but
Fowler says the healing and scarring
process only causes the urethra to be-
come smaller. The Johnsons` son Ted
underwent the operation and it didn't
work.
Another •popular solution has been
for parents to wait until children out-
grow the problem.. But this so-called
solution, says Fowler, can be the worst. '
Toilet training teaches children the
difference between right and wrong,
success and failure, clean and dirty. $o
bedwetting only reinforces negative
feelings and can lead to a poor self-
image.
"IT'S NOT THAT they outgrow it.
It's that they stop talking about it. Most
bedwetters hide the feeling that they
have in shame .:They try to hide from
the parents; that it doesn't. matter, So
parents don't think it affects the child,''
he says.
Bedwetters often develop' one of two
types of personalites. •
"The majority don't work to their full
potential," he says. Active during the
day, they are deep sleepers with a
short attention span. Fowler says they
have difficulty communicating with
their parents because of the guilt asso-
ciated
ssociated with bedwetting, One study
showed three of four institutionalized
juvenile delinquents were or had been
bedwetters; Unfortunately, says Fowl-
er, there is a higher incidence of sui-
cide in children who are bedwetters.
THE OTHER personality type is
over -achievers who try to prove
they're OK, Fowler says they knock
themselves out to be successful
P
All of this can cause parents to suffer
guilt when family or friends start
blaming theme for their children's
problem. And as a last straw, parents
sometimes resort to rather cruel meth-
ods of stopping their children from
bedwetting.
Fowler says one family admitted.
beating their child and making .hi
sleep in a wet bed; admittedly the first
time they'd been abusive and contrary
to their love and desire for their son to
stop wetting the bed.,
His method, now copyrighted as The
Fowler Method, was first developed in
Australia at Adelaide Children's Hospi-
tal. The difference is that Fowler's
method can be done outside of the hos-
pital, with parents or adult bedwetters
working on their own. An initial report
along with follow up reports every 10
days is all that is needed.
He first opened in. Windsor and, be-
cause of growing requests from the
U.S., opened a clinic in Southfield,
Mich,, where he founded the American
Enuresis Association. Fowler moved to'
London in 1981 and has 'been back in
Windsor fora year.
FOWLER HAS treated bedwetters
across Canada and the. US. as well as
cases in Germany, Yugoslavia and Fiji.
There are several clinics in the U.S..
using the Fowler Method and he is cur-
rently working on a manual to assist
professionals in treatment
The literature says the •method in-
volves learning a few new skills
"..:.combining modern equipment,
• modern 'conditioning and training
techniques plus diet and nutrition.
VINCE FOWLER
Reprint from the Windsor Star
SEND FOR MY FREE BROCHURE ON WHY CHILDREN
WET THE BED and HOW TO STOP IT.
Name
Address.
City r
Phone , . ,
Postai Code
. „ erov.
•
Child',s Age
Mail To: DRY BED'TRAINING, 150 Park Street W.,
Suite 3003, Windsor, Ont, N9A 7A2
r:,i"r 251-2511, • 1.800405-5168
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