From: 940@cebra.demon.co.uk (Ricky)
Subject: A Case History
Date: 20 May 1995 13:07:03 +0100




As a child I was very late in gaining any degree of bladder control and 
consequently remained in nappies (diapers)  both day and night until I was 4½ 
years old. My mother found this very tiresome, especially as my sister, who is 
a year younger,  was completely toilet trained and out of nappies long before 
I even started to become dry during the day!

The main problem during my school days was constant bedwetting. Almost every 
night I would wake up with soaked bedclothes. I was scolded, punished and of 
course threatened with being put back into nappies. On more than one occasion 
I was made to wear one of my sister's night dresses as I had run out of dry 
pajamas. This humiliation perhaps inevitably led to stress related 
incontinence and on several occcasions I was sent home from school having wet 
myself in class.

I was of course paraded in front of a succession of doctors, specialists, 
paediatricians and child psychologists who suggested pads, buzzers, pills, 
potions, diuretics and reduction of liquid intake all to no avail. Things came 
to a head at age 7, I was finally admitted to the paediatric ward of the local 
hospital for tests. After nearly a week they diagnosed chronic enuresis, 
although nothing specifically was found to be wrong. It was suggested to my 
parents that it might be better all round if I was put back into nappies and 
plastic pants at night and let nature take it's course, as it was possible 
that I would grow out of it in time. The hospital even offered a loan of some 
large size terry nappies and  plastic baby pants until my mother had the 
opportunity of getting me some of my own. I still rember cringing with 
embarrasment when my parents readily accepted their offer.

I will never forget that first night home. I remember crying with abject 
misery when at bedtime mother told me to lay on the bed and after a liberal 
dusting with baby powder proceeded to pin me into one of the nappies. This was 
followed up with a pair of the clear plastic baby pants being pulled over the 
top. The final humiliation came when my pajama trousers would not fit over the 
bulk of the nappy and mother told me I would have to wear one of my sisters 
nighties until she could get around to buying me some new ones  in a more 
suitable size. 

As I lay in med that night my mind was in turmoil. I felt a mixture of 
embarrasment and humiliation at being dressed and treated as a baby but 
yet..., I also felt safe, secure, as though the responsibilities for my 
actions had been taken out of my hands. I slept soundly that night for the 
first time for as long as I can remember. The next morning I awoke to a dry 
bed and nightclothes. It was only when I slipped my hand inside the waistband 
of the plastic pants and realised that my nappy was soaked,  that I knew I had 
wet myself as usual during the night. Shortly afterwards,  when my mother came 
in with my morning tea and  realised that the constant daily changing and 
washing of wet bedclothes was now to be a thing of the past, she put her arms 
around me and cuddled me to her. It was then I think the die was cast...

It was almost inevitable that relatives, neighbours and school friends found 
out that I had to wear nappies at night, despite my mothers best efforts at 
being discreet. Often my sister or I would bring  friends round to the house 
and it was not long before  they discovered  that nappies and large size baby 
were sometimes hanging on the washing line to dry. Not surprisingly, my sister 
denied that they were anything to do with her!  It wasn't long before the news 
was all round the school. Of course I had to suffer the taunts and catcalls of 
the local children and some of the neighbours were openly disscussing my 
"problem" with a sympathetic " does he take sugar" sort of attitude. I even 
found a babies dummy (pacifier) inside my desk at school one morning!  
However, after a short time the novelty wore off and everbody just seemed to 
accept it.

By the time I was about 12, I think my mother realised that not only was I 
unlikely to grow out of my enuretic condition, I believe she thought I was 
actually begining to enjoy it. I was told that I was to be responsible for 
dealing with my own nappies from then on, although of course she continued to 
look after the washing and drying of them. However, I do remember one 
exeption. A couple of years later I was off school with a virus infection for 
10 days or so. As I was spending most of the time in bed, my  mother thought 
it would sensible to keep me in nappies full time. The doctor had prescribed 
plenty of fluids which ensured she had to change me on a fairly regular basis.
This would probably have been one of the most enjoyable times of my life, had 
I not been feeling so poorly at the time!


Kind regards

Ricky