Just a follow up on my original post. After much research and testing for my daughter (to see why she was falling asleep during school work, hitting her head and not knowing why), it was determined that she did NOT have seizures, nor did she have complex migraines, and all of her blood work came back normal. So, our neurologist wanted to do a sleep study. The sleep study indiated that she did NOT have a deep sleep disorder either. On doing a lot of study on my own, talking to other clinics who were much more forthcoming and willing to work with our insurance company should that be the way we decided to go, we chose to go it alone. I bought overlays, a good mattress pad and an alarm. We worked with some of the basics found in a few different books written on the subject. We initially eliminated the pull ups, measured her bladder capacity and began "elevator exercises" as recommended by her pediatrician and a physical therapist who specializes in bladder and bowel issues. We also took her to our pediatrician to check and see if she had any constipation...which she did have a little and are currently working on eliminating so that constipation is not a factor. We also increased the fluids during the day to determine just how much she was drinking. Twice a week, we are also having her "hold it" for 5 minutes. And, she is practicing starting/stopping exercises to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. We intended on setting an alarm to see how easily she would wake up at night. Ultimately, a number of different things to see if she was ready for some type of program (we are basically using the waking up dry book, but have also read through 7 steps to a dry night as well as a few others which we borrowed from the library). Fortunately for us, we never had to use the alarm. Her first night without the pull ups, she woke up while emptying her bladder...she was able to hold it, get out of bed and go finish on the toilet. Since then she has experienced many ups and some downs. She has had 5 consecutive nights 100% dry followed by a night with only a little wet (finishing on the toilet). I understand that each child/teen/adult is different. I have a nephew that does not wake to his own alarm clock and still has sleep wetting. However, as much as a deep sleep disorder may be common in children who sleep wet, it isn't the ONLY reason. One of the books I read on the subject says that children wet in their sleep in ALL stages of sleep. There was a lot of other information that I read as well that was very interesting. I am SO glad that I did. By using all the information gathered, we were able to set up a program for our daughter that is working for her WITHOUT spending nearly $3000 on a clinic. In addition, our pediatrician STRONGLY recommended that we NOT use the alarm (I sent it back, we have never used it or needed it...I know this isn't everyone's situation, but it is ours). Why not use the alarm? Because their have been more recent studies that she has reviewed indicating that the alarm is MORE detrimental to the fatigue of the child (as well as the family). She personally recommended it for many years in her practice, but did not have patients with success. She has also had a number of patients who have gone to the center. Of those, she could only think of a couple of them that had success. We also have close friends of the family who went their and did not have success. I am not trying to put down the work that the center does. Having met the people there and read over the materials, I know they are genuinely concerned about helping people who have this issue and they are going about it in the way they believe, through their years of experience, to be the best. Kudos to them and the work they are doing trying to help people, like my daughter, to get over this. However, from my experiences, I would highly recommend that anyone who is dealing with this issue research, research, research. As mothers, and many of us attachment parenting families, we know our children best. Do what works best for you. If that is developing a plan/program of your own, like we did in our family, then go for it. If that is utilizing the knowledge of the different clinics out there, then do that. If you wonder if your child truly does have a deep sleep disorder, contact your insurance company and see if there are any reasons they will pay for a sleep study. My pediatrician told me that most insurance companies will pay for the study for possible diagnoses of apnea, fatigue and enuresis. I truly expected the results of my daughters study to come back with a deep sleep disorder. But, armed with the knowledge that that was NOT what was happening made it that much easier to jump into the program that we planned. As I have talked to her about her sleep and how rested she has been feeling since we started our plan, she has told me that she feels like she is sleeping better and is waking up more rested. I am thankful. I am hopeful, that by the time she goes to camp this summer, that she will be 100% dry. I was led to believe, by the clinic, that her case was complicated and that the likelihood of her being 100% dry in 9 months wasn't very favorable. After this first 3 weeks (of which she has had a total of 7-10 dry days 5 being in a row), I am confident that she will be dry before June. We know our children best. Do your research, and then do what is best for your child. In case you are wondering, I purchased my overlays, mattress pad (which has never gotten wet!), and the Malem alarm from the bedwetting store. You can be led to believe that you can't do this on your own. I have found, in our case, that we certainly can!
Thank you to those who also metioned the possibilities of allergies and/or celiacs. For many years, my daughter was allergic to milk, wheat and soy. According to our most recent visit to the allergist, she has outgrown them...and even when we were totally avoiding all milk, wheat and soy, she continued to have the sleep wetting. However, since we do have seizures that run in our family, I continue to keep that information filed away should I need it another day.
God bless you all on this journey as well as all others!