Does anybody have any experience of excessive daytime urination in a child(4)?

[ShowOfHands]

GP thinks it's psychological and I've been reading up about pollakiuria which sounds exactly like him. He can go an hour or two when distracted but on a bad day it's every 10 to 20 minutes.

It's usually stress related if it is pollakiuria but he's happy. It has coincided with him staring preschool and copying other boys and urinating standing up. He did have a UTI which started the whole thing off but is clear now. I don't know if the UTI has interfered with his natural urges or made him anxious about it all.

He's otherwise fine, no accidents, clean and dry for at least 2 years with not a single accident even then, not a problem at night.

It's really affecting us day to day. He seems to struggle with car journeys for example. 5 minutes in he realises there's no loo and is adamant he's desperate. Find a loo and he does maybe a dribble.

GP recommended timing him, stretching it out and rewarding him until back to normal. Has anybody tried this?

[imjustahead]

Hi, i can only say that my dd started weeing in the day in year 1 of primary, it was an emotional reaction to problems. She didn't even know she was doing it, it was like a regression.

It stopped after about a month.

[MrsCampbellBlack]

Did the GP do a blood prick?

[ShowOfHands]

No blood prick no.

He has no glucose or ketones in his urine and they did a full blood test to rule out diabetes if that's what you're referring to? All normal.

Urine retested just yesterday to confirm infection free. No glucose, ketones, blood, protein, white blood cells etc. All normal. He's well too. Not a single other symptom.

Thank you imjust. He has always been sensitive and had very bad separation anxiety. He was very nervous about preschool but does like it there and asks to go.

[MrsCampbellBlack]

My eldest always needed the loo loads but was diagnosed with type one last year and his main symptom (well obvious one) was excessive urination so I am glad they're ruled that out.

Is he drinking lots of water in the day - am sure I read on here that it is good for them to drink more to expand their bladders. I've also read on here about irritable bladder and I think diet can help with that.

[ShowOfHands]

I assume if the recent blood test was normal, he has no glucose in his urine either, it's probably not diabetes? No other symptoms either.

He drinks what I consider not quite sufficient if left to his own devices. He's okay if I nag but he's very busy all the time and forgets to stop and rehydrate. I doubt that helps. At home I remind him but at preschool he's always outside rain or shine, running around and not going in for his beaker.

[JellyBabiesSaveLives]

Ds2 used to do this. GP said might be irritable bladder (cutting out orange juice did help) or might be "thinking about it too much".

He grew out of it. He still has really quite small bladder capacity but no longer does the "I'm desperate every 10 minutes and then only produce a dribble" thing.

And yes if he has no glucose in urine its not diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a surprisingly cut-and-dried diagnosis. I'm glad your gp tested for it - lots don't.

[ShowOfHands]

Our GP is absolutely brilliant and will always go the extra mile.

I am v anxious about health stuff which I'm honest about. It's ridiculous. The GP was clear that DS presents as a well child, all tests are clear and he thinks it's emotional/psychological. I feel reassured for around an hour. Then I revert to being convinced they mixed up his results.

This parenting malarkey is turning me grey.

[babypup]

My son has had this on and off for the past two years. We thought it was a phase, but he is currently being assessed for OCD and other Tics as the complexity of other behaviors has developed too. That said, it can be a common stand alone habitual thing just as you mentioned, maybe linked to anxiety xx

[ShowOfHands]

Thanks babypup. That sounds tough.

DS is a sensitive soul. He's always been anxious about separation and knowing what will happen in detail. He very much likes to be in control. I think he's like me tbh.

[AnchorDownDeepBreath]

My little sister had this. I think it was related to her feeling out of control when she realised there wasn't a toilet. She didn't really need to go, but she convinced herself she did.

We set timers for half an hour. She couldn't tell the time yet so we had a big clock and when the big hand pointed up or down, we went to the toilet. If it pointed left or right, we had a drink. For about a week it was tiring but she'd look at the clock to work out if she "needed" to go. After a week and a bit, we moved to just going when the hand was pointing up, and then just going every other time the hand pointed up. After that, she was drinking and peeing fine. Key for her seemed to be being able to see the clock, to check when she could go.

[NickiFury]

Yes, he's got ASD though. It comes and goes, for weeks perfectly fine and then suddenly in there every five minutes. He's 12 now and still does it. We are in a quiet spell at the moment though.

[Pipistrella]

Showy I don't know obviously but for both of mine, starting preschool was a fairly big stresser.

I think a lot of it is sort of subconscious, so they seem very cheerful on the surface, and they are! but there's a lot going on underneath in terms of all the changes and other children and all that.

I remember probably both of them, but definitely the eldest, having some similar issues which were thankfully temporary, and returning to perfectly normal quite soon after.

I hope it is the same for your lad

I know how worrying it is.

[Pipistrella]

Also the UTI itself could have been because of this too - the idea of weeing somewhere without mummy, or with other children about, the possibility of being disturbed, etc - just basic unsureness of the rules, can be enough for them to withold for a while, and that can trip the system a little bit.

I used to wait till I got home to use the toilet, when I was about five and there were some accidents - it was the fault of the ghost in the school toilets watching me. ahem.

As he becomes more used to it I am sure it will settle down and he will probably forget all about it.

[ShowOfHands]

He won't poo at preschool. Never has. He isn't constipated but witholding 8.30 until 3.30 every day might have an effect. He also only wees standing up now as that's what all the other boys do apparently. I wonder if all those little physical changes alongside the anxiety of change in routine (I've gone back to work for the first time after 8yrs as a SAHM), are just physically manifesting themselves.

I fear I've handled it badly too. I have ridiculous health anxiety and while I've tried to conceal it, I do fret about the constant weeing and I do get exasperated because we get in the car and drive for half a mile tops. I know I need to remain bright and breezy.

It does help to know other people have been there. I do hope it passes. I don't like to think he's anxious. I want to DO something to fix it but it might just be time that's needed.

[Pipistrella]

Oh love. You are handling it very well indeed I'm sure - nothing you say suggests otherwise.

I didn't mean he's anxious, just that whenever there is a change it requires our minds to reconfigure the patterns they know, the maps, the rules -

it's like when you move house and your brain is constantly working beneath the surface to adjust to all the tiny new things like which way are the shops, where's the bathroom, where did I pack the kettle...really basic stuff and not anxiety inducing as such, just a lot of differences.

The pooing thing is completely normal, I mean so so normal and it does get better (well, you have dd so you know they cope better as they get bigger)
It's purely an adjustment thing, I'd bet my last chocolate coins from Christmas which are cunningly concealed on my desk

Keep on as you are, don't fret, it will make you worried like any good parent but equally, you will find it works out fine in the end.

[gingerbread]

hang on, there's an emoji missing.

[ShowOfHands]

They need to sort that gingerbread thing out. It's been years.

Thank you lovely Pip. Don't think that you implied anxiety. The websites about Poorly Adjusted Peeing Boys informed me of that.

It's a lot of change recently. For all of us. Maybe we need a second Christmas. Got to use up those chocolate coins after all.

[Pipistrella]

Poorly adjusted my arse. You're incapable of having a poorly adjusted child!

Anyway, second Christmas - bring it on. Except there are Easter eggs in Tesco now, so maybe we have left it a trifle late

[ShowOfHands]

Did somebody say trifle?

[santa]