7 year old keeps wetting themselves

[sola82]

My DS is 7 years old and in Y3 at school. For the past few years he has had issues with wetting and soiling himself at school and at home. This is just during the day not at night. At school this has caused other children to tease him and call him names which really upsets him.
It is very inconsistent, he can go a few weeks without a toilet accident and then have one a few days in a row. He won't say anything when he has a accident, we will just notice his trousers are wet and he will insist he doesn't know what happened.

We've talked to his different teachers about it, we've talked to him a lot, tried rewards charts etc but none of it makes a difference. He just says he doesn't know when/why it happened. Could this be a physical issue? Should I take him to the doctors? Could they even do anything when DS will just say he doesn't know to any questions?

I've tried googling for advice but it all seems to be aimed at children who wet at night rather than the day.

Does he have any issues with constipation? I think it’s worth a trip to the GP if it’s variable. It doesn’t sound behavioural if reward charts make no difference.

Dd age 5, started wetting during the day after being dry for 3 years. We tried reward charts etc and she just got upset every time. I took her to the doctors 3 times, she had urine tests, even a blood test and..there was nothing wrong with her It carried on for a week or so and then stopped!
If he’s soiling I would take him to the GP just in case.

You definitely need to rule out encopresis first. Severe constipation can cause wetting and soiling like you describe.

I don't think he is constipated. The soiling isn't very often but has happened occasionally in school. It's mainly wetting that is the issue.

Have you looked at the ERIC website? They have useful info.
Not sure how it works where you live but here you can self refer to school nurse about continence issues. His school should be able to give you contact details.

There are lots of reasons this can restart in children of a young age - overactive bladder, chronic constipation, emotional distress or even precursor for an underlying condition. Your first port of call should definitely be your GP to start eliminating possibilities.

Having worked closely with a child psychologist with regards to a chronically constipated child, speaking openly and honestly with your child is helpful - the greater understanding they have, the less "shameful" they feel and so they are more likely to disclose further accidents with their teacher or with you

Thanks for all the replies. I might ask at school about the school nurse, I tried calling the doctors but couldn't get an appointment.

I asked at school today and they are referring him to the school nurse. It has been every day this week so far

Take him to your GP straight away and ask for a referral.

I wish I had done this sooner.

We saw a paediatric urologist. My child has been diagnosed with a hyperactive bladder and now has medication. The damage to her self esteem in the mean time is immeasurable.

Theresahairbrushinthefridge

Thank you so much for your reply, I've looked it up and it does really sound like this could be what DS has. How old was yiur daughter when she was diagnosed? It is having a big impact on DS confidence, hes been teased a lot in school about it.

Do you know if the school nurse would be able to make this referral? I've tried to get a GP appointment but everyday when I call they say there is none available.

She was 12. We've only recently got a diagnosis. It started when she was about 9. Just occasionally. Now every day. When she laughs. Does sport etc. Not when she is quiet and calm. She has just started medication.

We took her to see a private urologist in the end. She had an ultrasound to check nothing was wrong and is now on medication.

The GP thought it was pelvic floor and tried to get her to do exercises. So it felt like she was at fault. The consultant said that weak pelvic floor is not really possible in children. It's the opposite her bladder is squeezing out wee.

Step one is to empty your bladder regularly. She is poor at this. She does not seem to get the signal that she needs a wee. So regular emptying. When she gets up. Every break time, before sport etc.

She has been dry at night since she was 5.

Our GP has emergency appointments. Ask for one. He could have a UTI so perfectly reasonable to ask for one

Tell the pushy receptionist that he has a UTI.