Teachers - how common is bladder incontinence in a 10 year old?

[purpleplum]

I started a thread about my DS's bladder issues in the children's health section, so please take a look for the detail: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childrens_health/2061851-Bladder-incontinence-in-a-10-year-old

However, I'd like the view of teachers on how common this problem is in junior school? I think he is improving slowly over time, but it would help to know that he's not unique.

I wish I had some advice but my son is just the same, I could have written your post. I'm on the point of going back to GP to check for kidney problems, my dad in particular has a history of kidney trouble and his mum mentioned that he always had a wet patch as a child too.
Could that be something to get checked too?

Not a teacher or have any experience but know that 2 boys in DS class both have this issue. Not much help I know but you are not alone.

I'm a teacher, although working in early years at the moment. I don't think it's a very common problem if I'm honest.

Have you spoken to the class teacher? It sounds from your original message that a good toilet routine at school would be helpful, and the teacher or TA (if there is one) could help to support this.

If your ds was is my class, I would sit down with you both and map out all the times in the day when your ds is expected to go to the toilet. In addition, it would be agreed that he could also go to the toilet any other time he needed (some schools have guidance around pupils leaving the room during core teaching times).

The times your ds would be expected to go would be:
First thing in the morning, on the way to the classroom
Before playtime
Lunchtime
Mid afternoon
Before going home.

This should ensure that there is never more than an hour and a half between toilet breaks.

Would this work?

Thanks everyone. Good to know he's not alone at least! And I'm getting some advice on the other thread too.

Littlefish, I don't tend to talk to his teachers about it, because I know it makes him worse if he thinks people are noticing, or pressuring him to go to the toilet when he doesn't feel he needs to, especially if he is singled out in front of other children. An after-school tennis coach went through a phase of drawing attention to the problem, and raising it with me regularly at pick-up time, and the situation rapidly worsened until I asked the coach to just ignore it. Then it resolved itself.

His class teacher is male, and much admired by DS. I think DS would be mortified if he knew I'd spoken to him about it, but I suspect the teacher may have noticed anyway.

He has been caught out a couple of times when he's asked to go to the loo during class, and has been told he has to wait until break (not by his class teacher, but by stand-ins who don't know him so well). A more assertive child would be insistent if they were desperate, and would be allowed out, but its rare for DS to ask once, never mind twice.

I do advise him to make strategic toilet trips, and it helps when he does that, but he's not self-organised enough to do it consistently at school, especially if he's having fun with his friends. I think he needs to recognise the problem first, and want to change. I just hope he gets to that point before teasing forces him there.

Could it be related to constipation? This is the case for my 9 yr old boy's bladder continence issue.

Peanut, that's interesting. Do you mean you've noticed there's a correlation in timing, or do you mean there's a proven causal link, verified by your doctor?

I appreciate that you/your ds might not want to talk to the teacher, but if your is not yet self aware enough to manage his toilet ting needs himself, surely it would be better to have a quiet word with the teacher so he can support him.

Whilst none of the other children are commenting at the moment, it may not always be that way and I know that I would rather have the teacher on-board. Re. Cover teachers - the class teacher would simply leave them a note saying "'MiniPurplePlum to be allowed to go to the toilet whenever he wants". It's no big deal - there will be notes left about lots of other children too.

Also, your comment about him being worse if he thinks people are prerssuring him to go to the toilet when he thinks he doesn't need to go - you've said that he doesn't always recognise when he needs to go, and goes too late which means that he leaks. Surely therefore, you need to come up with some strategies to help him either remember, or accept reminders.

You may be right Littlefish. I guess my experience of teachers over the years is that some handle things more sensitively than others, and whereas it sounds like if you were his teacher it would be fine, my instincts tell me I might just make things worse.

And yes, a system of reminders would help. But he needs to care more about the reminder than whatever else he's doing at the time, and that is the challenge. You can lead a horse to the bathroom, but you can't make him pee ..

Pretty uncommon IMHE, but if a parent told me that their DC had a bladder problem, I would endeavour to make sure they could get to the loo as and when. I am on my phone so haven't read the link, but I guess you and the school are working on him remembering to go before school and at breaktimes so as to cut down on time out if class.

Sadly, I agree about some teachers being more sensitive than others, but if nothing else has worked so far, I really think that you need to involve the school so that things have improved before he starts secondary school.

I also agree with peanutbutter that it would be worth investigating the link with constipation - what is your ds's diet like? Does he poo regularly?

not the same circumstances but i would look into the constipation too. my nearly 10yr old wets at night and one of the first things the incontinence clinic asked me was whether she had or has problems with constipation as it can irritate the bladder and make it twitch and leak urine. google will explain it better than that

we were also advised to get her to have a wee, count to ten and try again. which works very well for her. cab your school nurse refer you to the incontinence clinic?

to answer your original question though, the clinic made out to us that actually wetting is a lot more common than anyone would think.

He eats well, good appetite, lots of fresh fruit and veg, lots of variety.

For a while I think he was eating too much high-fibre cereal in the morning, having huge bowls of branflakes with milk. I know that's what's recommended for adults with constipation, but as he wasn't balancing it by drinking huge amounts of water I think it was bunging him up. Now he sticks to cheerios and cornflakes for breakfast, but he still gets lots of fibre from fruit and veg, and we use a variety of bread types, including wholemeal.

Provided he drinks enough, I think he's reasonably regular.