I have been umming and ahhing about writing this post about Ellie for a few weeks thinking is it too much of a private thing to post....Thinking what if I write this and in say 10 years someone finds it and people take the mick out of Ellie....What if a parent from school see's it and tells there child and she's bullied for it....I've thought long and hard about posting this and obviously decided to post it as you're reading it!....
Ellie has always done everything in her own time....Usually a lot later then the guidelines say and we used to worry about her but now she's nearly six we're used to it and just let her get on with it and stuff the guidelines....
Well apart from the one issue we've had with her over the last three or so years!!
When Ellie was about two and a half we started to potty/toilet train her....Like any child she had accidents and we thought nothing of it....Like I said she has always done everything in her own time so we weren't worried....
When she started nursery she was still having accidents.... We put it down to the fact she was late in being toilet trained and have always made excuses for her saying things like 'she had it tough having open heart surgery just before her 2nd birthday' or 'she only started nursery 4 days after her 3rd birthday and was forced out of nappies....
Nearly everyday she came home with different pants on after having an accident at nursery....We'd tried sticker charts & sending her to the toilet every half hour but she would still wet herself....
She wasn't wearing nappies at all and was always dry all night!! I didn't want to go back to putting her in nappies and thought it was just a phase...She'd grow out of it!
The summer holidays before she started reception class (she was nearly 4) we got in touch with the health visitor who came out to see her....She suggested sticker charts, lots of praise & not a lot else....Which we'd already tried!! She said she's still young and has been through a lot so give her time....
We gave her time....
A few months ago it got to the point where she was wetting herself at school everyday at least a couple of times and them at home too...One Saturday I stopped counting after the fifteenth time she's wet herself...
We went to the doctors.....Who I could of slapped at the time.....He didn't listen to us as Ellie was coming down with a cold and said that could be the cause! He tested her urine and said she had a water infection....Come back in a week with another sample...I was a bit irate as having a water infection did not cause her to wee as much as she did!!
We went back the next week and the new sample was fine and he said go and see your health visitor who can offer advice even though I said we had seen her....Off I went and she said they don't deal with children over 5! So she referred us to the school nurse.....Nothing like been given the run around!!
We got a phone call a few weeks later off the health visitor saying she'd spoken to the school nurse and she advised us to go back to the doctor and she would write a letter to explain to him what should be done.....
So back to the doctors we went....
He explained to us as simply as he could that he thinks that Ellie's bladder is having spasms and releasing urine every time it has one of these spasms he would give her a tablet to have each day which will relax the bladder so she can feel when she actually needs a wee....He gave us just over a months worth of the Oxybutynin tablets and told us to come back in four weeks!....
She has to take half a tablet twice a day....Morning and evening.....Ohhh and it's been fun trying to get her to swallow a tablet...We've had them blatantly spat out, spat back into the cup, hidden under her toungue & chewed up...
But they are working and we've had no side effects!!!
I think Ellie has only had about six accident's in the last three weeks!! We can live with that....I think it's more of a case of getting her used to going to the toilet when she feels she needs it now....She's never really felt the need to go to the toilet before this is all new to her but she's doing great!!
I don't know how long Ellie will be on these tablets....Hopefully it's not a long term thing....I know I don't want her taking them for the rest of her life....But for now they're are working!!!
We're all a lot happier....No stress thinking whether Ellie will wet herself when we're out, not as much washing to do, Ellie is happier as she's not getting stressed at for wetting herself! We have a happy house!!
Yay! Well done Ellie (and to you both too!). It must have been a very stressful time. I'm so glad you've got to the bottom of the problem now and that things are working out for the best! x
ReplyDeleteThank you!! It has been so stressful but now seems a big weight has been lifted! Thanks :)
DeleteAww, bless her. I'm really glad you got to the bottom of it (no pun intended) and she can now relax a little. It must have been very hard for her at school, children can be so mean. I hope it continues to work at least as well and that she grows out of it in time :)
ReplyDeleteThe kids at school have been great thankfully!! The teachers have been really discreet about it....Thanks :)
DeleteThat must be such a relief! My youngest is still in pull ups at 5, he is autistic, but it doesn't mean I don't feel your pain! Well done little one (and mummy for the unbelievable patience) x
ReplyDeleteYes it's such a huge relief! Aww thank you :)
DeleteI'm so pleased the Drs finally opened their eyes. Its so frustrating how they beat around he bush so much nowadays! Chuffed she finally got something to help her {and you guys!} x
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