Use of DDAVP

[dmom]

My daughter is 13 years old and has always & still struggles with bed wetting.  She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 1.5 years ago. Her endocrinologist does not believe the wetting has to do with her diabetes.  If her blood sugars are high before she goes to bed we can almost be 100% sure she will have a wet bed, but most times her sugars are in range and she might still wet.  She has also gone through many test on her bladder and all is normal. My question is I have asked her endocrinologist to prescribe DDAVP for her to take during several camps she has this summer. He will not because of a chance she could have a seizure.  I can't remember the exact reason but it does have to do with her diabetes and how DDAVP interact in a diabetic's body.  He said the chance is very low, but possible.  Could you give me your thoughts on a Type 1 diabetic using DDAVP.  Years ago before she was diagnosed with diabetes she took DDAVP for a week of camp and it worked great.
Thank you!

[JDRF-Team-gg]

Dear DMom,
I am the Mom of a 16 year old girl who has had diabetes since she was 21 months old.  I am not a medical professional, so any information that I pass on to you should be verified with your daughter's healthcare team.

The response that you received from JDRF Team LRS, was full of great information and I only want to add a couple of my own thoughts!

My daughter did experience bed wetting past the typical age also.  Our endocrinologist also stated that having diabetes was not a possible reason for it and I didn't buy it either!  I remember bringing her to Diabetes Camp and packing a couple of bed pads that we put on her bed at camp (very discreetly, I might add!).  We notified the councelors and asked them to please have her go to the bathroom when they did their 3am bg checks on the kids.  Luckily, she didn't have a problem while she was there.  One of the most important things that I can tell you is to be careful of how you react to the accidents when they happen.  My husband and I never discussed the situation with my daughter, as we felt that this was something that she could not control and that there was no point in making her feel bad about it.  One of us would take her to the bathroom, while the other one would change her sheets, and then just put her back to bed.  Some children's bodies have not matured enough to make it through the night and there is nothing that you can do to change this.  My daughter was a little later than most girls at alot of things.  Her major growth spurt did not occur until the age of 14 and she is still growing!  I truly believe that her having diabetes has been a part of this.  I am not familiar with the medication that you spoke of, but perhaps you should go back to the physician who originally perscribed it if you wish to have your daughter take it.  At 13, the damage that having an accident can do to her self image, may be worth the risks.  This is a tough decision you need to make and I wish you well with it.  Tell your daughter to have a ball at camp!

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Hello DMom,
I can imagine the stress and embarassment that your child may feel.  I'm not a physician (none of us is a physician here), but did find some potentially useful information -- much of it was news to me, but since you've been dealing with bed-wetting for years, it may not be news to you.

This site:
http://www.bedwetting.ferring.ca/parents/treatment/index.html
was very helpful with tips 'n' techniques.  Since your daughter checks out "just fine" medically, it may be fruitful to work with her on the behavioral/emotional aspects of bed-wetting.

Sometimes our kids are yearning for "something" that they cannot verbalize.  They may feel scared, lonely, stressed about family dynamics or pals, or or or.  Some kids yearn to be comforted and to have some types of attention that they feel they aren't getting otherwise.  Sometimes yearning for attention &/or control can result in behaviors like bed-wetting.  If there's a stress/emotional component to the cause, it seems to me that that component will escalate as the child gets older and is still bed-wetting.

On the issue of giving your child a med that the endo advises against ... You might seek out the advice of another pediatric endo.  It may be that the opportunity to go to camp & to feel successful & happy there can also be part of a concerted effort at home (along the lines of the suggestions on that website) to allow her to function without the meds.

I wish you both well.  I'm sure this situation is difficult.  If you're willing to share more, I'd appreciate reading about how you choose to progress, too.