Frequent Urination
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Frequent Urination
July 2008
My almost 5 year old is peeing every 5-10 minutes. This
started a few weeks ago when I noticed he was peeing every 1/2
hour or so. Since then the frequency has increased.I have
reviewed similar post on this subject from 2004, but am looking
for more feedback then that post got. We have taken him to the
doctor. He does not have a urinary tract infection and this is
not from diabetes. The doctor believes he has meatal stenosis.
Which is a narrowing (stenosis) of the opening of the urethra
at the external meatus. This constricts the opening through
which urine flows out. The doctor has suggested a wait see
approach and to do clear water baths to see if it goes away on
it's own. If not,surgury is required. We love out doc and
trust his advice. I would like to hear from other people with
this experience. Did it go away? Was surgery successful?
There are some articles saying that frequent urination can be
psychological. Has anyone experienced this? Any feedback will
be helpful. Thanks.
Our four year old son does the same thing, often peeing every
ten minutes. After serious consideration of the issue, I've
come to the conclusion that he's a stark raving lunatic. Like
all other children of his age. It comes and goes on a weekly
basis--sometimes he forgets that he needs to pee so much, and
sometimes he moons around dramatically bemoaning his sensitive
bladder and the fact that it prevents him from ever being able
to leave the house. I've decided to treat the condition with
benign neglect and gentle mockery, which seems to be working
quite well. Good luck; and tell him not to flush every time--
there's a water crisis on!
Missed the original post but my 5 yo daughter had this recently.
I researched it and apparently it is common in this age and is
caused by mild anxiety. My daughter's was triggered by telling
her I was going away for the weekend. It lasted on and off for
months but reading your post I realized it had subsided! I'm
hoping starting K soon doesn't bring it back. The only strategy I
used was being as reassuring as possible and trying not to make a
big deal out of it (hard to do when she was getting up 7 times in
a row at bed time).
this too shall pass
Feb 2008
About 2 weeks ago, my 6 1/2 year old daughter started urinating
frequently, at least once an hour (and I hear it's about every
1/2 hour at school). Our pediatrician advised me not to worry,
that some kids do this as a nervous habit. We've ruled out
diabetes as a concern, as she's overall very healthy and we
know that each trip results in very little pee. Any experience
with this or ideas on what could be causing it? She's
generally an anxious kid, otherwise there's no major stress or
upheaval in our lives.
many trips to the bathroom
Hi -- my daughter started doing the same thing at a similar age.
While I don't consider her an anxious child, she is an intense
child and feels EVERYTHING acutely. You pediatrician is right --
it will go away, but it is disturbing while you are going through
it, especially when we would be out and had to find every
bathroom everywhere. After a period of time, when she had to go
20 or 30 minutes after the last trip, I would say, ''We will be
home shortly; we're on our way.'' At first, she would panic and
yell, ''I REALLY have to go!!'' and I would very calmly say, ''If
you can't hold it, don't worry, honey, just do your best. There
is no potty right here.'' I tried not to say it with anger or
panic, just calm. She never had an accident, and this was after I
was sure that this was just a habit. I honestly think that as
soon as she felt any filling of her bladder, she perceived it as
really having to go. She is 10 now, and just fine! Good luck,
stay calm, and she will too.
sign me Potty Smart
You are smart to notice the connection between anxiety and
frequent peeing. My friend's son did this around age 5. The
best thing to do is COMPLETELY IGNORE the peeing. Just stop
saying anything about it. It will probably stop within a week or
two. P.S. You can look it up online, there is even a name for
it. Good luck!
Anon
I would be worried about a urinary tract infection or pin worm.
If you have ruled those out, I agree with the advice you've be
given. Frequent urination can lead to a smaller bladder size.
The bladder re-models over a period of time if it is only
carrying a tiny capacity all the time. So I'd check into these
other things and then if negative start behavior modification
trying to go with timed voids no frequent than every 2 hours.
Also, avoid bubble baths, make sure she is wiping front to back,
etc. These are suggestions, I don't know your daughter and any
more than you've mentioned in your e-mail. Good luck.
Elaine L. Pico, MD, FAAP, FAAPM & R
When I get nervous I have to pee alot.
Perhaps what you might want to consider is talking with her about her
nervousness
and encourage her and praise her when she is taking courageous things.
Read
some books on how to help her be less anxious. Also, ask yourselves if
you are
anxious people because she could pick up on your emotions and act them
out. It
sounds like just an opportunity to help your daughter to relax more.
Nanny in the know
Check for diabetes. This is one of the first symptom.
June 2004
my 4.5 y.o. son seems to pee constantly. He runs back and forth
to the toilet sometimes 10 times in an hour. each time he pees
only a little bit. Or he stands for a moment untill the pee
finally comes out, only a couple drops. This seems to really
frustrate him. He also does this when we are out, frequently
needing to stop on walks and pee in the bushes. We are having
his urine tested for diabetes and for a bladder infection, so I
have two questions: 1. is there anything else medical we could
be looking for? and 2. is this behavioral? Does anyone have
experience with this, and if it is behavioral, do we just wait
it out? Could he just be impatient and not want to wait untill
all the pee comes out? though to me that suggests a lot of
control if he can stop mid stream.... Any advice, medical or
anecdotal, would be appreciated. Thanks!
anon
Another problem that could perhaps cause behavior like that you
describe is vesico-ureteral reflux, in which urine backs up from
the bladder into the ureters and even the kidneys. My son had it
diagnosed while he was still in utero. It's worth asking whether
it is a possibility in your son's case, because a bad case,
untreated, can cause permanent harm to the kidneys, or even
destroy them both. Even if your son turns out to have a bladder
infection, and especially if it recurs, you should ask about
whether he might have reflux. It is a cause of urinary tract
infections, especially in boys, in whom they are otherwise quite
uncommon.
anon
My daughter also went through a spell of frequent urination at about
age 3.5. She tested negative! for a urinary tract infection. The
doctor said that children sometimes get fixated on the need to pee
often. He said that if you just think about going hard enough, it's
difficult not to have to go. He predicted it would pass after a while
and it did. I just didn't draw any attention to her behavior and made
it easy for her to go outside as needed. It took a couple of months
for the frequency to return to normal. Hope your situation is as
simple!
anon
Since Kindergarten began my six year old has developed a
"nervous bladder". Physically he's fine.....we had his blood
and urine tested and the doctors say eventually it will go
away and that it's not that uncommon. So far it hasn't
interferred too much with playdates although he's running in
to pee every 15-20 minutes. The good news is that he sleeps
right through the night...10 hours...without having to go.
We're not making a deal of it however I'd like to know if others
have gone through this and what we can do to encourage or help
him. Thanks
our daughter has the same problem. seems to be an issue when she
is anxious. our doctor advised us to let it run its course and it
seems, once she is back in a "comfortable place", it goes away.
good luck.
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