This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

This is really humiliating. Two nights ago I woke up because I was wetting the bed. I am 29 and haven't wet the bed since I was a little kid, so needless to say I was shocked and utterly humiliated. But after a while I started thinking that since I have been having major problems with my legs (weakness, unsteadiness, tingling burning sensations etc) this can't all be a coincidence. I read somewhere that urinary incontinence is a sign of MS, so I was wondering has anyone else had this problem? And what's the best solution to prevent it?

I always woke up but a few times I woke up with only a minuate to spare and couldn't make it out of bed so I pee'd the bed. I was only 27, living with a "friend" who's so immature that he has to tell everybody about it. My humiliation. I have more stories if you want. So your not the only one

Thanks. I was utterly humiliated, and still pretty depressed about it. Nice to know I'm not the only one.

Hopefully it doesn't happen again any time soon.

I wear depends, watch what I eat and drink knowing each sip or byte is gonna get closer to toliet use

Well, jml, maybe you'll feel a little better if you check out this link to a whole thread about some of our most public and embarrasing elimination episodes.

http://www.thisisms.com/ftopicp-65277-.html#65277

Plus, there's a little advice in it, too.

had the same issue many of times...when this happened I have found that I was having a relapse...this is just me...maybe call your doc. asap to make sure this is not an exacerbation???/

I will wet the bed every night if I don't cath before bedtime. Screwed up bladders and incontinence are very common symptoms.

Well I have not yet been diagnosed, but since I just started getting another round of leg problems, balance issues, blurriness in my left eye, and now bedwetting.... I'm thinking it's pretty strong evidence that I do have MS.

I cannot imagine having to cath every night for fear of bed wetting. Is that common with MS patients?

Hey Jml, sorry you've had this happen you, not nice.

I don't cath every night because it doesn't work for the bladder issue I have (my brain thinks it needs to go, but there is no urine there) but using a cath is really not a big deal - I thought it was - it sounds, well, it sounds bad. My MS nurse showed me how to use it, bit embarrasing, but it was ok, she's seen all sorts! But the reality is that if you are using 'Intermittant self-catheterisation' ISC for short, you just put the tube in (no discomfort and very quick) and take it out again, so you don't wear a bag overnight or anything. No one need know you're using ISC, the tube is in an applicator and you just click it open, use the ISC cath, it goes into the loo, and 3 mins later you're done.
Hope the symptom doesn't come back - and it is linked to MS leg problems, it hints at your lesions being in the spinal cord. This is where mine are too (as well as the brain ).

I began to have bladder problems about 4 years ago as my symptoms worsened - SPMS since 2005. Frequency, some accidents during day and then at night. When I started LDN in 2008, the first improvement I noticed was that I no longer had problems with continence.

Gradually other symptoms lessened but previous MS difficulties will come back if you do too much and get overtired or stressed or have an infection. Usually if these problems are addressed, with rest and meditation your symptoms will go back where they were before.

Hope this helps.

jml945 wrote:Well I have not yet been diagnosed, but since I just started getting another round of leg problems, balance issues, blurriness in my left eye, and now bedwetting.... I'm thinking it's pretty strong evidence that I do have MS.

I cannot imagine having to cath every night for fear of bed wetting. Is that common with MS patients?

I think I read somewhere that it is the most common MS symptom after Optic Neuritis. It sucks ass, but cathing really is no big deal. Once you get to the point where you have to cath, it's a giant relief actually as it allows you to NOT piss the bed. Not to mention how liberating not waking every half hour is. The first night I cathed I slept almost 7 hours continuously after not having more than a couple before that for years. Cathing is so benign it's not even funny. All the anxiety and thoughts of how it's going to feel are all in your head. It's like Pepto Bismol with me. I can't force myself to want to drink that pink shit, but once you have it down, it's like "that wasn't so bad!". That's what cathing is like. It was TOTALLY liberating for me and gave me much more freedom and allowed me to get some rest. But up until that I feared it and looked on that as a boat anchor I was going to have to wear. If, we hope not when, you ever have to do it, you'll be happy those things are out there!

Well I haven't had an accident at night since I posted this, thankfully. Which is a good thing since I spend Easter weekend at my inlaws house and it would have been a really awkward situation if I peed all over their bed. I guess it helped that I urinated every night before bed whether I had to or not (which I generally do anyways). What's funny is the incident I had was on the weekend when I was taking a nap.

Also, you say that optic neuritis and incontinence are the two most common symptoms, which is funny because during this same time (as we speak even) I have had increased burriness in my left eye. It seems to come and go, and I often get it when I am having other issues... Haven't been diagnosed with ON yet but what else could it be?

hum, interesting to read that sx get worse with stress, fatigue or infection... I cannot even imagine that those symptoms are related to an actaul lesion (wether it is in the brain or spine) as I do not see the lesion waking up or going to sleep depending on the amount of stress...

Filmmaker wrote:hum, interesting to read that sx get worse with stress, fatigue or infection... I cannot even imagine that those symptoms are related to an actaul lesion (wether it is in the brain or spine) as I do not see the lesion waking up or going to sleep depending on the amount of stress...

Stress is SO tied to symptom flare ups it's not even funny. I don't think it's a correct analogy to visualize your lesions 'waking up or going to sleep'. The three things talked about (stress, fatigue and infection) actually ARE the biggies in terms of making symptoms flare up. When an MS patient gets sick (cold or flu, etc) it is so much worse than when you would get sick before. Plus fatigue will make literally every symptom I have worse until I get rested.

yeah, stress and cold or flus activate the immune systeme so the "auto immune" component of MS make ssx worse but it has nothing to do with disease progression itself....