MatthewDL

I was a nightly bed wetter into my early teens before I started to have dry nights and yes, I wore diapers. I was the first in my family to wear disposable diapers (Pampers) from birth. My siblings were all 10-13 years older then me and Pampers were not around when they were babies. I wore disposables not only to bed, but on long car rides and plane trips, vacations, when I was home sick, etc., until I was around 13. I wore Pampers until Luvs and Huggies came out just a year or two before I outgrew them. After that it was George Disposables youth and adult diapers for the next 10 years. I think I was 8 or 9 when I started diapering myself at home. Before that my mom or sister diapered me. My Aunt continued to diaper me until I was 13 when she moved across the country. I was a nightly wetter into my early teens. I've always had a weak bladder and had terrible anxiety about wetting my pants without a diaper on. I was afraid to go places without a diaper for fear of not finding a bathroom in time if we went very far in the car or went shopping, etc. I was always looking for the nearest bathroom. By my middle teens I was having more dry nights then wet ones, but it never completely went away. I still have occasional accidents.

My school had a summer camp in 5th grade. I was really bummed that I wouldn't be able to go because of my bed wetting. All my friends were going and I didn't want to miss out but there was no way I would go and be humiliated by wearing diapers or wetting the bed while I was there. To my great relief, and everyone else's disappointment, the millage election failed that year and summer camp was cancelled when I was in 5th grade. I felt I dodged a bullet. Also, when my friends were going off to college, I stayed at home and went to community college for the first two years because there was no way I was going to live in a dorm room at University. After two years of community college, I transferred to University where I could rent my own apartment off-campus. Later, when I traveled with business, I had a company that wanted us to share rooms. On a couple occasions, I rented my own room rather than share with a co-worker. I would never be comfortable sharing a room with a man anyway. Other then those examples, I don't think being a bed wetter has interfered in my life. I have had excellent careers and traveled the world, I was married (and divorced) twice, and had a good number of girlfriends from my teenage years up through present.

I knew three other boys who were bed wetters. The boy who lived directly across the street from me and was a year older then me, another boy who lived a couple blocks away and then some years later, I found out the son of my mom's friend was a bed wetter when I went to stay with them at their cabin on the lake. My mom arranged sleep overs for me with the first two boys since our mom's all knew each other and talked. I knew the boy across the street. We played together often. I was 5 or 6 and he was 6 or 7 at the time I slept over his house. The other boy was autistic and he didn't talk much and didn't have any friends. After I stayed over one time at his house, I told my mom I didn't want to stay over there again. I feel bad about that today, because he had no friends, but I didn't know why he acted so oddly. I was too young to understand.

I'm a life-long bed wetter. I was a nightly wetter into my early teens before I started to have dry nights. It got better over the years but never completely went away. I still have occasional night-time accidents but most nights I wake up when I have to go. Some nights I wake up because I'm going, and some mornings I wake up in a wet diaper with no recollection of going during the night. Just always been that way. I went through several sleep studies over the years and even had surgery to correct sleep apnea in hopes it might help my enuresis, but to no avail.

Most nights I wake up when I have to pee. Some nights I wake up WHILE peeing. Some mornings I wake up in a wet diaper and have no recollection of going during the night. I was a nightly wetter into my early teens before I had started to have dry nights and it got better but never completely went away.

It's sad to read through these accounts and see how many were punished or abused for bed wetting. I guess I was very fortunate to have a loving and understanding family. My mom recounted to me about how she took me to the doctor at 4-1/2 because I was impossible to potty train and still in diapers. At age 3 I had meningitis and nearly died. The doctor told my mom that I may have suffered nerve damage from the illness and to be patient and give me time. She didn't try again until I was 6-1/2. I had a lot of accidents but eventually was able to hold it during the day. The night was a different matter. I was a nightly wetter into my early teens before I started to have more dry nights then wet ones. I never had "normal" control even during the daytime which led to anxiety about having accidents. I only wore diapers during the day for long car rides, vacations, airplane rides, or if I was home sick after age 6-1/2. I wore diapers every night and still do. My family was always supportive because they knew it was a medical issue and beyond my control. My three siblings were all 10-13 years older then me and very protective of their baby brother. I only really remember one time when my sister shouted at me for walking around the house in my diaper and I think that was because I embarrassed her because her friends were over. Otherwise, my family was very understanding, caring and loving. My Aunt also helped to raise me since both my parents worked long hours and by the time I was six, my siblings were all working or off to college. She was even more caring and understanding then my own family. She understood my anxiety better then I think my parents did.

There is a scene in the cult classic movie "Saturn 3" (1980) where Farah Fawcett appears in a white baby-doll nightie with what looks like a diaper on. They are panties, but they look like they are padded in the crotch. I was able to freeze-frame the scene and even my ex-wife agreed that she was wearing a diaper.

I play the ukulele. It's such a fun happy instrument. I don't play well, but I just love strumming them. I also have a really great collection of high-end ukuleles. If there are any players/collectors out there, let me know.