If you have been following my pee saga closely, you will have heard the various positions parents in the trenches have taken on this issue. Now let’s hear from those who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

As I mentioned over on the Adoptive Parenting blog earlier this week, I’ve found an online support group for sufferers of PTSD. They have graciously allowed me to be a part of their group, and have offered insights and connections that I might never have thought of. Here’s a sampling of what I’ve learned about the pee issue:

• One person told me that loss of bladder control is very common in young children with PTSD.

• Someone mentioned that the pee is a reaction to stress, a physiologic response, much like a panic attack is.

• In addition to nighttime training pants, other ideas were sanitary napkins, incontinence pants, pantiliners. Since I have asthma, having something smaller that isn’t as smelly as a full nighttime training pant was really a helpful tip. Additionally, the smaller size underscores its purpose as something designed to catch a few errant drops on your way to the toilet, not a portable potty, which has been our issue.

• One person said that sometimes they ‘fessed up to something being deliberate when it really wasn’t just because they were used to the “everything is my fault” role. This was an interesting point!

• Someone suggested that my daughter be a part of the solution. That having my daughter help will increase her self-esteem. We have had her do her soiled linen and clothing, something she has proven to be very good at!

No one stepped forward with a definitive “solution” assuming there is any such thing, but it was great to have insight and input from those who have “been there, done that” and are still doing so as best they can. I have such tremendous respect and admiration for these women and what they endure on a daily basis as they cope with this diagnosis.

DISCLAIMER: The foregoing are all opinions expressed on an internet bulletin board from individuals who are not licensed mental health professionals. I’m including them here, because, as people with PTSD, their insights proved invaluable as an adoptive parent “outsider” to this issue.

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