Occassional incontinence

[swilkinson]

 

 

Ray had an "accident" yesterday while we were out shopping. Ray told me he wanted to go to the toilet, I made a run for it but he didn't make it to the toilet in time and wet his trousers. I came home as quickly as possible.

He hasn't needed padding up to go out til now, although did have a few episodes of urgency after stroke no 3.

Does he need retraining, padding up for outings, what? Any help would be welcome here.

Sue.

[VickiR]

Sue,

When I take Mom out, I always have her wear a "belted undergarment". I buy them at WalMart and they work out to $.25 each - an incredibly small price to pay for Mom's dignity and my sanity. (She has occasional leaks and is more prone to them if she's distracted - ie. company is over or we're out shopping.) Bonus is, becase of the way they fit, they help some with bowel incontinence too. Best wishes to you.

 

Peace & Love,

Vicki

[Guest joy]

Sue, I keep a "diaper bag" in the car every time we go out anywhere. I never know when Hans will have an accident. I have a clean diaper, wipes, small plastic bag, bed pad and clean clothes. He wears sweats so they do not wrinkle that bad. It has come in handy several times. I can usually find somewhere to lay him down and get him changed. If he has an accident in the grocery store or Wal Mart, we just get checked out and come home but at the Dr.'s offices, I can always lay him down and get him changed. People are so understanding and we have never had a problem with anyone making comments or embarassing him in any way. They are just very helpful.

[swilkinson]

Thanks VickiR, Joy and Michael. We have the underwear and use it for travelling. Ray did go through this in 2001 for a while, but then he got control again and I guess I thought that was going to be for ever.

I will set up a "diaper bag" and keep it in the car and got back to elastic waisted gear for summer so it is easier to change.

With the continuing strokes it is like we go around in circles, eating problems, swallowing problems, continence problems all seem to start again with the next stroke and gradually ease back (if we are lucky) . It is just a matter of going back and starting again.

Sounds easy when I say it like that.

Sue.

[Guest fostermabld]

as stroke survivor I've gotten in the habit simply always pee every chance I get

tosave distance always use the handicap parking space definitely get a permit for handicap talk to the local state representative or however get the permit.

You don't want over-restrict fluid intake that can cause serious problems. I would check with urologist and insure no problem other than mobility speed

problems I wish you best of luck to the brave caregiver andsurvivor

[Bil]

Sue,

 

I had bad problems when I was in a car, especially for a long drive -- an hour was like an eternity. I always thought it was the Dilantin I was taking. I remember one day I went to a long weekend to an resort for two hour drive and there were no stops on that expressway. I had two accidents and was embarrassed when I walked into the lobby.

 

From that moment on, I decided to use a lavoratory in the car: a plastic gallon where it used to be for water and it became my pee gallon. I no longer take Dilantin but still I have problems for long drives. What I do now is to not drink where I am going and, even if its close to a mall or supermarket, I pee before I get into the car.

 

Bil

 

[swilkinson]

I am just adding to this as we now use the belted undergarment for all days out. I also carry a change of trousers if we are out for the whole day just to be safe and a few other things, like baby wipes. Luckily there are disabled toilets in most shopping centres now so finding somewhere to change isn't the problem it used to be.

 

I guess it is probably just another situation we will get used to given time. Ray has just had another fall too. things were really good there for a while.

 

Sue.

[swilkinson]

Today I took Ray to our local doctor again about Ray's increasing urinary incontinence and he suggested doing an ultrasound on Rays kidneys, bladder and urethra just to eliminate that as the problem.

 

Does anyone else have kidney and bladder problems as a result of strokes and diabetes? If so what treatment has your doctor recommended?

 

Sue.

[jwatrous]

Sue - retraining won't help here as once a stroke happens, damage is done, and in this case its probably best for him to wear protection - I do for occ. times when I won't make it -

Poise has some pullons for women and some for men - check walmart for cheapest price as

by wearing protection, he can just go when he has the urge to the bathroom, but god forbid if he can't make it, he wont get embarrassed by wetting - this is awful as its happened to me

GOOD LUCK

June

[jriva]

 

June,

 

That's not entirely true. My husband was incontinence for about a month and a half post stroke and with an ultrusound device to check when the bladder was full, they (the aids at sub-acute) were able to retain him to listen to his body signals again. So I don't want to leave the impression that once a stroke and incontinence happens, it will never get better. There are a lot of variables involved and what is true for one person, may not be true for another.

 

 

Sue,

 

Good luck with the testing. Maybe they'll find some minor thing that will explain the problem and be fixable.

 

Jean

[chrisratty]

Yes Jean, what you have said about incontinence after a stroke is true, it can improve over time. Trev was doubly incontinent at times after his stroke. But gradually his continence has improved, until he only has an accident if he can't get to a toilet in time.

 

I do believe though his incontinence of urine was mainly due to his indwelling catheter was left in far to long at his first stroke unit.

 

chris xx

 

 

[Guest MelBaker]

Hi Sue - I have occasional issues now, I have improved since the total inconitinence after the stroke - rehab trained me to relisten to my bodyas Jean describes.....I take extra precautions now as I have discovered when I have the most problems.

If I'm going to be out more than three hours (on an outing, doc appts, shopping) I go ahead and wear the Depends products and bring along extras with wipes (I have switched to using a "backpack" purse to carry these along with all the other junk we females carry in our purses - LOL

If it's for a shorter time and I know I won't get as distracted (church, walking to the post office) then I'l just wear a Poise pad.....

 

Hope this helps

Good luck and God Bless - I know how disheartening and embarrassing it can be - on the brighter side - at least you know things are working and not staying in the body whivh i a much worse issue :hug:

[fking]

My solution is a urinal on my night stand and I'm 10 feet from the bathroom door. If I can't make it, I got my pee can in my hand. Yea, I've spilled it on the carpet a couple times without using my cane, but after that I use a dim nite lite to see my way.

 

I can hold the urinal by the handle and my cane with the same hand as long as I can see where I'm going. When my wife rearrange the bed room furniture, I walk into the wall trying to find the bathroom door.

 

The next best thing is a plastic runner on the floor, but has to be taped down to the carpet to prevent falls. The other thing is for him not to wait until the last minute when he's pushed. That's my solution.

[jriva]

.

 

 

 

Have you tried setting an alarm for part way through the night so you can help Ray with the urinal at the bedside then? It works for little kids to keep them from wetting the bed. Maybe without such a full bladder in the morning you can avoid the issue of him not getting to the bathroom in time then. They also have special underwear with padding built right into them. If the early morning is the worst time for this issue, it might be time for him to start wearing something like that at night.

 

Jean

[swilkinson]

Fred, thanks for your practical advice. I wish we had our toilet closer but building an on-suite to our bedroom was never a priority which I now regret as it would be so handy. He has to walk about thiry feet and that was obviously too far this morning when he was still half asleep.

 

Jean, he has been able to manage so far with the urinal but now maybe it is time to go into night pads. I was hoping to hold off on that for a while but things seem to be going faster now.

 

For those of you where the caregiver and survivor don't have incontinence don't get worried that this will happen to you. Ray has a few problems that have aligned to cause it at this stage. For most of you it will never happen.

 

I am hoping tomorrow, which is Ray's 64th birthday will be a much better day.

 

Sue.

[jwatrous]

From experience I can tell you that the damage is done after a stroke, and retraining won't help - Its :blush: not his fault, so when going out, have him wear some sort of a pad for men, they have them, and are worth their weight in gold -

I am 20 years post stroke, am female, must wear protection, just in case, and no amount of training will heal a neurogenic bladder [damage done from stroke] - sad, but this damage is forever

June :cheer:

[arogers]

Sue,

 

Bill just recently had an ultrasound of his bladder -post-urination. He was found to have about 142 cc residual urine. The nurse who did the test said that was good because with their post-stroke patients in rehab they are happy with anything under 200 cc.....Then the doctor came in and said, oh no - he IS retaining urine because in a healthy person not much over 40cc remains......He is not taking Flomax (I think that's what it's called). Since he's in the hospital I don't know how the nights are going.

 

My solution for the dribbles is to insist Bill wears underwear - not the shorts that are "loose" at night, because at least there is some absorbency there and he can get to the bathroom. Unfortunately, he's never been able to handle the urinal himself. I have taken to putting it on the night stand and some nights when I'm way to bleary-eyed at least I can roll over and help him with that bed-side until I wake up enough to take it to the bathroom. (Probably TMI but, hey, we're all family here!!)

 

Anyway, you know we've been struggling with the "sprinkling", "showers" and "downpours" too. Our other challenge has been a pour aim....It's so hard not to become frustrated at 3 in the morning. I've just tried to remind myself that it isn't intentional......(With a poor "rememberer" it's pretty hard to retrain a guy to sit instead of stand to get the job done!)

 

It's all so complicated, isn't it?

 

God bless.

[Guest MelBaker]

Ray had an "accident" yesterday while we were out shopping. Ray told me he wanted to go to the toilet, I made a run for it but he didn't make it to the toilet in time and wet his trousers. I came home as quickly as possible.

He hasn't needed padding up to go out til now, although did have a few episodes of urgency after stroke no 3.

Does he need retraining, padding up for outings, what? Any help would be welcome here.

Sue.

 

Retraining, probably not.....new way of thinking on how to keep oneself dry and comfy , yes. When I know it's goin to be a long day, I go right before we leave, put on a pair of the Depends that are the undergarment kind (sso that no one else has to assisy=t mr). I then carry a big gallon sze Ziploc bag with spare undergarments and the "travel" size baby wipes.... They are all about the same size - will fit comfortably in most purses or in the glove box......for longer trips my DH found me a sunflower covered makeup kit type thingthat zips open and closed and can be placed under the front seat......

 

At night I also use the disposables but combine it with a disposable cloth to lay on - you can get the washable kind as well.......If the distance is an issue, as well as his confidence, I would go with Fred's suggestion of a bedside urinal or commode......... :2cents:

[jwatrous]

Sue, sorry, but once a stroke survivor has bladder trouble, no amount of retraining can help as the damage was done at time of stroke, and your best bet is to have him wear protection, and have a secret code, where he tells you when he has to go, and moving slow myself from a stroke, he may need to get there sooner, sorry, but there's not too much that can be done

And, of course, course, I eliminate unnecessary liquids

June

[Katiedid]

Related question--I could do with your help on this one. J has a urinal that he uses at night, but there seems to be some small leftover leakage afterwards that causes a horrible rash on his upper legs. Every morning I help him wash and apply a barrier cream, but the rash has persisted and is getting worse. The antifungal creams that the doctor prescribed have made no difference at all and perhaps make things worse.

 

Any of you have this battle with skin care? What's your strategy?

 

T

[swilkinson]

I would think a little pile of tissues by the bed, maybe four folded in half to act as a "blotter" might work, or even small cloths e.g pieces of old bedsheets cut to a suitable size that could be used. We see to cope so well when it is babies and so poorly when it is adults with the problem.

 

Regarding the rash you might like to speak to a dermatologist or even ask at your local pharmacy to maybe trial a few ointments and creams. What suits one will often not suit another. And maybe a pediatric nurse might have some good advice as rashes are a problem with babies too.

 

I wish my Dad were here as I know he had the problem and would go into the bathroom and wash himself off if he felt he needed to. By the time he was here with me I had a pile of old towels cut down that he used and then I disposed of but this would be a costly long-term solution.

 

Sue.

[kristina38]

June perhaps in your case this was true but my Mom had a catheter for over a year and we managed to bladder train her again. For the last eight months of her life she used a bedside commode for all her toileting. We did wear depends in case of any leakage or accidents but she did remarkably well. I really think it depends on the actual cause of the incontinence, sometimes it's the meds or simply muscle loss that can be regained via kegel exercises. Mom used kegels to regain control and it WORKED.

Kristina

[jwatrous]

Sue -

this is very embarrassing for him - now, for times he goes out, please don't chance it - have him wear protection - I wear pull-on panties just in case -

They have so many options today, there is no need to be caught short, and if he is like me, he cannot run to the bathroom so let us get him protection - walmart has good prices on these

June :cheer:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

[kanderson]

i happen to know first hand that re-training does work. we did it all the time in the nursing homes i used to work in, they call it b&b training. also nothing to drink after 6pm also helps for the night problem, they also have medication now to help the bladder completely empty itself each time you urinate. there are also pads you can buy to put on the bed, in case of spills or dribbles so the whole bed doesn't have to be changed. the pads are called chux. rashes can sometimes be caused,especially if they are wearing incontinence items from lack of air getting down there, the heat and moisture and bacteria trigger a rash. just had to add my two cents and knowledge. also make sure the area is cleaned and dried very well. hope this helps. kimmie

[Katiedid]

Thank you! The towel pieces might just do the trick. Will try it and see!

 

T

 

 

I would think a little pile of tissues by the bed, maybe four folded in half to act as a "blotter" might work, or even small cloths e.g pieces of old bedsheets cut to a suitable size that could be used. We see to cope so well when it is babies and so poorly when it is adults with the problem.