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Maryl08

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Joined
Jan 16, 2016
Messages
45
Reason
Lost a loved one
Diagnosis
12/2015
Country
US
State
WA
City
Seattle
Everything seems to going wrong all at once in the past couple weeks. My mom lost use of both her legs (we are getting a hoyer lift) and we were just starting to nail down a new routine for that.

However yesterday I notice she was unable to pee all day. We took her to the bathroom 3 times per her request and each time she could not pee. I finally called the hospice nurse and she said it may be a neurogenic bladder. They came in and put in a catheter last night. Has anyone else had to deal with this and have suggestions on how to best take care of it?

Another issue we may be facing soon trouble with pooping. I took her to use the bathroom this morning and she was not able to get much out, pretty much nothing.
 
It could be a neurogenic bladder but start with the more likely possibility of a urinary infection! Get the nurse to bring a container for a urine specimen and get it tested. If it is an infection, get the catheter out. If her bladder is distended it could be neurogenic and there are meds for that. Either way, make certain she is getting enough water, at least four cups a day, preferably more water than other liquids. If she is choking and coughing on water the only solution is a feeding tube but that has to be her decision AFTER she has information about feeding tubes.

Rather than start off giving her laxatives, get a non-prescription stool softener such as Dulcolax or Miralax. By adjusting the dose to get to the best daily amount for her, you should be able to to keep the stool soft enough for her to go easily but not lose control. They can't work if her fluid intake is too little. She may need a laxative if she hasn't gone for several days, but in general save them until the stool softeners fail.
 
Thanks Diane! The nurse checked last week for a UTI but she didn't have one. She is already on a feeding tube so we can up her water intake. We're not suppose to give too much at once since she is at risk for aspiration if it comes back up.

The nurse just came and cleared her bowel up manually. She also gave her an enema to loosen everything up. She said her stool was pretty hard and pasty.. She also suggested we give her milk of magnesia tomorrow morning to flush everything out. The constipation could have been due to the morphine she took last week.
 
Well I think my mom will be pooping into a diaper full time now. We gave her some milk of magnesia and prune june to help soften the stool but now she is just constantly leaking poop out. I know, pretty visual. The good news is she's getting it out. The bad news is she still can't push it out even if we put her on the toilet.
 
Mary, try adding something like Benefiber to her medications. I give Gary a dose three times a day along with liquid stool softener. He goes regularly every other day. Now this sounds gross, but it works well for us: he "hovers" over pads (or you could use a bedpan) on the bed in a sling (hoyer or ceiling lift, whatever you have). The position in the sling encourages elimination. Also, it puts him in the perfect position if a little massage for encouragement is needed and also for a thorough clean up. Yeah, we all lose our privacy on this one. Good luck finding a routine that works for her.
 
The milk of magnesia and prune juice add up to pretty strong stimulant laxative that will cause the constant leaking. A much better solution is a daily dose of a stool softener, NOT a laxative. Laxatives will just continue the leaking. Stool softener, once adjusted, will just make the stool soft, not liquid, and allow her to go without pushing. Normal peristalsis will provide the push needed for soft stool. Also, give her a warm drink before trying to go, and put a footstool under her feet so that her knees are up and she is in a semi-squating position. That is the natural position for bowel movements.
If the liquid stool continues with giving her stimulant laxatives, she may have a impaction which on liquid stool can get past. Another enema and removal may be necessary. If she stops eating or starts throwing up, she needs a doctor to get her meds to get rid of the impaction.
 
Hello, I thought that I'd share what works for us!
My Pals takes movicol ( stool softener) in juice morning & night. We added an enema every second day.
Now we ad benefibre once per week to juice.
My Pals is completely confined to his chair. He has no movement at all, so toileting has taken a while to sort out.
We have also found that being up in the sling in the Boyer lift is great for passing gas!!
You have to have a chuckle every now and again!
Hope this helps you?
 
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