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Stomach Flu when you have Dementia

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Posted 12/26/2008 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
Today has been the lowest point of my caretaking duties. It all started when I came down with food poisoning Monday night. I threw up 7 times throughout the night then had the runs nonstop for 7 hours the day after. My mom sat by me pretty quietly not really knowing what was happening to me. Last night she got the runs too. She seemed pretty ok with it and just went with the flow going to the toilet when it was time.

Then this morning she got up and went to my room. She started to take out a magazine I had in there and I told her to go to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She then went to the living room instead and I noticed an awful smell on her. She had watery stool running down her leg and didn't even notice or care. The stuff was all over the carpet. I practically ran her into the shower to rinse her out and tossed out her clothes. I was so neausous from the smell and having to clean it off in 3 places. I then didn't want to take any chances of her having an infection and took her to the ER. Luckily they said it was just a flubug and gave her a prescription for Lomitil and sent us home 2 hours later. They had her in a diaper and I'm keeping her in it tonight. Can anyone recommend a brand that's lightweight and comfortable to wear. I hope to keep her in one for the next few days.

There is nothing worse that losing your bodily function or maybe there is. The person who have to clean you up. YUCK! Anyone with similar experience? Thanks.

 

Posted 12/26/2008 1:27 PM (GMT 0)
My Gma had an accident in her bedroom. She tried cleaning it up herself but ended up making a bigger mess before she told me. She left a strip of stool/diarhea about 6 foot long on her carpeted floor. She felt so horrible about it that I didn't get angry with her because obviosly she couldn't control it. But the stench was so awful!! And another time, she was prepping for a colonoscopy and she tried running to the bathroom. Diarrhea was running down her leg and onto the carpet in the livingroom before she made it to the bathroom where she had no control and it exploded into the hallway and in the bathroom. I had to clean it up and my husband cleaned the towels - but he ended up throwing up because of the smell. I think that as they get older, they don't view bodily habits like a regular person. My gma will start talking about her bowel and urine habits while we are in public such as a restaurant (until I shush her a bit lol)! My gma uses Depends underwear but I found that it doesn't do a very well job of keeping stool in - urine yes but not stool. But Depends have various types of diapers that may work better. Also too, they make adult size rubber pants that may help keep the mess in. Use a Depends with rubber pants and that might work.
Posted 12/26/2008 7:52 PM (GMT 0)

Yeah you definitely know what I'm talking about. At least your grandma was aware what was happening. My mom was so disoriented and walked around really carefree which made the situation so clueless. My mom once tried to poop in my sister's wastebasket in her bathroom and missed. My sister had to pick that sucker up too but at least it was in one piece and.... DRY. tongue

Most diapers are too bulky and she'll end up removing it herself. The most stressful thing about this is that she's not aware of it happening which is giving me a phobia now. It's not like a cold where you catch it and then it goes away. Pooping is a necessity of life and usually done daily.

Posted 12/26/2008 9:14 PM (GMT 0)
Also went thru the accidents with parents and I have had my own with the crohns
I wear depends ( pads)
Mom and Dad I put them on the Depends Diapers...
as well as got them covers for the beds.........

They cannot help it and they are so sad to have to see go thru this arent they
'
Hard on the loved ones too ..........


LYN
Posted 12/26/2008 9:54 PM (GMT 0)
The sad thing is that she's not aware that she did it or will do it again so no attempt to do it at the right place is what bothers me.  My mom won't wear depends. Funny but THAT she's aware of.

Posted 12/26/2008 11:06 PM (GMT 0)
Bella
They can lose CONTROL without knowing

It happens to many not just alzheimers ppl
I know I have dirtied myself and I had to have my teen daughter clean me up
I was so embarrassed and all I could do was say I was sorry............

THERE are some things yes they are aware of and mom was totally aware of the pads she despised them but it didnt take long for her to keep them on...........

I wish you all the best hun'

God Bless
LYN
Posted 12/26/2008 11:28 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sorry about your condition but like you said you knew after the fact and that you were embarrassed. My mom still doesn't understand why I've been scrubbing the carpet from the mess she made. That's the difference I'm talking about. History will repeat itself because it was never learned the first time around. My mom's not an invalid so she will continue taking off the diapers because she can do it and want to. She even prefers to go without underwear. tongue   Not so cute when you're 70.
Posted 12/31/2008 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
yes Bella but I am 55 and fully there in my mind and I have had to have my daughter clean me up
that is what embarrassed me........it will more than likely happen to me again due to the DD...........Crohns

YOUR mom is or sounds like she is reverting more and more back into childhood..........
How about the pull up panties for her

Let us know plz

YOUR mom has Alzheimers

I Pray you do not ever get this DD

Posted 12/31/2008 3:10 PM (GMT 0)

That's why dementia is bliss for the one suffering more so than the caregiver. You being of sound mind feels shame and embarassment for your daughter's cleanup but not my mom. Don't get me wrong, of course I'm not saying she's having a ball with this disease either. She gets very jumpy and scared and doesn't know why a lot of times and I know from personal experience with an Anxiety disorder that it's not fun.

This past week she's been wearing depends with the side strip that pulls off but she's been pretty good about keeping it on. She's been dry too so that's been a blessing. Being someone who likes to go light she will want to be back in her panties real soon. I just hope once she starts to poop again that she will go in the toilet and not in the diaper. That will be a whole new chapter and headache in my life.

Posted 1/1/2009 10:55 AM (GMT 0)
How about keeping an eye on her diet is that a thought and it may let you know what her body cannot hndle in the poop dept

LYN
Posted 1/1/2009 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
She's been eating her regular food for days now but now she hasn't had a bowel movement since Saturday when she had the runs. I gave her cereal this morning with Rice Dream instead of milk to get her off of dairy. I'm just afraid she's lost touch with going #2 when she gets the sensation and holds it in until she explodes again.

Posted 1/2/2009 12:03 AM (GMT 0)
That is quite a possiblity and if in fact she has she will not know if it will or is happening again

A Loving Daughter......LYN




Posted 2/6/2009 1:41 PM (GMT 0)

The Nuerologist prescribed Bactrim for my mom's UTI. She's suppose to take it twice a day for 7 days. I started the first dose Wed night. She got up at 2 in the morning and peed right there in the hallway between our bedrooms. I stepped right into it when I got up when I heard her walking around. To be on the safe side I'm only going to have her take it at night. The last thing I need is to have her disoriented at the daycare center. On Tuesday night she peed in the trashcan in the bathroom. The liner had a hole so her pee leaked right into the carpet. It smells like chemical. So now there are 2 places with that odor.

Her bowel movement has been practically non exsistent. She may go once every 4 days and they are always hard and few. I wonder if giving her rice dream in place of milk is doing it. She eats prunes and bran cereal daily as well as yogurt and plenty of fruits and vegetables. She eats very little meat.

Finally her doctor prescribed Ambien which I have yet to give her. She's up at least 3 times a night and I've had less than 3 hours of sleep nightly. This doesn't ever get easier or better.

Posted 2/6/2009 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
People with AZ and who take sleep aids, well it can work either way. When my grandmother fell and broke her arm, she was on vicodin which in turn caused massive episodes of dementia. I called her family doctor because she was waking up at all hours of the night, not getting any rest nor were we because we had to help her back in bed because of her broken arm. He recommended we try an otc sleep aid. I stopped her vicodin and just gave her Tylonel. The first night she took the sleep aid, it did the complete opposite. It made her more awake and more jittery. She would not sleep at all while on a sleep aid. I asked her doc about this and he said that the chemical balance in her brain is messed up which is why she had the opposite effect with the sleep aid. So I just wanted to warn you that Ambien, which is notoriously known for causing sleep walking, driving or doing strange things to a person with an amnesia affect, may do the opposite to your mother.  Meaning that if Ambien can do this to a healthy normal individual, it can make matters worse for your mother.
Posted 2/8/2009 12:34 AM (GMT 0)

As I recall my mother slept well with Tylenol PM but being that it is still a pain reliever and my mother has no pain I didn't feel it was right for her to keep taking it. My cousin who's an Anethesiologist said Tylenol is notorious for causing liver damage in countless people.

I gave her half a 5mg of Ambien last night and she didn't sleep through the night. I'm afraid of giving her the full dose because of all the negative stuff I've heard.

She's still not going #2. Honestly I prefer this to diareha. I hope the Bactrim won't do just that.

Thanks for the warning about Ambien. What is a safe and useful sleep aid for dementia people?

Posted 2/8/2009 3:26 PM (GMT 0)
Tylonel is perfectly safe unless taken in high doses and for long periods. Also too if a person has liver issues to begin with then it is not that safe. As for the sleep aid, I'm not really sure. This is something you will have to ask her doctor. I know their brain chemicals aren't typical so they may or may not respond as a normal healthy person would.
Posted 2/8/2009 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
I wish her doctor was that informed. She keeps prescribing things that my mom shouldn't be taking. Honestly, unless a doctor is your own personal physican I don't think they really give a crap. Speaking of which... my mom still hasn't gone. I am going nuts with worry that she will be totally blocked up.  I'm not sleeping and every thing she does is driving me insane. I've threatened to kick her out many times and all she does is dare me. She's constanlty turning on the faucets and letting the water run. She draws her face with lipsticks and lipgloss and toothpaste in her newly washed and coiffed hair from the hair salon. She takes all the pillow cases off and bedsheets. I challenge anyone who thinks other illneses are worse than Dementia for the caregiver.

Posted 2/16/2009 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
I gave my mom the whole tablet of Ambien last night and made her sleep in depends just in case she pees while she's fully asleep. She slept for about 6 hours straight and snored like crazy but also was mumbling in her sleep. Since she starts sleeping before 9 she was awake at 3 which didn't help me much since I don't go to bed until 10 to 10:30. There were urine stains in her diaper so she did pee in it while she was sleeping. I think it will be pretty expensive to make her wear one nightly if I'm to have take Ambien nightly.

Posted 2/16/2009 1:52 PM (GMT 0)
It's expensive to keep them in depends but you need to ask yourself, do you want to clean up the mess? :) Does she seem better after having 6 hours of sleep? Is there any way to keep her up until around 9:30 or 10 so that way you are getting the same amount of sleep as her?
Posted 3/21/2009 12:08 AM (GMT 0)

Update on Ambien. My mom isn't exactly sleeping through the night but she is snoring which means she's in a deep sleep with it. She still gets up to pee throughout the night even after she's taken Ambien.

I took her to get an MRI 3 weeks ago. She wouldn't stay still because the loud noise was bothering her. I ended up holding her hand and rubbing her leg the whole time. I was wondering if I was getting the MRI too. When the got her out of the tunnel she was crying and her face was beet red. Afterwards she was smiling and laughing like a kid when we got to leave the place.

Today she had her teeth cleaned at the dentist. She refused to open her mouth wide enough for the x-rays to be taken so now she has to live with the 2 cavities in her mouth because without the x-rays the dental office has no proof to bill Medicare.  What can I do?  The dentist and assistant were quite annoyed with her for fidgeting so much during the cleaning. I wish doctors of all fields would take classes in having some patience and sympathy instead of acting like we're wasting their money making time.

Posted 3/21/2009 10:04 PM (GMT 0)
A person with dementia has a tougher time when they have any type of infection,they seem worse.......

...Thanks Snowy.............. turn .....Nothing Truer IMHO

Post Edited By Moderator (Howlyncat) : 3/28/2009 10:44:03 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/22/2009 8:57 PM (GMT 0)

She was at the same dental office over a year ago. At that time it was an older dentist who kept chit chatting with the young pretty dental assistant which made my mom really nervous from all the excess talking. I asked him to stop and he did for about a minute and then continued. I complained to the office manager and told her we need another dentist for the next time. I took my mom 3 Saturdays in a row to get her teeth cleaned and had multiple fillings done. At least then she still held still but this time she wouldn't cooperate at all. I am very worried about what's to come as she progresses....

Yesterday she took a blanket and walked around the house with it. I told her to leave it in the living room so she wouldn't dirty it. It became a tug of war with her when she wouldn't let go. I finally grabbed it from her and she accidentally scratched my face missing my eye by a fraction of an inch. I got so mad I called her the f*& b word and told her I wished she was dead. She got really scared and went to her room. I then started to cry really hard and got a flash back of my life the last 6 years and how much longer will this last.  How did my youth escape me?

Posted 3/23/2009 9:33 PM (GMT 0)
Bella
I am sorry
I am not going to say anything except this
I have lost both my parents to this and I am always asking WHY could I not have had ONE more day........

You have to be able to take the place of the parent in this DD and some ppl can just not do it
Plz look for help
This is not the way she should be treated
She has a dememtia..........she has to be afraid.........

Plz see a neuro with her maybe that would be better and get some Community Care in there before things could get out of hand

LYN
Posted 3/23/2009 10:10 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't mean to make myself sound like a mom abuser. Good thing about dementia is that she forgets quickly. I am the only person who takes her to all her doctor appointments. They are all aware of my situation and know it's a tough call but it's one I have to deal with alone. My one wish in life now is to die a minute before my mom so I won't have to see her go and yet I won't have to deal with the depression that will follow me afterward. I was and am always very close with my mom. We certainly have role reversal now. I always clung to her as a child and now she's doing the same thing to me. Everything always comes back in circles huh?
Posted 3/24/2009 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
I cannot comment on this as I got a bit upset with your post and I dont want to say anything out of line at this time
'I will post tomorrow
LYN
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