At this point, this is the issue that is the most problematic for me. After finding that Depends and some of the less expensive brands weren't doing the job, I researched and found that the Tranquility brand of adult pull-up underwear was highly rated and have been using them. They have a nice feel, don't rustle, and seem to work well most of the time, at least during the day. However, on the nights that my husband doesn't get up to go, or gets up to go but forgets to remove his underwear first, they overflow and leak.
I purchased washable mattress protectors from a medical supply place (thinking I'd get the best quality) and layer two on top of each other, but, when the underwear leaks, one or sometimes both also leak.
I'm at a loss to know what to do next so that I'm not washing bedding and PJ's every day. And, more importantly, I'm having to get my husband up at all hours of the night when neither one of us is particularly "with it" to get him in the shower and changed since he, his PJ's, and the bedding are soaking wet, and he can't stay that way through the rest of the night.
Any hints and advice from those of you who have dealt with this problem and found a better product/solution than I have would be appreciated.
I, also, use the Tranquility overnight underwear for my wife. By adding a booster pad she does not leak most nights. For the nights she does leak I have an absorbant pad under her. This saves the sheets. To avoid washing pajamas every day, she doesn't wear any - only the underwear. Since the combination of the overnight underwear and the booster pad hold 44 ounces of urine, I don't have to get her up during the night. She is in bed from 8 PM to 8 AM.
Marsh...thanks. I'm not quite sure why we're having this problem since the Tranquility brand does have a huge capacity, and during the day, they're fine. They weigh a ton when we take them off to change, so I know! Yet, the times when he leaks at night, the underwear feels amost dry, although everything else is wet. I wonder if it's more his position in sleep than the underwear or pads.
Any advice re the pads? I can't understand how they leak since one side is plastic!
We're not facing this YET, but I have read here that it is important to make sure his "equipment" is faced down in the briefs. not up. I'll see if I can find he other posts for you.
ac- boy do I know what you are going through-we had this for months-I tried every brand-. all the extra pads you put in them.All kinds of pads under him and DH was wet 2-3 times a night.i was up cleaning pee every night several times. Finally at my wits end I ask our DR. about the external cath-he said it was worth a try and for us it has been a lifesaver!! Medicare will pay on the cath if DR. ordered. I do not know if this will help you but as I say it has been great for us.
If you go to the top of this page, write in "incontinence" in the the search feature, all of the incontinence discussions will come up. LFL brought to the top the one with the most information.
LFL...LOL!! It's been awhile since I've been particularly "up close and personal" with his "equipment," and it never occurred to me to check out the "configuration." That will be my mission tonight...
bak...well, I guess I'm not the only one going through this. When I first mentioned this problem to our MD, he prescribed a medication to help empty my husband's bladder and told me that my husband would be "peeing like a racehorse!" GULP! I felt a bit perplexed since I'd certainly rather he didn't, but he wanted to rule out the potential problem of his bladder not emptying completely. We've discontinued the med since because it turns out that he has no problems in that department.
I hate to complicate our lives anymore with a cath since even using the electric toothbrush presents so much of a challenge that I have to help him with removing the base from the charger, placing the brush, applying toothpaste (NOT shaving cream...), etc. But, that might be the answer. We'll discuss that next visit...thanks for the advice.
ac the cath sounds tough-but if he sleeps through the night and does not get up on his own-it works ok. I just put my DH's cath on after he is asleep-just think of it as putting a condom on a sleeping man-sometimes a little easier than others.But well worth the effort. Our Dr. tried the meds too to make sure the bladder emptied-I tried to tell him if he pied anymore we would need a bigger pot. Good luck!
I must be missing something here...confused about the orientation of the equipment...I was not aware of this, and wondered how you could orient my dw when she was incontinent....Do men pee more than women?? I know that scientifically, women can hod their bladders three times longer than men, but is the quantity the same?? I doubt that the orientation of equipment will have very little influence on how much urine can leak out. Seems to me that it may put a smile on his face though....
hahah!!! now yall just know if incontinence is mentioned here i get a twitchy nose and a feeling to come to joans! grin phranque now do we have to really discuss the orientation and postioning of the equipment here for you dear??? and its VITAL that the position be down into the pad if you are to acheive the maximum absorbency. :)) phranque would u care to be our guinea pig and try and let us know if it works? hehe. opening this topic with phranque is opening a can or worms here. so friends be prepared for any and all response from him. ! i find even NOW end stages that leaking is quite the problem. it seems during the night the appartatus does 'shift' into a side or upward position and it doesnt matter how much paddding you use if this happens its going to leak. for the life of me i cant understnad why depends dont make a sturdier leg binding to trap leaks! i will have to address this at some point with the manufacturers you know. i may write a thesis on incontinence 'after' and send it to every brief supplier!! about the only thing that has helped me is laying a thick towel across DH mid section over his belly when i put him to bed. if the apparatus shifts during thenight the towel helps alot to absorb any leaks. the towel is usually wet every night so i know it happens. make sure before bedtime the equipment is pointed DOWN into the pad and diaper and if you can use another pad across the abdomen inside like a t-shape inside the depend to help excess flow. theres not much to do with a leg opening that isnt secure without a good elastic. i think depends has the best but its still needy to say the least. if the appartatus comes out the side of the depend nothing will help the leaking except one of the plastic sanipants that go over the entire depend and pads. it will help 'contain' urine and feces but still will be wet inside. its was crucial for me to use these when i took DH out on excursions in the car otherwise i had feces and urine on the back seat. ugh. so yes, there are some tricks to the trade here to learn with trial and error. its a strange subject to have to discuss yes, but so necessary when we're at our wits end! lots of extra lined pads under them at night is also a must. i use 2 so if one gets wet just pull out and there is anothr under them already. makes it easier. hugs to all you who have to deal with it, not easy but stay cool. it does get easier over time and you will learn what works for you!! divvi/aka poopqueen, :)
I struggled with this also for a long time as my husband had prostate issues as well so the urine issue was huge. I finally found a product and through trial and error found out how to use them to my advantage. I use the Depends adjustables just to hold the inserts in place and bowel issues. I found and use a Medline product called Moliforms. During the day I use one moliform across the top of the genital area which makes it so much easier to replace and clean dh. At night, I use two moliforms: As most liners are not large enough to cover the unprotected side areas, I use one on each side and they cross over the front. That way when my dh sleeps on his side, the urine goes to the pad and not the bedding. I found a supplier who can ship within two days and it includes shipping. After having to deal with skin issues, I pay the additional for moliforms because they protect the skin from moisture. Good luck as I know how frustrating this can become.
Brindle, can you give us a link for purchasing moliforms?
I've been using Tenas, making sure the equipment is arranged correctly and yet the bed is wet with just the top, right hand corner of the Tena pad wet. He sleeps on his right side. I need to try something different.
Along the same lines...I don't want to waste money on a mattress zip-style protector that doesn't keep the mattress dry as claimed as is the case with the (three different brands/styles) rather expensive bed pads I bought and am wondering if anyone has found one that actually works.
I think this comment is relevant to this thread: if a male dementia patient has an enlarged prostate, he may be put on medication to help empty the bladder. In my husband's case, those meds caused delirium (not fun on top of dementia). However, he was then put on a BP med, Prazosin, which as a side effect, empties the bladder. The reason for all this is that a full, or partially full bladder, can cause agitation in dementia patients. So, my point is, if your husband is retaining urine and has agitation, it may be worth it to investigate Prazosin and put up with the large volume of urine. (I know, not fun doing cleanups but I'd do anything to get rid of agitation.)