Re: Colette

[Guest guest]

Colette,

I will not even try to advise you about medications, but I will tell you

that my husband had many of the same uninary problems as you describe with

your Dad. He was in his early to mid 60's. The problems may have been

there before then, but not to the point that we wrote anything down.

Speedy took Detrol for a while. We are told in that some folks, it can

cause serious constipation. It did (or something did) in Speedy. He had a

major bowel impaction in August 2000 that had also blocked the urine from

coming from the kidneys. The doctor said that the cat scan showed that he

had poop backed up from his toes to his nose. He spent over a week in a

hospital 6 hours from our home.

After that experience, we stopped detrol and we began the self

catherization. In the beginning, he could do it himself. Later, I

catherized him 4-6 times a day for more than a year. Immediately, he/we got

relief from the having to be up at night. It also helped cut down the

number of falls and injuries he was getting during those trips to the

bathroom.

This is what I understood about what the doctors told us..... In MSA or

maybe other neurological disorders, the brain cells that tell the baldder to

function may not be strong enough to give the bladder the signal to totally

empty the bladder. Thus the bladder might never completely empty. The

brain also may not tell the bladder to close and stop the flow. I am sorry

that I can not quote all of the medical terms.

When we first began this process, Speedy would go to the bathroom strictly

on his own and get might get 100-300 cc. Then if we catherized, we might

get another 300-500 cc of urine. This should us that he was unable to empty

his bladder on his own.

Self Catherization: If your Dad is as weak as you describe, someone in your

family will have to learn how to catherize. Medicare will pay for

homehealth to teach you one time. Our home health nurse happened to be a

friend. She came the second time for me, just as a friend. Then we were on

our own. The worst part of the entire process is the thinking about it

ahead of time. Once you get into a routine it goes rather smoothly. i will

have to say that many a day, I had to step back and try to be in my mind

something other than a wife, as I catherized Speedy.

We also put quilted watherproof pads on the bed. He knew that it didn't

matter. All we had to do was wash the pads. Although some times he would

still have lots of urine and we would wash the entire bed, but not often.

The pads are about 24X24. We used to at a time to cover his hospital bed in

the area where his bottom was located.

My main point for you is get him to a doctor, a doctor who will help your

dad with home health, and other support mechinisams. You or some one in

your family will have to be the grrrrrrr teeth to be sure that he gets the

best care posssible. Get the catherizing begun as soon as posssbile, if

that is the doctor's recommendation.

If I can be of any help, feel free to call on me. I would be hahppy to

share Speedy's " Story " privately if that would be of any help to you. Most

everyone on the list has heard it several times.

I wish that someone could say that I am a fastidious housekeeper.

Best wishes to you.

Marilyn in TN

[Guest guest]

Colette,

I will not even try to advise you about medications, but I will tell you

that my husband had many of the same uninary problems as you describe with

your Dad. He was in his early to mid 60's. The problems may have been

there before then, but not to the point that we wrote anything down.

Speedy took Detrol for a while. We are told in that some folks, it can

cause serious constipation. It did (or something did) in Speedy. He had a

major bowel impaction in August 2000 that had also blocked the urine from

coming from the kidneys. The doctor said that the cat scan showed that he

had poop backed up from his toes to his nose. He spent over a week in a

hospital 6 hours from our home.

After that experience, we stopped detrol and we began the self

catherization. In the beginning, he could do it himself. Later, I

catherized him 4-6 times a day for more than a year. Immediately, he/we got

relief from the having to be up at night. It also helped cut down the

number of falls and injuries he was getting during those trips to the

bathroom.

This is what I understood about what the doctors told us..... In MSA or

maybe other neurological disorders, the brain cells that tell the baldder to

function may not be strong enough to give the bladder the signal to totally

empty the bladder. Thus the bladder might never completely empty. The

brain also may not tell the bladder to close and stop the flow. I am sorry

that I can not quote all of the medical terms.

When we first began this process, Speedy would go to the bathroom strictly

on his own and get might get 100-300 cc. Then if we catherized, we might

get another 300-500 cc of urine. This should us that he was unable to empty

his bladder on his own.

Self Catherization: If your Dad is as weak as you describe, someone in your

family will have to learn how to catherize. Medicare will pay for

homehealth to teach you one time. Our home health nurse happened to be a

friend. She came the second time for me, just as a friend. Then we were on

our own. The worst part of the entire process is the thinking about it

ahead of time. Once you get into a routine it goes rather smoothly. i will

have to say that many a day, I had to step back and try to be in my mind

something other than a wife, as I catherized Speedy.

We also put quilted watherproof pads on the bed. He knew that it didn't

matter. All we had to do was wash the pads. Although some times he would

still have lots of urine and we would wash the entire bed, but not often.

The pads are about 24X24. We used to at a time to cover his hospital bed in

the area where his bottom was located.

My main point for you is get him to a doctor, a doctor who will help your

dad with home health, and other support mechinisams. You or some one in

your family will have to be the grrrrrrr teeth to be sure that he gets the

best care posssible. Get the catherizing begun as soon as posssbile, if

that is the doctor's recommendation.

If I can be of any help, feel free to call on me. I would be hahppy to

share Speedy's " Story " privately if that would be of any help to you. Most

everyone on the list has heard it several times.

I wish that someone could say that I am a fastidious housekeeper.

Best wishes to you.

Marilyn in TN