A horrible terrible night.

nancyj194

I woke up at midnight to the sounds of my DH up and moving around, so went in to check on him. The diarrhea stench hit me as soon as I opened the door. He was in his bathroom with the lights on and said he had diarrhea. 

There was poop all over the bed and the floor, as well as on DH from his back down to his feet.

He was pulling off toilet paper to clean himself off. What he needed was to be showered off, but I just let him do his thing as I went about stripping his bed and cleaning up the floor. 

This was a first for me, with poop. We have had potty accidents but never poop. 

I had not purchased a can of shaving cream, but will put it on my list.  

Did I say how overwhelming the smell was? ha

After I remade the bed and thought things were getting under control, DH flushes the stool, now filled with toilet paper, and the bathroom was flooded. I turned off the water supply to the toilet as  I kept saying, "oh Rick"  over and over again. I went down the hall to calm down in the living room. After I took a few deep breaths I went to tackle the flooded bathroom.   

I finally was able to get him into the shower, which took several times of saying it. He rarely showers and had just had one the weekend before.  Finally he had a clean body.  

Once everything was clean up, I went to the kitchen to look for some anti diarrhea meds, but found none, so walked down the long hallway to ask how his stomach felt. He was soundly asleep in his bed.  I had mixed feelings about that, but at least I could now go back to bed.

The next morning I asked him how he felt and he said, "fine." I asked if he remembered having diarrhea the night before and he had no memory of it. I wish I could say the same. 

I'm aware from reading the posts that these accidents are common and that some are not accidents.  I can say that I do not wish this on anyone.  

Take care,

N

Kibbee

Bowel incontinence is unsettling.  Most of the time DH is aware he needs to go and alerts me so I can assist him to the toilet.  Helping him clean up when he has gotten to the toilet is quick and manageable.  But sometimes things don't go that way and he doesn't make it to the toilet.  The last time this happened rather than tell right away, he took off his soiled underwear and was using them to "clean up".  All he managed to do was spread the mess all over the bedding and himself, making for a longer and more difficult recovery.

Besides the actual clean-up itself, there are emotional aspects.  Feelings of frustration that my LO was not able to alert me in time to get assistance to the toilet, and worry about what these incidents portend for the future...wondering how much worse is this going to get and how long I can cope.

So you have my sympathy!  It might be useful to get a clean up kit ready and at hand.  My kit includes small garbage bags (for immediate disposal of soiled materials), gloves, toilet paper, wet wipes, microfiber cleaning cloths, shaving cream, Vaseline or a barrier cream, and air freshener / candles / incense.  For laundry, a good scrub brush to get rid of the worst before putting bedding & clothes into the washing machine, and Borax, Washing Soda and Odo-Ban as laundry additives.  Finally, bleach spray and wipes, and a Swiffer Wet Jet for clean up of floors and furniture.  (We have no carpet, thank goodness!)

Ed1937

nancyj194 wrote:

He was pulling off toilet paper to clean himself off.  

As soon as I read that, I knew a flood was coming. I'm sorry. Lesson learned for you. The shower will become your best friend.

Kibbee seems to have everything you could need available. It's good to have that kind of info.

MaryG123

Oh Nancyj, I’m so sorry.  The event itself and what it says for the future are both disturbing.  Hugs to you (()).

Dio

Oh, Nancy, so sorry this happened. I dread the day this happens here. I've had to clean DH twice when he couldn't make it to the toilet in time with diarrhea. But neither situation was as bad as yours. The underwear was so soiled that washing it was futile, so I just tossed it out both times and bought a new pack.

Kibbee's suggestion about having a cleaning kit ready is invaluable--thank you! I have a few items on the list and will invest in acquiring the rest.

Famcal

Thanks Kibbee for the suggested cleanup kit. Something I don't need now but would like to be prepared for. Perhaps a silly question but what is the purpose of the shaving cream?

Ed1937

Just in case Kibbee doesn't see this. It's for dried fecal matter. It makes it easier to clean up.

nancyj194

Hi all, thank you for your caring thoughts.  I do appreciate what you said.

Kibbee, I am sending much gratitude your way for the "list." 

Uff, I can picture what happened with the underwear. All I can say is oh dear.  

My heart goes out to you.

I'll make a list so I can be prepared next time. .Everything on your list sounds like something I must have.  

 As I walked down the hallway, I grabbed the air freshener out of the other bathroom and sprayed away. 

We have mostly hardwood, but there are area rugs throughout the house. I am thankful for the wood floors. 

Ed, you did see that one coming!

MaryG thanks for the hug. Well all need them for now and what is to come. 

Dio it is good when tossing something is a workable option.  I think we all dread what lies ahead. 

Sending good thoughts to everyone.

N

Buggsroo

Nancy,

I really get how you feel. It is overwhelming at first, now I am an old pro at dealing with poo. I applaud the measures you have taken, air freshener and shaving foam are excellent. The smell is what got to me at first, now I can clean up poo and still keep my lunch. 

If you are worried about cleaning, get yourself some Clorox cleaner because it disinfects and the smell is much better than poo. Now my husband pees the bed as well as pooing in the sink. Loose stools are another thing, maybe limit dairy products as well as stuff with high fat, until his movements return to normal. Pop is another culprit. I wish you good luck.