Sleep and signs of Incontinence

PSG1976

I have come to the point where I need a little guidance. My DH was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's three years ago, but I realize now there were signs at least two years before that time. I think the diagnosis is not accurate, but it probably does not make much difference at this stage. His MRI showed his brain was not shrinking in the front at the same rate. I believe his diagnosis fits Frontotemporal Dementia. He is still physically able to take care of himself, but it has been over a week and I realize that he is not sleeping enough probably. He is 74 and has been getting up at least once a night to urinate for several years now. He has started getting up 2 - 3 times. He takes 10 mg of Melatonin before bed. I will discuss with his doctor about switching to something stronger, but I am concerned it will lead to incontinence. I am, also, concerned that I will not be aware if he does become incontinent. We have not shared a bedroom for 20 years due to my bouts with insomnia and his snoring was contributing to my lack of proper sleep. I would appreciate input on how others have handled either or both of these issues. My heart goes out to each of you who are part of this group.

Howaboutnow

My DH gets up at least 3-5 times a night. Sometimes is up most of the night. For not quite a year now, and not all the time but with increased frequency at night, he pees in unusual places. It has taken me awhile to recognize what seemed like occasional odd sticky spots on floor, or maybe my cat did something….no,,,cameras confirm it is him. The bathroom is in sight from the bed, I always leave the light on, I move furniture to sort of “guide” his way to the bathroom and limit the places he could have an accident. Feel like I’m on pee-police duty. No one has given me solutions…an adult diaper won’t work because he knows he needs to go and WANTS to go in the right place. I do the obvious things i.e. light on, sleep close to bathroom, toilet seat up, etc. He can’t learn a new place to go, like a bedpan or bucket by bed.

I don’t know what else to do? For those that have gone through this, please share. Does urinating in non-toilet places stop only when they can’t control the start/stop of urine and need diapers?

gampiano

Dear Howaboutnow,

We have the same situation here at our house. Husband has now begun to go into other bedrooms and make "deposits". Fortunately, i had just put waterproof mattress pads on all the beds, but man, the laundry chores are ever increasing. Ditto with the spots on the floor, I have the same thing. I have a doggie gate blocking a guest room entrance, and it seems to be keeping him out of there, so im about to buy 2 more. Right now i have an ironing board leaning up against another bedroom door, and that is obstructing him, but the wooden chest that i have in front of another door is too low, and he walks right over it, hence the dog gates. I purchased some heavy duty TENA disposable underwear, and this has helped a lot with leakage while sleeping. I have now put swiffer style mops in each shower, and keep a large spray botttle in each bathroom with cleaning solution for daily floor wipe. My students come to the house and frequently use the bathroom, which i literally inspect before i let them in. Its exhausting.

gampiano

Hi psg1976,

We have the same situation, except that my DH is probably a little further along. There was a great post here awhile ago about layering the bed when we make it. Waterproof Mattress pad , then another washable incontinence pad, then a sheet. Then start the process all over again. this is sooo helpful, and when you need to strip the bed, you have another clean layer underneath. It really works, you will be so glad you did this. I'm using bamboo waterproof mattress cover. They are light and easy to clean, buy on Amazon. You will need to check his bedroom frequently to avoid the urine odor. Its a big effort to stay on top of it, but worth the trouble to keep the house smelling fresh.

Ed1937

If you are concerned about him getting up a few times a night to pee, I don't think that's unusual, even for someone without dementia. I'm 85, and rarely get up, but most men do.

I am a big fan of layering when you need it. You can literally take the wet sheets off the bed in a minute or two. Then you have a dry bed. Just throw the wet things off to the side, then take care of that in the morning.

ImMaggieMae

My DH has been urinary incontinent for over a year. His meds keep him asleep all night. He wears an “overnight” brand of pull-up underwear with a heavy duty overnight pad inside the pull-ups. This catches 98% of any leaks. We use a waterproof 44x52 inch pad under him that feels like ordinary fabric and washable. We have several so I’m not constantly having to do laundry. On top of that, a smaller pee pad. I seldom have to change the larger pad. Any leaks are caught by the puppy type pee pad and the pull-ups and pad inside of them. We have a Dekor pail in each bathroom which makes disposal simple and contains odors. He has never peed anywhere in the house other than the toilet. During the day he wears the pull-ups and pads. He uses the toilet sometimes but can’t always tell when he needs to go. We check every couple hours during the day, no drama, it’s just part of the way things are. He always takes care of bowel movements in the morning, in the toilet, thank goodness.

We sleep in the same king size bed, so I’m aware when he wakes up in the morning and go in the bathroom with him to change. The pad inside the pull-ups is essential. We haven’t found a brand of pull-ups that will keep him dry through the night on their own. The pad also wicks away moisture from his body so he no longer gets sores from wearing wet pants overnight.

Oh, one more edit. Those creams that they used during a hospital stay to block moisture on the skin, the ones for diaper rash, also block moisture from getting through to the pad or underwear. They rub off the skin to the pad and make the surface of the pad somewhat waterproof. We do much better without them. No rashes or sores since we quit using them.

PSG1976

Thank you all for your posts. Your suggestions have been very helpful.

At least I know where to start now.

Prayers for us all.

CStrope

Is he on any medications? I found when my DH was on Seroquel his middle of the night urinary adventures were much more frequent. I took him off the Seroquel, the cons far outweighed the pros. Now if I force him to go before bed, we're usually okay till morning. It seemed like the Seroquel just made him so loopy he was very confused all through the night.