Mom's going to the bathroom every 5-10 minutes. Any advice?

My mother goes to the bathroom a lot. There are a few reasons. She takes a water pill (half a Lasix) on some mornings, so it is understandable when she visits the toilet a few times. The rest of the time I believe it is because her pelvic muscles are weak and she doesn't completely empty her bladder on a single trip. Anytime she stands up, she has to use the bathroom. Sometimes she does not make it and wets herself, so she has learned to go to the bathroom early to try to keep this from happening. I don't really mind this, because I gave up on her trying to train her bladder/pelvic muscles. The thing I like about her frequent trips to the bathroom is it gets her own her feet and moving.

I'm 62 years old and I've already noticed changes in my bladder/pelvic muscles when I cough or run water. I can relate to what she is going to at 88. Women have a harder time with this than men. If she doesn't have a UTI, you may want to work with her to strengthen her pelvic muscles as much as she can. I wouldn't expect too much when it comes to elder women, however. It may be more helpful to you to look at it as her getting some exercise with her frequent trips.

Now, there is one big problem with it. It is hard to go anywhere when they have the urge to urinate frequently. You may want to withhold liquids before you go places (but encourage them at other times!). That may decrease her need to go when it will be most inconvenient.

My MIL too. She goes through 3 large rolls of TP a day. I've talked to her doctor and she does not have bed soars. She does clog our plumbing all the time. I am trying to get my husband to buy/install her a self flushing attachment for our toilets.

After dealing with a recent kidney surgery myself, there were times where I had the urge to rush to the bathroom, especially after standing up from a sitting position.... the doctor gave me oxybutynin to help with that problem... sure enough it worked.

Therefore, Panapal, I would recommend that your Mom makes an appointment with her primary doctor to discuss this situation. If any medicine prescribed doesn't help, then it could be a case of your Mom forgetting she had just used the bathroom. Hopefully the medicine will allow her to get a good night sleep, as having to get up so often is very disruptive to one's sleep.

I hear ya Sioshelton. If I may make a suggestion this is the route I took to cut tp costs.
They deliver it to your door and if you wait and watch it will some times drop to about $45.00 for the 80 roll box.
Kimberly-Clark 04460 Scott 2-Ply Standard Roll Bathroom Tissue, 4.1" Length x 4" Width, White (Case of 80 Rolls)

Thanks Fregflyer. I will do some research on that drug and see if it might be something that will help.

Sioshelton, we switched to single ply TP for that very reason. For a while, MIL was running through several rolls a day. Now that some time has passed, even though she still goes to the bathroom frequently, she doesn't use nearly as much paper and we have switched back to a more comfortable 2-ply. I'm not sure what was going on in her brain to make her pull off so much paper each visit.

JessieBelle, I also look at the many trips a day as exercise. That and going to the table are often the only times she gets out of her chair anymore when we're at home.

Panapal, I think my MIL does forget she just went. Just like sometimes she forgets we just ate. I haven't discussed it with her dr. yet, but I think she does have weak muscles. A lot of times, the trips are because she is constipated, but she won't admit to it, she just keeps going and trying to "go" . I have to really watch her and read the signs. Since she still toilets herself, sometimes it's a challenge.

We were having sewer backup problems here. I think it was mainly toilet tissue clogs by my mother not flushing very often. The toilet would be thick with toilet paper. I did a couple of things since our sewer is bad to back up. I put a covered trash can in the bath that she can put toilet tissue in when she doesn't plan to flush. And I switched from Charmin to Angel Soft, because Angel Soft is supposed to break apart faster than Charmin. I have my fingers crossed that it will help with the sewer problems here. It was getting expensive to have them come snake the line so often. And the cost of repairing or replacing the sewage line was highway robbery.

Every 5-10 minutes? There is something wrong, possibly anxiety over having another UTI, or an ACTUAL UTI and I would be calling the MD TODAY

We changed out our toilets to super flush, comfort height, elongated bowl and we are ALL more comfortable with them. No more clogs. Check it out.

Thanks Pam. I had called her PC and he asked me to take her over to our local Miners Rest Hospital and give them a sample because Mom wont go when we get her to the Dr's office and takes up to much office time.
Then she refused to pee in a sterile jar here at home and couldnt understand why she couldnt do it at the hospital lab.
What a freaking fiasco.
Finally got her to go and the dip stick said "negative"

Thanks guys! We use 1-ply from Sams. I wonder if AS makes a 1-ply. Bless my MIL. Every time she slips into s potty someone is outside the door politely asking her to flush. OK my FIL is less polite then the rest of us! I just really want those auto flush attachments! We have the power flush tall toilets already 😄

I would get her to a urologist to see if she has an overactive bladder. Going every five to 10 minutes seems like there's more going on...good luck with finding out what is wrong and helping her get treated.

My grandma only does that when her sugar is high or when she has an UTI. I'd check with her doctor because while UTI can affect some people a lot others show almost no signs at all until it's really bad. I know when my grandma get them, at first she shows almost no symptoms and then all the sudden with her dementia, she goes crazy. She sees things, has to go to the potty every few minutes, forgets who we are and you'd think she was fully losing her memory completely instead of gradually. I feel your pain as I just went through that with my grandma and let me tell you, the nights 5 to 10 minutes is tough!

Just a thought, if she won't pee at the doctor's office, then she probably doesn't have to 'go' every 5 to 10 minutes at home....could she have vaginal itch or perhaps a yeast infection? That might also explain all the toilet paper use....maybe she is just very itchy. Just a thought might just want to give her some vagisil to see if that helps some.

Thanks Linda. I had asked her if she was having any itching and while bathing her saw no indication of a problem. m y sister took her out for the day yesterday and said that she only had to go twice. Im beginning to think it is boredom but cant seem to get her interested in doing things.