Buy online or possibly in a health store, Bell's Lifestyle bladder tea (comes as loose leaf). Natural, tastes nice, GUARANTEED. Works after 2 weeks building up in your system. Then watch the miracle happen. 1 mug per day, $20-30 a month. They actually guarantee it or your money back and they have never had a return. Well worth the effort of making the tea ahead for a few days. 👍👍👍 Testimony: My Mom suffered the worst incontinence ever. We had caregivers and family quit care over it. My family that did stay and shared the care with me, couldn't stand it either, but were skeptical of the tea. After 3 weeks, and seeing the miracle, they made sure to keep the tea going!!!
My Mom was diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) which was relived by inserting a pessary to keep her bladder from descending. She still felt the need to urinate every half hour and despite her dementia was aware enough to try to make it to the bathroom. The urologist put her on 25 mg of Mybetriq and then increased it to 50mg for an overactive bladder. The Myrbetriq seems to be helping. She is also on Methenamine Hippurate 1gm twice a day to prevent UTIs. Up until recently she was compliant when the urologist cleaned the pessary which involves a trip to the urologist every three months, extracting the pessary from the vaginal canal, then reinserting the pessary. We tried a small amount of Trazadone before the pessary cleaning as prescribed by the doctor; however, this procedure is becoming increasingly difficult for her. She was in severe pain whenever she sat down that we believed the pessary helped. She now has intermittent pain when she sits down but the pain goes away.
My mom was given Tamsulosin which helps widen the tube from bladder and allows bladder to drain better, thus fewer trips to pee. She has dementia, does she really pee a good bit each time she goes to the toilet? Or maybe she just thinks it's time to go (as part of an old routine she remembers)?
My mom has the same issue. Started with overactive bladder at 58 and now at 89 she uses 5-6 overnight pads a day. Every test to man was done…even had botox injections. No cure. Sometimes with dementia incontinence gets much worse and it is what it is. I watch Walgreens sales and she uses about 5-6 bags a month! We buy the long and short versions. Good Luck…meds do not work for many people..meds are not always the answer to a problem…mom has a disconnect from the brain to the bladder. She does not even know when she has to urinate. It just flows out!.
My mother is 89 as well. No dementia but you describe her other symptoms to a "T". We need to encourage her to go regularly otherwise her depends are soaked.
Friskydogg: I do not profess to be a medical professional, but perhaps your wife suffers from what is commonly known as OAB (Overactive Bladder). She may need to see a urologist for diagnosis and if confirmed, she could be aided by the prescription medication, Myrbetriq. I can personally attest to the medication's effectiveness, having been dx'd with OAB.
Please check with her gynecologist. She may benefit from vaginal hormone creams since female tissues tend to get thinner with age, especially after menopause. She might also benefit from an evaluation and treatment sessions with a physical therapist that deals with pelvic floor issues. Her gynecologist probably knows of reliable therapists in the area and can make a referral. Of course, you will probably need to join her for these sessions so you can learn the exercises and "remind" your wife to do them at home. She might also have developed a sensitivity to any cleaning products that come into contact with "that area". Try switching up her bathing soap to a baby product as well as switching laundry detergent to one suitable for baby clothing (Dreft). Other than that, she may need to use incontinence pads or undergarments to help with leakage.
My mom has had this issue for a while at first I think it was leaks, then she just didn’t want to get up and use the bathroom, too much work and now she just doesn’t feel the urge and when we suggest she use the bathroom every 2-3 hrs as a reminder she often says she doesn’t need to, again doesn’t want to expend the energy. She has worn Depends for years and we never refer to them as diapers we always either refer to them as her underwear (disposable underwear when she had another type) or Depends because she’s ok with that, she also uses an additional pad that is designed to be used with incontinence underwear and she changes them herself. I feel like referring to them as diapers can be demeaning to an adult who changed my diapers but that may just be my hang up.
A trip to her PC and maybe referral to a urologist is a good idea as well though, sometimes there are physical reasons for this that can be helped and should be and sometimes suggestions from her medical team are easier to put into affect than suggestions from a family member who can’t personally relate to the problem, even when it causes them problems the LO can no longer relate to!
Easy solution Diapers ! They have a great brand called Wellness. They are used by astronauts! Yes change them frequently as you do w babies so they dont develop rashes...
I mentioned Uribel in another post. That can be taken several times a day. Myrbetriq once a day. Azo can be combined with these. Also eliminate all caffeine - no tea, coffee or sodas - not even the decaffeinated ones. No tomatoes or other acid foods. No pepper, spicy foods or hot sauce. No chocolate. Look up the diet for interstitial cystitis for additional ideas.
Please take note - some prescription medicine like Myrbetriq may have side effects There can be extreme side affects just by itself or in combination with other drugs. Always report to your doctor any discomfort. Very drying, I had to use a humidifier, didn't work anyway.
My mam wears the pads that soak 1.5 litres of urine. She goes to commode in morning and evening and once to toilet during the day so I change pad 3 times maybe 4 times a day and this should be sufficient. I would also suggest no drinking after 6. My mam is 97 in 2 weeks and is in middle to late stage dementia and she rarely soils from urine. I also clean her privates regularly morning and night with a foam wash and put cavillon cream all over. It’s like a bandage and it protects from bed sores. Hope this helps.
Many reasons why women urinate frequently - If she takes diuretics like Lasix or furosemide, this will cause it. If she doesn’t sit long enough - or double void (meaning stand up and try again) she may not be emptying her bladder each time. Sometimes it’s just habit made worse by dementia and you will never change it. You don’t say if she has frequent urinary tract infections - but why the AZO? If she does, look in the OTC supplement D-Mannose, which is very helpful in preventing UTI’s.
Yes, D-Mannose flushes the system so UTIs cannot start up as easily; it was recommended to us by an acupuncturist. And acupuncture itself, even acupressure, can help address kidney/bladder issues. And sometimes it's a matter of what is going on in the spinal nerves, like if person is sitting too long, misalignment issues, etc. Those signals to and from the spinal cord and the organs can misfire, go awry.
I was a son taking care of his Mom. In time, it became difficult for her to get to the bathroom, so I placed a portable commode in the bedroom. When she became incontinent, I made sure she had clean pull-ups at least three times a day, and also put Calmoseptine on her behind to protect against pressure ulcers. Sheets washed daily, and clean pads put on to absorb any accidents that occured overnight.
One thing I found with the medications they give for incontinence. Most of these cross the blood/brain barrier. What I saw with my mom was the incontinence was better at first but they made her so "zombie like" that she became more incontinent than before after some time. And worse at everything else because of her new confusion. Even when they put her on meds they said didn't cross the blood/brain barrier. It still affected her drastically. She also had multiple UTIs on the medications. Never had them before and since I took her off, she hasn't had any since. The meds say they can increase the chances of a UTI. These are no fun with someone who already has dementia. I read about the botox but this also comes with chances of it working so well, they are not able to pee at all for a while, and can need a catheter until it wears off a little. And botox isn't permanent. It has to be done regularly. I just couldn't see making mom go through that when she doesn't understand it at all. I set a timer every two hours at night to wake up and make her pee. During the day I do the same. This is a big problem for me too as I'm not getting any sleep and doing multiple loads of laundry anyway. I wish you luck, it's hard to deal with. I'm working on getting my mom in memory care as it's all becoming too hard for me to do.
Memory care for your mom will give you a chance to regroup your energy and you will be able to sleep at night. It will be a new routine, not perfect, but you will have that backup 24/7 coverage. You will be in a better position to pick your battles instead of constantly fighting in the trenches without relief.
It might be worth having her checked for physical problems. My Mum has dementia and was needing to use the toilet constantly. She was diagnosed with a prolapse and now has a shelf pessary fitted, which has been life-changing for her (and me!).
I can only convey my experiences with my father and what the physicians have advised me. In the initial stages of dementia he would dribble and began using pads in his underwear. As the dementia progressed he began wearing Depends 24-7. His physicians began prescribing Flomax before he required constant care. They explained that it is better for the person to be incontinent than to have bladder control but not have free flow of urine. Those things can result in having to place a catheter, urinary track infections, or sepsis.
As his dementia has progressed, he has gotten to the point of rarely going to the bathroom to urinate and instead I just change his Depends multiple times a day (you figure out the schedule). I have found that at this point changing the Depends is easier than him going to the bathroom because he no longer knows how to properly use the toilet (as an example we had a recent day when he wanted to use the toilet and urinated on his pants, shirt, socks, the wall, and the floor- In essence he peed on everything but the toilet).
In summary, urinary (and eventually bowel) incontinence has been part of my father’s dementia and it seems that it is common to other dementia patients.
There are a lot of bladder spasm medications out there that her urologist can prescribe. The urologist can also try putting Botox in your wife's bladder as that often can help as well. And of course if it becomes a major issue, she can use some kind of a catheter even a supra pubic(permanent)catheter. I can only guess that if your wife has dementia that she is no longer continent. I'm hoping you have her in Depends by now and are even putting a Kotex type pad in them to help soak up more of her pee. Often times when a loved one gets to the point of being incontinent the family makes the decision to place them in the appropriate facility, which in your wife's case would more than likely be a memory care facility. I wish you well.
What's the problem if she urinates frequently? Does she wear disposable briefs in case of an accident? Maybe she should drink less fluids, but stay hydrated at the same time. I don't see this as a big issue unless you're leaving something out here....?
As dementia advances, so do urinary incontinence issues in general, as a rule. My mother was incontinent way before she was ever even diagnosed with dementia, and by the third year, wearing Depends 24/7 and soaking the bed linens every night in Memory Care. It is what it is, I guess.
Best of luck to both of you dealing with all the issues that go along with dementia.
Up until recently she was compliant when the urologist cleaned the pessary which involves a trip to the urologist every three months, extracting the pessary from the vaginal canal, then reinserting the pessary.
We tried a small amount of Trazadone before the pessary cleaning as prescribed by the doctor; however, this procedure is becoming increasingly difficult for her. She was in severe pain whenever she sat down that we believed the pessary helped. She now has intermittent pain when she sits down but the pain goes away.
It's a good thing her kidneys are working well.
Do not restrict fluids - her body is working.
Tapering fluids before bedtime may help reduce sleep interruptions.
You might want to discuss what "CarolPeaches" says below.
A trip to her PC and maybe referral to a urologist is a good idea as well though, sometimes there are physical reasons for this that can be helped and should be and sometimes suggestions from her medical team are easier to put into affect than suggestions from a family member who can’t personally relate to the problem, even when it causes them problems the LO can no longer relate to!
I read about the botox but this also comes with chances of it working so well, they are not able to pee at all for a while, and can need a catheter until it wears off a little. And botox isn't permanent. It has to be done regularly. I just couldn't see making mom go through that when she doesn't understand it at all.
I set a timer every two hours at night to wake up and make her pee. During the day I do the same. This is a big problem for me too as I'm not getting any sleep and doing multiple loads of laundry anyway.
I wish you luck, it's hard to deal with. I'm working on getting my mom in memory care as it's all becoming too hard for me to do.
As his dementia has progressed, he has gotten to the point of rarely going to the bathroom to urinate and instead I just change his Depends multiple times a day (you figure out the schedule). I have found that at this point changing the Depends is easier than him going to the bathroom because he no longer knows how to properly use the toilet (as an example we had a recent day when he wanted to use the toilet and urinated on his pants, shirt, socks, the wall, and the floor- In essence he peed on everything but the toilet).
In summary, urinary (and eventually bowel) incontinence has been part of my father’s dementia and it seems that it is common to other dementia patients.
I can only guess that if your wife has dementia that she is no longer continent. I'm hoping you have her in Depends by now and are even putting a Kotex type pad in them to help soak up more of her pee.
Often times when a loved one gets to the point of being incontinent the family makes the decision to place them in the appropriate facility, which in your wife's case would more than likely be a memory care facility.
I wish you well.
As dementia advances, so do urinary incontinence issues in general, as a rule. My mother was incontinent way before she was ever even diagnosed with dementia, and by the third year, wearing Depends 24/7 and soaking the bed linens every night in Memory Care. It is what it is, I guess.
Best of luck to both of you dealing with all the issues that go along with dementia.