Okay, if I am the only one that has the problem, all I can say is that it figures!!!! My husband recently became fecal incontinent, yippee! The one good thing is that if I hear or SMELL him pass gas, he immediately is made to go on the pot. That helps a lot. What really drives me crazy is when he has already made a mess, I clean him up the best I can and then send him in the shower to finish the clean-up and it almost never fails, within minutes of being in the shower he has to poop again!

I came up with a possible solution so that I am not having to clean up poop off the floor etc. Has anyone ever tried using a portable toilet with a lid in the tub for them. It could be used as a chair but if he needed to poop, he could lift the lid, sit down and do it and that would be so much easier to clean. I don't know - some of them are so darn expensive and I think the ones used in camping don't have a lid but I will continue shopping online for something. There must be an easier way. Not enough time to get him out of the shower and onto the toilet to catch it without destroying the whole bathroom. Okay, this is beginning to sound like a Lucy and Desi routine! God bless. Barb

Dear CB,

I'm sorry to hear about this progression, but it appears that you have armed yourself with a very sharp sense of humor! Looking at the funny side of things has helped you to cope with all of this, I'm sure!

I think your idea makes sense, given the problem. Of course, safety first, so take precautions to make sure the chair won't slip while wet. If you can install rails to support his weight in the shower, even better.

Give us an update; let us know how this is working for you.

Sincerely,
Kathleen

I have been thinking about trying some of the rails that stay on by suction but not sure how good they are -- it could be even worse if they end up coming loose at a bad time. And the cheap showers like we have (not tiled or anything) sure don't make adding stuff easy. I'm going to a support group this morning and if I can get to walmart on the way home with enough time to look for the bars, I sure will. I would love to get one of the potties that have the support rails attached but if I put that in the shower I am not sure where he would stand, etc. to wash his butt. And the fiberglass tub we have is too narrow for those to fit in -- honestly, this is becoming a bigger challenge than I thought.

But yeah, humor (when I can muster some up) does help and now I need help with the stink. Why women have such sensitive noses really bugs me -- I have even tried putting my perfumed body cream on my upper lip but it doesn't help -- breathing through my mouth helps, but then even that gets old. Okay, stop laughing!!!!

I dont think it is unique at all. Jim B talked of having his wife sit on a potty chair in the shower. It was safer for her than standing. the potty was necessary. And after using the potty the bowl could be removed and her privates washed while she was sitting down.

Well, at least I am not alone, which is scarily comforting. I just posted a new link to this in the Caregivers Forum with my latest invention/solution, etc. I am on a roll but it will all stop when Dancing with the Stars comes on tonight. That is MY time!!! Barb

Barb,

I believe I've read somewhere that people who have to deal with bad odors on a routine basis (such as police, investigators, etc.) put Vicks Vapo-Rub on their upper lip. It seems to block the smell.

A portable potty chair might be the best solution. Maybe you could check with a good medical supply store to see what they suggest.

Good luck - you're a better woman than me - I don't think I could handle this!!

Well, I got a folding portable potty and am waiting to try it out today when he takes his shower. In the meantime, my current dilemma is how to firm up his stools. Get ready - this is gross!!! He starts with a stinky f--t, then when we get him to the pot, it was actually a loose stinky f--t!!! Then he has more on the pot. Not diarrhea, but kind of half and half. Was thinking about trying metamucil to bulk things up but so afraid of constipation -- any ideas anyone on what is the best thing?

1 spoon of metamusil can work wonders...........

Thanks, will try it - actually have it in the cupboard. I'll try anything at least once.

crazy blonde, you are creative to say the least. I like it....
for those bars and etc. I have found the best selection at Lowe's.
Good luck on your continued inventiveness and please keep on sharing....
Thanks,
Sheryl

Well, the little potty chair I bought a few days ago really does work -- what I have a hard time with at this point is finding a bath mat for inside the tub that DOES NOT have suction cups -- don't all bathtubs today have the textured bottoms? Well, all I can find are mats that are NOT to be used on a textured bottom cause they won't stick.

Anyway, the potty works so that's good. And I started him on one pill a day of Wal-Mart's brand of Fiber called "Equate Fiber Laxative -- contains Calcium Polycarbophil which is a synthetic which also has small amts. of calcium and magnesium" I didn't want him to GO MORE but needed to bulk up his stool and this seems to be working -- thank God!!! But they need to drink a lot of water with the pill to prevent choking. So far so good. Ready for the next crisis!!!

I found a bathmat at Bed Bath & Beyond that's almost as long as the tub; it does have suction cups but they stick to my textured tub just fine. It's not the "plastic-ee" kind, but one that feels kind-a like the drawer liner stuff that sticks to itself. I'm sure none of that made any sense.

Thanks for that info - I hope to be around BB&B soon and I will check - I did get one though from WalMart which sounds like it might be the same and it definitely does not stick and when the water gets in the tub the stupid thing actually floats. I even called a medical supply place this morning and they don't carry any. Maybe if I got a really, really heavy rubber one, that would work. It's always something, isn't it!!!!

My husband is also incontinent, but before I could accepted the fact that it was AD, I wanted him checked thoroughly by his primary doctor.
I asked if it could be Irritable bowel Sym.
or anything else. My husband had a colonoscopy, plus other tests. Everything okay. Thank God.
But problem continued. While all this was happening I used depends on him with his undershorts on top of depends.
What I did and still do, I remind him to go to the bathroom when he wakes up in the morning, half hour after breakfast, lunch, dinner and before going to bed. Its been working great for me, so far. But once in a while I get so busy that I forget, and sure enough his done his thing in the diaper. Which is not too bad.
While he sits in the toilet I give him enough time. I do not rush him. I just want to make sure his completely done.
The reason I cannot accept the fact that it is AD is because during the night he goes to the bathroom on his own. Which I am more confuse then ever.
We are still working on it.
Be sure to check him for Urinary Tract infection and if they do, tell them to be sure to do a culture.
I also added bars in our shower which I got at home depot.
My husband is in stage (early 5) He still remembers all his family, helps around the house,my daughters always take us out to dinner and shopping every weekend, he enjoys that but of course I make sure he goes to the bathroom before we go anywhere. Even take him to the restroom where ever we go.
He also had Urinary Tract Infection but thats another story.
God Bless!

I, too, have been trying to be pretty regular about putting my hubby on the pot, especially after eating. Everything has been going fine UNTIL YESTERDAY!!! I took him on a shopping spree with me and we were gone pretty much all day. He seemed fine - we ate at Shoney's and on the way home he had a couple of choc. chip cookies and wanted a hot fudge sundae from McDonald's so got that for him too. About two hours later, thank God we were already home, AFTER I had him shower so he smelled really nice, I smelled something and sure enough, he had pooped in his Depends -- LOOSE STOOLS, of course! So now, I am convinced he cannot eat in restaurants any longer because every time we do he gets loose bowels, no matter what he eats. He enjoys it immensely while eating but the aftermath drives me crazy. Plus, NO MORE CHOCOLATE ANYTHING and that is going to be tough to keep away from him. He seems to crave it but I do not want to go through all of that smelly stuff if I can help it. Today he has been fine and had a normal BM so I have to believe it what was he ate yesterday. So there goes one of our favorite things to do together -- eat out! That is the hardest part of all this - losing good things to do one by one. Every day it's something new!!! Sheesh!!!

i wonder if he could be lactose intolerant, maybe it was the icecream

VJH, Wow, thank you!!! You are probably so darn right and I should know better -- I give him a pill for that with his morning oatmeal and milk and never even thought about the ice cream. Will have to try it again (oh gasp!!!!) and see if he can tolerate it with the supplement. If it works, he will be ever so thankful cause he LOVES chocolate! Thank you - you made my day!