Poo, lots and lots of poo... help!

Lisa74

Registered User
May 27, 2011
274
0
Hello,

I'm caring for my Gran and she has had an accident resulting in poo on her skin (legs, feet and torso as well as the obvious), clothing, the floor, the toilet and the sink. She was exhausted and had angina from the stress so I've put her into bed but that will have dirtied the bed because I should have showered her but couldn't.

I have severe obsessive compulsive disorder but have changed her into Tenna ladies, replaced her nightie and taken her slippers (heavily soiled) away and replaced with socks. I can't really cope with this!
 

Rageddy Anne

Registered User
Feb 21, 2013
5,984
0
Cotswolds
Lisa, my dear, that's heroic already! She must need rest more than anything. Is there anyone else who you could ask to help? Could you get a one-off visit from a Care agency? Poor you.
 
Last edited:

tre

Registered User
Sep 23, 2008
1,352
0
Herts
I find vinyl gloves help. I buy packs of fifty. I always supervise/assist my husband in the loo or we would be in the same situation you describe. I guess your gran is no longer able to work out what to do for herself or leaves it too late to get herself organised.
As soon as I was aware my husband had lost the ability to do this I offered him assistance but I guess I was lucky in that he was compliant with this.
You have done really well to cope with it all.
I would contact the local carers group and see if they have any ideas. Even if she agrees to wear pull ups if it is the dementia causing her confusion then you still might have the same issues.
Others may have better suggestions
Tre
 

Girlonthehill

Registered User
Jan 1, 2015
32
0
Dorset
Hello,

I'm caring for my Gran and she has had an accident resulting in poo on her skin (legs, feet and torso as well as the obvious), clothing, the floor, the toilet and the sink. She was exhausted and had angina from the stress so I've put her into bed but that will have dirtied the bed because I should have showered her but couldn't.

I have severe obsessive compulsive disorder but have changed her into Tenna ladies, replaced her nightie and taken her slippers (heavily soiled) away and replaced with socks. I can't really cope with this!

It is horrible! I don't do bodily fluids in any way but over the last couple of months with emptying catheter bags and double incontinence I now find I can do most things as long as I am wearing gloves.
I keep thinking that for two years my mum and dad changed my nappies and did everything for me that I am now doing for them but on a bigger scale. I have found it impossible to get a care agency to do 'one off' emergency visits. They don't have staff just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.
Good luck, maybe a home is the way to go now but that's a tough decision
 

AlsoConfused

Registered User
Sep 17, 2010
1,952
0
Plastic aprons help too!

I think you've done wonders too, especially in prioritising what matters most for your gran's well-being (rest rather than being 100% cleaned up).
 

Kazza72

Registered User
Feb 10, 2015
202
0
West London
I feel for you. I came home with a desperate need for the loo only to find poop all over the toilet and on the floor around it, poop hand marks on the landing light switch, bathroom door and her bedroom door...don't know how much longer I can deal with this :(


Sent from my iPhone using Talking Point
 

Lisa74

Registered User
May 27, 2011
274
0
Thanks Rageddy Anne, that made me feel better!! I found it really tough.

Tre, I'm sorry you have to cope with your husband's toilet problems too- it must be really exhausting. I think she did get confused about what she was doing and just ended up smearing it around. Luckily it's all cleaned up now and she's showered and dressed.

Aw Kazza, hope you got it cleared up quickly and are feeling better now/able to relax :)

Ginny, it does reek doesn't it? might invest in some smelling salts along with a 100 pack of disposable gloves! (we did have gloves luckily!).

Thanks AlsoConfused, I think I will get some plastic aprons because I was worried about my clothes getting dirty! (which luckily didn't happen).

Granny is being very nasty tonight- doesn't seem worth it but we can't put her in a home- such a cacky situation!
 

Not so Rosy

Registered User
Nov 30, 2013
578
0
A pot of Vicks in my handbag used to be my lifesaver. Just a dab under my nose helped a lot. I will admit that I never went through what lots of you are experiencing on a regular basis though.

I really don't cope with bodily fluids well.
 

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
Hi Lisa, can I add my good wishes to you? It sounds as though you coped really well with this :) The smell is just awful sometimes, isn't it?

Also, I expect you've thought of this, but I use packets of bathing wipes as mum won't / can't have a bath. You can get 'No Rinse' ones that are pretty big and do a good job in an emergency. As the name implies, you don't need to rinse the lather off, which can halve the effort and time involved.....

Similarly, I keep packets of anti-bac wipes (eg De**ol) for a quick clean-up of the loo seat, floor, light switches...

All the best

Lindy x
 
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CJinUSA

Registered User
Jan 20, 2014
1,122
0
eastern USA
Hello,

I'm caring for my Gran and she has had an accident resulting in poo on her skin (legs, feet and torso as well as the obvious), clothing, the floor, the toilet and the sink. She was exhausted and had angina from the stress so I've put her into bed but that will have dirtied the bed because I should have showered her but couldn't.

I have severe obsessive compulsive disorder but have changed her into Tenna ladies, replaced her nightie and taken her slippers (heavily soiled) away and replaced with socks. I can't really cope with this!

Hello, Lisa. Brave you. These matters can be so very difficult. If you get your mother up and clean her up after she has slept, you and she will feel better. My mother had been having accidents like this regularly. I didn't know about getting gloves, and I didn't at the time think of using baby wipes to help me clean her up.

She still has issues arise once in awhile. We use Depends panties (disposable panties; some prefer Tena, but my mother prefers Depends), latex gloves (use on both hands - buy them in bulk), and wet wipes (we use Huggies, but they are available in the baby aisle of your store - so get what is available). If you cover yourself in a waterproof poncho, you won't even have to deal with whatever splashes off during the showering process.

To help prevent issues like this arising, however, I want to recommend you think of using Lactaid or some lactose inhibiting product. Your mother might no longer be able to process lactose. In my mother's case, *this* is the issue behind her fecal difficulties. Most products use lactose - even canned soup! - so giving your mother a Lactaid pill might help her deal with her incontinence issues. Milk products are really troublesome for older folks. If your mother has afternoon tea with milk or cream in it, along with any pastry that includes a buttered icing, this might be what is causing her difficulty. My suggestion is that you check and see what she is eating that is causing uncontrollable outbursts, as these might be related to lactose in her diet.

I think dealing with the fecal matters is my greatest challenge. I can deal with the loss of sleep and even the delusions. But dealing with the poop is really trying, for some reason.

I'm glad you found this site and hope the suggestions you have received will help you cope.
 

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
Well said CJ :)

I just want to add that the wipes I use are for adults, are much larger than baby wipes, and very effective. They are in the 'No Rinse' range. You can also get body wash and shampoo - even special shampoo caps! I found them online after recommendations from other posters :)

All the best CJ :)

Lindy xx
 

CJinUSA

Registered User
Jan 20, 2014
1,122
0
eastern USA
Hello,

I'm caring for my Gran and she has had an accident resulting in poo on her skin (legs, feet and torso as well as the obvious), clothing, the floor, the toilet and the sink. She was exhausted and had angina from the stress so I've put her into bed but that will have dirtied the bed because I should have showered her but couldn't.

I have severe obsessive compulsive disorder but have changed her into Tenna ladies, replaced her nightie and taken her slippers (heavily soiled) away and replaced with socks. I can't really cope with this!

How's it going today, Lisa? I hope things got straightened out for you. I once had an episode like yours, and I know how difficult it is to face. If you can get yourself some rubber or latex gloves and some paper towels and keep them handy where they can be used, that should make it go a bit better for you.

I have been thinking I should mention that one of my mother's drugs - Aggrenox - which she no longer takes was, we discovered, causing her to have loose poop. Once she shifted to Plavix, she was much better off. But I imagine part of the issue is lactose. If you could shift to a lactose free milk and start using lactaid with every meal, this should help your mother a lot and reduce these stressful occurrences.

My mother is doing fine now - no accidents ever, as long as we use lactaid with her, which her doctor said it was fine to do. I hope you experience a similar improvement.
 

Lisa74

Registered User
May 27, 2011
274
0
Thanks so much everyone! So glad I followed everyone's advice because we've had loads and loads of 'poo all over the bathroom and Granny' incidents since this post.

We have bed bath wipes and gloves and dettol wipes in the house at the moment so even though Granny has just woken up at 3am and pood everywhere again we have dealt with it (I am so lucky that my parents are here just now to help rather than when it's me and Granny alone some days).

Yikes, happy easter! and thanks for all the helpful posts/support :)
 

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