Since they arrived, he seems glad to see them but is extra-stooped over and slow-gaited and has spent a fair amount of time examining the floor/rugs/furniture. He also watches the kids play, especially with iPad games.
After taking him to the toilet several times this morning with no success, he finally peed on the priciest rug in the house–a very wet area while DD & DGD are visiting great-grandma and DGS & I kept half an eye on him while we played Star Trek Uno. Took almost half a roll of paper towels to more or less soak it all up. Nature’s Miracle rug cleaner will arrive from AMZN tomorrow…
He was semi-cooperative getting ready for the day–upper half done (face, hands, upper body washed; teeth brushed; shaved; hair combed; free t-shirt and overshirt). But wouldn’t change summer pj bottoms (sweat-shorts) and day-old Depends in favor of jeans and fresh Depends.
On the bright side, while I fixed dinner DD took the kids to the beach at Isle of Pals yesterday late afternoon when the temp was 76 and severe clear. They really wanted me to come, but I felt like DH wouldn’t be tolerable on the beach yesterday. He ended up sitting on the floor after they left and ate his dinner there (I might not have indulged that, but DD did-). He ate it all up without assistance, and did join us for strawberry shortcake at the table. And he slept extremely well last night (or maybe I slept through a pee-time??). Didn’t wake me till 3:30am.
I needed to feed him his oatmeal this morning. He didn;t seem hungry, perhaps because we had dinner so much later than usual and he ate a big bowl of pasta & sausage sauce w/cheese and some buttered green beans.
Now he’s sleeping…
DD sez I need more respite and wants me to put him in a facility for a few days and visit them in NY. Maybe in the fall since we’re seeing them now and will again in late June/early July.
Nature’s Miracle rug cleaner will arrive from AMZN tomorrow…
Keep club soda on hand. I learned this when our beloved aged dog began to have sphincter control issues at both ends. Soak area with club soda, place a towel on top and something heavy on top of that. Leave overnight. Eliminates stain and odor.
I think DD’s respite suggestion is a good one. And you’ll see how hubster does in that situation. A mini-experiment.
Sort of good anyway. My grandson expressed concern that since he’s 11 and I’m 72, I might not live to see his children when they’re old enough for them to know and remember me. I think this arose from realizing that while he can remember DH when he was capable and articulate, his younger sister can’t.
In addition to peeing on the Indian rug in the living room, DH peed in the lid to the grandkids’ big storage box at my house. At least he didn’t pee into the box itself, which is full of art supplies, legos, etc.
Ugly? Hubster seems demented this week. Thank goodness Krystal is coming tomorrow morning so the grands and I (and maybe DD) will go have fun.
I suspect that this is a major disruption to whatever routine he has in what is left of his brain, and he can’t process how to handle it. At least from your descriptions, he isn’t angry (like when you had him on keppra).
Even normal people can have problems handling disruptions. With his nearly-dead brain, I would expect it to be triply difficult for him to handle. Like autism on steroids. Strangers (to him) are in his space.
Hope you were able to have a fun day (since it is now “tomorrow”). You deserve the break.
Krystal came today from 9-1 and is coming thursday and friday as well. This morning DD, the kids and I went to a large county park with nature trails, very nice playground the kids love, and a tall climbing tower. Then we went to this cool local joint for hot dogs, fries, and malted/ice cream sundae/shake.
DH peed in the entry way this afternoon–not on a rug at least. He has no trouble peeing in a toilet during the night, but some trouble during the day. Krystal had a bit of a problem taking him for a walk. At first he didn’t want to go home and made her go around the nabe again, then tried to go up a couple neighbor’s driveways. BTDT, and it’s the pits. She is a very calming presence, though.
He’s been sitting and even lying on the floor periodically, sometimes even napping that way. Maybe he just wants to be where the action is?
Last night he awoke only at 4 and 6am, then slept til 8:15–woohoo! I had breakfast with my grandkids, just the 3 of us.
We are off-kilter not only because we have houseguests (with whom he’s very familiar–not strangers–also very kind to him), but because we’re eating dinner at 6/6:30 instead of 5.
We finally did the Easter egg hunt today (it was too wet outside till now). Near the end, the hubster started taking off his pants & shoes. DD & I got him inside where he peed in a toilet and changed into pj bottoms. He likes doing that mid-afternoon these days.
Tonight he ate dinner with his fingers–pot stickers and steamed broccoli He did eat strawberry shortcake with a spoon and a little help from me.
He has no trouble peeing in a toilet during the night, but some trouble during the day.
Great that you have that freedom-time with your visiting family!
In terms of no problems targeting the toilet at night, I think that at night, being in bed with the bathroom right there, he has the cues he needs—a clear link between the bed and the bathroom. When he’s anywhere else in the house, the pathways to reach the bathroom are beyond his ability to recall them. So he pees close to where he is when he can no longer resist the urge. The only thing I can suggest is having a commode in every room.
"In terms of no problems targeting the toilet at night, I think that at night, being in bed with the bathroom right there, he has the cues he needs—a clear link between the bed and the bathroom. When he’s anywhere else in the house, the pathways to reach the bathroom are beyond his ability to recall them. So he pees close to where he is when he can no longer resist the urge. The only thing I can suggest is having a commode in every room.
=sheila "
Some folks say that this is why God invented the portable commode.
Howie52
Others say that this is why God created the outdoors and trees.
I have a portable commode in the great room. He peed in it once the first few days it was in the house instead of the garage. And once when he was peeing on the floor near it I rushed it over and caught some of his pee in it. One night I put it next to his side of the bed. He pped all over it and his dresser in the middle of the night. what a mess!
That’s it after about 3 months. If my son-in-law hadn’t caught covid and had come this week, I would’ve asked him to put it back in the garage. (I originally bought it for the guest bathroom when my mom moved in with us after breaking a hip. Then into the garage it went. It came back out into the master bath when I broke my leg, and stayed there for 6 months. So for 6 months DH peed “into” it (well, through it–it sat over the toilet to provide height and handholds.
That’s really disappointing. How much time, though, does he spend in the great room? To me, the term “great room” brings to mind a large, more formal room where you gather when you have a group of friends or family over. It keeps the commode out of the way and out of sight, but he’s not going to remember that it’s there. And we’re talking about the accidents that occur when you are not with him to get him to the bathroom.
So the commode(s) has to be where he spends time. You talk a lot about the recliners in the den, and relaxing and napping there. That’s where I’d keep the one you have. One thought I have is if there’s enough room to keep it in the bathroom, near the toilet he uses, and perhaps alternate between the two, and then move it to the den, for example. And I’d also keep one in the kitchen and wherever you sit and watch TV.
The great room is in the middle of the house–you have to walk through it to get pretty much anywhere from anywhere else. It’s a living room/dining room, used as a “family room.” Except no tv.
We watch tv in bed. The other tv is upstairs and we don’t really go up there any more. He doesn’t actually watch anyway–I barely watch myself. The tv that was in the den died and I didn’t replace it. I prefer to use my computer, read, and listen to music. (He doesn’t respond to any of these, including tv.)
He doesn’t see the commode as a place to pee. He doesn’t always see a toilet that way either. I just took him to the bathroom and all he did was take off his jeans–well, start to, I have to do most of the work. Then put on his pj bottoms. He does better with public urinals!
PS–I tested positive for covid late this morning. Didn’t feel so well yesterday, but tested negative. My grandson also tested positive. DD & DGD are negative. They were all supposed to fly home this afternoon, but DD took DGD to the airport to fly home alone, and will come back to take care of us sicklies and will fly home when DGS is cleared to fly (5 days?). oy…
I tried putting the commode in the bathroom with no expectations.
When I went to check on him a few minutes ago, he had peed some in it, some under it (not sure how that worked)–and his pj bottoms were kind of wet. Did he pee through them??? Luckily I removed the bath mat from under the commode before leaving it there. Anyhow, fresh pj bottoms and he’s alls et for now.
Covid!!! At least now you won’t have to worry about it for a while, and your immune protection against it will be significantly increased. And as I just learned from a friend, you wait 6 months for your next booster. I hope that hubster doesn’t catch it, because it might make him that much more difficult to handle for a bit.
I’m not surprised though, that you caught it, to be honest. I suspected there was a good chance that between DD, DGS, and DGD, at least one of them had caught covid from your SIL before they came down. I had figured that the entire visit would be canceled because of that possibility. Really glad, though, that you had your time with them all, and the freedom that went along with it. And covid is mild for the vaxed/boosted. So it will increase your immune protection significantly.
So glad DD is there to take care of you all! Rest, and get better quickly!
The first time he got up to pee in the night, I thought I’d let him take himself to the commode. Nope–he peed into his closet. Cleanup gave me a headache (darn covid-).
Second time I took him to the commode, and he mostly peed into it with a little help from me. But I saw how some got on the floor. Puppy pad time!
Whenever I’ve seen puppy pads in peoples’ homes/apartments, they’re scented. I can’t tolerate that. But I’m not finding unscented touted online, Anyone aware of large, unscented puppy pads?
My covid is mild compared to needing the hospital, but I feel pretty lousy, like bronchitis plus head cold.
while DD & DGD are visiting great-grandma and DGS & I kept half an eye on him while we played Star Trek Uno. Took almost half a roll of paper towels to more or less soak it all up. Nature’s Miracle rug cleaner will arrive from AMZN tomorrow…