Our home smells like urine. Not like pet urine. Not even like an old folks home urine smell. But exactly like pee that has been sitting around for days and days.
Many years ago, I worked at a small school with uneducated janitors in charge. They waxed the floors yearly, but only washed the floors within a few inches of the edges. Pee in the boys room was contained, forever, in the wax.
Now my home smells like this.
Today I had Susannah wash the floor and toilet with bleach. When we returned home it still smelled. In the past I have found small leaks in Dennis' bags, but this time, nothing. Could it be that he is leaking through his bladder, around the area of the incision into his bladder?
Yuck, yuck and double yuck. I hope we can figure this one out.
Showing posts with label urinary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urinary. Show all posts
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Friday, October 2, 2009
ER Episode 4 (or is it 5?)
I woke up this morning fever free! 3 cheers!
The household did not hold out long, however, before sickness struck again. At midnight, Dennis woke me up and wanted me to check his catheter. He thought it might be clogged. Since the night bag was dry, it was obvious he was clogged. We had two choices - wait until morning or go to ER. Dennis did not want to do either choice and we started a game of one-upping each other with words and thoughts I don't want to admit to online. I will only say that it wasn't pretty and that I hope we did not wake up the neighbors.
He has a bladder infection, again. It's easily treatable. And we should have seen this coming quite a long time ago. There definitely were signs.
A couple of weeks ago, during his last bout of diarrhea, his urine was almost black one morning. It was better the next day, so we forgot about it. He has been lethargic lately. The weather has changed, and I have been so sick, that we ignored that, too.
Then there was the nasty clot in his night bag that Raquel found this morning. I thought I had pulled the whole clot out of the tube and we planned on calling the urologist during the day. Only problem is, each of us thought the other was going to make the call.
We need to become better at handling situations such as this. The mean talk is uncalled for no matter what is happening. We need to watch for signs and act on them right away. Neither one of us have ever been people that run to a doctor for this, that and the other, but perhaps that needs to change.
Tomorrow, when the dust has settled, the prescription has been filled, and we have both had our 8 hours, we can talk. That's one thing about us that is great. We can always talk it out. And for that, I am extremely grateful.
The household did not hold out long, however, before sickness struck again. At midnight, Dennis woke me up and wanted me to check his catheter. He thought it might be clogged. Since the night bag was dry, it was obvious he was clogged. We had two choices - wait until morning or go to ER. Dennis did not want to do either choice and we started a game of one-upping each other with words and thoughts I don't want to admit to online. I will only say that it wasn't pretty and that I hope we did not wake up the neighbors.
He has a bladder infection, again. It's easily treatable. And we should have seen this coming quite a long time ago. There definitely were signs.
A couple of weeks ago, during his last bout of diarrhea, his urine was almost black one morning. It was better the next day, so we forgot about it. He has been lethargic lately. The weather has changed, and I have been so sick, that we ignored that, too.
Then there was the nasty clot in his night bag that Raquel found this morning. I thought I had pulled the whole clot out of the tube and we planned on calling the urologist during the day. Only problem is, each of us thought the other was going to make the call.
We need to become better at handling situations such as this. The mean talk is uncalled for no matter what is happening. We need to watch for signs and act on them right away. Neither one of us have ever been people that run to a doctor for this, that and the other, but perhaps that needs to change.
Tomorrow, when the dust has settled, the prescription has been filled, and we have both had our 8 hours, we can talk. That's one thing about us that is great. We can always talk it out. And for that, I am extremely grateful.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Another Poop Story
This is another issue of poop problems, so quit reading now if you have no interest or a sensitive constitution. I will not be insulted, I promise.
A while back I mentioned that Dennis had started using Activia, the yogurt enhanced with some fancy term that basically means a gentle diuretic. In plain old English, a poop mover. He ate it for the recommended 14 days, and Voila!, he pooped. We were sold on this stuff.
Unfortunately, a few days after the 14 day challenge, he started up with the diarrhea. By now you all know, that nothing is normal with Dennis. Constipation is not normal and diarrhea is not normal. When he is sitting on the toilet, he somehow manages to get poop all over, inside and out and even on the shower curtain. The floor, of course, needs a good scrubbing each time, too. Then there are those times, when he is not sitting on the toilet, but he is, unbeknownst to himself, still pooping. Right now he is wearing double diapers to prevent massive leakage, but yesterday he still managed to end up with a pair of shorts that we both agreed would best be tossed in the garbage.
One of my favorite times, though, is the poopy butt shower. It seems the scrubbing of the poopy butt, encourages the butt to let loose. I have barely missed being pooped on more than I care to mention, while giving him a butt side up shower.
Like the urination issues of yore, the daily changing of sheets, and the hourly changes of diapers, we are becoming used to dealing with this with humor. And I suppose, love. If these problems are a test of our love and our ability to laugh, then we are both passing with flying colors. But hey, already. Enough testing. We do not plan to fail.
Until later,
Ann and Dennis
A while back I mentioned that Dennis had started using Activia, the yogurt enhanced with some fancy term that basically means a gentle diuretic. In plain old English, a poop mover. He ate it for the recommended 14 days, and Voila!, he pooped. We were sold on this stuff.
Unfortunately, a few days after the 14 day challenge, he started up with the diarrhea. By now you all know, that nothing is normal with Dennis. Constipation is not normal and diarrhea is not normal. When he is sitting on the toilet, he somehow manages to get poop all over, inside and out and even on the shower curtain. The floor, of course, needs a good scrubbing each time, too. Then there are those times, when he is not sitting on the toilet, but he is, unbeknownst to himself, still pooping. Right now he is wearing double diapers to prevent massive leakage, but yesterday he still managed to end up with a pair of shorts that we both agreed would best be tossed in the garbage.
One of my favorite times, though, is the poopy butt shower. It seems the scrubbing of the poopy butt, encourages the butt to let loose. I have barely missed being pooped on more than I care to mention, while giving him a butt side up shower.
Like the urination issues of yore, the daily changing of sheets, and the hourly changes of diapers, we are becoming used to dealing with this with humor. And I suppose, love. If these problems are a test of our love and our ability to laugh, then we are both passing with flying colors. But hey, already. Enough testing. We do not plan to fail.
Until later,
Ann and Dennis
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Super Pubic Catheter
Dennis and I had a consult with a urologist today that does prostrate surgery. Dennis has decided to have a super pubic catheter placed instead of the Foley catheter that he currently uses for his urinary issues.
For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about, a Foley catheter enters through the penis. An SP, or super pubic, bypasses the penis and inserted directly into the bladder through the pubic area. I have no idea what this will look like, but happily, only a few of us will ever have to see the whole business in it's entirety.
We are waiting, however, for the actual surgery until August. We have so much to do in regards to my mom in June and we hope to visit Ireland in July. Surgery before we leave the country, even if it is minor, seems reckless. Why test fate if you do not need to?
Dennis is looking forward to this change. He complains of discomfort constantly with his current catheter. Then again, Dennis is prone to whining, anyway. Just another one of the reasons that I love him.
Until later,
Ann and Dennis
For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about, a Foley catheter enters through the penis. An SP, or super pubic, bypasses the penis and inserted directly into the bladder through the pubic area. I have no idea what this will look like, but happily, only a few of us will ever have to see the whole business in it's entirety.
We are waiting, however, for the actual surgery until August. We have so much to do in regards to my mom in June and we hope to visit Ireland in July. Surgery before we leave the country, even if it is minor, seems reckless. Why test fate if you do not need to?
Dennis is looking forward to this change. He complains of discomfort constantly with his current catheter. Then again, Dennis is prone to whining, anyway. Just another one of the reasons that I love him.
Until later,
Ann and Dennis
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