Hi every night I have to get up at least once to go to the toilet. I put on my oxygen but by thr time I get back to my bed I am so short of breath it will take 10 minutes to get my breathing under control sufficiently to take off my oxygen. I get into bed and it will take another 5/10 minutes to get my breathing under control. By this time I’m so wide awake I can’t go back to sleep. I thought about trying incontinence pads so I don’t have to get out of bed.
Does anyone else use these or have any suggestions for me pleases Barbs47
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You can get plastic urinals for men and women. They are not expensive and ou can buy one on line and sometimes a chemist will order one for you. They are useful for an invalid , going on long car journeys as well as saving you a journey to the bathroom at night. Very helpful to somebody like you who is short of breath..
I hope you can find a solution barbs as it’s not good to be so breathless that you can’t sleep after using the bathroom. Something beside your bed would be better perhaps. Thinking of you. Xxx💕😍
If things are getting a struggle have you thought about a commode chair in your bedroom? During the day they can be used as a chair in the room once the lid and cover have been put back on.
I can imagine Some continence products can be quite a struggle, especially in the middle of the night!
I too was going to suggest a commode. My mum uses one for different reasons (she’s very prone to falls) but it’s really helpful for her during the night. She does also wear incontinence pants, however for your own self worth , I would first try a commode. Incontinence pants/pads can leave you feeling a bit sore if you’re wet for too long . Obviously they’re helpful though if you’re struggling to reach the toilet too but if it’s more the ‘getting to’ the toilet than incontinence itself, I’d try commode first.
Boots Chemists used to stock both male and female. My husband had to use them on car journeys, where public toilets could not be found and kept one for beside the bed just in case it was needed.
Unfortunately my room is not big enough to have a commode it would also still mean me getting out of bed. I have just done an econsult to my doctor thanks Barbs47
The other thing…is you might be able to hire one from your local Red Cross…so you can try it out before committing to buying one…although I’m not sure about how they’re going about commodes with covid. Another thing is talking to your GP about the difficulties you’re having and you might be able to get one that way too!?
Everyone is missing the point. Forget about commodes and incontinence pads. You need to address the breathlessness. Talk to your respiratory team and get some advice from them to sort out the breathing.
Sort out? Do you know some miracle that we don't? If we could increase lung capacity of severely damaged and compromised lungs I think we would have already. Most medication is for some relief. It can't take all the breathlessness away or reverse the scaring. I'm sorry to sound harsh but when you get to a certain stage of lung disease we have had most of the medication, inhalers and nebulisers on the market and then we do what we can to make life easier. Or if we are lucky enough to have the choice we get a lung transplant or valves because we have exhausted all the sorting out possible.
I think the respiratory team is in a far better place to give helpful advice and proper help than people on a forum. My lungs are severely compromised and I am on oxygen 24/7 as well as a whole raft of medications, so I do understand the horrors of breathlessness.
And you are still breathless? It is understood that the advice given on the forum is just that, advice. We all know that. In this case it is to do with comfort. If the forum was of no use for advice, comfort, empathy and camaraderie then we are all wasting our time. I am sure the original poster knows when to contact the doctors for medical advice, there is nothing wrong with us helping where we can in the capacity we can. Your own advice in this case will be more than welcome too, I am sure. Best wishes. 🙂
Hi Barbs. My father in law had a bedside commode. Of course the downside is the emptying and cleaning of it. I understand about the struggle it takes to go to the toilet and then it takes ages to get back to sleep. I think Road Runner has a good idea there although I have never seen plastic urinals for women. Maybe give it a go. With love.
Hi Cas I have ordered one they aren’t very expensive and worth a try. I have also ordered some incontinence pants too, I’ll try anything to try and alleviate the problem Barbs 47xx
Hi Barbs, my Mother has the same problem as you and it is miserable. I think it makes her feel wary of going to bed. I think the portable urinals are called shewees, not sure what you do with it once used, bucket maybe. 🤔 My Mum also has a commode which is a huge help, saves a trip to toilet when half asleep which becomes a falls issue and great if she is poorly and exhausted. She has it right next to her bed. If you are limited for space though there is a potable commode, for taking on holidays, this folds up like a folding chair when not in use so could be tucked away when emptied in the morning? She also tries not to drink too much fluid in the evening as she is up constantly.
Hope GP can suggest something.
I lay awake last night unable to sleep, it is horrible and leaves you tired the next morning.
I'm on 24 hr oxygen. If I go toilet in night I just take it steady. If I rush it takes me longer to catch my breath. Are you putting on your oxygen before you get out of bed? That might help. Only take it off when you've caught your breath.
Hi Kate124 thanks for your reply. I do both these things already. As I said by the time I have my breathing under control enough to lie down I’m wide awake and then have trouble getting back to sleep. Barbs47x
My oxygen nurse came to see me a few weeks ago and we went through my nighttime problems she did suggest I turn it up to see if that helped unfortunately it doesn’t Barbs47 x
I'm confused here. I'm on 24/7 oxygen and don't take the cannula off at night though occasionally it comes off by itself. Even with it on I sometimes have to get my breathing sorted when I get back from the bathroom but I'm always so tired that I usually fall back to sleep in minutes.
Sounds like the plastic urinal may be the way to go Barbs47, although your doctor maybe able to give you medication to help with this. I have a terrible problem with bathroom trips in the night I must go at least 4/5 times every night and its a good job I am not on oxygen as I would get no sleep at all. I hooe you find a solution, good luck with it all x
My husband uses bottles , we don’t have space in his room for a commode , but for us the bottles are a better solution anyway . I bought a really nice khaki canvas shoulder bag suitable for a man and hung it on a hook by his bed , it holds two bottles and it’s not obvious to anyone what it contains . Each morning I carry the bag through to the bathroom and hang it there where he empties and cleans the bottle himself once he’s up and about and feeling up to it . I then replace it on the bedroom hook , works well for us 😃
Hi barbs, lots of good ideas here. My mum was bedridden for a while and had to use a thing called a slipper which was very difficult to position and inclined to leak, so I would advise staying away from that.However, you ban use a man’s bottle if you can stand. You need to press it firming onto the area and hey presto, no spills.
Hi. I’m currently seeing my doctor about getting up in the night several times to urinate. Recently a friend who 73 says the dr gave him tablets that you take one an hour before bedtime. Then he has one huge pee before sleeping. Then he can sleep through the night. I’m hoping my doctor has a female version. Not drinking tea or coffee after the afternoon may help. Not drinking water in the evening may make your urine too concentrated which will make the problem worse. Hope you get some help. Some surgeries have a nurse who specialises in these sorts of problems including bed wetting.
I read about pumpkin seed oil supplements helping with that. I'm now down to once or twice a night now rather than (in the past) up to 6 times. I used to use a commode, and when staying in limited space, a slipper.
I get capsules from Holland and Barratt because it's easy to get more. They say to take one to three. I find the three a day, one at each meal, works best.
Hello again, Like you I have to get up at least three times in the night. Yes female urinals are available I have one. It is a godsend during the cold, dark nights. If you go on line and tap in ........Mobility Safe female urinal, the site will come up. I am delighted with mine but make sure you order one with a handle. I am going on holiday soon and I'll certainly be taking my little friend with me. Let me know how you get on.
Thank you RoadRunner44 I have ordered one. I also bought a pack of incontinence pants I used a pair last night I turned my light off at 11pm woke at 7 am went straight back to sleep and woke at 8-15am. I went to the bathroom got back into bed and did my inhalers etc. it was amazing that I hadn’t had to pee in the night. Best nights sleep I’ve had in months. The incontinence pants are completely dry. Barbs47 x
Thats great! Its so irritating having disturbed sleep for whatever reason. Having a good night's sleep sets you up for the next day and helps you deal with other health problems more readily.Cheers.
Poor you I do emphasise with you it must be horrible for you. I have to go to the loo every two hours but I can go back to sleep as soon as my head touches the pillow. I would hate it if I was unable to get back to sleep. My friend sleeps with an always long pad and she sleeps ok with that. She says that when she gets up she usually starts to go whilst walking and just makes it to the toilet. Once there she puts on another always pad. She swears by them. I don't know if that is of any use to you but I can't think of anything else at the moment. Anyway I do hope you get it sorted for you. Stay safe.
This has nothing to do with your particular problem but just wanted to share and even maybe make you smile. Until recently I would get up 2 maybe 3 times in the night to pee, but after having a hysterectomy for prolapse womb my gynae consultant did a pelvic floor repair, miraculously I don't need to get up to pee at all.
It's the only good thing happen to me for years.
Currently have chest infection after going on holiday to Corfu and coming back from 35 degrees to 13 degrees with no warm clothing to wear. I know, stupid. My husband is now in hospital with pneumonia.
I hope , on a serious note, you sort out your problem. Sleep is so important to us all.
Hi barbs47, definitely get a female urinal bottle, very easy to use. They are quite cheap but you should be able to get one for free on prescription. If you’re taking so long to recover maybe your oxygen needs to be at a higher flow rate. You should check with your oxygen nurse. Good luck. Joy. x.
Thank you Joy123 my oxygen nurse visited a few weeks ago I do turn my flow rate to 3 instead of 2 but as we know oxygen doesn’t actually help with breathlessness. Barbs47x
Pleased to see you have found some thing to try to sort the problem. Their does seem to be a vast array of items on Amazon that could do the job and are small so wouldn’t be an issue in a small bedroom.
Have you thought about getting a commode and having beside your bed. Have a word with a district nurse if one comes to see you or have a word with a surgery nurse to see if the can get one for you it's free and when you don't need it just ring whoever gets it for you and they will take it away.If if you use pads you might need inco sheets to protect your bedding snd bed from getting wet.
That's best thing I can suggest and save you money as well you just need to empty it in the morning.
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