Frequent Urinating

[Redjune1]

My husband has PSP and is constantly waking up at night to use his urinal bottle. The OT has advised me to get him to drink more fluids to try to help this, but another problem is that he often urinates on the bedroom carpet, not intentionally, but it’s hard to deal with. His carpet is now stained, even though I clean it after every accident and I think his bedroom smells too. Can anyone advise me on suitable flooring for the bedroom? Preferably something that is easy to clean and doesn’t stain.

[WifeLilyRose]

I’m not quite sure why the OT is saying drink more fluids. My late husband had PSP and accidents with incontinence and not being able to use the bottle will increase. I bought a large clear plastic floor sheet to put over the carpet by his bed which could be wiped over with antibacterial spray, which helped a lot. There are discreet, washable pads to put on chair seats and also large disposable and reusable sheets to put underneath your husband at night. One is constantly having to assess and adapt but please ask for help. I send best wishes, Susanne.

[NannaB]

My late husband had the same problem and did the same thing. I took the carpet up and bought a rug but what solved all the problems was him being fitted with and given convenes. They were a life changer. It was like a condom with a pipe on the end which goes into a bag on his leg. He could urinate whenever he needed to & I emptied the bag regularly. It meant we could go anywhere without the worry of finding a toilet. I kept a see through fabric softener bottle in my bag & would empty the convene bag into it via a little tap if no toilet nearby. It was brilliant at night. The district nurse measured him & showed me what to do. Well worth a try. XxxX

[doglington]

Yes. My husband too. Like nanna b I solved it with the convene. Still some problems as he tended to pull it off in the morning so it was a race to get there first ! But it makes life easier. Good luck. Jean x

[Redjune1 in reply to doglington]

Is convene something you get from your gp?

[doglington in reply to Redjune1]

Here we had an incontinence service. They sorted it. We had a community nurse who accessed whatever we needed. Live in London xx

[Planthead in reply to Redjune1]

You can buy them, products.coloplast.co.uk/co...

[Planthead]

Hi, my dad was the same, it only gets worse. Get rid of the carpet. Put down plastic or ideally rubber flooring tiles/mats, like you see in a gym. Use high grade incontinence pants or as others have said, get fitted with a convene, (you can buy these, on line, you have to measure the girth of the penis, or get a referral,) however, they often get pulled off, or get a catheter fitted. Get a referral to the incontinence clinic. (For what it's worth, they can be less than helpful). remember, very few medical staff have see or treated psp patients, so they will be trying to treat the symptoms, which is why the nurse, said drink more, its to make the urine less acid, so less irritable to the bladder, however, the condition is taking away all autonomic functions and brain relays, so the patients has no control or feeling. He can't help it. Sadly, time is your greatest enemy, and often double incontinence, may start to occur, as the condition progresses, so get prepared mentally and physically, and perhaps start looking for carers, as it can be very physically challenging, moving a patient from bed/chair to the toilet.

[Redjune1 in reply to Planthead]

I’m definitely going to get rid of the carpet. I’m going to see what I can find tomorrow.

[messier]

I agree with Planthead. Nurses will assume that needing to wee is an infection or problem with the urine. You need to explain that what happens in PSP or CBD is that the brain gets its signals wrong and swaps the body clock round so it produces more urine at night than in the day. From others on this group a conveen seems to be a big improvement. It's a lot harder for women! Mum agreed to a catheter in the end as this was so problematic for her.

[AnneandChris]

Hello there

Can I suggest another solution. This happened to my husband but combined with falls which sometimes need a trip to hospital to be stuck back together.

Our District nurses suggested a Conveen, external catheter. This fits over the penis like a condom and urine is fed into a bag attached to the bed, at night, or to the leg during the day. The knack is getting the right size to fit and the right length of tube for the leg. My husband was a six footer so a longer tube was best.

These are available from the NHS on prescription and were invaluable as it drastically reduced the risk of falls and liquid accidents.

Hope this helps.

[Redjune1 in reply to AnneandChris]

Thanks. A few people have suggested this and I need to look into it.

[Railfan]

I'm the PSP warrior. We got ahead of problems by replacing the carpet with a laminate wood look floor. It's easy to clean and also easier for my wife to push me in my wheelchair and do transfers to my hospital bed when she needs to.

[timbowPSP]

Hi there .... drinking more water/fluid is so important for older folk like me, 80, in the earlier day, but best ease off in afternoon. Doc has given me (Tamfrex/Tansulosin) pills to take by 4pm to boost quick urine production, and have less to pee at night. Effective, but I often forget to take them in time!

Another consideration is the Prostate. Can enlarge (like mine), and so reduces bladder space, and thus means greater frequency. TURP is a possibility: to check with Doc or OT? Best not to go along with all their plans ..... ask questions, and take charge of your progress.

I was horrified one night when I awoke from an active dream to hear myself peeing on the carpet! It was an exciting adventure within the dream, before that moment of reality!

Ha ha! Best of luck ... TimbowPSP

[Redjune1]

Thanks, I’m trying to get him to drink more water earlier in the day because he doesn’t tend to drink much.

[Martina_MP]

‘Luxury vinyl flooring’ is more waterproof than laminate and is quick to install. It comes in very convincing wood or tile patterns.

[Redjune1 in reply to Martina_MP]

I’ve ordered some to be fitted next month so hopefully it will make life easier

[Podengo]

You might want to try condom catheters. They work extremely well for my husband at night. We both are able to get our sleep and my husband is able to freely urinate. Wishing you the best.

[Redjune1]

I think this would really help, but we’re still waiting for continence services to be in touch. We’ve done the three day diary this week so I’m hoping it won’t be long now.