Mother seems to have diarrhea often. Her internist says that, as people age, their digestive system don't work properly for this or that reason. He suggested giving Imodium every night, the liquid form, which was a lower dosage than the pill form, as a sort of maintenance. I tried it, but then I found myself trying to fine tune it, because aside from diarrhea, she will sometimes be constipated. Myself, I might disagree with the constipation, because she tends to expect that it must happen every day. Even if she's going, if it's not but a little here and a little there, she's not happy. This ends with her wanting an enema, which I will delay as long as possible. We even cut out dairy, and it seemed to help some, although not entirely, but she just keeps trying to get the dairy back in her diet. It seems with her, it is a very fine balance, and very hard to maintain. Anybody else have issues with this sort of thing, is this common among the elderly and, if so, what are you doing, that is working? Many outings have been cut short, due to bouts of this, I have given her imodium before an outting or lately, pepto bismol.
More recently, when she was taking the wrong antibiotic, she had pretty severe diarrhea. Searching online, I came up with some suggestions. First off, the article said that if she has the diarrhea due to the antibiotic, that her body is trying to get rid of it, so it should not be stopped. It advised against imodium, in this case, and suggested pepto bismol. It said that the pepto bismol would slow it down, but not totally shut her bowels down, like imodium, so that she would continue getting rid of whatever she needed to be rid of. Then I found something called BRAT ... Bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast, which are suggested to help stop the diarrhea and sooth the intestines I suppose. I wonder if eating those foods on a regular basis would help forestall it? It would be difficult working that in, let me tell you, she's so danged picky and often obstinate when it comes to what she eats. We've been trying new recipes, lately, since her favorite is southern and I'm not good at southern, and luckily she's liked each one.
Anyway, what helped me sometimes was the B.R.A.T. diet. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Tea. Bland stuff, but it can help to bind things up. But not too much of them because they can bind up too much.
The probiotics with acidophilus are also great tips. But I would also suggest a sports drink of sorts that has electrolytes in them. That's important for all of us when we have long bouts of diarrhea, but it's even more important for us as we get older because seniors lose the balance of electrolytes much faster and for them it could be very dangerous. So for hydration during that time after and during a bout of diarrhea, I would suggest regular sipping of something with electrolytes in it (but be sure there's no problem using them with any meds that are being given).
I feel for you both and wish you all the best.
When I buy anything in the store including yogurt, one of my methods of selection is the one with the oldest expiration date so I get the freshest thing available. I usually buy 1 or 2 containers of plain yogurt every week and I will use that like sour cream in tuna and noodles or some other recipes.
I believe I mentioned I changed Judy's diet earlier this week. Got away from the gout related items and went with just a few things she likes to eat. I made pancakes one day and I had bought some organic soup mix that I heated up and added to some minute rice I cooked. She did not seem to like that very well, but it could be the rice was difficult for her to chew. I had bought some organic corn flakes and tried soaking them in her milk yesterday and giving her them that way. That did not seem to work so this am I put the corn flakes in the magic bullet along with her banana, a half dozen grapes and some milk. I had gotten her up at 7 to help her in the bathroom and she seemed wide awake, but I told her I would let her rest in her bed while I fixed her breakfast. She was sound asleep when I was done. She finally woke up again at 9 and she had no problems with the corn flakes for breakfast. It is a lot less than I usually feed her, but maybe I am on the right track.
Last night was probably the first time this whole month that she was dry. I got her up at 3 and 7 to go to the bathroom and she had to be holding it. There have been quite a few times she has been soaked thru.
Since she had a late breakfast I didn't get her lunch ready until about 2. I tried to get her out of her recliner but she was interested in the TV and didn't want to go. First time that has happened in a while. I just brought her in a cup of water and one of her yogurts and that was her lunch.
I went back to her usual supper tonight after several days. It consists of egg salad made with carrots and celery, rosemary, turmeric, celery seed and mustard or some type of salad dressing along with a couple hard boiled eggs. After I put in the celery seed my first thought was maybe that was the problem. I usually just dump in a bunch but tonight I measured out a tablespoon. So I dipped some out and left out the rosemary and turmeric also. She ate that with a whole small sweet potato.
It makes me feel optimistic that I am back on the right track again. I know the gout hurts her like the dickens, but I have always found it is better to fix one thing at a time.
Oh, and one other thing. I put a plastic apron on her while she is eating to protect her clothes. For the last several weeks, she has had more difficulty swallowing and some times there is a pool of liquid on the floor from the water drooling out between swallows. We used the same apron for all 3 meals today and there was not a spot on it. It is just weird what the body does at times.
Hope I am not stealing the post. I keep a log of everything that happens, but sometimes it seems curative just to post on some of these sites. Thanks for listening.
Bob, my hat goes off to you! You are an outstanding husband!
Again, thanks, lotsa info here to explore. I'd like to stop with the artificial stuff too... and make it happen with just the foods in her diet.
Dr. Suze and dheh51,she actually, does take probiotics, but nothing that has to be refrigerated. I do have her taking a high number of bacteria, but didn't know about higher number of different types, but that makes sense. I'll check into the good stuff, thanks for the info!
Twotone and Roberts, she also eats yogurt, which is the one dairy product that our chiropractor (who helps me monitor and access things, as she is very wholistic) suggested. I'm not sure where to find yogurt with live cultures? I have seen them with probiotics, is that the same thing?
Mother has had stomach problems her entire life. Before her accident, it wasn't unusual for her to have bouts of diverticulitis and diverticulosis (she doesn't remember this however). Her doc, when I've mentioned stomach pains that she complains of, says it's this or that but hasn't taken any scans in quite some time. I have noticed that when she eats greasy foods this will happen... and that could be due to a bad gall bladder, at her age, for all we know. It's rare that I will give her anything super greasy, although on an outting we may be bad and have onion rings from Sonic :-). Madea, she eats oatmeal every single morning and has for many many years, although this morning she wanted some of that fresh cantaloupe and some OJ So, I can identify the problem some time but, for the most part, there seems to be no apparent reason. She does have a huge hernia in the lower part of her abdomen, and has had it for years, but don't think that could be causing it.
Oh, and she does wear diapers, already, eyerishlass. She can't walk by herself. And it's only been very recently that I've been able to get her on a public toilet, without a 2nd person to help... but it's not easy and wears us both out (and I usually have to fuss at her, because she wants to hold onto things, which keeps me from moving her, but she's getting better about doing what I ask, when I ask, so that I don't give out and drop her... I tell her it's like a dance... and I'm the LEAD ... that she can't lead if I'm going to be the one helping her... when she tries to lead, all the weight goes on me, she's bad about not wanting to stand tall, then, so as her own skeleton helps to bare the weight!)... I sure wouldn't ever attempt that when she's about to have diarrhea! And even with the diaper on, it doesn't always help! There have only been two times, knock on wood, where she didn't make it in time, and she wasn't even aware either time, although she did accuse me of messing my pants??? Lol! I have spent many a night getting her out of bed and onto the toilet, over and over and over... and that's usually a 20 to 30 minute time frame, or more... and putting her back into bed, tucking her in just right, with oxygen (another 15 to 20 minutes), then I'd go back to bed, in 10 minutes she's got to go again. I can tell you, if ever I get grumpy, those are the times. I finally have started putting her in a chair in the bedroom, during those times. At night I am not as strong so taking her in and out of bed so many times, during the night, just wears me down and kills the muscles... not to mention her. Let's not mention sleep deprivation... I swear to God, my mother pees and poops all day long every day...especially in the morning. Seems I can get nothing done, because no sooner than I get started she calls for me. If she naps, that cuts down on the number of visits but as soon as she wakes up she's gotta go. By evening, she's settled down... but then I'm all tired out...
I always thought physillium made you go, not stop it.
She's not on antibiotics very much and that's the first time it gave her such horrible diarrhea, it was the wrong kind of antibiotic, they say, that did it... she does have uti issues, another thing she's struggled with most of her life... and the last time it gave her dementia like symptoms, even though her doc said he didn't think so... but the ER nurse sure said so, as have several articles I've read.
Right after she got over her diarrhea bout, she started asking for more to drink. I'd always tried to get her to drink more fluids, other than at meal times, but she never would. After the bout, she was asking in between... and that's great! But, I did notice her skin has that dehydrated look to it, lately, although it didn't look so bad before. I just wonder if I should be concerned, as she is really drinking more, but not sure how long it takes for her skin to bounce back. And this morning her urine had this funny odor to it, the same odor that she had when she had the UTI, although it's not dark or cloudy... I described the odor to the doc, who didn't seem particularly concerned, but I thought perhaps it may have been an indicator of something in particular... it smelled like burnt toast of something weird like that. She's diabetic, on top of everything else, and I am constantly worrying about her kidneys.
Eyerisheyes, I went out and bought a fancy diaper bag a couple of months ago. It's stocked with extra diapers, wipes, advil, immodium, thickener, diabetic supplies, zip-loc bags, windshield sun blockers/shade makers, sunglasses, note pads and pens, appointment book, umbrella and sugary candy ... oh and drinking straws and a place for her own drinking cup... and it serves as my purse, too, when I take her out and about... we even bought a baby monitor that day :D Bless your dad's heart, I know that had to be so awful for him.
Thanks everyone, I'll be checking into your suggestions.
l echo the comments re: pro-biotics as yogurt is mostly only a stop-gap w/ not enuf active live cultures AND if it eaten incorrectly, what IS in it is destroyed in the stomach. IMO, if u want to depend on yogurt, it must be "plain" and eaten on an empty stomach. The culturing process of yogurt pre-digests the lactose and turns the yogurt acidic. When this contacts an empty stomach, the body senses that further digestion is unnecessary and the yogurt is passed unscathed thru to the small intestine where the friendly bacteria is used to rebalance healthy intestinal flora. If fruit and/or sugar are in the yogurt, the body senses that digestion IS required and the yogurt is held up in the stomach and subjected to the high biological digestive heat of the stomach doing its work, thus killing off most of the yogurt's active cultures which are heat sensitive.
Next, after reviewing all the responses so far, no one has mentioned wheat. Please google "celiac disease" - the inability to process the gluten in certain grains, wheat being the primary culprit in the American diet. Without diligence, it is diff NOT ti eat wheat 5 or 6 times per day (all 3 meals & snacks) since our SAD (Standard American Diet) includes so many processed foods and it's diff to find processed foods that don't contain wheat in some form.
Bowel problems are common not only in celiac but also in folks with wheat sensitivity. Here's the thing, some young ppl much healthier than the seniors we are caring for here are NOT diagnosed, and suffer with, celiac for sometimes 8 to 12 years before "discovery". There is definitive testing for celiac but no such thing for gluten sensitivity. The only way to know is to gluten from the diet COMPLETELY for at least 2 months (!), then see if one feels better. Celiac and gluten sensitive patients often have a myriad of health problems "spontaneously (and thankfully) disappear" when gluten is out of their lives.
This has been a long post. I'll leave it 2 those of you to which this concept has vibration to do your research or post more questions...
Then, after several rounds of antibiotic treatments for recurrent UTIs, it started again. Personally, I have an issue with tylenol and advil such that if I take a bit too much, I get the runs. So, we took a look at her daily doses of tylenol (for palliative pain relief) and were able to cut those back, too, without any noticeable difference in her pain. Hurray! No more diarrhea!
It's really a balancing act. If there are meds that can be considered PRN (as needed), then we alter them, within the doctor's parameters, until we get good results.
One other possibility, from a nutritional approach: Good bowel movements need the right amount of fiber. If the diet doesn't have enough, adding something fiber additives (like benefiber or citracal) might make a difference, too.
Good luck. Diarrhea isn't fun for ANYone.
I on the other hand take 4 benefiber pills at night and 4 in the morning. Also, I might take an amodium AD at night. It controls it 95% of the time.
88, I just took away all gluten. She was instantly better, and I know for some people it can takes weeks, months or never be healed. Along with the gluten .. I also took away dairy. She is now close to 96 and diarrhea has never been an issue again. I mention this, in that it can't hurt to go without gluten for a week or so, if you are desperate to try something else. Doctors can't believe
that this was the cause... but she no longer takes flagyl or immodium ... and was on that kind of stuff for 40years, so it is hard to imagine that it is not true. She is in many ways in better health at 96 than she was decades ago.
It took me a number of years to get my wife fine tuned (she is 68 now) and was diagnosed with cortical basal degeneration 9 1\2 years ago. Starting in april of 2012 she began having urinary tract infections about once a month. Finally I suggested to our GP that maybe I should take her to a urologist. I sometime think the more people know, the more they have forgotten. I hope that makes sense.
Anyway the urologist prescribed a high powered antibiotic for a week and a lower dose of nitro fer mac on a daily basis.
I don't remember how long it took, but it was not long before the diarrhea took over out lives. It was all over the house and the bathroom was a mess and she was having blood and black stools. When I called the urologist he told me to call the GP to get it taken care of. Instead of monthly UTIs, they were stretched out to every 6 weeks.
In April we went to Grandparent's day at our granddaughter's school. There gets to be a time when you never pass a bathroom and I took Judy into one of the staff bathrooms to help her. Nothing happened and I got her up and went to pull up her pants when the diarrhea started. This had not been a big problem before. Anyway, once it started there was no stopping it. It just kept coming and coming. I used up all the paper towels in the bathroom and since we had been in there a long time one of the teachers knocked on the door to see if we needed help. I let her stay with Judy while I ran out to the car to get the extra clothes that I brought along. I just threw everything she had in the trash.
After a while, the principal knocked on the door and said she used to be a CNA when she went to college. She finished helping me clean up Judy and got a wheel chair so I could go to our granddaughter's event. We got there with about 10 minutes to go.
The diarrhea lasted for a couple more days and I took her to the emergency room where they diagnosed CDIF. They told me to take her home and see that she gets plenty of water. Because of the CBD, she has difficulty swallowing and getting 3 glasses of water in her in a day's time is a monumental task so I asked to have her admitted to a hospital or a nursing home.
She was kept o an IV for the 3 days she was at the hospital and I happened to be outside the door when a couple of the aids were cleaning her up after one of the episodes. I could hear one of them say "oh that poor guy", referring to me. I had the hospital release her to a nursing home for 3 weeks because it is more than one person can handle.
Judy was in great shape other than the UTIs before we saw the urologist. Since then she has developed gout which I can't seem to do anything with and now the C-Diff with multiple bouts of diarrhea when it occurs. Our doctor did tell me several weeks ago to give her one dose of Immodium which seemed to help. That was the day when I had to get the carpet cleaners in on an emergency basis to clean up the dining room carpet. So now I have been giving her half the immodium dose when she has the first runny stool and that seems to help for about a day and a half.
I tried to get a stool sample yesterday to take in and get tested but of course nothing happened until after 9 pm when the clinic was closed.
Getting back to the original question, I took Judy off milk products years ago. I buy her either coconut or almond yogurt, coconut milk and although not totally organic her diet is probably 80 to 90 percent. The biggest factor I found was soy products. I eliminated soy products about a year and a half ago and that solved a lot of her problems. Soy seems to be in about 90 percent of our food, so you have to read every label, even on medications. When I first starting checking I spent several hours in the grocery store each week. Now, I pretty much know what has soy in it, but still double check the labels before I put things in the cart.
As a side note, since we eliminated the soy, I do not have to get up as much during the night to use the bathroom myself. And if I go to a fast food place or something, I end up getting up several times during the night.
Also, as someone that suffers from IBS, Metamucil is a soluble fiber that helps absorb moisture..bulking up the stools. It is not a laxative, more of a stool normalizer. Immodium IMHO, should not be used on a regular basis.