Mom's diaper must weigh 5 lbs. in the morning. She wears a pull-up over the diaper and it's wet too. What could be wrong?

At wal-mart you can get the cheap baby diaper rash med. with 40% zinc in it. It is great. And cheap. You also can get very large jars of vasoline "generic kind" in the babyneeds section of heath and bueaty aids but it is cheaper in the pharmacy section by the ointments and the same size. I use both on mom at same time.

ESTHER:

Like Naheaton, I was also thinking about the diuretic effect of some medications. Call her nutritionist and ask for tips. She might be eating too much "soft" food.

This is indeed "normal" and one answer may be to try a "super absorbent" night brief incontinence product. You can't buy these at Wal-Mart, medical supply distributors (check your phone book) have access to these products. They can absorb and wick from the skin huge amounts of fluids to keep the skin drier and healthier. By using these incontinence products she will have less layers on and will sleep much better and decrease the chance of bed sores/diaper rash (decreasing wrinkles and tight fitting products). These products will decrease the number of times you will have to change her (you'll figure it out as you use them for a few nights) because the briefs are so absorbent and keep the moisture from the skin. You will need to ask the provider how to measure to determine the size your mom needs, don't guess! Properly fitting products mean success! I also recommend you ask your doctor for a recommendation for a barrier cream to be used on her skin (think A&D ointment for kids) as it will help keep her skin healthy and discourage skin breakdown. **Warning - these products are much more expensive than what you find at Target, Wal-Mart, etc. But, you actually end up saving money because you use less briefs and do less laundry!** It's always a good idea to check for a urinary tract infection at each doctor's visit (they can do it quickly in the office) because so many seniors do not show the typical symptoms. I am all for the awaking yourself to change your mom in the night but make sure you are getting sufficient sleep for your own well-being and safety.

Hello, I don't know if your mother has an onset of Alzheimer's or not. Usually an elderly person tends to develop Dementia or early stages of Alzheimer's disease due to mental damage from a stroke. If your mother's urine has a strong odor, she may need more water throughout the day to dilute the urine in her bladder.
My mother has had two strokes in the past 4 yrs. and now has middle to late stages of Alzheimer's. I take her to the bathroom every 3-4 hours. After I used the bathroom, I take her to the bathroom to pee if she has to or not.
She need to drink a full cup of water with the medicine at night. I give her the medicine 1/2 hr after dinner (6:30 pm), wait 30 minutes again, then take her to the bathroom (7:00 pm). After she pee, I wait an hour or so, take her again right before bed (8:00-8:30 pm), that way her bladder is emptied out. She goes again when I go to bed at 10:30 pm. This usually works and she'll stay dry overnight till 6:30 am. If I give her medicine with one cup of water too late into the night, she tends to have more accidents in the morning.
With Dementia or Alzheimer's the elderly parent don't know /or can't remembers how to get up and use the bathroom at night.
You could try what others' have written about setting a timer to wake you up at night or finding out about infections.
You have to think of your parent as a child, they don't know any better and they need your help.
Good luck to you.

really good suggestions deefer12!!! I would be concerned about UTI. It is possible when she is so sound asleep that her muscles relax and her bladder empties well... Was she somewhat incontient before the stroke? the surgery that they can do may not be the best thing for her. take care J

if she is like my mom she relaxes at night and than here comes the pee.She hardly goes in the day . I think she holds it. But you do need to change her. I did not for awhile . And mom got a real bad case of diaper rash . Now I have to set the alarm and get up to change her. It is better than fighting the rash believe me.

First thing is to see if she has a UTI. Has her personality changed at all since this has been happening? Mom gets a UTI fairly regularly. What usually tips me off if the extra full diapers and the ghastly smell. But the worst part is her mental status gets severely altered. She gets very nasty, forgetful, and acts totally lost. For some reason, UTI's are very life altering in elderly women and can be deadly if left untreated. Mom also has Parkinsons and part of the disease is no longer be able to tell if your bladder is full. If I do not put her on the toilet every couple of hours during the day, she does not ask to go. She is usually in bed by 6:30 and I stay up and put her on the toilet around 11. At this point she is already wet and has to be changed. This has helped save on laundry tremendously. Because she can no longer tell if she has emptied her bladder, she usually goes to bed full. When she finally relaxes, her bladder lets go, and her meds make it difficult to wake up to go.
Definitely make sure you get a urine sample to the doctor as soon as possible to make sure she doesn't have an infection. By a plastic "hat" to put over the toilet seat to catch the urine. It's too hard to get them to go into a container. If the urine comes back negative, then the only thing you can do is get her up a few hours after going to bed and change her and have her go again. You will soon be able to tell what time is best to do this. It has been very frustrating for me in the past, but now It seems to be under control. Going the med route is not good either. Bladder control meds in the elderly can cause more confusion and are best not used if your mom already has dementia or issues with confusion. Good luck. I hope this helps.

Could also be one of her meds that is causing her to sleep so soundly that she can't get up to the bathroom. Some meds also act like a diuretic, so I'd check that too.

You should really speak with your mom's physician about this matter. There are no surgeries but there are some medications that might help but she needs a full evaluation and you need more details on what's "normal". I believe there are also mattress pads with sensors that can alert you to wetness. That might help to wake you to change her when it's necessary. Good Luck.

Set your timer every couple of hours, get up and change her. This also decreases the chances of her getting bed sores. You don't want that.

She is too wet, and needs to be changed more often.

Hope this helps.