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At my wits end. My 84 year old mother with advanced dementia has been having chronic diarrhea for 2 weeks now. Seems anything she eats goes right through her. This morning I made her one piece of toast and a sliced banana. Her stool was tested and negative for C-diff and parasites. Monday hoping to get a urine sample and have tested as well. Bloodwork is normal. I’m not sure if it is just dementia progressing? She is completely unaware when she goes and when I walk in her room get hit with the smell. Stinks up the whole house. Happening multiple times a day. Ironically smells a lot like my dad when he was on hospice and had an infection not typical odor. She does not have a pressure ulcer or any wounds. She has amazing care between myself and a nurse aide that comes in 4 hrs a day 6 days a week. Diapers are not containing it since it goes out the sides and up the back!

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This has been going on too long. Must be something her doctor can give. It maybe time for Hospice.
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I don't think any of them are going to completely contain explosive, wet diarrhea. One thing that helped me was to put a pair of men's sports style boxers over the diaper (the kind with snug legs), that held in the overflow.
Are you sure she isn't getting some kind of laxative? My mom had slow transit colon and sometimes needed bisacodyl to have any bowel movement at all - if it's not C-Diff the horrible odour makes me think that.
Has anyone recommended adding psyllium (Metamucil) to bulk up her bowel movements? Or something like Imodium?
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anonymous1732518 Aug 2023
From going through this a month ago, they don't, even though the underwear I had on were to big for me.
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I had good results with the Walmart Brand Equate Assurance unisex diapers with tabs.
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Hello. I don't have much experience of this one; do prescription med work? I thought there is a medicine (tablet) to stop diarrhea, something like the way imodium works but a prescribed by a doctor.

Also maybe you should see a doctor if it's been going on for more than 2/3 days?

Sorry this is the extreme end of caregiving when the person you are caring for has lost their toilet control. I wish I could suggest more but there are more qualified people on this forum to answer this one. I hope it gets better. I think seeing a dietician might also be worth while.

Bless you are dealing with the extreme end of caregiving and I can't imagine going through this. I hope there's better things to help with toilet control in the future.

Take care and let us know what eventually worked.
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Did this start after the nurse aid left?

Had something similar but not for 2 weeks or very smelly. Wound up being food poisoning.

I just read food poisoning in someone with a healthy system can resolve in a few days, but someone with a compromised one can take longer to resolve.

Try to make sure she is staying hydrated and given electrolytes, since water and electrolytes are lost through diarrhea.
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