When I got my dad up today he had contents in his adult pullups. I put down waterproof pads on the bed and floor and undressed him. I had him clean himself up as much as possible to prevent any droppings when he walked, then had him go sit on the toilet to finish any unfinished business that he might have. After that, I had him step into the shower to clean him off. A shower is best for that kind of wet and dry mess on an adult.
After the shower I had him out by the sink drying him off. He said that he was feeling the urge to go again, so I had him return to the toilet. He sat there a while, but nothing was coming out except for natural gas. Eventually one little nugget came out. So, I had him step back into the shower for a quick wash down.
As I was drying him off he said that he felt the urge again. So, back to the toilet we went. Nothing but gas was coming, so I went to the kitchen and brought him back a little glass of warm prune juice. He drank it and we waited a while. Nothing. Nada. I had him step back to the sink and wiped him and dried him. Once again, he felt the urge, and I said, “No, we are not doing that again. Let’s wait and see.”
I got him dressed and had him go to the kitchen for his midday meds and glass of water. I know he needs enough fluids in his system in order to be able to defecate properly. I could tell by the cloudy urine in his leg collection bag that he was not hydrated enough yet. That is very common when first getting up after sleeping all night. Gotta watch that carefully.
I made him eggs and bacon and mixed fruit and coffee for his late breakfast. I went back to his room and made his bed, discarded the pads that were soiled, got the shower mats and towels up hanging to dry, bagged up the trash, and so on.
The usual daily stuff.
From rise to me shining the sink taps it took 2 hours today. That is not always the case, but some days it takes longer than other days. It was 2 hours of solid activity for me. I never stop moving. I even descaled my Mr. Coffee coffeemaker with vinegar and water while I was waiting for things to get moving for my father in the bathroom. I cleared out the dishwasher, washed down my cutting boards, and cleaned the air fryer basket.
I walked some boxes down to the big trash compactor outside while my father sat on his toilet for the 2nd time. It is very hot and humid outside. I was sweating by the time I got back inside. Now I need a shower. But I needed that anyway after dealing with my dad today.
I can tell you this from experience: Bathing and drying a child is easier than bathing and drying an elderly person. I do not have children myself, but I remember from when my nephews were kids and from when I helped some friends with their kids over the years. Kids are easier to deal with because they don’t weigh much, you can move them around and lift them up without worrying about breaking them. Their skin is smooth and not wrinkly: Elderly skin is not easy to wash and dry; Too many creases and crevices and looseness. It is a pain in the rear, so to speak. It hides things that you find later, things like soap and water and poo.
Adult poo is not the same as kid poo. It isn’t. I am sure most of you know that. What you don’t know is that one day your poo is going to be that kind of poo too, even if you don’t take any meds and are a healthy-type person. Your poo will be old poo, even if it is new poo. 😛
Life is interesting. My life for sure is interesting. The idiom, "May you live in interesting times." is sometimes said as a curse, but it can be something good too. It is not a curse at all. What it actually means is may your life not be boring. My life is not boring. It is tedious at times, for sure, but not boring. I am not a boring person except to those people who are boring people, but who don't realize that they are boring people. They think they are interesting, when in fact they are more of a pain in the arse than they are interesting.
Life is not boring unless you are a bore. I am not a bore, but I do admit to being a pain in the arse.
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