My husband gets up 4 or 5 times a night to urinate and needs help getting to the bathroom and back. As a result, I am exhausted having to assist him in this and he mostly doesn't pee because he has emptied his bladder and just "feels" that he has to go again. Is a sleeping pill appropriate for him since he also has pulmonary fibrosis (some scar tissue on his lungs that was work related) or would that depress his breathing. I'm so tired and don't know what to do and I know I need to get more sleep so I don't get irritated at him.
Ask his urologist about a new procedure called Eurolift. No cutting, no laser. They use a new method that uses special staples that pull the inside and outside walls of the prostate together and enlarged the urethra opening through the prostate. In most cases it is an “out patient “ procedure. I suspect this is available at any large medical center these days.
I’ma caregiver but also a 79 year old male with a history of prostate issues. I think your husband needs to see a urologist if possible. The urge comes from a non -empty bladder or urinary inflammation such as infection, enlarged prostate or bladder stones (as opposed to kidney stones. Probably other things too. A simple ingestion can close up the urethra opening. I have had all of teb above and i sympathize with your husband. It is a miserable feeling to have to go but nothing happens.
I once took a friend to see an urologist - she was told that after voiding she should lean forward a bit & then lean back a bit then try to see if some urine was still there but was not voided in the first try - it might be worth it to try having shift his hips a little - during the night he should be sitting to urinate otherwise he could fall
BTW, I put a bit of soap in and a tad of water - and he's been able to use his "favorite" urinal for 2-1/2 years now! Just a little FYI. The urinals are so cheaply made now, so he's using one from the hospital from 'way back when' and the handle is closed off.
I tried the Flowmax but he still wound up waking me hourly so we were advised to stop it when DH's Blood Pressure and Heart Rate went wonky on us.
I went through this utterly exhausting stage with my dad and never did find a good solution, until I moved him to the best memory care facility I could find. Until then, using three baby monitors helped (2 audio and 1 video), but did not fully resolve my sleep deprivation problem.
I would NOT recommend using a sleeping pill without first getting the cause of the frequent urgency addressed. His doctor will definitely have a better idea of what is safe for your husband considering his fibrosis.
This is a SERIOUS issue for yourself too, lack of sleep is a huge health risk both mentally and physically for care-givers. I hope you can get your husband to a Urologist soon, but if not please consider having a trained caregiver come in at night to support you by helping your husband to and from the bathroom while you sleep.
Your husband should not be expecting you to never get a good night's sleep, that isn't healthy and it isn't fair. I'm sorry you and your husband are having to deal with this.