advice for overnight bowel incontinence and accessing care / supplies

[Namechanger457]

Hi, any recommendations please? MIL has state 4 cancer and is suffering for liquid vowel movements. This is causing distress during the day but overnight she isn’t aware it’s happening and it’s soaked through a tena incontinence pad the sheets and ruined the mattress.
I feel we need more practical support but don’t know where to turn. She doesn’t ‘admit’ to the issue it plays it down with the McMillan nurse. I rand McMillan myself yesterday to say it’s becoming more frequent and the my called her but she said ‘everything was fine’ when they spoke to her. At my wits end.
I need advice on what pads to get, protection for mattress, cleaning supplies and if any of these things can be accessed through McMillan as I’ve been buying the pads myself.

The typos - so sorry, I’m trying to work and do this at the same time

In our area a district nurse would refer to a specialist bladder/bowel team who would supply products on prescription following an assessment

Ok thanks, that’s useful. I’m going to try McMillan again. A big issue is when they call her she says she’s ok, so the conversation ends there, when in fact more assistance is needed. If these conversations happened face to face I would ensure I was there and be more forceful, but they arrange over phone when they can.

Whilst you are getting sorted. You need a Kylie pad to protect the mattress and buy proper incontinence pull ups

We have these on all our beds for fear of children peeing

Family Bedding Terry Cotton 100 Percent Waterproof Single Bed Mattress Protecto... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01L012MMG/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_fabc_Gp11FbJZ3B0S0?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Incontinence is also a risk for pressure sores so I would ask the nurses to assess her skin condition and if she would benefit from a air mattress.

I used to work for adult social care, we would advise people to have a chat with your local disability shop. Ours was fantastic for advise on the best pads etc.
As previous poster, buy two or three kylie sheets for the bed, they are comfortable to sleep on and can thrown in the washing machine each morning. You could also use disposable incontinence pads on the bed, but we found that they can move in the night easily and any leaks still get on the mattress.
I don't know if McMillans will supply pads, you can ask the local district nurses to refer for an incontinence assessment, and then pads will be supplied free of charge - however this could sometimes take months even after the assessment which isn't going to be good for you.

@AndWhat

In our area a district nurse would refer to a specialist bladder/bowel team who would supply products on prescription following an assessment

So sorry you are going through this too Namechanger457 - I understand exactly! As AndWhat said - your district nurse should have referred you - we get pads monthly for my DM, contact your NHS incontinence service.

GP referral for continence assessment team. Meanwhile find your nearest disability shop for purchasing supplies. Inco nappies, dry wipes that you use like flannels for washing then dispose and disposable inco pads for lying on should help.
Cared for my lovely mum so know how difficult things can be.

As PP Kylie pads, you can get them on amazon in various sizes. They don't look like pads but they hold a lot. I also use them for putting under toddlers potty and the small ones as portable changing mat. The Kylie brand are the best ones.

posted too soon - I would also speak to local the Adult Social Care Team, the number will be easy to find on your local county council website.
They will be able to advise eligibility for a care package, of course each area will be different. Ours used to put out a specialist team who would visit for upto 2 weeks weeks to assess what the care needs are, that is free through out the UK. Provision of ongoing care unfortunately is means tested and will depend on your MIL savings and income.
So sorry for your family going through this, I hope your MIL is comfortable and you can all get the support you need.

Disability shops can be very expensive. There are much cheaper online shops. I paid four times the price for soft cleaning wipes in the disability shop.

We have multiple waterproof mattress covers with a soft cotton top, plus use pull up type pants supplied by the nurse at night for dps dd, no leaks so far but it isn't liquid thankfully (sn rather than illness) thankfully she doesn't live with us full time but it's harder than changing children for sure, she's less cooperative than a toddler!

Can I recommend from personal experience, that if you get the washable Kylie type pads and for any soiled pyjamas etc, that you get bundle of red bags. "Red laundry bags with dissolving strip" so the bedding goes straight into the bag and the bag goes directly into the washing machine. There will be a tiny bit of a bag to remove after the wash from the machine but means less handling of soiled bedding.

The mattress ideally covered in a plastic cover but the cover has a top layer of a waterproof terry type mattress protector, this is far more comfortable to lie on than the plastic then the bed sheet on this and the Kylie sheets above.

The local incontinence team should provide the pads, to stop soreness I recommend cleaning as soon as possible and using something like a cleansing foam, vernacare senset foam is my recommendation. Cavilion spray is also good for any potentially sore patches, you don't want a sore down below.

Cleansing wipes which are less harsh than baby wipes can be bought by the bucket.

Contact the gp, Macmillan nurse and district nursing as depends on areas who can prescribe the pads as a matter of urgency.

Is the bowel incontinence as an effect of the cancer or could it be overflow from constipation?