[MaryCAngelLady]

My father has advanced P.D. He is not on any medicine because he is elderly, has cancer, etc. and has dementia. Drs. thought the side effects would be too much for him. My question is: He has lost all control of his bodily functions. Now he says he doesn't even know when he has soiled himself or wet himself. Is that possible? Or is it his dementia? He has good days and bad days and some days he can carry on a perfectly normal conversation, so it is hard to believe that this could be dementia. Anyone have any experience with this? I dont know how you could not know this!

[aftermathman]

I am sorry for your father's state of health.

"Urinary urgency", a sudden, compelling urge to urinate, is a symptom of PD and given his health I imagine sometimes he is unable to control that urge.

I cannot think of a "PD motor function related reason" why he would be unaware of having wet himself. Dementia appears the more likely suspect imho.

Hope this helps,
Neil.

[jeanb]

Mary --

I, too, am very sorry to hear about your father's health. I can only say I agree with Neil.

{my dad has cancer & dementia (but not PD)}

Good luck to you & your father

[reverett123]

It would seem that if there are good days and bad, that the problem might not be physical damage but rather some process or metabolic factor that waxes and wanes. Is that typical for dementia?

[jeanb]

I'm not sure what you are asking

My dad has ALZ and if he's not moving - when queried says "no my back doesn't hurt" But if we try to move him to sit in a chair - he cries out in pain. (When he isn't moving, he can't remember that he has back pain.)

I tell the nurses to give him his pain meds on schedule. You can't believe him when he says he has no pain -- he simply can't remember from one minute to the next.

[MaryCAngelLady]

you are probably right. It probably is dementia. I don't know that much about dementia, but I just don't understand how you can not know if you have soiled or wet yourself and he truly doesn't seem to know!

I too have P.D. and I look at him and pray to God I don't have to go thru what he is going thru.