How do people with cancer use the bathroom in a hospital?

Question

I hate asking this question, really I do, given how personal this is. But I'm a high school student and the assignment is to write a short story. I need to know, for my fictional story, how a person with cancer and who is getting chemo uses the bathroom--or does the person use a bedpan or catheter or ask for assistance from an orderly--or something else? I want to be factually acurate--I just don't want to assume anything and risk having the wrong info. I know people with this terrible illness are so weak and sick they often must skip meals, and suffer from fatigue and other illness. My neighbor had cancer, but I'm just too embarrassed to ask such a question as this. So if anyone could give me an answer or where I might go to get the answer, I'd appreciate it. I feel awful asking something like this and I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I just don't know where else to go for the answer. Thank you

Answer 1

Any time a person becomes ill enough to be hospitalized, they are often dependent on others for many of their basic needs, this is true especially with the elderly. It all depends on how physically debilitated the patient is. I always ask patients who are physically able to walk to please call me if they want to go to the bathroom, 1. when they are first admitted, 2. If they are taking any medication that may affect their balance or level of alertness, 3. If they are hooked up to I.V. fluids and 4. If they are elderly (70 & up). This is purely for saftey reasons. It can be very traumatic for both the patient and staff, if a patient is injured in a fall. Patients who are weakened by their illness/condition may have to use a bedpan/urinal if they are unable to get out of bed. The half way point, some one who can't make the distance to the bathroom safely, but still able to stand with some assisstance, is a Bed side commode. It is a portable potty chair with a bucket for catching the waste. Some patients do have Indwelling catheters, but they are removed as soon as possible because they can become a source of infection. Some patients are incontinent, and require cleaning. Even young people who are severely ill will sometimes soil themselves. I don't make a big deal about it, try to reassure them (They often feel guilty over the loss of controll) and try to clean them up quickly and thoroughly.

The main thing to remember is it all comes down to what the patient can physically tolerate and do and how ill they are.

Answer 2

If the person is able they get up and go to the bathroom on their own. If they have an IV going--the bag of fluid is on a pole with wheels--and they can get up and wheel their IV pole with them. If they are bedfast--they have bedpans. If the patient needs assistance in any way--they have a little button at their bedside they can push for assistance and someone will come in to assist. Any other questions--fell free to e-mail me.

Answer 3

I'm sure it depends on what stage the patient is at. Yes, if they're too ill to leave the bed, they wear adult diapers. If they can walk or get help to the bathroom, they'd use it like anyone else would. Just takes longer and it's miserable.
Good luck with your story.

Answer 4

No matter the disease, if they cannot walk by themselves and use a toilet, but they have control of their sphincters, they can ask for a bidet or a sort of bed jug. If they have no control, they can use a diaper.