Reading DrP's post on wishing Mr. B could remember to raise the toilet lid so he'd have a round hole to pee in, and having just cleaned our cat box, I just had a way-out thought ...

What if you placed a large plastic storage bin on top of the toilet or commode. Line it with a plastic garbage bag (black would be easy to see), and put scoopable cat litter in it (Tidy Cats Multiple Cat is VERY effective both for scooping and killing the smell). Then treat it like a cat box -- scoop and clean out the clumps as needed, periodically throw the whole darned bag and used litter out and put in a fresh bag and litter, and when not in use or need (during the day?), just put the lid on the plastic storage box and set it down on the floor.

If you get a taller storage bin, maybe just using that while it sits on the floor as a pee box would be adequate rather than placing it on top of the toilet. Maybe even have it bedside at night. Seems like a much bigger, taller target with the cat litter to instantly absorb the liquid and the smell, could be a solution for some.

I know, it's a whacky idea, but it may beat washing the bathroom floor at night!

Necessity being the Mother of Invention, after I settled down from having a good laugh at the thought of Mr B. pawing like a kitty in the littler box, I thought, "Well, why not?". Black or white or green color would unfortunately make no difference at our house, the only image Mr B. can see is the image his brain evokes. I'm game for anything as a trial. I picture the litter box prepared for pee and then I see it filled with poop and bathroom tissue. Oh Boy!!! Thank you Renata.

DrP

To be clear -- a cat litter box would still be too small a target. I'm suggesting one of those big plastic storage bins that are about 18 inches high, couple of feet wide, that come with a snap lid -- on sale right now at places like Target, Walmart, Dollar Store ... cheap and BIG. And you only put a few inches of litter in the bottom. Be sure to buy a litter scoop as well (about $1)... I can tell you right now that if Jerome ever starts doing the dirty deed (peeing, that is), he and Larry, our squirrel-ass cat, are going to become bathroom buddies ... meow!

His own personal urinal! I wonder if designers for Senior Citizens Living ever put a male urinal in the bathrooms. In the meantime, a great big plastic bin filled with litter is the next best thing.

DrP

Tommy has the latest in puppy urinals. That gets my attention, quick!

As for Renata's invention:

The way it was at our house, we had three daughters, all sleeping in one room. One regular bathroom for us all. When dau. #3 was six years old, a little brother came along. Mr B. added a "domitory" room for the three girls giving the smaller room to our son. The domitory had a small half bath ie. commode and lavatory. Years passed and the children became homeowners in their own right. It stood to reason that with such things as snoring and bathroom trips during the night and one of us being early to bed and early to rise that we would each claim one of the three bedrooms for ourselves. A gradual territorial migration occurred and became permanent when I had major surgery. Mr B could listen to TV sign off with the Star Spangled Banner and creep into a domitory bed without rousing me.

Back to the pee/poop. I tried jamming a small plastic waste basket on either side of his commode. The width of the bathroom creates a snug fit around the potty. I would need to put them far enough to the rear [no pun intended] to give him toe room but they would catch quite a bit of spray/stream and maybe it will help keep his socks dry so I am not changing wet socks in the middle of the night so often. I will need to purchase kitty litter.

DrP

THIS one has me LOLing (quietly..Dad's in the next room!) into my Cheerios! It's a brilliant idea! Dad's aim is increasingly....wide?? This could do the trick.
But -- how in the heck do I keep the cats out?????
Inquiring minds, etc....

BevSmith,
Somehow we knew you'd find this post!
Robin

Dear Friends,

Y'all are whacky but brilliant. Such creative minds. Your humor is just the tonic for me tonight. I have been writing thank-you notes following Charlie's funeral and, of course, I write a note and cry, write another note and cry some more. My head is really stuffed up from all the emotion.

Habits being hard to break, I checked in before going to bed. As usual, the wit and wisdom has me laughing so hard I had to write and say one more time how priceless is this forum.

Good night all, Joy

Dear Joy --
Please don't stop joining us -- unless it becomes difficult emotionally. I believe Manymoons has started a thread called "Afterwards" on the Respite forum for our friends whose LO's LBD journeys have ended.

I should have known better on the spelling -- aphter awl, I'm an awthur!

I have been smarting with bruised ego over the word "dormitory" in something I wrote earlier about our children's room. I not only misspelled it once, I repeated the error and even had it in quotations. I did not catch the spelling until it was on the forum, up and running. Believe me it jumps off the page at me now. Oops!

Renata that is why even you need fresh eyes to glance over your [real for profit] work.

Now, I can smile about this.

So you found the problem for Jerome's hurting tummy. Was that also the cause for the blood count being off?

DrP

DrP -- Unfortunately, the diverticulitis was not the cause of the four months of abdominal pain. In the effort to diagnose that, they were going to do a colonoscopy. The "purge" prep apparently irritated and triggered the sudden onset of acute diverticulitis. The acute episode is presumably over now after the mega antibiotics both in the hospital and since. We are back at the baseline pain, bloat, and fevers that he had before this episode. However, because of that episode, no colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy can be performed for at least eight weeks (risk of perforation). Until they can get in there and look/biopsy what appeared on the CT scan, we're left wondering and he's left in pain. Oh, sugar!

Would Renata be so kind to tell me just what is diverticulitis with the symptoms? Perhaps that's what's bothering PE at the moment. Thanks so much. Dinny Wolff

You may laugh at this one...it didn't work for me but I thought the idea was a good one: We have a shower stall ..most of us do...when the LO was having a lot of probllems with weeing all over I asked if he could go in the shower stall...wee down the drain.. and do it in there. Simple to clean with some Clorox Clean Up, a brush and the handle spray from the shower to rinse it. Easier to clean than the tile floors and grout. For some reason he could not make the connection of weeing in the shower, that place was for washing yourself. I tried and tried to make the connection for him but it just didn't click. I thought the idea was super...obviously it didn't work for us. I even went in the shower and showed him what to do...he thought I was nuts. lol I do agree with mm...as difficult as it was when we went through this part, it is the part that I am forgetting first....not missing it, but quickly forgetting it.

mm- you have my intense admiration. Its only 13 days since I lost John. I don't think I am out of shock yet. Though I knew the end was coming...it came too fast. The service was yesterday. Long time inbetween due to the holiday. Will try to post later...have tried several times since his departure...but just cannot bring myself to do it yet. I know others need our support but I need to rest and get healthy again so I can do some good. In the midst of all of this I caught an ugly cold. Wallowing in a bit of self pity here today.