Cool.  Take Evelyn's point, though, and make sure he gets enough fluids.

Dana

Don't forget that if he doesn't drink enough liquids, the fiber can actually
constipate him more.   If you read the labels on the fiber supplements, they
give a specific amount of liquid that must be taken with a specific amount
of the supplement.   This will insure that they work the way they are
supposed to.

Evelyn

True!  Chocolate-raspberry is wonderful, and raspberries are one of the
highest fiber fruits.

  Adding some chipped ice would

Designer Whey protein powder in French vanilla blends well with just
about everything, and is wonderful.

Sorry, I have to object to Ensure.  It's not a lot better than drinking
a regular milkshake and swallowing a vitamin pill.  The stuff is
seriously high in sugar and bad fats.

Oh, and for the OP -- would your dad consider eating pancakes?  If so, I
 can give you a recipe for flax-based pancakes that taste great (no
weird, off, health-foody flavor) and are loaded with fiber, protein, and
healthy fats.

Dana

Dear David,

You definitely have my empathy.   I took care of my mother in law for a bit
over 3 years before we finally had to place her in a local nursing home.
We were two of us, and both of us were totally burnt out and exhausted, even
with daycare, a wonderful granny-sitter, and a local support group.

It was the most difficult thing I could have imagined, but it was also very
rewarding.   My mother in law had a good life for the last years of her
life.   She felt loved and protected and cared for, and her quality of life
in general improved a great deal over staying alone in her home.   I feel
that I did the right thing for her, and my husband can rest easy with his
memories now that she is gone, knowing that.

Hang in there and don't lose heart.   Your father took care of you when you
were young and helpless, and now you are returning the favor in his old age.
It can be a very valuable lesson in life, even if it is difficult and
exhausting.

This newsgroup is an incredibly valuable resource.   Look also for a local
support group for caregivers.   See if it is possible to find an adult
daycare center so that your dad is stimulated and safe if you need to work
while taking care of him.   Line up some trustworthy people so that you can
get out once in a while.  It can save your sanity and be ultimately kinder
to your dad.

Ask questions here.... don't worry, everyone who posts here has been through
this disease with a loved one, and collectively there is a lot of knowledge.
We are a very caring bunch around here :-)

Bookmark this website and read there often.

http://www.muggsmulcher.com/kstuff/a.s.a/intro.htm

There are some good books out there about caregiving.   Look into getting a
copy of  "The 36 hour day" as it contains lots of valuable information.   It
is available in paperback, and inexpensive.

Mary responds:

The anesthesia is very likely to knock him for a shocking loop. My MIL
broke a hip in early AD and required a surgical repair. At the time,
she'd been very high functioning and hadn't yet been diagnosed. She was
a little forgetful, but living alone very competently, driving, doing
her shopping, cooking and cleaning, etc. When she woke up from the
anesthesia and in the days and weeks that followed. Hoo-boy. She was
loopy to the point that the hospital dispatched a social worker who
told us she should immediately be placed in care, she couldn't go home
and we were in deep deep denial and fibbing that she'd been pretty good
before the hip break. If you haven't seen this for yourself, you'd find
it hard to believe. She did come back a fair ways, but it took weeks
and weeks, and she was never as sharp as she'd been before the surgery.

When you talk about the medications and dietary stuff your dad is up
to, the smartest move is probably to talk to the doctor about getting
him off the majority of the meds he's taking i.e. does he need the
diuretic, particularly if he isn't taking in enough fluids as it is? If
he's regular, should he be taking all those softeners and laxatives? It
sounds less like a physical problem, and more like a dietary problem,
compounded by abuse of laxatives etc.

I'm thinking a lot of what is going on could be better (less
stressfully and more healthily) addressed with some dietary changes -
more fluids...which also helps the bowel issues, and more fiber (even
if you have to sneak it into other foods, which is quite do-able).

Would he listen to the doctor as an authority figure? Could you get the
doctor to write out some orders about diet so if your dad forgets what
the doctor said, you can show him?

My MIL had irritable bowel syndrome, but we really think her problems
were related to undiagnosed allergies or more likely, celiac disease.
However, she wasn't taking all the stuff your dad was into, and her
diet was better. She took Questran and it seemed to help with her
tendency to diarrhea.

M

One of the peculiarities of colonoscopies and edoscopies is that they
are not done under full anesthesia.  They require conscious sedation,
because they require the patient to be able to follow a few instructions
about swallowing or relaxing or tensing at certain moments.  The
sedation is designed to make the patient unaware that they are following
those instructions, as well as blocking out any discomfort.  The most
common CS med used is Versed, which also causes memories that were made
during the procedure to not be retained.

Having had an endoscopy, and being pretty much in full possession of my
faculties, I would have serious reservations about having an Alzheimer's
patient undergo CS.  I found the experience disorienting, to say the
least.  I can't imagine the reaction of someone with a significantly
diminished mental capacity.

Beth

David, I don't think it is toxic, but if I were you I'd stick with the stool
softeners.   They are sold for that purpose, especially the ones that
contain a mild laxative too.    Here in the USA they are called Peri-Colace
(don't know exactly what country you are in)