Hello: The first thing I would rule out is to check that your beloved dog doesn't have a bladder infection. Then ask the vet about the above recommendations. If the vet isn't able to help, then maybe you can manage the situation with making clean-up easier? I had my old dog in an x-pen on tile at night. He didn't want to sleep on anything padded, so I'd just put old towels, newspaper, etc. and clean-up in the morning. You might need to be creative to figure out a way to confine her in a certain area on your porch where "accidents" won't seep down into the wood, causing lingering odor. Maybe an x-pen over plastic sheeting with something she likes to sleep on over that (something that's easily washed?) Dogs are very clean, and don't like to soil their sleeping area, so it is obvious that your old girl's incontinence is due to a physical problem. Therefore, you are absolutely right - scolding won't do any good - and might even make it worse by causing anxiety. She doesn't want to soil her sleeping area either! ANOTHER TIP..... I make my living training dogs....all live inside, and of course, all have "problems" from time to time.... I've tried LOTS of animal stain remover products. However, the last one I tried was amazing... It's called Eco-88 and is marketed as removing only biological stains, such as urine, feces, blood, sweat, etc. I've tried SO many of hese products, that I was very sceptical. I got a sample, and went into my guest bedroom where my incontinent dog had left a urine trail that I didn't know about until the stain had set. I tried everything, including oxyclean, etc. In the end, I realized that I needed to replace the carpet. Then, I got a sample of Eco-88 as the "miracle" cleaner, and thought - yes right! It DID get out 3 year old urine stains on carpet, and other bio stains, that NOTHING else would get out, and therefore, I don't have to replace the carpet after all. However, I found it more effective on carpet than fabric/clothes. Hope this helps, Rachel

I know this sounds crazy.....and maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree. I have fibromyalgia. Part of my "affliction" is that I hear too much, I see too much, I feel too much, I notice too much. There are alot of theories out there as to what it really is (fibro), but for many of us, it seems to be a sensory system that's too acute. I've often wondered if it had something to do with having an ancient body in a modern world. Perhaps our bodies/brains/neuro systems have kept more of some of those senses than other people have. I know this idea is probably really too out-there, but I've just always wondered about it. What got me started thinking this way is when I went through a few years of feeling like I might fall over alot of the time. It wasn't severe dizziness.....just a sense, perhaps, that was picking up on the movement of earth through the universe. I know it sounds whacky......but I guess some of us are always searching for answers to make life make sense. When I worked in the ER, we'd have tons of crazy people come in, and also pregnant women when there was a full moon. Some people get horrible migraines when a front comes through, or their arthritis flares up. Some people get SAD (seasonal affective disorder)when fall comes. My body definitely reacts to the autumnal equinox. There are many examples of how our bodies react in an instinctual way to things, but we as humans are so disconnected from nature, that we don't even notice......or run to the doctor for a medication to get rid of certain feelings. I think we probably have lost alot of our abilities with our various senses, out of dis-use. I also think that some of our senses have been messed up by modern life......using alarm clocks, electricity, additives and preservatives in our food, medications, heating, air conditioning, etc. I wonder how long of living differently, it might take to get them back? Sorry to ramble.....

Hello to all! New to this forum, and don't mean to hijack, but just read NancyinMich's June 8th post and have to comment that it sounds like we have the same fat disorder. As far as house sizes go, I live by myself in a 1250 sq.ft home, which feels substantially larger than my last which was just a little smaller, but on two floors. Since my bedroom was on the main floor, I seldom went upstairs and basically lived in 450 sq ft.less than now. Too cramped! The LR and kitchen here are in fact substantially bigger and I have a large dining area that didn't exist in the other house. I am content with this size, but if I had a magic wand, I'd make the bedrooms a foot or two bigger, and would have at least a half bath attached to the "master" bedroom. There is only one bathroom in this 50's ranch. However, too much more square footage would just be more to heat, cool, and clean. My utilities are very reasonable. I think anything bigger than what I have is medium sized, and anything more than 2000 is large. From my perspective.

Wow lots of good advice! Thank you everyone! To clarify a few things - he's mobile, very much so. He overdoes it which I think is why his pain is worse some days than others. But... I gave up nagging him about that weeks ago! His surgeon said he can do everything he wants but no jogging/running yet which the PT wanted him to start doing. I offered to just leave the TV on all night. I think turning it off and back on is what wakes me up. Sleep in separate rooms... never! He will go sleep on the couch but he would never sleep in the guest room or want me to. Over the weekend he tried Melatonin again and it seemed to help one night but not the next. I bought him the kind that dissolves in your mouth so he could take it in the night. The dr said 10 mgs so that's what he took. He goes to his PCP this week and has planned to talk to him about a sleep aid. I think he is just out of rhythm after months of this. He needs to get back into a good sleep pattern and I think that will really help. So a drug at this point might be the only thing that can help. I'm glad for those who said it helped them and was non-addictive. Oh and he LOVES that Sleepytime tea! Unfortunately his problem isn't falling asleep - he does that quite easily!