I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Home Dialysis => Topic started by: beachbum on January 16, 2012, 09:24:24 AM
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This is sort of difficult to explain but I've ran into a little issue with PD. It's nothing serious, just time consuming and annoying. The drain bag really sticks together. Some are worse than others. Some are so bad I spend at least 5 minutes trying to pull the plastic apart. If I don't the fluid won't collect right or it will bunch up in one corner of the bag. I'm lucky that I'm healthy enough to be able to deal with it but sometimes the bags are so tough I can barely get them apart. I wonder if anyone else struggles with this? Anyone helpful tips on how to keep the bags from sticking in the first place? I've tried heating the bags different ways, with or without the drain bag in the heating pad, but it doesn't seem to matter.
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The pressure of the fluid will usually push them apart. I used to just pull them a little bit and then left them. Yes, it would bunch up in a corner but then as the bag continued tto fill, they would separate.
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I don't do anything with my drain bags either. The drain fluid just inflates them for me.
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the other thing you can do is wait until you get a bit of fluid in the drain bag, then squeeze it around to pop everything loose. I've never had a bad not come apart as I was draining and it's never seemed to be a problem.
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Weird. I thought the bags seemed to be a better quality lately. Are you doing manuals or cycler? I've had no problems with the cycler drain bags. The fluid inflates them.
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I haven't had to do anything drastic. As said here by others, I spread out my drain bag and push the fluid around as it fills to pop it up. Usually the force of the drain opens it up all the way.
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I'll try your ideas. I think I just need to let the fluid drain into the bag and if it bunches up then I can pull it apart. I had a strange incident the other night where I barely drained at all even though my stomach felt full. I got scared and almost called my PD unit but I decided to try another bag and I drained 2000cc. It must have been a bad bag.
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Since the bag is on the floor just let it drain in and do like I did, step on it. I didn't say stomp on it, just put your foot on it and press down. This worked for me when I was doing manuals.
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Are the bags being kept where it is really warm? .If so that could be the problem. Try to keep them some where cool. Ours use to be stacked near a radiator in the box's,, we had to move them.