Is it gas or constipationn or something else?

[jdy123]

Yesderday afternoon, I started to have stomach cramps and my stomach got real bloated.  (I have no fluid dwelling inside during the day).  It was very painful and uncomfortable.  I need to poop but only small amount came out.  The cramps and bloating went on all night.  This morning, the cramp is much better but I am more bloated.  I've had this problem before back in September for about one month.  Saw the doctor and he didn't know what was going on.  Does anyone know?

[monrein]

Could you be lactose intolerant?  Have you been eating more fiber than you would normally?  Have you been on antibiotics recently?  Those are three things that can cause cramps and/or bloating.  You could ask your doctor about acidophilus.

[G-Ma]

When I know I am not regular I either drink prune juice or use Miralax (over counter, mix with fluid, no taste) and works good.  Also, could be either of the 3 monrein mentioned.  I don't even want to suggest this but your symptoms are what I had a week before I ended up in ER with small bowel obstruction so take care of yourself. 

[Savemeimdtba]

Could it be that time of the month, maybe?  Mine recently came back after starting PD (stupid PD! ) and it's been going for like three weeks now with pretty consistent cramps..

[jdy123]

I just took some sorbitol.   Maybe that will do the trick.  (Normally, it will give me the runs.  I guess that will be better than having to go to the ER for bowel obstruction.)  I do hope it is constipation.

I am lactose intolerant so I don't eat much dairy.  And is not that time of month either.  (Mine stopped when I turned 43!) 

[KICKSTART]

Sound like constipation , try some laxatives because if you are constipated it affects draining your fluid off , so that might be why you are feeling bloated .

[Savemeimdtba]

and constipation can also lead to peritinitus, so be careful!

[rookiegirl]

and constipation can also lead to peritinitus, so be careful!

This is so true.  Constipation was the cause of my first and only peritonitis.  I was in the hospital for 5 days back in November 2008.  I had to spend my birthday in the hospital in lots of pain.

[pklipe57]

Do you take iron?  I know that the iron I take makes me constipated at times. 

[jdy123]

The sorbital did make me go but I still had the bloating until I got on the cycler last night.  After the first cycle, it drained 1000+ ml of fluid out!!  I felt better immediately.  Total drained from last night was 2500+ ml.  That has never happened before.  My normal drain amount is only 1500 ml.  For some reason, I was fluid over load in my belly.  However, my salt intake had not changed.  All I can think of is that maybe I did not drain well enouch from my previous dialysis and so the dialysate was still pulling fluid out of my body into the belly (with no way to drain out until I got on the cycler again). 

Does anyone else ever experience this problem?

[KICKSTART]

Its not the fluid being pulled off and into your stomach. Because it sounds like you were constipated it stopped you pulling your usual amount of fluid off , hence the bloating. When you get fluid overloaded it can be on any part of your body it gathers , legs are usually the most common place , but it can also be on your body, so its not the dialysate that was pulling fluid off into your belly , that fluid was what you hadnt managed to drain off before. Hope that makes sense ?

[mcmkids]

When my husband is constipated, he will get "low drain volume" alarms and drain out far less than what the machine has put in. The best thing is to stay regular. Do you take something daily to keep regular? Our PD nurse told my husband that he should try to have a daily BM. (Easier said than done). I am a hospice nurse and have patients on very constipating pain meds. Our recommendation is senekot 1 to 4 tablets twice a day with something as needed (Milk of Magnesia, dulcolax) if they go 2-3 days without a BM. Hope all goes well for you!

[jdy123]

Kickstart,
I think you are right.  I must have been constipated even though I do have small BMs through out the day.  I'm just surprised that I got so much fluid in the belly.  Normally, the fluid over load is in my ankles and legs.  Since they were normal, I didn't know what was in my belly.

[KICKSTART]

I have been having the same trouble with fluid at the moment ! It always used to be on my legs / ankles and i used it as guide to see if i was fluid overloaded. Now though its started to settle on my body (mainly trunk area) and it does make you feel very bloated . The main thing to watch for is getting very breathless , get hold of your nurse if you feel like that ! I was like that last year , my g.p. told me i had chest infection.I got so bad i could hardly breathe and was rushed to hospital , had a small heart attack .. and the cause .fluid had gathered around my heart, but like you my legs/arms looked normal.

[jdy123]

I have been having the same trouble with fluid at the moment ! It always used to be on my legs / ankles and i used it as guide to see if i was fluid overloaded. Now though its started to settle on my body (mainly trunk area) and it does make you feel very bloated . The main thing to watch for is getting very breathless , get hold of your nurse if you feel like that ! I was like that last year , my g.p. told me i had chest infection.I got so bad i could hardly breathe and was rushed to hospital , had a small heart attack .. and the cause .fluid had gathered around my heart, but like you my legs/arms looked normal.

Wow Kickstart. you just described exactly what happened to me in September of last year.  My stomach was real bloated, couldn't breath.  My nephrologist ordered chest xrays (normal), sent me to see my cardiologist and he ran all kinds of tests (all normal), saw my lupus doctor (all my lupus tests were o.k., but he upped my prednisone anyway so I put on 10 more pounds).  It was so frustrating.  After two months of all these tests, I gradually got better.  Now I know that the bloating is caused by fluid over load due to constipation!

How come the nephrologist nor the clinic nurse knows that bloating in the stomach is caused by fluid over load due to constipation?