Can't fill

[bjp81757]

Had catheter repositioned and developed large hematoma. Stopped PD for a week. Today tried to fill first time since and nothing. Wouldn't fill at all. What next. Switched to PD from Hemo because every fistula I had clotted and ran out ov veins in both arms. Using a permacath now and back on hemo. Does anyone know what I can do to flush catheter or will I have to have it replaced. Tired of being in the hospital, I spend more time there than at home.

[Shaks24]

Has your clinic tried to flush the catheter for you using blood thinners? My understanding is they have a number of different options to open up a catheter that is blocked. I know heparin is one but I think they have some others. I would be guided by your clinic on this. I hope it gets figured out for you.

[bjp81757]

2:00 appointment at the clinic today. Thanks for the advice, now I know there are options rather than another surgery. Keeping my fingers crossed, PD worked so much better for me than hemo.

[bjp81757]

My PD nurse, Shannon, got things flowing again. Never thought I would be so happy to feel full and bloated. Just knowing the fluid is in there makes me feel so much better about where I am with this thing. Helps to hear from people walking the same path.

[cassandra]

So glad to heat that

     

Stay strong, love Cas

[Charlie B53]

I imagine Nurse connect a large syringe of light saline to your PD Cath and pushed with enough pressure to 'flush' out any fiberin that may have been blocking the ports.

I had a small problem with very slow drain and fill rates while doing manual PD.  PD Nurse had me take the bag from the hanger and give it a 'bear hug'.  The pressure caused the cath to shift position a little, sort of likened to a garden hose on high flow, the end whipping about uncontrollably.  The cath may not whip around but it must have moved a little as I have yet to experience the problem.  And it's been over a year, so far.

I don't remember what, but there is something used to help desolve or break up fiberin clots.  You maybe should ask your Nurse about it.  You could be a candidate.  Check your drain for white 'floaties', sort of like scab material that is sloughed of the peritoneal membrane.  In some people it is so much it can cause problems.

[stayingalive]

I use 1 mm of heparin per week as a safe guard to keeping my cath holes clean so it drains properly.  Seems to work for me.  Maybe you need to do something like that.  Like Charlie stated its just to kinda flush out things that may block the holes.

[kickingandscreaming]

Fibrin can be a big problem--as I very recently discovered.  In April I had a "buried" PD catheter installed.  It's a fairly rare procedure where the cath is installed before it needs to be used, and the last leg of tubing is buried under the skin to be pulled out later when needed.  When I started PD training, I could barely fill or drain.  It took about 3 times longer than it should have and I finally abandoned that avenue until the catheter could be fixed (and have been doing in-center Hemo in the meantime).  Yesterday, I had surgery to figure out and fix what was wrong with the catheter.  The verdict:  It was full of fibrin.  No doubt from swimming around in the peritoneum for months while not being used.   So I don't recommend the buried catheter approach.  But it does show how damaging excess fibrin can be to catheter performance.  The interesting thing is that there were no traces of fibrin in the drain fluid.  So it could be a problem without showing itself.