Swelling

[EMMA]

Hey Everyone...

Well, I had my PD catheter put in on Wednesday...went really well except that a resident did it with a doctor overseeing and they didnt freeze high enough...need I say more...I think I swore 6 or 7 times at him!!!

Anyway, I have a huge dressing on it now and I will go and get stitches out on Wednesday.  Just a quick question...how long did your belly stay swollen from the procedure.  I dont start dialysis for 5 weeks yet.  I know it will "grow" when  I put fluid in, but even now I dont know when I will be able to wear my jeans again?  Any experiences with this would be appreciated...

Em

[KT0930]

Honestly, buy some bigger jeans. I'm not trying to be negative or scare you, but one of the things we pride ourselves on here is honesty, so here goes.

A few weeks after I got my PD cath, I went looking for maternity pants, but they weren't cut quite right for my problems, so I found some Danskin (a workout/dancewear comapny) pants that are a poplin/cotton type of material and have a drawstring rather than elastic and are quite loose fitting. I bought three pairs and wore nothing else for about six more weeks (thankfully my job was understanding). Part of the time was due to the swelling from getting the cath, and part of it was getting used to PD. After that, I went back to my normal work clothes of dressier pants that were a bit more generously cut than jeans. I think it took me about three months after starting PD to even consider jeans again, and then I needed a bigger pair than I needed prior to dialysis, since I had lost about 20 pounds before going on.

Again, I'm sorry if this seems negative or a little too honest, but that was just my experience. Maybe someone else had a different experience?

[MyssAnne]

It all depends upon how tall you are, and how well your body can take it. Mine can't. My nurse says I am just too short. Some people WILL go down in swelling, and not have much of a pooch with the fill. Others will not. Check out comfortable, good looking elastic/drawstring waist pants and expect to wear them a month or so. Then, when you start dialysing, see how you feel in your pants/jeans, perhaps in a size or two larger.

[Bette]

I would also suggest you buy a larger size jean once you start using your cathether.  The last thing you want to do is to cause any pulling on your cathether.  It can lead to infection and you don't want that.  I know from experience.

[goofynina]

Or, if you must wear jeans, get the kind that stretch, and a larger size, your tummy may pertrude a little more than usual and they may be more comfortable for you