Shoulder Pain

[Whamo]

This morning I got a jolt of pain in my right shoulder that didn't go away.  I was in my last drain, and I checked the volume.  It was over 3,000.  It kept on for a couple of minutes before I stopped the Baxter machine.  I called Baxter, and bypassed the drain, and went into the last fill.  The shoulder still hurt.  I took a pain killer and kicked back.  I think I must have got a bubble in my supply line when I hooked up earlier in the evening.  I forgot to open a clamp, which I fixed, but evidently the damage had been done.  I'll call my nurse later in the morning.  I'm okay, now, but it was a painful episode.

[justme15]

wow, let me know what your nurse said. I haven't experienced that, but I have had pain in my mid back on the R side. (which happens to be the side where my catheter is).  It went away on it's own.  I wonder if your pain had to do with a high UF for that cycle-3000mL?  Or maybe it just didn't prime correctly? hmm, i don't know, but I'm glad your shoulder is better.

[Tío Riñon]

I too have had occasional shoulder pain, so I would like to hear what your nurse advises as well.  It has never been so painful that I invoke a bypass or disconnect, but it is definitely uncomfortable.  I don't recall the pain being associated with High UF (I regularly am over 3000 and periodically get over 4000).  However, I sometimes don't get a proper prime.  Perhaps that is the culprit.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[drgirlfriend]

Sorry that happened! Super painful!! The Boyfriend has occasional problems with shoulder pain. Logically it's air/gas that has gotten into his system thru the night, but he primes the line and nothing unusual happens. Considering the fact that he has digestive issues, we guess that maybe gas from his system gets displaced by the fills. No one at the clinic seems to have any answers, so I'd be interested in what you find out.

[Whamo]

I ate a no-salt bean soup/chile meal earlier in the day, and perhaps that gas contributed to it.  I've read where a bubble in the prime line causes this type of pain, and I'm thinking it may have been a combination of the two.  It felt like someone stabbed me in the shoulder with a knife.  I had some hydroco left over from a surgery, and even that didn't stop it.  I took a morphine pill a half-hour later, and that was that.  I avoid taking pain killers, but they're handy when emergencies happen.  This is a Christmas morning I won't forget.

[jeannea]

I don't know what causes it but those gas bubbles in the shoulder hurt like a @$&@. Glad you're feeling better. Studies show swearing relieves pain. Go for it.

[drgirlfriend]

I don't know what causes it but those gas bubbles in the shoulder hurt like a @$&@. Glad you're feeling better. Studies show swearing relieves pain. Go for it.

LOL!   

[Joe]

I don't know what causes it but those gas bubbles in the shoulder hurt like a @$&@. Glad you're feeling better. Studies show swearing relieves pain. Go for it.

Works for me.

[JLM]

My nurse at the clinic told me to get my butt higher than my shoulder when this happens and lay there for a while.  So the air can go into the intestines.  Huh.....Okkkkkkkkk....?   It's hard to get my butt on top of three pillow, but it worked.  Go figger, eh?

[MaryD]

JLM

That sounds logical, but what happens when you stand up again?  I have found that it takes two or three days for the pain to go away, although my pain is a nagging pain rather than a stabbing pain.

[Ricksters]

I haven't had the air bubble problem, but thats what it sounds like to me.   I try to remember to double prime my machine before connection...So far, so good!

[JLM]

Mine don't seem to last too long except for one time.  I had really bad pain, more than I had ever had.  Decided to call 911 (is this a heart attack I asked myself???)  After being in the ER several hours I got to see the air bubble on an x-ray.  Next time I'll hoist my butt on the pillows (I said to me...!!!!)

[Whamo]

My nagging pain never goes away.  I'm married. 

[tito]

First time I did all manual bags on a vacation in México, I forgot to prime the tubes. Got the worst pain I've ever had. I, too, thought it was a heart attack, and I was ready to dial 060 (emergency). I did subside, though. I've never forgotten to prime since then!!!

[Janet]

I have had this problem as well.  It's so painful.  I have gotten 2 new machines, spoken with many doctors and nurses and technicians from the company.  No one could find an answer for me. 

[travbug]

I always make sure the patient line is primed to the top.   Twice I have found it without fuild and had to get the book out and read how to primed the line.   I had pain twice with manuals and learned my lesson to always check line before hooking up.   This is the way I solved pain problems. 

[okarol]

Jenna did a manual exchange, and upon draining she had bad shoulder pain, on both sides, that wouldn't go away. She had filled 1200 ml and drained 1600 ml, which is a lot for her since she has no fluid retention or weight gain. She's not sure if it's something she did, but it was bad enough that she took vicodin, which is very rare for her.

[Joe]

Sounds like she got air in her peritoneum. That would give the pain she was experiencing. I've heard that it is really painful, but have not had it happen to me (knock on wood). Hope she doesn't have that happen again.

[okarol]

Sounds like she got air in her peritoneum. That would give the pain she was experiencing. I've heard that it is really painful, but have not had it happen to me (knock on wood). Hope she doesn't have that happen again.

Thanks Joe. She had it a little on the next exchange, but today she did fine. 

[Joe]

That's good to hear.