There has to be a better way...

[BattleScars]

I've been doing PD for a year and a half and never had this happen to me and it happened twice in a row. I was emptying my bags and I spilled the entire bag of fluid (drain bag) twice! I'm only doing it how I was trained which is emptying the bags into the toilet. But I will admit I have a bucket in the tub and sometimes life gets in the way and the bags build up quickly. I cut my first bag and it slipped and spilled all over the bathroom floor. I guess I was still mad about that and I wasn't focusing and lost control of the next bag too when it slipped out of my hands. I was now livid. I was so mad I was telling myself PD just isn't worth it. I finally calmed down. But I was curious if there is a better way. I know I shouldn't let my bags build up, but is emptying them in the toilet the best way? Anyone have any good techniques that are cleaner and easier?

[JLM]

One time I forgot to put my drain line in the bathroom and didn't have it draining in the toilet.  I had to rent a carpet shampooer and have my cleaning lady scrub the carpet.  Let this motto be your guide  "CRAP HAPPENS".  Let it go and move on, don't dwell on it........

[grannyM]

I drain the PD bags into the toilet. In the bathroom I have a metal over the tank type shelves, to this I put a shower curtain hook that looks sorta like a question mark.  The large end (goes over the shower rod)I hook on the shelf and to that I hang the bag on the small hook (that the curtain would be put on.  This hook then holds both bags at a good drain height and the tubing will reach into the stool. More hooks more bags to drain at once.  I then roll the empty bag wrap the tubing around and place in a walmart bag in a perfect size container. when full I tie off the bag and dispose.   I hope I explained this well enough to give you the idea of how I do it.

[MaryD]

I just lie my drain bag onto the empty fill bag on the top of the toilet cistern, and unclamp the tubings into the toilet.  I live alone so if the bags stay there for a while I don't have any problems.  Most of my visitors are not put off if I haven't removed the bags when they go to the toilet - at least they keep coming back.  I end up having the bags from three exchanges there, before I roll them all up together and dispose of them.  I find they take up less room in the garbage if I roll them up in threes.

One of these days I might get a little shelf to sit above the cistern.

[papacat]

Is your cycler too far away from a sink or toilet to use a drain line instead of drain bags?
papacat

[BattleScars]

Is your cycler to far away from a sink or toilet to use a drain line instead of drain bags?
papacat

I'm not on a cycler. I just do 3 manual exchanges during the day and one long dwell at night. Not sure why they haven't offered me that option though. I've asked about it and they just blow me off without answering me.

[Jean]

Some one in another post said to water your garden with the stuff because it is full of vitamins and nutrients and such. And no, I am not joking.

[BattleScars]

One time I forgot to put my drain line in the bathroom and didn't have it draining in the toilet.  I had to rent a carpet shampooer and have my cleaning lady scrub the carpet.  Let this motto be your guide  "CRAP HAPPENS".  Let it go and move on, don't dwell on it........

I can laugh about it now. And it was only the bathroom floor and not the carpet so it really isn't too bad. I have in the past forgot to clamp off before going to put on my cap and fluid leaked out for a few seconds. The funniest is when I was really tired after an exchange and forgot to close my valve. I went to put my unhooked and fluid started spraying everywhere out of my catheter lol. It took me a few seconds to realize what happened too. Luckily I have hardwood floors in my living room so cleaning up isn't too bad. 

[BattleScars]

Some one in another post said to water your garden with the stuff because it is full of vitamins and nutrients and such. And no, I am not joking.

Hey that's actually a good idea! I live in an apartment now but in the future I'm going to keep that in mind if I have a garden.

[tito]

I've been doing PD for 4 years, and accidents have happened! I use the cycler at night, and used to put the drain bag on the end of the sink in the bathroom. Inevitably it would fall to the floor and leak all over the place. The worst is when the drain bag (on the floor in the bedroom next to the cycler) would drain all over the floor because I forgot to close the little valve used to take off samples. It would go through the ceiling of the first-floor apartment (which we own), and we have had to have it repainted more than once. Now I use a drain line to the toilet, so no more fun.

[Weggy]

I have a metal shower rack that hangs on my shower head. I attach a metal shower curtain hook to it and put the bag on the hook. I let it drain from the tubing. Holds the weight just fine and I just toss some bleach down the drain with lots if water beind it a couple times a week.

I am assuming you are talking about capd.

[JLM]

I just started to use one of those toilet deodorizers that have a piece of plastic that clip on to the rim to hold my drain line in place.  So far, so good.

[amanda100wilson]

If you want to try a cycler, insist.  There is no reason why they should not allow you to use one.  as to draining bags, I used to just put them onto the cistern and let gravity do the work.

[jeannea]

I am really shaky from Prograf use. I couldn't possibly drain the bags in the toilet. I would lay them in the tub and slit them open with a scissors. Drained in a few seconds. You do have to wash the tub a little more often. Another alternative would be a laundry sink. I did the cycler so my bags were too heavy for me to lift into the laundry sink. It all goes down the same drain.

[JLM]

When I used the drain bags with the cycler, after clamping each bag, I would drag them to the bathroom the cut the tubing above the clamp then hold one end up make a 6 inch cut from the side at the top and dump the fluid in the toilet.  Ya, you have to think what you are doing, but it gets easier.

[Emerson Burick]

I've been doing PD for a year and a half and never had this happen to me and it happened twice in a row. I was emptying my bags and I spilled the entire bag of fluid (drain bag) twice! I'm only doing it how I was trained which is emptying the bags into the toilet. But I will admit I have a bucket in the tub and sometimes life gets in the way and the bags build up quickly. I cut my first bag and it slipped and spilled all over the bathroom floor. I guess I was still mad about that and I wasn't focusing and lost control of the next bag too when it slipped out of my hands. I was now livid. I was so mad I was telling myself PD just isn't worth it. I finally calmed down. But I was curious if there is a better way. I know I shouldn't let my bags build up, but is emptying them in the toilet the best way? Anyone have any good techniques that are cleaner and easier?

I always thought the drain-it-in-the-toilet advice was really stupid, and have told my nurses so. I never use the toilet. I put my drain bag in the bathroom sink (look, nurses, now I have both hands free!) and use scissors to cut the lowest then highest corners (look, nurses, no splashing or spilling!). If I'm doing the big cycler drain bag, I use the drain time to drag a 30-gallon trash bin from the kitchen, position it under under the bathroom sink, and stuff in the other empty bag and the tubes. When the draining bag is done, I can just flip the big drain bag into the trash and not get drips all over the place, and drag the trash bin back to the kitchen. Then back to the bathroom for a quick sink rinse, which is easy because you'd be washing your hands now anyway, and you're done.

[amanda100wilson]

on the occasion that I used to use a big drain bag, I would put it in bathtub to use and then just release clamp at end of treatment.  I had several incidents where I didn't do this and clamp wasn't closed properly and we had a mess.  Also saves lifting heavy bag.

[Joe]

I keep my drain bag in one of the big, blue plastic tubs. That way if there is a problem with the clamp (as I have had a couple of times) the tub catches everything. In the morning I just dump it in the tub and let it drain, then I rinse the tub out when it's all done. Makes it easy on everyone.

[Charlie B53]

I am way late to this thread, but...............

My PD Nurse suggested I put a stout picture hook on the wall near the toilet.

I do 4 manual exchanges a day and at the end of each I hang the bags on that hook, place the hose just under the seat so the seat holds the end in place.  Release the clips and leave it hang to drain.

Next exchange I take down the last empty bags and rehang the new ones.

Works fine for me!

[kai0206]

Great advice everyone.  Gives me an idea of what to do in two weeks when I start PD.

[JLM]

You may hold the bag with the hose end up on the bathroom vanity.  With a heavy duty scissors cut across the top starting at the edge about 3 - 4 inches and then dump the fluid into the toilet.  Making sure nothing spills out before dumping it into the toilet.  Lots faster.  I do it like this in the morning when unhooking from my cycler.  I also did this when doing manuals, just be careful!

[Whamo]

I use two big plastic boxes I got at target.  If I forget to close a clamp on the drainage bag, it goes into the plastic instead of on the floor.  Accidents happen.  Fewer occur with time, but you always seem to skip something eventually. 

[Joe]

What Whamo said  I always put my drain bag in a large plastic bin before I started my cycler. I didn't forget to close the clamp often, but even once or twice can cause quite a problem. It's a whole lot easier to dump the bin than try to clean up the carpet.