drain pain location and feeling

[marlinfshr]

I have been on PD for about a month now and all has been going well. My PET test shows I'm a quick absorber and i just got the OK to do 3 four hour dwells. I do it manually as i'm not one for a machine. Now the last two drains tonight I've gotten some sharp pains while draining. It appears to be towards the end of the drain when the bag is about full. I'm questioning it because it is coming from my lower butt. Basically a true pain in the arse for lack of a better way to put it. As soon as I close the little twist lock on my catheter it goes away. It comes back when I open it. It is a sharp, almost excruciating pain that makes me cringe. It seems to match what I've read about drain pain but to me it just seems too low to have anything to do with it. But it can definitely be controlled by that twist lock so obviously it has something to do with it.

Does this sound like it could be drain pain or should I be worried about something else? I thought the pain would be higher up in my abdomen but this is down low and center in my butt. I don't think my peritoneum (sp?) is leaking as I am getting the right amount of fluid back that I've been getting. Perhaps the pain is really coming from some place in my abdomen where the catheter lies but it's not registering in my brain until it gets lower down?

If it's drain pain is there any way to make it go away? Do I need to do a dance or shake to move the catheter? I'm empty now until tomorrow afternoon and am all of a sudden not looking forward to my next fill up.

[MaryD]

It sounds like drain pain.  The end of your catheter is way down between your rectum and your bladder, and drain pain is usually when your drain (which is basically a syphon) creates enough suction to grab a bit of your insides.

I just close the catheter off for a few minutes and then open it again to finish draining.  Moving around and jiggling about while the catheter is closed off can release the suction.

[Joe]

That certainly is drain pain. I tell my PD nurse that it feels like my butt hole is being drawn out through my cath. She is very sympathetic, but laughs at me. It is caused by the end of your catheter resting up along side the peritoneum wall and creating a suction. The way to break it is to clamp off the line (You already have that part figured out) and wiggle your body around a  bit to move the catheter. It will happen from time to time, though I seem to have it less now that I'm on the cycler. Good luck!

[marlinfshr]

Thanks for the reply's. It's good to know that's what it is so I don't need to worry as it seems it will be something I'll just have to get used to from time to time. I just thought it would be higher up in my ab. I had no idea the catheter was placed that far down. Joe's description is about perfect as that's what it feels like.
Now I'm filling and felt it for a bit at the beginning but it went away, though I am feeling a bit weird in that area still. Hopefully the catheter has moved or with a little shuffling around in the next several hours it will before my next drain. I don't really look forward to that.

[TLJ911]

Yep, drain pain. My catheter seems to move around pretty freely and I can always tell where it is depending on where I get the drain pain. Sometimes it's in my butt like you described, sometimes it's more in the front (to be blunt, like someone kicked me in the crotch.) It often migrates up to my right upper quadrant  and then it won't drain very well (usually if I'm a little constipated). I wish there was some way to just make it stay put. You can try moving it when you're full of fluid - just try different positions like going on your hands and knees or dancing around.

[Deanne]

It sounds like a commercial for a PD Yoga video. I'll watch for the informercial.

[Joe]

I call it the PD shuffle 

[Charlie B53]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but...

When talking to my Nurse about drain pain she told me to clamp off the drain hose, then go ahead and open the fill hose and SQUEEZE the bag, HARD. Clamp off the fill and open the drain again to finish draining.

The end of the cath is free to float within the ab, squeezing and pressurizing the hose during a short fill should cause the hose to 'whip' and move around.  Hopefully to a more open space where it can drain without causing anymore pain.

I've also noticed that a couple of days after a large drain pain there would be a noticeable amount of 'floaties', fiberin, in my drain bags.  I suspect this is the bodies 'wound' protective cover that formed over the pain site and is now no longer needed and gets sloughed off.