Drain Pain and Sore Belly

[Shaks24]

I have been on the cycler for a few months now. Over all its has been going quite well. On rare occasions I have difficulty draining and may even end up with a negative UF. Its usually tied to a bit of constipation or eating a big meal late in the day or evening. When this happens I usually also encounter drain pain on the final drain(I am on tidal mode). Sometimes I have a belly ache for a day or so after this happens. Does anyone else have this reaction? It gets me paranoid cause I start thinking about Peritonitis. Then I remember that my fluid was clear, I have no fever and so on to subdue the fear.

[Joe]

I had drain pain from time to time while on PD, but never had stomach pain after that.

[Deanne]

I have drain pain sometimes yet, and sometimes late in the day I feel a similar pain just when I'm hanging out doing normal stuff. I put those late-day pains down to the catheter hitting something inside. I'm dry during the day. I understand the fear. It's always my first thought, too. If you're sometimes constipated, try dealing with that, first. My nurses hammered it into me that consitpation is bad, bad, bad! I use Miralax every day.

[Weggy]

I do get some pain every now and then during the day. It is related to either having gas/constipation or I do not have any fluid in me. The 2nd rarely happens unless it is late in the evening.

I run with a 250mL fill during the day because if I run dry I have a lot of discomfort during the day. I believe it is because the catheter can't float around enough and it pokes my insides.

[JLM]

If you are urinating good, like me, you may get a low UF.  That's what my nurses tell me.  Go figger, eh?

[papacat]

I have been on a PD cycler for a year. I found that my drain pain pretty much disappeared once I went on 80% Tidal. I always have some pain at the end of the last cycle, when it drains completely. However, I do have occasional pain caused by constipation even though I try to prevent it. I take constulose every day to keep things moving and am constantly on the edge between diarrhea and constipation. Most of the time it works out, but I found it depends on changes to medication and food intake that can cause constipation, like pain pills or binders. I also occasionally have a similar pain during the day, generally about the same time I have trouble draining at night. I would say I have draining problems about twice a month now.
papacat

[Whamo]

You can feel intense discomfort if constipation clogs things up.  Binders can make you constipated too.  I usually have a cranberry juice and lactulose cocktail if I miss a bowel movement.  If your weight goes up, that's a tell.