Anyone on PD?

[mel75]

Hello! anyone out there on PD I have some questions. I have severe drain pain. I have my cycler tidaled at 80% but it is still painfull. Does the pain ever go away? Or am I just going to have to deal with it?

[rookiegirl]

Hi mel75,

I've started PD in Oct. 2007.  I was trained on both manual and the cycler for a week.  I lasted only 4 nights on the cycler and I had to call it quit.  I couldn't tolerate the drain pain.  Here is my thread during my trial and error http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=5473.0 I hope you will find some answers. 

It's very different for each individual.  Some have no problems, some get use to it, others the pain eventually goes away.  As for me, I've been on CAPD/manual since I quit.  This method is much better for me.

How long have you been on PD? and the cycler?
 

[mel75]

I didn't even know there was a manual option. How do you do that? I have been on pd since feb 13th this year. I started on the cycler. My nurse swears the pain will go away but I see no glimmer of a light down that tunnel.

[MyssAnne]

Mel, I've been on the cycler for over a year now. Are you draining every thing and then some from the fill?
I just wonder if you're not draining TOO much at this point. Does it hurt right away?  Or does it hurt after it's been draining for a while?

Positioning sometimes helps too.  I find lying on my side helps sometimes. Try both siides, there is a difference. 

If you're not hurting til it's been draining for a while, if you're drained of what you put in at that point, stop it and go forward with the fill. 

Hopefully others will chime in with their expertise!

[rookiegirl]

Did you train on PD?  I would think your clinic would train you on both CAPD (manual) & CCPD (cycler).  OMG!  I'm loving the manual.  Even though I still feel the pinch close to the end, I have control to turn off my port and end my drain.  So I only feel the pain for a second.  Most people that do CAPD have 4 exchanges (morning,lunch,dinner,bedtime).  I started on this treatment at first.  Due to low BP I only do 2 exchanges (morning/bedtime).  During the day, I carry an Ico Solutions which dwell 12-18hrs.  I do my 2nd exchange right before bedtime with 2.5% or 4.25% depending on my BP and weight.

As your Dr or PD Nurse about this option.  

[KT0930]

Mel, the only thing I would add to what's been said is that the fact that rookiegirl does only two exchanges per day would also depend on what kind of transporter she is. Your clinic should run that test sometime between the first and second month you're doing PD. You can be a high, low or mid transporter. This basically is how quickly the toxins pass through your peritoneal membrane. If it is a fairly fast process, then you're a high transporter, and may be able to get away with fewer exchanges per day, but may also have to do more frequent exchanges that simply dwell for less time. Ask your nurse to explain this, she should be able to do a better job than me.

Also check out the "Dialysis: Home Dialysis" section of the site. There are quite a few discussions within different threads about this topic. Also try searching the site using "drain pain" as the search text. Good luck with everything.

[mel75]

I did train on PD. I guess I did learn about manual I just forgot about it since I don't do it. The initial drain is almost immediately after about 200 ml is drained. Then the last drain is later after about 2500 ml has drained. But it still wakes me up in the night with slight cramps. I guess I just want someone to say hey it goes away. But it sounds like i'll just have to live with it. Thanks for all the insight.

[KICKSTART]

Hi im in the  and i do CAPD....but if you use a cycler i believe there is something called  'Tidal' setting which is used to prevent that tugging feeling towards the end of a drain. It would be worth asking if your machine has this option ?

[mel75]

I am already tidaled at 80%

[rimbo74]

I had the pain bad when I first started untile we changed it to tidal.  i would still have pain but in time it got better.  Maybe you can tidal 75%.  Tidal on really really works if you are pulling of fluid.  What strength are you using?  I used greens (baxter - yellow (low), green (med), red (high))

[Slywalker]

Greetings Mel - I also did PD with the cycler.  I  had some pain when the first fill was taking place.  I used the tidal settings too.  There was some pain when draining but only when it was getting down towards empty in the morning.  That I just kind of lived through because there didn't seem to be any fix for it, no matter what side I laid on.   However, the pain was not what I would call extreme in my case even though I mentioned it to the Doc and nurse - suggestions they had didn't work.

In your introduction post you mentioned having to be by yourself the entire time you are on the cycler.  It is unclear to me why you would have to be by yourself.  I used my cycler in the bedroom and my husband and kids would sometimes join me in bed to keep me company and watch TV - and I always had the company of my cats.  (My dog refuses to climb stairs.) 

At any rate - I hope the pain issues get resolved.

Take care and hang in there.

Sandyb

[KT0930]

Mel, just one more thing to add...I did manuals for about six months before going on the cycler, and was really worried about the pain being an issue and interfering with my sleep once I went on the cycler, which is why I waited so long to do it. Once I went on the cycler, I usually only felt the pain at the end of the first drain (I was full during the day) and during the first fill. Once I was asleep, I didn't feel it again until morning. Hopefully this is the case for you as well. Good luck!

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Mel because you said the pain is slight it makes me think the pain will ease over time. From other posts that I've read its only the  ones with extreme drain pain in whom it never eases. When I started cycler PD I experienced lets say mild to medium pain but it gradually went to zero over a period of about 4 weeks and I've never had it since. (Touch Wood)

[MyssAnne]

Mel, how's the pain? Is it still there? 

[LightLizard]

for me, i used to get pain near the end of 'drain' sometimes. i was told that the machine was trying to get more fluid out, but there wasn't any left. a lot of it depends on what strength dialasate you are using. i use all 1.5 now and find that sometimes i get a 'low drain volume' alarm, but this is probably because 1.5 is easily absorbed by the stomach through the day. i still get mild discomfort, from time to time, but nothing that i would call 'pain' at this point.