My husband is going on Home PD, had port surgery on Feb 2nd and we started at the clinic on March 8th. So far he has been filled with 500 mls and isn’t able to drain. He has be on laxatives to include myrlax and another prescribed. He cleared bowels all weekend and we are back at clinic trying to get it flushed but it will not drain. X-ray shows position of catheter is good. What could be the issue and possible solution. Anyone ever experience this?
It sounds like you haven’t actually begun home dialysis, and are still working with a nurse at the clinic. My dad had the same problem. The catheter looked okay, but they ended up having to move it once because of scar tissue. Finally, they went in a third time and actually sewed the end down because it was moving. That seemed to do the trick. I hope this helps.
Assuming the catheter is in the correct place, you might ask his home training nurse and/or nephrologist if the holes in the catheter may have become blocked with fibrin (a protein substance). They might suggest heparin to address this. You could ask if the catheter could have become blocked with omentum (fatty tissue that covers and supports the intestines and other abdominal organs). I gather this is not easy to diagnose aand may require laparoscopic surgery. You could also ask if there could be a leak in the lining of his peritoneum that could be allowing dialysate to leak into his lungs, abdomen, or genitals. I would think that he would have symptoms if this was the problem.