Hi Danielle,
If your mother has been taking a lot of phosphate binders (PhosLo and Renagel), they could be contributing to her constipation. Most people on dialysis take a stool softener to help reduce constipation from phosphate binders. Constipation can cause a full feeling and nausea and could make her PD not work as well. If her dialysis isn’t working well, that could be making her feel nauseated and have little appetite.
After 3 years with no episodes of peritonitis, does she know how she got it this time? Does she know if she has diverticulosis (pouches in the intestine or diverticulis (an infection of the pouches)? Diverticulitis causes cramping (usually lower left side), bloating, and can cause nausea. Sometimes an abscess forms and leaks pus into the peritoneum causing peritonitis. You might ask the doctor if she might have this.
I’d suggest that she talk with the dietitian about what she’s eating. She may want to keep a “food diary” for a while listing all the foods she ate for a week or two. The dietitian can look at that and help her figure out what has phosphorus so hopefully she can cut back on those foods and the amount of binders she has to take. She might also want to ask about how she can increase fiber in her diet. Many fiber-rich foods are limited on the dialysis diet but the dietitian may have tips she can share to help her avoid constipation in the future. Another benefit is that keeping her intestines cleaned out should make her dialysis fluid drain in and out better too.