PD catheter op tomorrow 8am UK time

[half-glass-full]

Hi all,

just to keep the site updated that I will be having my OP for my catheter tomorrow (wednesday-8am)

I am hoping I am ready. My EGFR is stable at 5 and my calcium levels are now back to normal.

I will post when I return home safely.

Thanks

[RonZone]

Hey, REALLY good to hear you have the calcium under control. Is the pain better now as well? Glad you're able to keep your PD catheter surgery scheduled. Will they be doing laproscopic? For mine they used one incision for the catheter and one small one for a camera so the surgeon could see concerning placement etc. So I had two incisions to heal. They run the catheter tube under the skin from the point it comes from the peritoneal cavity, then it exits from the skin a couple inches from that. That helps hold it in place I assume. They will show you how to take care of the exit site so you don't get an infection. It's good to follow their instructions to a "t". Oh, one more tip. Make sure you can urinate before you leave the hospital if at all possible. I got home and by 10pm I had not been able to urinate (system would not wake up), so I had to go to the ER to have a foley catheter put in (NOT a fun experience when you're awake). So talk to the doc and nurses about this before your surgery.

We'll all be rooting for ya tomorrow!

[half-glass-full in reply to RonZone]

I'm not sure about the pain, a bit I think I don't want to tempt fate. I'm just making sure my stomach is empty etc. ready for the op.

The op sounds like as you have described(They previously showed me the tube etc)

I'm in good spirits and hoping all will go well. The pee thing I will not be forgetting about thanks!

will hopefully be home this time tomorrow.

Good luck all.

[RonZone in reply to half-glass-full]

let us hear from you tomorrow. We're all with you! Oh and ask for a heated blanket if you're freezing in the prep room, which i think they also use as a meat storage locker or something, not sure why it has to be so cold in there!

[horsie63 in reply to half-glass-full]

Good luck you'll do great. I only have one incision, about 2 inches long but they did it laproscopically. I'd had 2 c-sections so the surgeon said I might need some scar tissue "clean up" You won't have that problem lol. And Ron's correct...a heated blanket or two is necessary.

[half-glass-full in reply to RonZone]

Thank you Ron

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

Good luck Half-glass. Let us know how it goes.

[jodaer]

Will be thinking of you in the morning.

[Darlenia]

Yes, we'll all be thinking of you! Looking forward to hearing that it all went well!!

[Sammi_n_Munk]

Great news!! I’m glad to hear your calcium levels are down now. Thinking of you and wishing you all the best with the pd catheter!! Stay well, and please continue to keep us posted. God bless. 😊👍🙏

[taiglum]

Good luck half-glass. I had mine done a year ago with no problems. Wishing you the best.

[metalminded]

Best of luck! I did PD as well and the surgery was easy.

I was “threatened “ by a catheter too because I couldn’t pee, thankfully finally did! Just took awhile.

[Starrstruck]

My prayers go with you

[Hidden]

Best of luck! Check in when you are feeling good and safe at home!

[RhenDutchess123]

Get some great sleep...First step to feeling better !

[half-glass-full]

Thank you all for the good wishes. I am home now resting. The hospital staff were impecable and some of the best i've come across. I thought I wasn't going to pee but I finally managed too so I could go home.

Ron you were right about the waiting area being cold I got some warm blankets!

I had some intravenous pain killers so i'm just on the odd aspirin now.

If anyone has any questions or advice to keep me safe please do otherwise I will keep the thread updated for future members to see my story.

[RhenDutchess123]

So glad to hear it went well...Take this time to rest and heal....

[jodaer]

Glad everything went well. Rest and recover

[RonZone]

How you doing today. Third day is usually when you hurt the most as things start to heal. Different for different people though.

[half-glass-full in reply to RonZone]

yes hurting quite bad but if i get in the correct position it's bearable. Peeing ok not the other end yet!

[RonZone in reply to half-glass-full]

Yeah, I figured you would be hurting a bit today. I feel for ya. Glad you're able to uriniate, but yeah, you might need to take something like Colace or something even stronger for the other issue No shame in providing your body with a little assistance. After my PD catheter surgery, I had to have hernia repair surgery as well, and after that it was like 6 days before I was able to poop. That was rough. I learned during that event to take whatever I needed to take. Not sure what the best offering is where you are, your PD nurse would be the one to ask what to take to help move things along.

[half-glass-full in reply to RonZone]

I presume everything is going OK. I guess i'll know if something is wrong....

[RonZone in reply to half-glass-full]

Just keep an eye out for infection symptoms around the incision areas, if it's really touchy other than what seems to be normal incision pain. Your pd nurse should be looking at it in the next few days.

[half-glass-full in reply to RonZone]

Cheers Ron

[RonZone]

Hey, hopefully the pain is subsiding just a tad today. You'll still be sore for a few days, then touchy for another week or so, but then it all starts to really heal up and you won't even notice you have the thing in you after about a month or so, well except for the cleaning ritual after you finally get to shower. Are you still planning on working once you're on PD? What do you do. I'm fortunate that my job is sitting in front of a keyboard and monitor, so nothing physically demanding.

[half-glass-full in reply to RonZone]

yesterday was the worst pain wise. Luckily I had some serious laxatives from before the op left over otherwise it was pushing against my catheter and somewhat awkward/pain. They flushed me out completeley. Being on my own is kinda hard food wise. Too easy to eat the wrong things.

Pain is a bit better today but it's just all round a bit depressing. I can't cough or blow my nose. I'll hopefully see a nurse in a few days to change my bandage. I'm just stuck here in bed. things will get better....

[horsie63 in reply to half-glass-full]

try walking around some as that seems to help. I only took the one OxyContin but I did use Tylenol. I was so congested I slept in my recliner for 2 weeks. It will get better.

[RonZone in reply to half-glass-full]

Glad the pain is getting better. Keep us posted on how you're doing. Glad you got the ole system working again! Yeah, food is a tough area for everyone. I had sorta prepared some stuff ahead of time, but I basically lived on Jello and oatmeal for the first three days, then started adding back in fruit like strawberries, pears, apple and some little plastic fruit tubs of peaches and mixed fruit. Then added in some other veggies after that and finally added back some bread. Constipation and PD are big enemies, so I also take a Colace daily. Nurse said it was ok to do so. I like Horsie63's though of walking around. I had to walk some in order to take care of my 95 year old dad, didn't have a choice, so that probably helped me with the mobility issue. But other than just shuffling around the house, I didn't do much. I was able to get back to work after day 3, which helped take my mind of of it (my job is sitting in front of this computer). Yeah, the first bandage change is the intro to dialysis training. Leaning how to do things "clean" when it comes to your exit site, like the super hand washing you will learn and all that. It's important to keep doing that since they say infection is the number 1 reason folks come off PD. So I had to "clean" up my act a bit so as to keep infections away. When is your first bandage change? They should also be telling you when they will do the first "flush" of your catheter pipe, where they put in from 300-500ml then drain it right back out. That prevents fibrin (clumps of protein) from forming in the catheter pipe and clogging up the holes.

[half-glass-full in reply to RonZone]

Hi everyone. I had my bandages changed today. All is looking good. I will have a flush next wednesday. Kind of hard seeing a tube out of my stomach. Pain is not bad now. Just have to watch movement. Days are up and down but i'm still here

I had two possible live donors but it looks like they have both left me on my own. I guess people change there mind. Strange as long term friends. I reached out to one early today but no answer as of yet.

Quite cold here atm......

[RonZone in reply to half-glass-full]

Hey, I totally understand. It was very odd to see a tube coming out of my abdomen the first time I saw it. Didn't seem real. Like I should be able to just pull it away, but nope, it's pretty stuck. Glad it's looking good though. So your first flush will be next wednesday. That's a very interesting experience. I want to give you a heads up that Beachgirl didn't have. Have they talked with you about "drain pain" yet? If not, you should have that discussion with them, cause you might experience it at the end of the "drain" part of the flush. Some experience it, some do not. I did. It was like having a bad gas pain to me, but others said it was worse, others say it was very mild. Talk with your PD nurse about it. Glad the surgery is healing and the incision pain isn't bad now.

That's sad about your living donors. But yeah, I'm sure people get cold feet once it comes time to actually do the deed.

[half-glass-full in reply to RonZone]

Will do thanks for the advice. Will update.

[horsie63]

Sounds like you are doing well. It is weird with the tube but it becomes "normal" eventually.

[Beachgirl32]

just been catching up on some post . Glad everything went well for you. Just be careful not to lift anything heavier than you should. Pretty soon you wil be a pro at everything . I just did my first manual dialysis at home today when I first started I worried I wouldn’t get all this stuff but I’m getting .

[half-glass-full]

Just an update. First flush has changed to Tuesday morning(tomorrow). Not looking forward to it but hopefully OK. Will have bloods taken too. Thanks all