Cycler alarm goes off 4 times a night during drain cycle

[mspworker]

My 76 year old husband is new to at home peritoneal dialysis on the cycler every night. Every night, he is awakened by the alarm four times a night when the cycler reaches the drain portion of the treatment. He must shut the alarm, put his feet on the floor and move up and down before the drain cycle can begin. He is losing precious sleep every night. The doctor and nurse can't give him any advice that helps. He does take Miralax every night to keep his bowels moving. What advice does anyone have for him?

[Ladybug_05]

Hello! I did PD for roughly a year. Has your husband done an X-Ray to make sure the catheter is still in place? If his team hasn't checked, I would recommend that they check to make sure that it is. If the catheter is in the correct place, what side is he sleeping on? He could be cutting off his tubing without realizing it and the cycler isn't able to pull the fluid. What helped me, was laying on my back to make sure everything was straight and there were no barriers to the drain line. I hope this helps! Good luck

[mspworker in reply to Ladybug_05]

Doctor says catheter is free floating. He sleeps on his back and there are no barriers to the drain line.

[PracBob]

I have the same problem with draining. Other than avoiding constipation, the clinic hasn't been able to give me any suggestions.

[mspworker in reply to PracBob]

Are you continuing with peritoneal and putting up with the lack of sleep?

[PracBob in reply to mspworker]

Yes. I feel much better than with hemodialysis. I'm thinking of doing it during my waking hours.