Pooing

Yeah, I went there early on! If you are on PD like me, you might have noticed that your Doctors and Nurses seem to have (what seems) an unhealthy obsession with your bowl movements.

However there is a good reason for this.

If you imagine that your tummy is a glass jar and it has some small thin worms in it (you have had a poo); there is going to be a lot of room for the Dialysis Fluid to fit around and cover all your peritoneum – making it more efficient to pull the water and “crap” out of you.

But if you now imagine the same side jar but with some big fat worms in it (you haven’t been a poo); then there will be less gaps and the fluid won’t be able to get around as much and the dialysing is not as efficient.

Another important reason to keep your bowls regular, is because not going to the toilet can cause your tube to move giving a low drainage (or UF) and bad drain-pain.

However, I have found a solution which helped me. Obviously there are laxatives and stool softener that you can take (speak to your nurse or doctor) however if you are not a fan of these, I can recommend;

The Squaty Potty

This wooden “step” neatly fits under the toilet when not in use. When you do need it, you just pull it out and put your feet on it – putting you into the squat position which is a more natural position to have a lovely poo (see below).

You do not have to buy the Squaty if you don’t want too – there are others available on the market or you can use anything that might be laying around – just make sure you are comfortable & safe (and are in the squat position)!

There is also a travel version but that’s for another day and post!

Happy Squating!

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