Nephrostomy Care

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Hello!

My husband has just come out of hospital after a 2nd spell in a number of weeks. He took a really bad kidney infection and had to be admitted to hospital because he was physically shaking and shivering and his temperature had risen and his blood pressure dropped dramatically. It turned out in the end due to his discharge notes that he had uro sepsis which is obviously a form of sepsis. His kidneys got damaged by chemotherapy at the beginning of the year so it had to be stopped because of that. He was in hospital again two weeks ago with this infection and it resulted in him having to get a nephrostomy operation. He also has to wear a urinary catheter and also has a stoma bag. I am finding it slightly overwhelming to cope with just now as I am the one helping him. One of his bags was slightly uncomfortable last night which meant he couldn't sleep well and the tube attachment going into his bag was constantly digging into his back and meant he couldn't lie down. It resulted in me phoning out a district nurse this morning to come out and adjust his bag which she did and he felt a lot better after that. How long does he need to wait before he can have a shower and what is the best way to keep his bags dry as apparently they can't get wet because they are the adhesive type that stick to his skin. Are there any bags or covers you can get to put over them while he is in the shower or would a piece of cling film do? Thanks.

Vicky

Vanessa - Macmillan over 2 years ago

Hello Vicky

Welcome to the Online Community here at Macmillan. I hope you find it a helpful place to access support and ask questions. I can see you have joined some of the forums and hope they are proving useful for you.

My name is Vanessa and I am one of the information nurses.

I’m sorry to hear your husband has been in hospital, it sounds like you are both having a very difficult time.

From reading your question I think that it is the nephrostomy bag which is causing you and your husband some problems. The team who inserted the nephrostomy may have already given you some information about caring for it, but in case they didn’t there is a patient information leaflet available here. The leaflet is comprehensive and the section about what to expect when you get home may be particularly helpful.

As you will see it is recommended that you avoid showering for 48 hours after insertion.

When showering a handheld shower could be used to direct water away from the nephrostomy.

Normally bags used for nephrostomies are similar to those used for stoma’s so many can get wet without this causing a problem. There are also large waterproof dressings which are sometime used to protect areas that need to stay dry. However, I note that you have been specifically advised to keep the bag dry.

Without being able to see the type of bag in place it’s difficult for us to advise in more detail. As you already have District Nursing services involved it may be helpful to contact them and discuss further, as they can see both your husband and the type of bag in place.

Alternatively, if your husband has a nurse specialist allocated to him they may also be able to advise further.

I do hope you are able to find some time to look after yourself. When contacting the district Nurse it may be helpful to ask about what other support may be available locally for you and your husband.

I hope you find this information helpful. You can also always call one of our nurses directly if you want to talk over your concerns or require any further support.

Take care

Vanessa G, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.

Ref VG/BG

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Nephrostomy Care