Nephrostomy

[Braegorse]

I am due a nephrostomy in the coming days for severe hydronephrosis of my left non functioning kidney. Is anyone able to offer some reassurance and maybe answer a few questions? I'm scared of having one due to being told the tube could come out, how likely is this? I'm also wondering if the kidney in question is non functioning will it continue to fill or will it just reduce with the fluid that comes out now? The kidney is 30cm and causes me massive pain and impacts severely on my daily life. Also will it reduce my pain? I struggle to eat currently as its so large its pushing on my stomach. So many questions!!!

[Cap21_NKF]

The catheter is placed to drain the urine from your bladder because excess urine build up can lead to kidney failure due to the kidneys being a part of the urinary tract. Talk to your doctor about your concerns about the catheter

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador in reply to Cap21_NKF]

A nephrostomy differs from a catheter in the bladder.

[Darlenia]

Hi Braegorse. I'm so sorry you're having issues with hydronephrosis. You expressed concern about the drain tubes, etc. My husband received a transplant this past June and experienced a urine leak which required stenting and two drains, a bladder cath and a JP drain which went into the kidney. The location of the JP drain was in the front since that's probably where the new kidney was located, yours may well be in your backside. Like the bladder cath, this drain was well secured and we didn't have any issues with it coming out. We squeezed the drain bulb occasionally to clear out bloody fluids but other than that it all went fine. I believe my hubby had the JP drain for a good month. While it was inconvenient, it didn't affect his mobility. You may have a similar setup or maybe yours may be completely different - your nephrologist will let you know what to expect. S/he will also let you know if your hydronephrosis will return - I've read that in cases where it was caused by conditions such as a kidney stone or infection that matters can return to normal. But you seem to have another issue. One thing I'd like to suggest (and my main interest in being here) is to ask for a visiting nurse to check on you. We did that and her presence was reassuring. We really appreciated the extra set of eyes and hands as well as her advice. Hope this helps and life straightens out for you!

[RoxanneKidney]

Hang in there. We will send prayers your way.