Well that was more long-winded than I thought it would be. I was admitted to the pre-op ward rather than going straight into Radiology. Gowned up, a Cannula inserted and I was put on a trolley. Wheeled down on the trolley to have the replacement done when the time came. The cannula was used for antibiotics.
I think the extra treatment was maybe because I am prone to waterworks infections. The last one had the name ‘sepsis’ as part of the wording.
The tube leaves the kidney in a sideways direction rather than downwards as it was before. Something to get used to. A small thing like that makes it necessary to change procedures/habits a bit… Wheeled back to the ward for half an hour observation before being discharged. They gave me a sandwich, some biscuits and a cup of coffee. Great service all round as usual.
Anyway, that’s it for a couple of months. I said I thought it was every three months but I expect the Urology Department will decide.
Yes, it’s that time of week for the Nephrostomy dressing change. A shower beforehand, which is not easy with a tube hanging out of my back that is not supposed to get directly wet. Showering means taking the leg band off that holds the bag in place and stops the tube from pulling on the dressing, which hopefully stops the tube from yanking on the kidney, perhaps even pulling out. Anyway, care is needed.
I’ve mentioned before about how complicated the dressing is with its Velcro and the shape of it. It does the job well of securing the tube …unless it were all to become unstuck from the skin of course. That’s another thing that needs to be thought of. I’ll stop (thankfully ) short of showing it in place but this is what it looks like.
This is the first dressing change since going to the hospital last week to have the tube itself replaced.
Shower and dressing done but not without worry. I have a plastic bag temporarily taped over the site that works OK for showering. It’s more that the securing leg band has to be removed and that leaves the bag a bit vulnerable to being pulled around.
Mrs mart has changed the dressing. When they change the tube in the hospital, it is held in place by binding some tape around it near where is goes into the body, Then some stitching cotton (?) is wrapped around the tape. Then the cotton is stitched into the skin to hold the tube in place. It seems that the tape is too near the skin and it is starting to work its way into the hole. This makes the area a little more sore than it might be.
With the previous tube, the stitch had broken or pulled out at some point and the whole area was more comfortable for it. Everything still held in place by the dressing, With the tape being the way it is now, the tube is coming out of the hole at right-angles, rather than laying flat. Mrs mart tried to get some advice from the hospital but Urology aren’t answering the phone. In the end, she pulled the tube flat and applied the dressing. A bit ouch-worthy but the job is done.
It feels fairly OK now but she wants to know if the stitch could be snipped and the tube pulled out a fraction. We still might phone up about it.
Thankyou for the good wishes Pimmy - Yesterday’s trials are over. It’s surprising what a person can get used to. I’m feeling OK today. In fact, it’s my day for going to the pub for a lunchtime pint of beer. I’m thinking about riding my bike there instead of getting a lift by car.
It is Nephrostomy dressing change Wednesday again. It all went well. No sharp intakes of breath, apart from when the plaster adhesive remover is sprayed on. It’s always freezing cold even if warmed up a bit first. Mrs mart is such a dab hand at changing the dressing these days.
Mart totally off topic but I’ve only just realised that your avatar is the zodiac symbol for scorpio. I mention this because I saw the sign on someone’s neck tattoo the other day and I thought it looked familiar!
Just hanging around without the Nephrostomy dressing on but with just a bit of lint over the hole/tube. The trouble is that the skin gets mighty sore and itchy with having a plaster dressing on it month after month. There is a barrier applied to help with this but it still gets troublesome. I hope that leaving the dressing off for a few hours will help. Got to be careful not to pull on the tube though.
Tut! - Hospital tomorrow. Blood test and a visit to a department where they can take a look at the Nephrostomy tube. There is what looks like ordinary plaster wrapped around the tube where it goes through the skin. This is so a stitch can go through it and into the skin to stop the tube coming out.
We think it’s too close to the skin because the plaster itself is trying to pull into the hole. It can be quite painful at times and it hampers movement. On the last tube (changed every 2-3 months) the stitch broke away. It was a lot more comfortable when that happened. It allowed a bit of movement but the tube still held in place by the dressing. We’ll see what they say tomorrow.
Back from the hospital trip. Very good of the Urology staff to see me without an appointment. Only had to wait around half an hour before I was seen. The doctor was reluctant to remove the stitch, possibly because it would be a bit like another doctor’s work? He said it might be a bit risky having the securing stitch snipped. Anyway, he cleaned and redressed the hole with a temporary dressing.
The skin around the hole that had become inflamed and itchy because of having plaster stuck to it month after month is looking better for leaving the Skater ™ dressing off for a few days. The hole will probably feel better when the proper dressing is stopping the tube from moving around. That will be done tomorrow by Mrs mart.
A UTI is also suspected. I won’t go into why this is reckoned to be so but I’ve come away with some antibiotics. I have to be careful because the last infection had ‘sepsis’ in the wording of it. That’s one trouble with all this external plumbing stuff. It can be a source of infection.
Edit: Something from this morning. I went for a blood test prior to the above. My turn came up and I went into the room and sat down. As the phlebotomist was taking blood she said, “Ah the Sun is out at last”. I looked around the room that had lots of electric lights only as far as I knew. '“How do you know”? I asked. She looked over my shoulder and nodded upwards. “I looked out of the window” she said. Low and behold, there was one behind me. I said that I thought she knew because she had some sort of psychic powers. “No just the Window” she said. All those within earshot had a good laugh. I guess you had to be there but I’ve been giggling about it ever since.
) short of showing it in place but this is what it looks like.
- Hospital tomorrow. Blood test and a visit to a department where they can take a look at the Nephrostomy tube. There is what looks like ordinary plaster wrapped around the tube where it goes through the skin. This is so a stitch can go through it and into the skin to stop the tube coming out.
