Removal of Kidney and Ureter

You have had an operation to remove your kidney, its ureter (the tube that drains the urine from the kidney to the bladder), and a portion of the bladder.

Please follow these instructions as you recover from your surgery. If you have any questions, please be sure to ask your nurse or doctor.

Your incision

  • You have an incision in your abdomen or in your side. It is normal to feel a firm ridge under the incision. Over the next 6-18 months, the incision will fade.
  • If you have skin staples, there might be minor irritation around the staples.
  • The dressing over the incision is usually removed about 2 days after your surgery. It is OK to leave your incision uncovered after this. Or, if it is more comfortable, you may keep a dry dressing over the incision. Please do not put any ointments on the wound unless your surgeon tells you otherwise.
  • You may see a small amount of clear or slightly red drainage coming from the wound. This is normal. If you have a lot of drainage, you should let your surgeon know.
  • If you have steri-strips (small paper strips) over the incision, they can be removed in one week.
  • You may shower. (Please do not take a tub bath until after you see your doctor at your next appointment.)


Pain and swelling

  • Most patients have a gradual reduction in pain during the week following surgery. Once you are at home, your pain may be well controlled during the day with medicine such as acetaminophen (Tylenol). You will be given a prescription for stronger pain medicine to take if you need it. It may be helpful to take the stronger medicine at night for a while so you can rest.
  • As you become more active, certain movements may cause pain. Increase your activity gradually. Don't do anything that causes a great deal of pain. Rather, work at doing a bit more day by day. If your activity is severely limited because of pain, please notify your surgeon.
  • If your incision was on the side, you may have pain and irritation for a few weeks. This is because of irritation of nerves near the ribs. If the pain is not well controlled with medication, please tell your surgeon.
  • If your pain does not gradually get better, or if you have a sudden increase in pain, please call your surgeon.
  • You may notice that your legs and ankles are swollen This should decrease in 1-2 weeks. When you are lying down, try raising your legs on pillows. This may help the swelling to go down more quickly.
  • You will probably be most comfortable resting in a reclining position. Prop your back up with pillows, and place pillows under your legs.
  • You may also have a sore throat because of the tube that was in your throat during surgery. This discomfort should pass quickly.


Activity

  • You will probably feel tired for some time after you go home. You may nap frequently, and simple tasks may exhaust you. This is normal and should pass within a few weeks. Use this time to rest and recover, gradually increasing your activity each day.
  • You may find your sleep is disturbed while you are less active. You may sleep during the day and be awake at night. This should get better once you become more active.
  • Please do not drive for 3 weeks after surgery. Because of discomfort from your surgery, you may not be able to respond quickly enough in an emergency. This is especially true if you are taking strong pain medicine. After 3 weeks, drive only if your pain is well controlled, and you are not taking pain medicine that makes you drowsy.
  • Please do not lift anything weighing more than 20-25 pounds for 3 weeks. (This is about the weight of a briefcase or a bag of groceries.) This applies to lifting children, although they may sit on your lap.
  • You may start light exercise, such as taking a walk or walking on a treadmill, as soon as you feel ready. Please do not do any heavy exercise until 6-8 weeks after surgery.
  • You may shower, climb stairs, and go outside.
  • Do not swim until 4 weeks after surgery.
  • Please do not travel long distances until you see your doctor at your next appointment.
  • You may resume sexual activity whenever you and your partner feel ready, unless your doctor has told you otherwise. The timing for this can vary from one patient to another.


Eating and drinking

  • There are no restrictions on eating and drinking.
  • You may find that you don't have much appetite. This is a normal reaction to surgery and should pass quickly. Keep your strength up by eating small amounts of nutritious foods more frequently throughout the day.


Your catheter

  • You may be discharged with a Foley catheter. This is a small rubber tube that is in your bladder. Your urine drains out through the tube.
  • In general, the urine will be clear. But you may see small blood clots in the urine, or small amounts of blood in the urine. This is normal.
  • Please call your surgeon if:
    • you see many large clots
    • you see a lot of blood
    • urine stops draining from the catheter
  • In rare cases, the catheter falls out. If this happens, please call your surgeon.
  • Your nurse will give you instructions on caring for your catheter at home. If you have questions, please ask your nurse.
  • Ask your doctor when the catheter will be removed. You may be shown how to take the catheter out yourself at home. (This is a very simple and painless process.) Or your doctor may remove the catheter at your next appointment.


Your bowels

  • Constipation is a common side effect of medicine such as Percocet or codeine. If needed, you can take a stool softener (such as Colace, one capsule) or gentle laxative (such as Milk of Magnesia, 1-4 tablespoons) once per day. You can get both of these medicines without a prescription.
  • To try to avoid constipation, work toward using strong pain medicine only at night. During the day, take acetaminophen, and limit your activity to avoid pain.


Medications

  • Please do not take aspirin, or aspirin-like products (such as ibuprofen, Motrin, Naprosyn) until your surgeon says it is OK.
  • Take all other medicines you were on before the operation just as you did before, unless you have been told differently
  • You will go home with prescriptions for pain medicine. Please make sure you understand how to take this medicine. If you do not, ask your nurse or surgeon.
  • You may also be given other prescriptions. Please ask any questions you may have about medication before you go home.


Your next appointment
Please make sure you have an appointment to come back and see your surgeon. If this appointment has not already been made, please call your surgeon's office to schedule your appointment.

Danger signs
Please call your doctor if you have any of the following. You may call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

  • worsening abdominal pain
  • fever of 101 or more
  • vomiting
  • increased drainage coming from the incision
  • no urine draining from the catheter
  • large amounts of blood in the urine
  • a lot of large blood clots in the urine
  • pain or a feeling of fullness in the bladder
  • a lot of leaking around the catheter tip (a small amount is normal)
  • your catheter falls out
woman playing the harp

Search