Mel, we are at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Illinois, and I just happened to log in. Pat suggested I might have some helpful suggestions, and I'm glad to try.
My husband had a nephrostomy tube for several months, like Maria, and, you can learn to deal with it. It's a learning process. What works for someone might not work for you, and vice versa.
First things first. He can shower, if they OK it, by putting a tegaderm patch over the nephrostomy bandage. Is he having any pain from the stitches? If not, good, and you can change the bandages yourself. If so, he needs to talk to the interventionl radiology people about adjusting them, because there is no reason for the stitches to pull.
Second, if the bandage itself is painful, you can adjust on that, too. I used make-up sponges, with a channel cut out, to keep the tube perpendicular to the body before it made the bend to lie flat with the bandage. If you can't use those, use a folded gauze patch under it. It will feel better than a bend right out of the "hole."
Position the patch under the tube, bend it over, and hold it onto the skin with the tegaderm. Did they send some home with him? If not, you can call the hospital, but they will charge you an arm and a leg. I just ordered a supply off the web. You don't need a prescription. They are a thin clear adhesive patch that will keep the water off the site.
then the tube should be anchored to his side. That anchor will not need to be changed as often as the bandage over the hole. You can adjust those anchors when you change then, to give you some slack if you need it. Those, too, you can order from the web.
Third, the nephrostomy itself should heal pretty well, and you can change the bandages with him lying on his back. We found that sometimes we got a better job done by him lying on his knees with his butt up, so that it stretched the skin. Sort of the "Cat" of the yoga "Cat/Cow", if you know what I mean.
The bags themselves will drive him nuts until he finds a way to carry them with him. We bought a little apron with a pocket to use, and Doran sewed a pocket that went on his belt. The leg bag straps fall off a lot, and we lost a lot of them until we switched to a waist bag.
For rinsing, keep a plastic squeeze bottle of water mixed with vinegar to rinse down the sink, and to rinse the bags, and you won't have an odor problem.
That's probably more than you want to know right now, but let me know if this helps.
I'm sure Julie will chime in when she gets a break. I'm anxious to hear how Dick is doing. Hugs, Julie!
Mel, I hope the plans for the wedding are going well. Is your dad able to walk yet? If not, a wheelchair waltz down the aisle would work, too.....you'll just have to fight over who pushes, right?
Remember, tegaderm, make-up pads, vinegar. If you want to know more, let me know. I'll try to keep watch on the site, but our schedule here is fluctuating.
Stephany in Iowa
