About this topic
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that filter blood before turning it into urine. They clean the body of waste products and harmful blood substances. The kidneys can become diseased from having diabetes or high blood pressure. A nephrectomy is a procedure to remove a kidney or part of a kidney. ‚
This procedure is done for: ‚
- Kidney cancer
- Very bad injury to the kidney from an accident
- Tumor in the kidney
- Other kidney diseases like stones or infection
- Donation of a kidney to someone else
- Control of high blood pressure
When done to treat kidney diseases, a part of the diseased kidney or the whole kidney with its tube may be removed. Both kidneys can also be removed. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Your doctor may have placed a drain through your surgical cut. Keep this in place.
- Take your drugs as ordered by your doctor.
- Your doctor will teach you some breathing exercises to prevent lung problems. This is especially important when the kidney is taken out during an open nephrectomy.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages
- When you may take a bath or shower
- If you need to be careful with lifting things over 10 pounds
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work, driving, or sex
- Be sure to wash your hands before touching your wound or dressing.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your condition needs close monitoring. Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- Your doctor will tell you if you need other tests.
- If you have stitches or staples, you will need to have them taken out. Your doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
- Your doctor may ask you to keep a record of your how much you drink and how much urine you make for a while after the surgery. This may tell the doctor how well your kidneys are working.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Prevent or fight an infection
Will physical activity be limited?
- You need to stay in bed for a few days after your surgery. You can walk around your room after 2 to 3 days to prevent blood clots. Slowly add to your activities.
- You will need to limit your activity for a while. Ask your doctor the right amount of activity for you.
- If you have only one kidney, avoid contact sports.
What changes to diet are needed?
You may not feel like eating right after surgery but that should get better in 1 to 2 weeks. There should not be any special diet orders unless you are on dialysis. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Breathing problems
- Liver damage
- Reaction to anesthesia
- Kidney failure
- A bulge in the belly. This is a hernia.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, wound that will not heal.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- No urine for more than 6 hours
- Very bad pain in your belly
- Pain when passing urine
Helpful tips
Put a pillow on your belly when you cough to help with the pain. ‚
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my procedure.
- I can tell you how to care for my cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have a fever, pain in my belly, or pain when passing urine.
Where can I learn more?
National Kidney Foundation ‚
http://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/nephrectomy.cfm ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚