Wow, Spring 2026 flew by, and I can’t believe this is my first summer post, and it has been way too long! Life’s been a bit crazy lately, so let me explain a bit before getting to what this post is really about. Been working two incredible jobs, babysitting as much as possible for my two nephews and my sweet niece, and trying to fit in personal growth and writing but not actually posting them… sorry about that one to my readers! Oh, and the surprise of them all, getting the news that I needed a Nephrostomy tube so that I can keep my one working kidney functioning! Small detail. Yes, I have a working kidney fun fact about my life. I was born with two, but my left one is just kinda there, and my right is the workaholic that can’t stop for a break, so she’s worked herself into a place where she needs some assistance. So ladies and gentlemen say hello to my newest accessory my nephrostomy tube that is with me twenty-four-seven, day and night, at home and out and about and with that we start talking about how the heck to live with one as a working women who doens’t want it to stop her, but having a hard reality check of how to live, work, socialize, watch kids, and act totally normal so she is not defined by yet another medical device! All the questions came flooding back once I left the hospital after my tube placement.
What is a nephrostomy tube, and how does this work?
How do I hide this?
How do I explain this to people who notice or want to know?
How can I pursue my passions if this thing is attached to me?
So glad y’all want to know how I’ve been managing, and I love sharing with you because I hope this helps anyone who might be figuring this out with me.
What is a Nephrostomy Tube?
A nephrostomy tube is a thin, flexible catheter inserted through the skin of your lower back directly into your kidney that drains your output so that bacteria don’t sit inside and cause infection. Most working kidneys can drain down to your bladder, but if this is effected in anyway it can backup and sit there for too long, which causes symptoms that are different for everyone, but let’s say you need your kidneys to fuction well so you don’t get to this place! Mine as of now is temporary so that I can get some functioning rest, but I will still use my catheter in my bladder to drian but now. I guess the one pro is that I can go whenever I want without having to pause. (Joke) Got to find the positive in all life throws!
How do I hide this and live life?
Yet again, going into this procedure and knowing that outcome early, I still had to do my own research and try-outs on how to manage this tube daily because those I talked to didn’t have a practical answer, which is sad that the medical industry still doesn’t think through the aftermath of the surgery. Their “recommendation” was to attach it with a safety pin to my pants and let it hang! Ah, the tube and drainage bag are clear, and you’d be ok with everyone looking at what your body is outputting! Thankfully, my face didn’t show what my sassy brain was screaming! Would y’all be ok with that? Before the surgery I began my research with an old drainage bag I had that I started using for practice on how big it would be and how much space I would need to not squash it but also thinking through the practicals like how the bag needs to hang below the bladder, tubing not to get kinked, needing to be waterproof just in case of a leak, and hopfully something a little fashionable as I am a girl who likes to look cute! After ordering several options, I found a crossbody fanny pack that had multiple zippers to hold my daily needs and to hold the bag. Sitting across my lap so my wheelchair wouldn’t try to scratch or pull my tubing but still feel small enough not to eat away my small torso. (Haha) I know this is a lot of time and brain space for some, but this has been my life for several years because the medical world won’t think of it for you but it is possible to live a semi-normal life that you are used to but with an additional medical accessory. Now you know the meaning of my blog post title! Fanny pack fan for life!
What are people going to think or say? How do I explain this to someone?
I think once you’ve processed and accepted the fact that this is a part of you for however long, you begin to get comfortable with how this is helping you and have played around with how to make it comfortable for you; the question becomes about how others will feel. I’ve talked a lot about how it feels looking outward because if it feels awkward for me living with it, how does it traslate or look on the outside to someone you do or don’t know? What do they think of me? How do I say the right thing without grossing someone out? How much is too much to share so that they can see past the tube and I can feel normal again? I can’t say that I have mastered these questions, but I can say that, with all my other medical stories, my go-to way is honesty and humor. Depending on the relationship, I will say honestly that this is helping my kidney and that I’ll have this for a period of time. Followed up by saying something like, “But look how cute my fanny pack is!” or “But hey, I always wanted to know what a tail would feel like!” and, for the most part, it automatically softens the tension because it shows them that I can’t hide it completely, but I have accepted it and they can too. In the end, it is how you present it to others that can make it less of an embarrassment and more of a explination with making them feel like it’s an honest observation, but it doesn’t have to be a thing to feel awkward about. Remember, they probably truly don’t know anything about it, or they truly feel uneasy about what to say. So, as medical adovcates let’s not make them feel bad but instead educate and ease the ask by being confident in what we share.
How can I pursue my passions if this thing is attached to me?
For those of you livng something like this or exactly like this, here’s my mindset I try to bring to my place of influence. How you carry it is how you represent it. If you are confident in who God has created you to be, then live with boldness and be encouraged that this is not something that defines you. If you feel or carry it with the feeling of “everyone knows” or “everyone is judging me,” then I challenge you to reflect on why you feel that side eye, unspoken judgemegnts towards yourself, and examine why those are louder than what is true about you. Yes, there are comments and looks that you’ve recieved in the past but if you live life by those looks you loose the beauty in being not only a child of God who created these things to help you live even if it’s not traditional but you loose the beauty of showcasing that life is not defined by medical situations but instead showcasing that you are just as equal, equiped, and capable to do what everyone else does. What defines your perspective?
If you work, don’t be ashamed to speak about it. My job is with kids, and kids are so observant and ask very abrupt questions, but with that curiosity, I use it as a way to make it normal. If I ignore or push them away, it only makes it more akward for the both of us and people down the road. What if we commuicate more openly so that they can learn and understand rather than become the stariotype that makes it a bigger deal than it needs to be? Be the voice that normalized the medical things you can’t change but instead make it relatable. Make it a normal conversation, and humor goes a long way not to ignore that awkwardness, but to be real and say, this is my reality and here’s how I live, but you know what? I am ok with this. Join me!
Your passions don’t have to completely change.
Your lifestyle will change, but don’t stop pursuing what God has placed before you.
Speak life into your circumstance. Don’t let it shut you down from goals and dreams. Will they be different? Yes. Will you need to adapt? Yes. Will it mean sacrifice and hard days? Yes! But something I am constantly reminded of is that our God NEVER gives us more than we can handle. He’s given you and me this cross to bear; now how do we carry it?
For my readers who are on the other side.
You play a key role in this topic as well. You may know someone who is struggling with this new information or has had a medical situation come up that uproots their normal, but can I encourage you with this? The strangeness and awkwardness you feel about what to do are completely understandable. Here’s how to help. Don’t be afraid to ask. Some people won’t be ready to share, and that’s ok, but you show care by asking and by showing the desire to understand. How you ask matters. Be sure to make eye contact and remember that pointing showcases your focus, but instead of pointing, looking us in the eye shows personal interest and want to help and understand. Be ok with hesitation or awkwardness on our part if those of us arn’t willing to share, or most of the time they don’t even know how to answer because they’ve never been asked gently. Don’t be afraid. I hope that as these topics become more public and spoken about openly, we break the fear behind understanding what we don’t understand, and we can build up a generation that cares enough to make change, and that starts with you. You play a part in this, and I’m so grateful that I have people around me who are willing to understand, even if not completely, because it has broken down barriers on both sides of the relationship, and I can be more real than I ever have been growing up with friends and family. Thank you for reading and wanting to be that person for someone in your life and spreading the joy of truly knowing deeper than the surface.
Readers, this is a new and uncharted terrain even for me. Yes, I’ve lived the tube life, but this is the first of many blogs about nephrostomy tubes; I wanted to write what I’ve learned thus far after a mere two weeks living with it. Summer 2026 is gonna be an interesting one, but I know God is going to use this time to show me a new area of medical knowledge, perspective of this lifestyle, and how to pursue Him even through this undesired addition, but hey, if it opens more stories to share than ALRIGHT GOD LET’S GO!
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