Discharge Instructions for Kidney (Renal) Cryoablation

You've had cryoablation to treat kidney cancer. This procedure used a needle and very cold gas or liquid to kill cancer cells in your kidney by freezing them. Here’s how to take care of yourself at home:

Home care

• Rest at home for 2 to 3 days, or as long as needed.

• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day, unless you get other instructions.

• Take your medicines exactly as directed. You will likely be given pain medicine and antibiotics.

• Go back to your normal diet after the procedure, unless your healthcare provider gives you other instructions.

• Take care of your bandage. Keep it clean and dry. Change it as instructed if it gets dirty or wet.

• Take your temperature every day for a week. This is done to help check for fever, which could be a sign of infection.

You may have some aftereffects from the procedure. These may include:

• A small amount of bleeding. Your urine will be tinted with a small amount of blood for a day or 2 after the procedure. This is normal.

• Post-ablation syndrome. This can include fever and flu-like symptoms. You may have body aches, feel generally ill, and have nausea and vomiting. You may have a mild fever. You may have pain in your treated kidney. Symptoms may last up to 10 days, and then go away. Your healthcare provider may give you medicine to help reduce fever, pain, and nausea.

• Pain in your middle back. This may last for a few days. Take pain medicine as directed.

• Nerve pain or numbness. The freezing may damage nerves in the treatment area. This may cause prickly pain, tingling, or numbness. This may last for weeks or months. Your healthcare provider may prescribe medicine to help lessen nerve pain.

Activities

• Do only light and easy activities for 2 to 3 days.

• Don’t do strenuous activity for 1 week.

• Don't drive until your healthcare provider says it’s OK.

• Exercise according to your healthcare provider's advice.

• Ask your healthcare provider when you can return to work.

Follow-up care

Make follow-up appointments with your healthcare provider as directed. You'll need to have tests to see how well the procedure worked and to check for signs of cancer later on. These tests may include:

• CT scan or MRI. These are imaging tests. A CT scan uses radiation to take a series of detailed X-ray images. An MRI uses large magnets and a computer to take images. You will have an imaging test to check your kidney 3 to 6 months after the procedure. You may then have follow-up imaging tests yearly, or as often as your healthcare provider advises. These are done to check for signs of cancer.

• Blood tests. These will be done to check the health of your kidneys and liver.

• Urine tests. These are used to check the health of your kidneys.

• Chest X-ray. This test uses a small amount of radiation to make images. This might be done to check for signs of cancer in the lungs.

When to call your healthcare provider

Call your healthcare provider right away if any of these occur:

• Unable to pass urine

• A lot of or increasing amounts of blood in your urine

• Chest pain

• Trouble breathing

• Blood in your urine after 2 days

• Not enough urine or no urine

• Pain that doesn’t get better after 2 days, or gets worse

• Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or as directed by your healthcare provider

• Signs of infection at the needle site or incision, such as redness, swelling, drainage, or warmth