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Urinary diversion (a urostomy, a stoma, a catheter or a new bladder): the types, the care, and living with it
For anyone who has, or is about to have, a new way for urine to leave the body, and for the people close to them. It passes on, by name, what the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says: what urinary diversion is and why it may be needed; the types, from a catheter, a nephrostomy tube or a stent to a urostomy, a reservoir inside the body or a new bladder; caring for a stoma and a pouch, day to day; the signs of an infection; and activity, sex and food. It builds the words to say to your doctor or nurse, so you do not have to find them, and prints a card.
Right now
- A fever, chills, back or side pain, or cloudy, dark or strong-smelling urine? See a health care professional right away (NIDDK). If you feel very ill, confused, or it is getting worse fast, call 911 (ours; NIDDK’s page does not name 911): Sepsis.
- Trouble putting the catheter into your stoma? Contact your health care professional right away (NIDDK).
- Is it all too much, or are you thinking of ending your life? Call or text 988, any hour (ours).
More help
- On this site: Kidneys and bladder: find the right page · Urinary retention · Bladder leaks · Cancer.
- If something is wrong: Sepsis · A bladder infection.
- Getting ready: Getting ready for a cystoscopy · Get ready for your appointment · My medicines · When you need a doctor and can’t pay.
- For you: Depression.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Kidneys, bladder or urine, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for bladder infections, kidney stones, blood in the urine, bladder pain, bladder leaks, the prostate, kidney disease and bedwetting, on one list.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 18, 2026 on NIDDK’s (NIH) page Urinary Diversion (last reviewed June 2020) and its Spanish page Derivación urinaria (last reviewed June 2020), which say the same. The numbers (a pouch emptied one-third to one-half full and changed 1 to 2 times a week; a reservoir drained every 2 hours at first, then every 4 to 6; a new bladder every 2 to 3 hours by day at first; leaks most in the first 6 to 12 months; eight 8-ounce glasses of liquids a day) are NIDDK’s. Ours: when to call 911 (NIDDK’s page does not name it); 988; the questions to ask; the links to our other pages; and the order of the steps. What we left out: the drawings, the section on clinical trials, and NIDDK’s outside links. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.