Why is there mucus in my urine?

The conduit is made from bowel, which naturally produces mucus, so pale strands in the urine are normal and not an infection on their own. Staying well hydrated keeps it moving.

Do I have to wear a bag at night?

You attach a larger night drainage bag to your day pouch’s tap, so it holds more urine and you can sleep without getting up to empty it.

Can I ever stop needing the bag?

An ileal conduit is usually permanent. An internal neobladder or continent diversion is a different specialist operation — ask your surgeon whether it could apply to you.

How much should I drink?

Aim to drink steadily through the day — often guided at about one and a half to two litres — unless your doctor has limited your fluids. This helps prevent infection.

How do I know if I have a urine infection?

Fever or chills, cloudy, smelly or bloody urine, or loin or back pain suggest a urine infection. Contact your stoma nurse or doctor promptly, and treat high fever with back pain as urgent.

Urostomy in Singapore: What to Expect

Written & reviewed by the BestDoctors.sg editorial team · Last updated 25 Aug 2026 · General information, not medical advice

A urostomy — most commonly an ileal conduit — is a surgically created opening on the abdomen that lets urine leave the body into a pouch worn on the skin. It is made when the bladder has been removed or can no longer store or drain urine safely, most often after surgery for bladder cancer. The surgeon uses a short segment of small bowel as a channel, joining the ureters to it and bringing the other end out as a stoma; because this conduit does not store urine, urine drains continuously. This guide explains what to expect, why mucus in the urine is normal, and how to stay well.

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In a medical emergency, or for severe or sudden symptoms such as breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting or stroke signs, call 995 immediately.

This is general information and does not replace your surgical team’s and stoma nurse’s advice. Seek urgent help — call 995 — if your stoma turns dark, dusky or black (a possible loss of blood supply), or if no urine drains into the bag for several hours despite drinking (a possible blockage). Contact your team urgently for signs of a urine infection: fever or chills, cloudy, foul-smelling or bloody urine, or loin or back pain.

What a urostomy is and why it is made

A urostomy diverts urine to the surface of the abdomen when the bladder is removed or no longer works safely — usually following removal of the bladder for bladder cancer. In the most common form, the ileal conduit, the surgeon takes a short piece of small bowel, reconnects the remaining bowel, joins the ureters (the tubes from the kidneys) to one end of that piece, and brings the other end out through the abdominal wall as the stoma. The bowel segment acts only as a channel, not a reservoir, which is why urine flows out steadily rather than being held. A urostomy of this kind is usually permanent.

How urine drains — the pouch and night bag

Because urine drains continuously and cannot be “held in,” a urostomy pouch has a tap or outlet at the bottom that you open to empty it through the day. At night, you connect a larger night drainage bag to that tap, so it can hold more urine and you can sleep without getting up to empty the pouch. Your stoma nurse teaches you how to set up, empty and clean these before you go home, and it quickly becomes a simple routine.

The early weeks after surgery

Straight after surgery the stoma is pink, moist and swollen, and it gradually shrinks over roughly the first six to eight weeks. You may have thin tubes called stents in place early on to keep things draining while healing — your team will explain if so. During this time your stoma nurse helps you learn appliance changes and get used to your new routine, and the appliance may be re-sized as the stoma settles to its final size.

Why mucus in the urine is normal

Seeing pale threads or strands of mucus in your urine can be alarming at first, but it is entirely normal with a urostomy: the conduit is made from a piece of bowel, and bowel naturally produces mucus, which passes out with the urine. This on its own is not a sign of infection. Staying well hydrated keeps the urine flowing freely and helps move the mucus through, so it is one more reason that drinking enough matters.

Hydration and preventing urine infections

Drinking well through the day — commonly guided at around one and a half to two litres unless your doctor has limited your fluids — keeps the urine dilute and freely draining, which helps lower the risk of a urine infection. Singapore’s hot, humid climate adds to fluid loss, so steady hydration matters here. Knowing what your normal urine looks like helps you spot a change; urine that becomes persistently cloudy, smelly or bloody, especially with fever or back pain, points toward an infection to report promptly.

Caring for the stoma and skin

Urostomy appliances come as one-piece or two-piece systems, and getting the opening sized correctly to your stoma is key to preventing leaks and protecting the skin. The basics are the same as any stoma: wash your hands, clean the area gently with warm water, dry it well, and ensure a good seal, checking the skin at each change — healthy skin around the stoma should look like the skin elsewhere on your abdomen. Our caring for your stoma and managing stoma problems guides cover the practical detail.

Living well, and a note on other options

Day to day, most people with a urostomy wear their usual clothes, shower and bathe, return to work, travel with spare supplies, and adjust emotionally with time and support. It is worth knowing that an ileal conduit is a non-continent diversion — there is also a different, more complex specialist operation called a continent urinary diversion or neobladder, which uses an internal reservoir and no external bag; whether that could ever apply to you is a question for your surgeon, and it is not detailed here. In Singapore, your hospital stoma care nurse is your first contact for problems, HealthHub offers general information, and the medical social worker can help with supplies and assistance. The reassuring bottom line is that a urostomy is a well-established way to manage urine safely — keep hydrated, expect a little mucus, care for your skin, and act promptly on the signs of infection or a dark stoma.

Sources

Cancer Research UK — Urostomy (ileal conduit): cancerresearchuk.org
Macmillan Cancer Support — Urostomy: macmillan.org.uk
Bladder & Bowel Community — What is a urostomy: bladderandbowel.org

General information only. This guide supports — but does not replace — the advice of your surgical team and stoma nurse (stomal therapist), who tailor stoma care to you. Seek urgent help — call 995 — if your stoma turns dark, dusky or black or pulls in and goes pale (a possible loss of blood supply), or if you have no output of stool or wind with cramping tummy pain, a swollen abdomen and vomiting (a possible blockage). Also seek care for heavy bleeding from inside the stoma or signs of severe dehydration. If you are struggling emotionally, you are not alone — the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) are on 1767 and mindline.sg on 1771.

Urostomy: What to Expect (Singapore)