5 questions to ask your nephrologist on your second appointment

5 questions to ask your nephrologist on your second appointment

This is the second of two articles on questions to ask your nephrologist. These are questions for the first appointment.

1. Kidney function

“What is my blood creatinine, eGFR and CKD stage now? Has it got better or worse than last time?”
Note. Ask this at the start of every appointment.

2. Symptoms

“What symptoms of worsening CKD should I watch out for? What should I do in an emergency if I become very unwell?”

3. Diet and lifestyle changes

“Is there any special diet I should follow? How can I get help from a renal dietitian? And do I need to make any other lifestyle changes?”

4. Dialysis and transplantation

“Will I need dialysis, and when, and which type do you recommend? Will I be suitable for a transplant if I need one?”

5. General health

“How will the disease affect me physically? How will it affect my ability to do the things that are important to me (for example, work and family life and hobbies)? How can I improve my other long-term conditions (e.g. diabetes and high blood pressure?”.

For older frail patients

“If the kidney disease is very advanced and treatment options limited, who can I talk to about access to supportive and palliative care?”

Finally ..

“Also, how can I read more about the treatment options you mentioned last time and today?”

“Do you have a specialist kidney nurse and how do I contact them?”

Last Reviewed on 11 May 2024