Nephrologist

[YLGuy]

I was told by my social worker on Friday that the doctor sent my information to St Joseph's hospital.  My social worker is funny.  She comes and talks with me for a long time.  The only thing she wants to do is pick my brain about her mortgage.  (I have my California DRE license and worked in the mortgage industry for too many years)

[kidneyless_In_PA]

My nephrologist comes to the clinic every Tuesday , he talks to me like I am an idiot. I have been diagnosed 39 years now in the kidney area.Yesterday he comes in and I ask him to lower my heparin cus when I bleed it is like water. He refused to and he pointed to my bottle of home aid ice tea and said it coke. Gee I know better than to bring coke in there. There is a guy on dialysis that is in isolation that brings a 20 oz Pepsi or coke in and drinks it while on the machine. I was in a good mood till my nephrologist came in. Oh the biggest laugh I got was last week they said my TRANSPLANTED KIDNEY which I rejected at one time was 60 % is more than likely gonna start again cus my creatine is 3.7 this month and when I was in the hospital it was 2.3.If the TRANSPLANTED KIDNEY is gonna work again isn't the creatine going the wrong way. Besides I been off my anti rejection drugs since September. I am at the point when they say stuff like that I smile and nod my head and think yeah right.

[kellyt]

 

[Wayne]

Glad to hear you got things straight.  My neph at my center has been great.  The other doctor who comes for other patients doesn't look like he gives a rip.  He comes by and may say hello to them and typically doesn't even ask if they need anything.  I feel bad for them because most of his patients are elderly and don't really say anything.  I have seen the techs go grab him and bring him back to the patient and tell him what is going on with them.

[YLGuy]

The old neph made his sweep this morning.  I watched him do his 10 seconds with each patient.  Then he grabbed my file and walked over to me.  I looked at him and reminded him that I had switched doctors as he was too busy to see me.  He agreed that his office was booked and moved on.  Kinda weird.

[Echoez]

My neph group comes into the clinic weekly. I could not ask for a better group they are truly caring and always have time for "us"

We have a lady in the clinic daily who is our transplant coordinator. I guess I am pretty lucky by some of the post I have read.

[okarol]

I have a question.  My kidneys failed at the end of March.  I was in the hospital for 17 days and was seen in the hospital by a nephrologist group.  The visits basically were 1 of the doctors from the group stopping in each day to say hi for less than 1 minute.  Mid April I began in center HD.  The doctors would come through about once a week and talk with me maybe 15-30 seconds.  I have horrible insomnia and my blood pressure is all over the place and I wanted to talk with a doctor at length.  I also have 4-5 people who want to be tested to see if they are a match.  I was told that I needed an appointment in office before I can speak to a transplant center.  The nephrologist group told me that the first appointment I can get is August 31st.  Again, I have never been seen in office.  Is this normal??? I called my dialysis center and asked them if there were any other nephrologists that serviced their center.  They gave me the name of 1 other office.  I called them and they can see me...in 2 weeks.  I would just like some input from others who have been at this longer than me.

When Jenna was on dialysis she saw a nephrologist in the clinic (not at a hospital, it was an independent center.) There was no referral or communication at the center regarding a transplant. (And looking back, it seems like the dialysis unit was not motivated to lose a paying patient, so they really weren't in the business of supporting any move toward getting a kidney for Jenna.)
When we went for a transplant evaluation she met with a transplant team which was at the hospital and comprised of a social worker, surgeon, nephrologist, transplant coordinator, insurance coordinator and psychologist. Each step of the way through this process was initiated by us. No referrals were required. She was listed at 3 centers in 3 different procurement areas when a living donor came forward from Ohio and was approved.
If I were you I would contact the local transplant hospital to get approved. They can then begin looking at your living donors. Good luck!

[RightSide]

My nephrologist has a good thing going:  He is also williing to be my Primary Care Physician.  Which is OK by me; nephrologists have to know internal medicine anyway.

So I ask him about all kinds of health issues, not just kidney related.  Once, i asked him to put on his Primary Care hat and I asked about what I thought was something totally unrelated to my kidney disease, but he said that it was related to my kidney disease.  So I asked him if he would write me a referral to himself.   

[YLGuy]

So I asked him if he would write me a referral to himself.   

Some day it will come to that!