What to say to doctor

[Ilovecohen]

Hiya! I take lithium for bipolar, have been in it 14 years now. It has an effect on your kidneys. My last two reading were 55 and 56. My nurse said nothing to worry about. I don’t even know what this means. I googled it and seems to mean stage 3a ckd. I have to go back for more blood work, urine test and see a doctor.

I have nausea, swollen ankles and feet and shortness of breath.

What should I be saying at my apt? I’m very confused and worried xxx

[Hidden]

Hi and welcome to the community.

I've included a long list of questions. Pick the ones that are most concerning to you and add to your own questions. All of these questions can be researched online and will give you a good idea as to how honest your medical team is being with you. Best of luck.

Questions to ask your doctor

Why is kidney disease so serious?

How did I get kidney disease?

What stage of kidney disease do I have right now?

What do the different stages mean?

Is there a special way I need to eat with kidney disease?

I don’t have symptoms. Does that mean I don’t have kidney

disease anymore?

If my kidney disease starts to get worse, will I feel the

difference?

What do I need to do to stop my kidney disease from

getting worse?

How can I be sure my symptoms are from my kidney

disease and not some other reason?

If I have diabetes, high blood pressure (or both), what does

it mean for my kidney disease?

Are there medicines I can take if I have both kidney disease

and diabetes?

How often do I need to visit you?

Will you test my kidney disease at every visit?

How long does it take to get the test results back?

If I feel ok, do I still need to keep coming to these

appointments?

When do I need to see a nephrologist? (If you are

not already.)

Are there other specialists I should be seeing?

What is kidney failure?

Will I need to go on dialysis?

Will I need a kidney transplant?

What else do I need to know?

You may have other questions, too. Your doctor is

there to help. Please visit

KidneyFund.org/KnowYourKidneys for more

information.

[Ilovecohen in reply to Hidden]

Thanks very much very helpful.

[FlowerPreciousLover in reply to Hidden]

Excellent list of questions and link for anyone just needing more info. on kidney function, Mr. Kidney

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador]

Here is a link to Web MD on questions to ask your Doctor about your Kidney concerns.

webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/10-...

[Ilovecohen in reply to orangecity41]

Thank you will have a look