Yes, nephrologist. While it sounds similar to a “urologist,” this is a different section of medicine. To understand when you should see a nephrologist, you must first understand what they do. Nephrologists specialize in diagnosing and treating kidney disease, high blood pressure, dialysis, kidney stones, etc. Typically, people do not understand when they have been advised to see a nephrologist because they are less aware of what these doctors do. While you may think seeing a urologist for kidney matters is all you need, there are things a nephrologist specializes in that they do not.
At Durham Nephrology, we are dedicated to ensuring that the importance of your kidney and blood pressure health is understood. Once you understand the benefits of this type of medicine, you may consider starting the new year by booking an appointment!
The Time To See A Nephrologist
Sometimes It Depends On A Referal
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often considered a “silent killer.” It can be hard to diagnose and treat before it becomes dangerous due to the lack of highly connected symptoms. There are symptoms such as fatigue or insomnia, but usually, your primary doctor’s first thought is not to connect it to the kidneys. It is usually the pain that is missing to get you to pay attention to something more going on. When people do not feel pain regarding part of their body, they tend to think that there is no way that something is wrong.
However, primary physicians usually consider an early referral to a nephrologist to rule out kidney disease when the patient is also exhibiting high blood pressure and other symptoms. This early referral can even be considered a lifesaver, as patients who are treated by a nephrologist earlier have a better chance of treatment.
Prevention Is The Main Goal
As we stated, the primary physician should send you to a nephrologist early, as late detection makes it difficult for anyone to help. From there, a nephrologist’s main point of concern is prevention if a problem has not occurred yet. However, people tend to focus more on treatment than prevention, not seeing the benefits of changing your lifestyle to avoid problems. If you are facing typical risk factors for chronic kidney disease, this is an important time to consider prevention. Hypertension and diabetes are two of these to consider.
For a nephrologist, prevention means confronting and treating those risk factors effectively. For diabetes and hypertension, this looks like changes in diet and exercise while also continuing to monitor both with your doctor. So, a great time to see a nephrologist comes when you decide that the risk factors you are facing could lead to further kidney problems.
What Nephrologist Should You See?
This is a personal question! Your primary doctor may have a great option for a nephrologist that makes the decision easy. However, you can do your own research about the important things you consider in a doctor. Once you have figured that out, you can start your journey to ensure your kidneys are as healthy as possible. As nephrologists, we all have different ways we handle care and appointments.
Now that you better understand what we do around here, you can see if it could benefit your health journey. Have you noticed issues with your kidneys or blood pressure before? It may be the perfect time to get an appointment on the books to see if something is going on. Our team at Durham Nephrology is here for you every step of the way to ensure we are the best fit for you! For more resources, check out our website or give us a call today.
