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@my44

For whatever reason, some doctors will see a patient's kidney function deteriorating and, even when the patient questions the doctor about it, the doctor says they're "not concerned" about it. Many don't become concerned until stage 3 of kidney disease. In my case, when my primary care doctor mentioned my kidney function she casually referred to it as kidney insufficiency and moved on to other topics. (She never referred me to or suggested that I see a nephrologist.) I began to research on my own and became aware of the seriousness of the situation. The results of the next lab test showed that my kidney function had deteriorated even more. And here's the worst part. My doctor didn't even mention my kidney function after that test. I only found out the value by looking in the patient portal. I immediately self-referred to a nephrologist who informed me that I was already at stage 3b. I feel that so much precious time was unnecessarily lost. Needless to say, I never went back to that pcp again! We have to do our own research and advocate for ourselves.

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Replies to "For whatever reason, some doctors will see a patient's kidney function deteriorating and, even when the..."

It seems that an eGFR less than 60, still in the 50's, does not merit a nephrologist. In my experience that has been valid because it remained stable for decades and I had no concerns. But with a sudden drop I was immediately referred to nephrology.

As a side note I had to request blood tests before my next annual appointment. We have to take care of ourselves with the busy medical system we have.