I truly appreciate your response, @gingerw. All other docs, who require labs for me, are part of one large hospital extended complex. The nephrologist is independent from this group and is the only doc I see who uses this particular, different lab. Other labs are connected to the large hospital complex.

This lab told me at my first visit that lab results would be much faster to obtain from my doc's office. When I signed in the previous visit with the doc, I asked for and was given a copy of my lab report. The doc asked to see my copy of the lab and then went over the results with me. I had nothing to follow and many values were given which was very confusing for a newbie to kidney problems.

This second visit to the lab, I didn't ask to pick up lab results from them. So was very happily surprised to see an e-mail from the lab a couple of days later. However, when I opened it, it gave only two values: a calcium which showed normal and a thyroid, also normal. I sent a request online to the lab for clarification noting that the doc prescribed Kidney tests. I didn't hear back from the lab before my doc visit and have yet to receive an online "corrected lab report" from them.

This nephrologist expects the labs to be completed a week in advance. This second go around, I scheduled the labs two weeks in advance hoping I could pick up a copy from doc's office and making a 2nd copy ...one for neph to review and one for me to follow. That proved very lucky for me as it turned out. My neph. office called to tell me my scheduled appt. had been cancelled could I come a week earlier if labs had been completed? I just got under the timeline and could make the new appt.

Thank you, Ginger, for reading and listening. I felt troubled and discouraged by both the lab and by the doc's visit. I know that my pcp puts in requests to some third party who makes the actual referral decisions...don't know how that works exactly because in the past, a doc could request a specific specialist. I'm not sure if any of my docs or specialists can now even request a specific specialist but will ask my pcp. Everything medical is changing so rapidly; I am older and do not want to cause waves or appear to be a troublemaker.

And yes, I have long known, years before my hearing loss that i am not an audio learner so this is another obstacle for me. I know that others in this forum have established really strong, positive relationships with their specialists and i am happy that can happen. Thanks again, Ginger.

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