NEPHROLOGY
- What should I carry for my first appointment?
- What Is Nephrology?
- Is there a surgery required for removal of kidney stone?
- Who needs dialysis?
- How can I prevent recurrent kidney stones?
For your first visit, you should carry the following things:
Any recent (<1 year) medical investigations such as blood tests, CT scans etc.
If you have any existing medical conditions, carry along your prescription and list of current medications you are taking.
Your insurance details or company ID in case the hospital is on your health panel.
Sometimes called renal medicine, nephrology is a specialty within the internal medicine field related to kidney care. It is often connected with hypertension or high blood pressure. It is concerned with the diagnoses, treatment and management of kidney functions. Nephrologists are doctors who specialize in treating acute and chronic kidney problems.
Some kidney stones often pass on their own without treatment. Other stones that are painful or that get stuck in your urinary tract sometimes need to be removed with surgery. You might have a procedure or surgery to take out kidney stones if the stone is very large and can’t pass on its own.
If your kidney disease becomes very severe and crosses a point where there’s not enough function to maintain the body, then you need either a transplant or dialysis. You typically start dialysis when you have symptoms or your lab tests show toxic levels of waste in your blood.
The best way to prevent kidney stones is to make sure you drink plenty of water each day to avoid becoming dehydrated.
In some cases, switching up your dietary choices may not be enough to prevent kidney stones from forming. If you have recurrent stones, talk to your doctor about the medication for prevention plan.
