What brought you here
Start with what you noticed
You don't need a diagnosis to call us. Most people arrive with a symptom, a flagged lab result, or a sentence from another doctor they didn't fully follow. Here's what each of those usually means.
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Swelling in your legs, ankles, or face
Shoes that fit in the morning and not by three o'clock. A ring that won't come off. Puffiness around your eyes when you wake up. Swelling has several possible causes, and your kidneys are one of the common ones.
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Protein or blood in your urine
Sometimes you notice it yourself — urine that foams and won't settle, or a color that isn't right. More often a routine test finds it and nobody explains what it means. Either way, it's worth understanding.
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Your lab results flagged your kidneys
Most people meet their kidneys through a lab report. A number is highlighted, a note says to follow up with a specialist, and nobody has explained what the number is. Here's what it is.
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Blood pressure that won't come down
You're taking what you were told to take. You've cut the salt. The readings still come back high. That's a specific situation with specific causes, and most of them are findable.
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Diabetes and your kidneys
Diabetes is the most common reason kidneys fail in this country. It's also one of the most treatable — provided somebody is watching the right test at the right time.
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Potassium or sodium out of balance
Potassium and sodium have to stay inside a narrow range for your heart and nerves to work properly. Keeping them there is your kidneys' job — so when a result comes back off, kidneys are one of the first things to check.
Not sure whether you need a kidney specialist?
Call and ask. Our staff will tell you whether this is something we should see, what your plan requires, and what to bring. A real person answers, and the whole staff speaks Spanish.