this doesn't sound right, sounds like, once again, an office staff member speaking for the doctor.
ask to speak to the doctor, the person taking messages may be stepping out of her role.
let us know what happens.

Have you actually met your nephrologist before or have you just picked her out as your new nephrologist with an appointment to be scheduled at a future date? Your symptoms are such that you really need an examination as well as labs (doctors really don't like when you ask for specific labs in an effort to self diagnose (and in this case chances are you would need far more than just a CBC based on your symptoms), so if you don't have a long-lasting relationship already established with this doctor, one where you can pick up the phone and call about issues, it's unlikely she's going to accept the inherent medical responsibility by ordering labs for you sight unseen.

Right now you're better off going to an urgent care clinic where you will get an exam and a full set of labs than trying to get some labs done by the nephrologist without an appointment and without an exam. Your issues sound so nebulous that they could be anything from a virus to out-of-whack electrolytes to your MS acting up to kidney issues or something entirely new. It's important to remember we are a system of system and the nephrologist, especially a new one, is basically prepared to deal with only one of those systems.

Despite the "luxury" of having a PPO and being able to pick and choose your doctors, you really do need to have a primary care provider, ideally an internist. You have complex medical issues and you need a medical team co-coordinator who will work WITH you to coordinate and manage all of your health care needs. You have the smarts to do all the research and you know what you have and what specialists you need to see for what ails you. But having a medical coordinator, in the form of a cooperating physician, someone who will review with you what all of the specialists are recommending, ensuring there are no conflicts, and ensuring you're getting in to see the right doctors at the right time, and who will be there on those days/weeks when you have frequent bouts of dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, vision disturbances, painful leg cramps, etc. and can see you on an urgent care basis is invaluable. Your internist will get to know you and your history well and in time may be able and willing to see you quickly and put labs in based on what symptoms you tell him you're having over the phone instead of making you come in to see him. At the very least, you won't have to wait till October to be seen for symptoms you're having on 25 August.

You already know my story and how my nephrologist is my "everything" doctor. But even he has limitations (and a full-time, high-level administrative job in the hospital), so we've worked out a plan where I now have an internist as my primary care doctor who will be intimately familiar with my case (after I make and keep my new patient appointment, although he has already been my doctor when I was an inpatient for a week a couple of years ago), so I won't be a complete unknown...I just hope when I see him at my appointment he doesn't run screaming from the room as I am a bit of a complicated patient. My internist will see me for non-kidney routine and urgent care issues and my nephrologist will follow my kidney and liver issues and still be available as needed for anything else; he's not dropping me, he's just ensuring I have another doctor available as his time for direct patient care is limited). And since I already know and greatly respect both doctors and they have both treated me with respect as well, I know this is going to work out great.

I tell you this to recommend that that regardless what the story is with your new nephrologist, you please consider getting a good internist to work with your as the co-manager of your healthcare team. An extra set of eyes and having a doctor who can and will see you on an urgent care basis is invaluable. Internists see you as whole people, not pieces are parts, so you get comprehensive care and they won't automatically assume your visual disturbances are MS, your nausea is kidneys and another symptom is yet another problem based on what specialist you're talking with.

I wish you well. Please find an urgent care clinic now so you can get checked out and don't let the symptoms linger any longer. And once you're feeling better, do consider finding an in-network internist. Interivew one or more and let them know you're looking for someone to work WITH you as the co-manager of your healthcare team. Just remember, you're always in charge and he's just one of your many advisors!

Lots of gentle hugs,
Ruth

Spiderwoman and Ruth,

Thank you so very much for your replies. It turns out that there was a "misunderstanding" with my "new" nephrologist. The office staff told me that in all of her notes, it says I was only there for a second opinion. (My first nephrologist said that PKD does not cause pain, [never mind the fact that I was diagnosed as a result of a CT scan because of pain] and I wanted someone who could support me in pain management.) After I saw the "new" neph and told her that I would like for her to be my nephrologist, she said I needed to have my files transferred, which I did.

So, after I was told that I am NOT her patient, I went back to my old neph and asked if I was still considered his patient. I was told, No, I had signed the consent form to have my records sent to the other doctor. Right. So why would I have done that if I didn't communicate to the new nephrologist that was my intention? So, I'm in limbo. Do I go with the new doctor who does believe that PKD can cause pain, but who didn't even listen to me, apparently? Whose office staff was so snotty? Or do I go back to my old neph who doesn't believe that PKD causes pain?

In the meantime, I did make an appointment to see my internist, but I was hesitant because she tends to downplay everything and I feel like she thinks I'm making things up. I went to her a couple of months ago for the same dizziness and she said she thought it was probably an inner ear thing and cleaned out my ears. It didn't help. She didn't think I needed to have any labs done at that time.

I have heard more stories about nephrologists who are so dismissive of us. Why do they get into that profession if they have such disdain for their patients?

Lil, I know how you feel, doc's are just something else these days, I have had to beg for meds for pain and I'am 67 yrs. old!!! And she still won't give them to me. Told me to go to a pain clinic and then when I finally gave in and said, "ok" I'll go. she said never mind, just keep taking the ultraset, which does literally nothing at all! Sounds as if a lot of confusion is going on with you. Are you seeing a neurologist for the MS, I sure hope so as he would be the one to prescribe whatever you need for pain or anything else related to your MS. Good luck honey, I know how you feel, I'am getting no where fast, but hope you get somewhere really fast. don't you just wonder whats going on with doc's these days, I sure do but I'am fast becoming tired of it. Take good care and start raising you voice a wee bit, maybe then something will happen!!

lots of love,
Norma...

I agree with all the above posts, it does sound like office help wants to make him/herself seem more important than just office help, not to talk down, but...
a primary can work with your Neph and/or pay attn if/when your specialist is unavail, or just, unattentive as this one seems to be. I've had my own incident where I'm starting to get severe pain during that time of month. Only thing I was told if I'm running a fever, or there's blood in my urine or I can't handle the pain.,...go to the ER. I have my appt scheduled for Sept 22 & tried to move it up, Aug was booked & Doc is on vaca 1st wk of Sept. Seriously, because there are other drs in the medical grp, I guess they dont step on each others toes??? I too have the PPO insurance but have a primary doc who's aware of my PKD. I recently went for a physical & he sent me for all kinds of bloodwork & told me to pic up a copy of the results to take & share with my Neph when I go in Sept. So, you may want to consider getting one; it could only help when your specialist or the office help is on a power trip.
Not sure this helps much, but, just thought I'd share my opinion with my similar experience.
HUGS to you...

Librarylil,
Sounds like you need to go to an urgent care clinic to get some real treatment for your current symptoms (they're real; and it's more than just cleaning out your ears, which is a good idea but you need labs IN ADDITION to clean ears).

Fire the internist and find one who will work WITH you.

Make an appointment with the new nephrologist who now has all of your records and confirm that you indeed are her patient, want to work with her and need to know what the rules of engagement are for when you can and cannot contact her (once you have the "are you my doctor" figured out, you then need to know when she's available to just run labs versus see you on an acute, urgent care or routine basis and what she considers each to be). And ensure she and her staff are on the same sheet of music by introducing yourself as a returning patients before your appointment. After you appointment, make a point of talking with her office manager and whoever the charge nurse is to confirm that you are indeed one of her patients; address them by name and go to far as to give them a business card or make up some simple cards on your computer that have your name, address, phone number and email address (a professional one that you will actually check on a regular basis). Then ask for their cards; they may not have one but ask for them to write down their email addresses and extensions on the main office card so you know exactly who to ask for (be sure to write down their names too). Follow up with a thanks, it was so nice to meet you email. You'll be the start of the show and the nicest, most professional patient they've ever met!

I highly recommend the two doctors scenario, internist who will work WITH you as your advocate no matter what the situation may be, and then the specialist, the nephrologist or neurologist or other ologist as needed. This way you will always have someone who can and will run interference for you, knows you can (because you continously update him even if it's just by phone, by ensuring he gets copies of all your labs and notes from the other doctors) and he standing by ready to treat you when you need that miscellaneous other treatment and knock together they heads of the specialists who think they're too good for us mere patients.

And in a worst case scenario and if you add a fever or actually fainting/passing out to the mix, go to the ER. Arriving in an ambulance, light ablaze, always makes for a dramatic entrance!

Lots of hugs,
Ruth