Early Stage
What are some questions people should be making their doctors?
January 19, 2026
in Early Stage
As part of my goals for educating people about kidney disease is teaching some basics questions they should be asking their doctors when starting their kidney journey (or even before it starts). recommend me some questions I could pass on to people.
Example for non-CKD patients (during annual check up): make sure their kidney function is getting tested.
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Some good thinking for prevention! If I knew then what I know now, I would ask about monitoring my blood pressure at home in addition to keeping an eye on a renal function panel. For a while, my elevated blood pressure got dismissed for nervousness but if I checked at home during different times of the day, I would have seen that it was a consistent issue.
I would have liked to have known more about why drinking water was so important for my kidney's function.
I was 19 when I was diagnosed. These are not necessarily questions for non-ckd patients to ask but something to think about.
Blood pressure is not usually a vital sign that is checked regularly during a PCP exam for young adults between the ages of 13-19 ( at least not when i was growing up) But maybe it should be since this could help diagnose some kidney issues earlier.
I think it should be! I will say that my blood pressure was checked at my yearly physicals and the year or so leading up to my diagnosis it was on the elevated side. Some of the readings were quite high but then dismissed saying it was likely a combination of machine error and that some patients get nervous around doctors. I also had other symptoms that were dismissed for a few months prior to actually being followed up on.
I agree, drinking water is a big one! I think most people now are more conscientious about hydration in general but may not understand how important it is for the kidneys.
I concur with what dom has said as someone who crashed into kidney disease, i think that having my blood pressure checked more normally and to encourage me to check it at home.
i think one big question is prevention on how we can stop it from happening...if thats even possible
Did you have family with blood pressure issues, @Dom? I think paying closer attention to family history would be a huge consideration for future illnesses. There are tests that check for such things. I thankfully avoided the kidney transplant, but that's thanks to my liver transplant. As well as listening to my docs about hydration and diet.
Most everyone is dehydrated. People need to hydrate. With water. People say water is boring. I say water is life.