I'll be talking on the phone with the nephrologist on Tuesday, so I'm trying to come up with some clear, concise questions that I absolutely will not let her get away with not answering. She isn't great (understatement) about actually answering my questions, so I need to come up with a plan for how to deal with this communication problem in the short term ... until I can get referred to a new nephrologist in March.

Current Kidney Questions

1. The amount of sodium in my everyday diet has not changed since August, but now is not enough to keep my kidney numbers down. What could have caused this change?

Expectation: She will go off on a description of dehydration and how it's causing these bad numbers.

Response: Reiterate the question "What could cause this kind of change?" until she has answered it.

2. Should we expect that this new need for huge amounts of sodium will be permanent?

Expectation: She will go off on a description of dehydration and how it causes these bad numbers.

Response: Reiterate the question "Should we expect that this is permanent, or is it likely to go away?" until she has answered it.

3. If it won't go away on its own, is there something we can do to fix it?

Expectation: She will go off on a description of dehydration and how it requires a balance between water intake and sodium intake.

Response: Reiterate the question "Is there anything we can do to fix my body's need for this huge amount of sodium?" until she has answered it.

4. If it's likely to be permanent, how can I eat a healthy diet while keeping my kidney numbers relatively healthy?

Expectation: She will go off on a discussion of dehydration and how I need to get a better balance of sodium and water.

Response: Reiterate the questions "How can I eat a healthy diet without worsening my kidney numbers?"