I will not return to Pikes Peak Nephrology.
I'm a patient with advanced kidney disease, so it's essential for me to have a reliable nephrologist to help me navigate current symptoms and my future overall health. And I'll admit it -- I have a vigorously morbid curiosity about all the strange things happening to my body these days. The Pikes Peak Nephrology website promises compassionate care, and on the surface it seemed like a very good choice.
My second appointment with Dr. Yuan literally left me in tears. He was flustered and unprepared. There was no evidence that he recalled our hour-long, actually quite pleasant initial meeting. He provided only a current functionality reading (which his staff had not pulled in time for the appointment), but no context into what the reading means. The expensive, copay-exhausting CT scan he had requested to get a closer look at the constellation of kidney stones I've been harboring for five years? He just handed me the CT transcription and shrugged, ""It's fine.""
Dr. Yuan was unable to answer general questions regarding recent physical symptoms or the significant, unexpected deltas in my scans from years prior. Dr. Yuan's standard response was that the only metric that mattered is function. At one point, he admitted that he ""cannot provide any empathy"" into my condition (his actual words), that kidney disease and diabetes (the latter of which I do not have) are simply diseases to be dealt with. Realizing he did not have much to offer me, I left with most of my questions unanswered.
Perhaps Dr. Yuan is nearing retirement after 35 years on the job. Perhaps he was just having a really bad day. But it's pretty clear that he does not come from a place that values patient empathy and overall patient care Pikes Peak Nephrology operates in a beautiful facility with gorgeous masonry and tasteful decor, but the waiting room is always empty and the halls are as quiet as a library. I think now I know why.
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