We have moved! We are now located at 612 Roxbury Rd and our new phone number is 815-227-8300

Patient Education RNA feels that patient education is a very important factor in every office visit. The world always throws tons of information at you every day and we would like to help you sort through some of it. With many questions we have many answers. Please look at some of the topics that we have included, there might be an answer in there for you.

Home Staff Have an Appointment? Office Locations Patient Education CKDcare Useful Links

• Kidney Failure, by Dr. James Stim         Kidney failure occurs when the kidneys do not do their job of filtering the blood in a normal manner. This results in build up of waste chemicals in the body as indicated by an increase in BUN and Creatinine in the blood. These chemicals are measured as part of routine chemistry blood tests and are markers of the retention of the many metabolic waste chemicals that the kidneys usually filter out of the blood.  • Kidney Function Tests         Every patient that visits Rockford Nephrology Associates will eventually have testing done to help with their treatment and follow-up care. Below we have listed some of the regular tests, and their descriptions, that may be ordered by one of our Nephrologists.  • Proteinuria, by Dr. James Stim         Proteinuria is a defined by the presence of protein in the urine. If proteinuria occurs the most common protein to leak from the blood into the urine is albumin due to its small size.  • Anemia and your Kidneys, by Dr. Hugh McHugh         Do you know what anemia is and how it affects your body?  • Hypertension, by Dr. Charles Sweeney         Learn what hypertension is, along with the risks and what you can do to control it.  • Protein Finder         Follow the protein finder to keep track of the amounts of protein in your daily diet.  • Potassium Finder         Use the potassium finder to help keep track of the amounts of potassium in your daily diet.  • Dialysis Patient Education         It is very important that all patients keep a close tab on their diet. With dialysis patients, any little change in what you eat can make a big difference. Here are a few tips from one of our dieticians on how a dialysis patient can make a difference.

Feature Article The RNA staff is greatly interested in what goes on in our office and in the nephrology world. We will be posting an article written by one of our staff members each month. This will help give you an insight on what some of the things we feel are interesting and important.

Did you know? In 1965 there were only 200 dialysis patients in the world. Now there are around 300,000 dialysis patients in the US alone.