Guidance
When a urology visit is warranted
You do not need to wait for a perfect set of symptoms to book a visit. The list below is the set of reasons we most often want to hear about sooner rather than later. If you are unsure, call 678-344-8900 and describe what is happening; we will help you decide whether a clinic visit at Johns Creek or Cumming is the right next step.
Symptoms that deserve a urology visit
Hematuria, even a single episode that has already cleared, should be reviewed with us. A sudden, severe flank or groin pain that might be a stone, a stream that has become weak or hesitant, leakage that is changing how you dress or leave the house, and a need to urinate that wakes you repeatedly at night are all appropriate reasons to come in. Men should also book for a flagged PSA, a prostate exam that needs explanation, erectile changes they want evaluated, a testicular lump, or a request for vasectomy counseling. Women should book for leakage, recurrent urinary infections, pelvic pain with urinary symptoms, or stones.
A test result can be reason enough to book. A CT scan that mentions a kidney mass, a stone, or hydronephrosis, a urine culture that keeps coming back positive, or a PSA that is higher than your last one are all worth a scheduled visit even if you feel well. Bring the report. We would rather read it with you than have you sit with an unexplained finding.
What can wait for a scheduled visit, and what should not
Most prostate symptoms, long-standing leakage, a mildly elevated PSA, and a stone that has already been seen in a clinic or emergency department and is being followed can be handled on a scheduled appointment at our Johns Creek Clinic & Surgery Center or our Cumming Clinic. We will offer the earliest opening we can set; we do not promise a visit on the same day you call, because that promise would not be honest.
Go to the emergency department, or call 911, if you cannot urinate at all, if you have fever and flank pain together, if pain is out of control, if you are passing large amounts of blood and feel faint, or if you have symptoms of a serious infection such as shaking chills and confusion. An emergency department can relieve obstruction and treat infection. We then take on the urologic follow-up, including any procedure that should happen once you are stable.
How we use the two offices for this kind of visit
Choose Johns Creek if you live in Johns Creek, Duluth, Suwanee, Berkeley Lake or Peachtree Corners, or if you already know a procedure may be discussed. Choose Cumming if you live in Cumming, elsewhere in Forsyth County, Dawsonville, Dawson County, Dahlonega or Lumpkin County. If you have no preference, tell us the community you are coming from when you call and we will place the appointment. New patients are welcome at both offices, and most people do not need a referral, though a few insurance plans still ask for one.
A first appointment is typically a conversation, an exam and the testing we can finish while you are here. You leave with a plan, not with a stack of unexplained orders. If you want a longer picture of how we work, start with treatment options or the area page for your community under areas we serve.
Is blood in the urine always an emergency?
It depends on how much there is and how you feel. A large amount of blood with faintness, clots that stop the stream, or fever belongs in an emergency department. A single episode that has already cleared still deserves a scheduled urology visit, because we need to find the cause.
Should I see you after a stone has already been treated in an emergency department?
Yes. The emergency visit is for pain and obstruction. We then confirm whether the stone has passed, whether another stone is still present, and whether a procedure or a prevention plan is needed.
Does a slightly high PSA mean I need to be seen this week?
It means you should be seen, not that you must go to an emergency department. We will look at the number against your prior results and decide whether to repeat it, order imaging, or talk about biopsy.
Where should I start if I am not sure?
Call 678-344-8900 and tell us the community you are coming from and your symptom. We will schedule you at Johns Creek or Cumming. You can also use the Book online link on this page.
Whenever a visit would help, the Johns Creek and Cumming teams are a phone call or a booked appointment away.