[miss_gladys]

For the past few years, I always have blood in my urine. My rheumatologist sent me to a nephrologist who also discovered it during a routine dip. I did a 24 hour urine and it came out fine. Due to my past (Lupus and Vasculitis) he is having me get checked once a month. He said if the blood amount is larger or I have protein in my urine, he would like to do a kidney biopsy. Last night, I had a routine dip and now have a small amount of protein. Oddly enough, no blood. My primary doctor said it could be due to it being the end of the day. I do take blood pressure medication and Mobic along with plaquenil, premarin, and bactrim. My ankles, feet and hands swell also.

Just wanted to know if I should be concerned. My doctor said he will be sending a letter to my nephrologist regarding the protein.

Thanks for any help!

 

[cath]

HI,

It sounds like your doctor and nephrologist are taking it seriously, so that is good. You are in safe hands.

A one off low level protein is nothing too much to worry about. Most people will have that at one time or another for no reason (maybe mild dehydration showing a false positive).

On the other hand, for a lupus sufferer it is something to keep a close eye on, as we are at risk of kidney involvement.

It would be a good idea to test your own urine regularly for a while and keep a note of how much protein you are leaking. Dip sticks tend to overestimate the amount lost, at least in my experience, but it will gice the nephrologist an idea of what is going on.

Probably you will be advised to do another 24 hour collection. This is more accurate than the dipstick. They'll probably do your bloods again too to check renal function and general lupus activity.

The chances are pretty good that it will turn out to be a minor problem, but it is always better to be vigilant than to ignore something that later gets worse.

Keep us updated,

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