Too much protein in blood.. Proteinuria

Mods, there is absolutely no medical advice being sought.. Just wondering what people know about this condition since the rest of the internet is scaring me. I'm booked in for the doctor again tomorrow morning but she's Vietnamese and mightn't explain it that well.



Right, the doctor called and I have to go give another urine sample because there's too much protein in my blood.. Proteinuria. Apparently caused by infections, liver diseases, liver failure, heart problems, diabetes or arthritis.
Checked online and it's scary scary reading... It said foamy or bubbly urine is a sign of too much protein but I think I've always had this, or at least can't think or remember when my pee wasn't bubbly. That rules out infections imo?

I'm shltting a brick here at the moment.. This is for a work permit and if I fail tomorrow and it's decided that this goes against permit, I lose my job, will have to leave the country and then have to start worrying about feked kidneys at 23 when I don't have enough money to even book a flight anywhere.

Is proteinuria as serious as the big bad internet makes it out to be??
Does normal pee not bubble at all?

thefeatheredcat

no medical expertise here, but looked up medical dictionary on this, though have worked in an area that took in risk evaluation of medical conditions - given the complexity and variation of levels of diagnosis of this condition, ignore what the internet says until formal accurate diagnosis is made as to type it is and have the doctor explain in depth as to the condition and take from there.

ignore the internet until the GP sits down and explains it to you, and if you're unsure or have questions, make sure you leave your GP with all the info and reassurance you need.

Yea, I guess you're right... I'm just really bad with worrying about this sort of thing. Especially considering that my location and finances aren't ideal right now if it is bad. I don't think work or my travel insurance will pay for the additional checkups either..

One of the first times since I've been away that I'd like to be back in Galway with familiar doctors and surroundings! Drinking an awful lot of water today to try and make this ok tomorrow.

LegacyUser

Ive self-diagnosed by internet before and to be honest, it just seems to give the worst case scenarios. Ive freaked myself out a couple of times.

Wait and see what the doctor says...if its a sign of such illnesses you listed I cant imagine you not having some other symptoms before now. So try and relax

There's a girl at work who must have it, she has to drink special no-protein milk or something. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a major problem, I think you are looking at worst case scenarios.
Best of luck anyway I'm sure you'll be fine

thecookingapple

I have no advice, just want to wish you the best outcome possible and good luck in the future.

seamus

Deleted User wrote: »

Checked online and it's scary scary reading...

Mistake number one mate. Online you will always be given a list of possible diseases and causes. Very often they will give a list of possible illnesses/diseases, without any kind of liklihood rating beside each. And as human beings we will naturally fear the worst.
For example, I currently have bruised ribs in my upper chest which hurt like hell in the morning and cause shooting pains right through my chest from front to back.
Imagine what would appear if I googled those symptoms?

Does normal pee not bubble at all?

That really depends on what you mean by "bubbling".

Normal pee comes out as a fairly steady stream of water. It may "bubble" into a foam if/when it hits the water in the bottom of the toilet, in the same way that if you fill a glass of water quickly, it initially bubbles up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proteinuria

Look at the huge list of possible illnesses which cause this. There's no point in googling it and shooting in the dark and worrying yourself unnecessarily. When you get to the doctor and she gives you any kind of answer, ask her to write the name down or print it out or something.

Best of luck at the appointment. Just remember that whatever you're told, it's better to know and be able to manage it, than to not know and find yourself suffering long-term.

Yea, feelin a bit better now... I hope she can do the test and give me the results quickly though, don't like waiting around for this sort of thing.


The worst part was that I did a HIV test as part of the checkup aswell and when the receptionist rang, she said the doctor had to talk to me about one of the results.. I panic. Then doctor comes on and takes about a minute going through my details before starting to explain that it was protein in my urine.

Was full sure I was HIV Positive the entire time. Not fun.! I'll let ye know how I get on anyway.

Urine test today was back down to an acceptably level She said there was a huge amount of protein in the first test and nearly none in this one. Maybe I was just really tired and gave a sperm sample first time by mistake.. :pac:

Definitely no HIV either So note to self, stop reading anything medical online.