anyone else having trouble with too much protein - Kidney Disorders Message Board

karen82252 · 01-26-2006, 06:55 AM

Hi, I am asking this question to try to help my sister. She is diabetic and has been for 20 years. She had developed High blood pressure and neurothy(sp). She has had a detached retina and cannot drive and has a lot of trouble even reading the newspaper. The problem is she has had high protein in her urine for the last 2 years. She has blood work done constantly. The dr. tole her if they could get her BP under control it would help the protein. It has not. She does have a computer. This is why I am asking questions for her. She also had high cholestrol but has managed to get it to norma without meds so far. She has asked me to try to find info on protein in your urine. She has had ultrasound of her kidneys. She has not had a biopsy of her kidneys. Everything I have read says that too much protein in urine is a result of kidney damage. The doctors will not tell her that. Are they just being nice. Her urinne is very foamy. She is a LPN and of course has losts of questions.She does NOT have a computer) I would appreciate andy comments from anybody.

dtman · 02-02-2006, 02:49 PM

If she is not seeing a Nephrologist then she needs to immediately! If this is a general practice MD and he has not recommeded a Nephrologist then she should change doctors. Proteinuria is certainly indicative of kidney disease but there are other things that could cause it. Diabetics are especially prone to develop this and usually ACE inhibitors are given as the first line defense in reducing the protein. It is important to get a diagnosis from a specialist who will order a 24hr urine test, other specialized tests and if necessary a biopsy to determine if and what type of kidney disorder is involved.
The important thing is to get it diagnosed by a specialist and begin appropriate treatment immediately which includes getting the Diabetes under control. Do not waste time with doctors who will not be open about it. Large protein spillage is definitely NOT GOOD! Good luck!

feelbad · 02-03-2006, 08:02 AM

dtman is totally right here,really.the biggest culprit in having protien in the urine IS from underlying kidney disease which also can be a complication from diabetes and high blood pressure.protien in my urine was actually the first symptom I actually had that indicated that I had polycystic kidney disease.I did not even know I had the PKD til about five years later.the lab work i had had done was thru my normal fire dept physical and i was told about the protien thing but blew it off and never actually followed upon it with my own doc until after my son became deathly ill and was dxed with PKD which had also destryed his liver too.

you mentioned that she did have an ultrasound but did not mention any results??what does he actual blood work show with regard to overall kidney functions??if you do not have your own copies of all her records ahe needs to get those froma ll treating docs and all and any testing that was done at any place,like docs or hospitals and the ultrasound reports.i can guarentee you that once you obtain allof this info,espescially the docs clinic notes?you will definitely have a much clearer picture of what the docs all have been thinking with regard to her overall health and her kidney situation.docs just never think to actually tell their patients everything.but she does definitely need to be under the care of a good nephrologist forthe best care possible.I love my neph,really,he takes very great care of my kidneys.i foundout allkinds of info from him that I never got from my primary,they only know so much about any given subject.usually just the basics.Gather up all that info I mentioned and start reading thru it all,and soon.it will help.and then keep requesting the updates for your files like once or twice a year or more if she is being seen very frequently.good luck and please keep us posted.Marcia