Cause of concern? Tests reveal - Protein and blood in urine

[Fanciefrancie]

Happy Thursday,
After 18 months of consistently "normal" test results I have just received 2 abnormal results:
Occult Blood Urine = Trace (flagged) and
Protein Urine = 30 (flagged)

Should this be a cause for concern?  I see my Rheumy tomorrow morning and am hopeful to get some answers then but for now I would love to hear y'alls experiences with this topic. 

Thank you in advance,

[SunshineDaydream]

Blood and/or protein in urine may not be cause for concern, Fanciefrancie. Sometimes there can be small amounts of each and it's not a problem. Try not to worry until the doctor says you have something to worry about. Easier said than done, I know, but you can't do anything about it overnight anyway and stress can cause a flare.

I had one or two occasions when a routine urinalysis revealed protein in my urine. My rheumatologist had me do what I call a 24 hour pee test (I don't know the real name) which sounds exactly like what it is. I had to capture my urine in what looked like a half gallon milk jug for 24 hours, keep it refrigerated and drop it off at the lab. The results from the 24 hour pee test were acceptable so that's the end of that story. I hope the same for you, or even better that you don't have to do the 24 hour test.

Good luck tomorrow!

[Fanciefrancie]

Thank you!  I am hopeful you are exactly right! 

[Carolina]

Hi Fancie:

I had 'idiopathic hematuria' for years.  I fancy way of saying blood in my urine for no apparent reason.

I did have a kidney IVP (a sort of scan of my kidneys with a contrast dye by IV) just to be sure.  My kidneys are fine and continue to be fine.

I don't have idiopathic hematuria any more, by the way.

Your doctor will follow up with urine tests again, most likely.

We begin to be very 'informed' about medical stuff over the years, it seems.

Hugs,  Elaine   AND WELCOME!

[Liz D.]

I, too, have protein and trace blood in my urine.  My PCP doesn't seem concerned about it stating it's typical of autoimmune diseases.  I'm going to recheck with my rheumatologist in September since my kidney tests are a little off.  But that being said, I have no symptoms or problems.  Only know these things because of lab work.

Will be interested in what your doctor has to say.

Liz D.

[Fanciefrancie]

Update for y'all:

Saw my Rheumy today and she wasn't too concerned over the flagged tests.  She wants to keep an eye on labs in the future.  She said something that has stuck with me regarding my labs and overall health, "you are doing ok, not great but you are stable".  Thanks Doc!  Argh!!!! 

[Liz D.]

Good to know.  A bit of relief there.

Liz D.

[SunshineDaydream]

Glad to hear everything worked out okay with the test results.

[irish]

I am going to add my 2 cents. It is not uncommon to have kidney involvement in autoimmune diseases. There are some folks who have kidney issues with Sjogrens. It is important to get the kidney blood work done to keep track of this.

It is not normal to have blood and protein in the urine. There are times that blood work will be a little off and not be serious, but I would keep on the doctors to make sure they follow up on this. We only have one set of kidneys and we need to keep track of them. Just a note to let you know that Sjogrens patients can have kidney involvement. Do not panic, but do be aware and keep up with the blood work and demand referral to a kidney specialist if your doc isn't taking this seriously enough. Good luck. irish

[Deb 27]

You can always ask for another urinalysis in a few months. Sometimes there are flukes.  Sometimes the dipsticks they use are pretty sensitive.  And, usually, if there is blood in the urine, the protein will also be positive b/c blood has protein in it. You want to be cautious but not scared. I've had it before and it went away. Drink plenty of water!  And, sometimes in women, it can be a contaminant from vaginal fluids. So, it may mean something and it may not.