Kidney Failure - Protein in urine - I'm a little worried

Author

Protein in urine - I'm a little worried

undertow9999@hotmail.com

2005-11-11, 3:24 pm

Hi everyone,

I'm 27 and in generally good health and physically fit. I recently went
for a physical and all the bloodwork came back great - very good levels
of HDL/LDL, as well as everything else in check except for my serum
bilirubin levels (though they've always been elevated and the doctor
figures it's a benign condition called Gilbert syndrome).

What I'm worried about is the fact that I had protein in my urine. It
was a spot test, and I believe the level was 0.3 (which I'm assuming is
a g/g protein/creatinine ratio). In 1997 I had a spot urine check and
there was elevated protein levels in the urine. I had a 24 hour check
immediately after and the levels were elevated as well. At this time I
had just started heavy weightlifting as well as taking whey protein
supplements on top of an already large diet. I was 18 and stupid and
didn't really follow up as the doctor said it was most likely just the
protein supplements that were causing the elevated levels.

A few years ago, I had another spot urine test and the protein levels
were in normal range. At this time I had quit lifting weights 2 years
prior.

About 4 months ago, I had started bodybuilding again and taking protein
supplements. I'm hoping this is what is causing the protein in the
urine. I have another test scheduled at the end of the month - I have
stopped lifting weights and am no longer taking protein supplements for
the next month to see if it has any effect on the protein levels. I'm
mainly concerned because my urine is always foamy and I know this is an
indication of proteinuria.

It's hard for me to be focusing on other things right now as every
search I pull up proteinuria and foamy urine indicates impending doom.
Should I be concerned?

cheers and thanks in advance,
James

Pierre

2005-11-11, 3:24 pm

You should be concerned enough to follow up on it with your doctor, and to
make sure the doctor follows up on it. There are some perfectly benign forms
of proteinuria, however, repeated tests showing proteinuria should
absolutely trigger further investigation. In other words, kidney disease
should be assumed to be a possibility until proven otherwise. Your situation
reminds me of my earliest days with urinary abnormalities, when nobody was
sure if I had a kidney problem or not. That was over 25 years ago, but I did
end up on dialysis after 25 years.

To be blunt, what are you doing taking protein supplements like that, under
the circumstances? Also, if I were you, I would get a doctor's advice as to
whether bodybuilding is the best exercise choice for you.

Pierre

<undertow9999@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1130854357.923060.313030@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm 27 and in generally good health and physically fit. I recently went
> for a physical and all the bloodwork came back great - very good levels
> of HDL/LDL, as well as everything else in check except for my serum
> bilirubin levels (though they've always been elevated and the doctor
> figures it's a benign condition called Gilbert syndrome).
>
> What I'm worried about is the fact that I had protein in my urine. It
> was a spot test, and I believe the level was 0.3 (which I'm assuming is
> a g/g protein/creatinine ratio). In 1997 I had a spot urine check and
> there was elevated protein levels in the urine. I had a 24 hour check
> immediately after and the levels were elevated as well. At this time I
> had just started heavy weightlifting as well as taking whey protein
> supplements on top of an already large diet. I was 18 and stupid and
> didn't really follow up as the doctor said it was most likely just the
> protein supplements that were causing the elevated levels.
>
> A few years ago, I had another spot urine test and the protein levels
> were in normal range. At this time I had quit lifting weights 2 years
> prior.
>
> About 4 months ago, I had started bodybuilding again and taking protein
> supplements. I'm hoping this is what is causing the protein in the
> urine. I have another test scheduled at the end of the month - I have
> stopped lifting weights and am no longer taking protein supplements for
> the next month to see if it has any effect on the protein levels. I'm
> mainly concerned because my urine is always foamy and I know this is an
> indication of proteinuria.
>
> It's hard for me to be focusing on other things right now as every
> search I pull up proteinuria and foamy urine indicates impending doom.
> Should I be concerned?
>
> cheers and thanks in advance,
> James
>

undertow9999@hotmail.com

2005-11-11, 3:24 pm

Thanks for the reply Pierre. I have since stopped taking protein since
the elevated results, and have stopped bodybuilding (which is hard for
me since it's something I truly enjoy and accelerate at. Over the
years, how did your proteinuria change? were you consistently leaking
more and more protein? I believe mine's stayed at the same level over
the past 9 years.

James

Pierre wrote:[vbcol=seagreen]
> You should be concerned enough to follow up on it with your doctor, and to
> make sure the doctor follows up on it. There are some perfectly benign forms
> of proteinuria, however, repeated tests showing proteinuria should
> absolutely trigger further investigation. In other words, kidney disease
> should be assumed to be a possibility until proven otherwise. Your situation
> reminds me of my earliest days with urinary abnormalities, when nobody was
> sure if I had a kidney problem or not. That was over 25 years ago, but I did
> end up on dialysis after 25 years.
>
> To be blunt, what are you doing taking protein supplements like that, under
> the circumstances? Also, if I were you, I would get a doctor's advice as to
> whether bodybuilding is the best exercise choice for you.
>
> Pierre
>
>
> <undertow9999@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1130854357.923060.313030@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Pierre

2005-11-11, 3:24 pm

My proteinuria started very mild, and it stayed only mild to moderate for
all the years I had kidney disease. Unlike serum creatinine, proteinuria is
not something that necessarily gets dramatically higher over time - it
depends on what the kidney problem is. But, it certainly is a risk factor
for further kidney damage. Yes, after the proteinuria was first found, I
never again had a urine test in which it wasn't there. But as I said, most
of that time, it was more or less the same, only increasing from mild to
moderate.

You may not have to give up bodybuilding type exercise entirely, but maybe
do it more moderately, with the goal being to keep fit and keep muscles
toned and bones strong, rather than to build bulk. You could balance that
with some good aerobic exercise to keep your cardiovascular system in good
shape.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

Pierre

<undertow9999@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1130863209.841599.46500@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Thanks for the reply Pierre. I have since stopped taking protein since
> the elevated results, and have stopped bodybuilding (which is hard for
> me since it's something I truly enjoy and accelerate at. Over the
> years, how did your proteinuria change? were you consistently leaking
> more and more protein? I believe mine's stayed at the same level over
> the past 9 years.
>
> James
>
> Pierre wrote:
>

plz.spam.here@gmail.com

2005-11-11, 3:24 pm

Hi James,

I would stay away from bodybuilding. I have chronic kidney disease and
in my own little experiments after lifting weights for a few months, my
serum creatinine (a common indicator of kidney condition) goes up
considerably. It's unfortunate because I like lifting weights like you
and build muscle pretty fast. Creatinine levels will go up as muscle
mass increases, but when the doc correlated the two, creatinine was
still going up faster than it should, and it did not drop back to
pre-workout levels even when the muscle mass decreased again (although
it did go down somewhat).

I'd like to know the real reason why weightlifting is such a problem
but I imagine it's a combination of very high blood pressure during
lifting (up to 350 mmHg during power lifting!), increased protein
intake (even without protein supplements, which I wasn't taking), and
just general increased metabolic load.

HTH

undertow9999@hotmail.com wrote:[vbcol=seagreen]
> Thanks for the reply Pierre. I have since stopped taking protein since
> the elevated results, and have stopped bodybuilding (which is hard for
> me since it's something I truly enjoy and accelerate at. Over the
> years, how did your proteinuria change? were you consistently leaking
> more and more protein? I believe mine's stayed at the same level over
> the past 9 years.
>
> James
>
> Pierre wrote:

undertow9999@hotmail.com

2005-11-11, 3:24 pm

Thanks for the responses guys. It's frustrating because I put on muscle
so quickly - 55 lbs. in 1.5 years of training. I haven't trained hardly
in 7 years and I am still way more muscular than an average person. I
guess we'll see what my serum Creatinine and Protein levels are as well
as how my kidneys are by the end of the month. I still have my fingers
crossed that it's due to intense exercise or the protein supplements
(as my doctor seems to think). Otherwise, looks like I'll be trying to
find a referal to a nephrologist here in Ottawa.

cheers,
James

REP

2005-11-11, 3:24 pm

In article <%1P9f.4625$LF3.424637@news20.bellglobal.com>,
"Pierre" <pierrot51@hotmail.com> wrote:

> My proteinuria started very mild, and it stayed only mild to moderate for
> all the years I had kidney disease. Unlike serum creatinine, proteinuria is
> not something that necessarily gets dramatically higher over time - it
> depends on what the kidney problem is. But, it certainly is a risk factor
> for further kidney damage. Yes, after the proteinuria was first found, I
> never again had a urine test in which it wasn't there. But as I said, most
> of that time, it was more or less the same, only increasing from mild to
> moderate.

Well, here's another anecdote: my proteinuria started out around 2 g/24
hours and within a year went to 5 g/24 hours. I was started on ARBs and
a renal diet and progressed to 11 g/24 hours, where I still am (haven't
done a test lately, though). My biopsy was very unusual in that it
showed at least two distinct diseases and possibly three; additionally
my kidneys have become very scarred since the biopsy (chronic infection
and consecutive stone formation). My protein/creatinine ratio is still
good (1.11) since I'm still overclearing creatinine. It's been 5 years
since I became nephrotic.

--
"Did Father shoot him? I will eat Grandfather for dinner."
- Helen Keller, on learning of the death of her grandfather

daniel.granot@gmail.com

2005-11-11, 3:24 pm

Best advice I have as a renal patient is if you have any doubts consult
your physician.

If you are not happy with him/her, then see another physician.

undertow9999@hotmail.com

2005-11-11, 3:24 pm

Thanks so much guys. I think I may be ok - I bought test strips that
check for pH, Glucose, and Protein. The first time I tested (was very
dehydrated and hadn't eaten or drank yet that day), it changed colour
to an in-between negative and "trace" - +1 (0.3g/L) is the one after
trace. I've tested about 4 times since then today and they've all been
negative for protein in the urine.

I'll keep checking throughout the week to make sure, but it looks like
it may have been due to exercise - I was weightlifting very intensely
(4 rep max training sets) 4 times a week and taking the protein shakes.
Regardless, I'm off the shakes for good. I guess I'll know better once
I go to the doctor, but considering these are the same strips they use,
I should be in the clear. All all the negative results were with foamy
urine too, so anyone else out there who is experiencing foamy urine, I
guess it's not always caused by proteinuria.

cheers,
James