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Protein in urine
Hi,
I joined this group today because I have questions and concerns about protein found in my urine. About 10 days ago, I noticed bubbles in my urine. I was concerned because I never seen this before. I went on Google and my goggle search said it could be a UTI, high protein in diet, and problems with kidney. I do have a history of UTI’s but didn’t feel like I had one. I am eating an excessive amount of protein bars but not for the protein, for the fiber!! I was eating 4 protein bars a day. Three were the same bar and had 15 grams of protein. The other 4th bar had 12 grams of protein. I also eat chicken usually for lunch and dinner. I eat cottage cheese a lot. I only weight 109 lbs and don’t work out at all, didn’t realize the excessive protein was bad.
I went to my doctor four days ago and she did a urine test and it showed protein in my urine but no sign of an infection but was going to send it out for culture and for a urinalysis. Waiting on those results.
I had bloodwork done in August and my kidneys and everything was good. My BUN was 17. My creatinine was .59. My eGFR was 117.
I had a UTI in September. First urinalysis in September showed protein then went back a week later after I completed antibiotics and my infection went away and so did the protein.
My doctor told me to stop eating the protein bars and to get fiber a different way. Im doing that but still seeing the bubbles. How long would you expect the protein to stay in my system?
I asked my doctor if the protein in my urine meant I had kidney issues and she said no and kidney function is best told with bloodwork and mine was good. She said she thinks the protein is from my excessive protein in diet and weight loss. I cut out sugar and lost a lot of weight.
Im really struggling and nervous these bubbles aren’t going away yet even though i stopped eating the protein bars.
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Maybe you were peeing champagne!🍾 🥂
Oh, they either pop immediately or do so within a minute or so. And in my humble opinion, while a PCP and urologist has some knowledge of such things, you'll gain more benefit and confidence I believe if you discuss this with a kidney specialist -- a nephrologist.
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1 ReactionWhen you see pee bubbles that pop, do you notice if you just have it sporadically or if you have it for a week or two or longer?
I have noticed these bubbles for about 2 weeks now. They are popping usually quickly. This morning with my first pee, they took a little longer to pop.
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2 ReactionsIt's spoadically but lasts only a day or two it seems.
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2 ReactionsIt’s weird that it’s about 2 weeks and I am still experiencing the bubbles. Do you think its possible it could still be a result of my high protein diet (even though I cut down on the protein bars?) maybe my body just needs time to readjust. Can someone get back bubbles in urine from a high protein diet but not necessarily have protein in urine???
One more question, when you had foamy urine, can you tell me if the foam stayed in the toilet after flushing?? I read that bubbles are flushable and foam stays in the toilet after flushing. Just wanted your experience.
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2 ReactionsThanks again for your help.
Do you think its possible the bubbles could still be a result of my high protein diet (even though I cut down on the protein bars?) maybe my body just needs time to readjust. Can someone get back bubbles in urine from a high protein diet but not necessarily have protein in urine???
One more question, when you had foamy urine, can you tell me if the foam stayed in the toilet after flushing?? I read that bubbles are flushable and foam stays in the toilet after flushing. Just wanted your experience.
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2 ReactionsHi again, I looked at your profile and saw you had kidney disease and have multiple myeloma. I have read that both of these conditions can cause foamy urine. Trying to figure out if i have bubbles or foam. I was leaning more towards bubbles but I don’t know.
Did you ever have foamy urine? If you did, did the foam stay in the toilet after you flush? I read bubbles are flushable and foam is not. Most of my bubbles are popping right away. However, in the morning with my first pee, the bubbles only slightly popped and remained in toilet. I waited 7 minutes then flushed and it went away.
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2 Reactions@pirone27 I have had kidney disease for decades, and the formal diagnosis was in 2015. Since 1986 I have had high protein levels in my urine. At that time and for many years, it was attributed to Systemic Lupus, not kidney disease. Yes, sometimes bubbly, sometimes foamy, but I never truly considered whether bubbles or foam was a factor.
May I gently suggest: don't dwell on the worst case scenario possible. It can drive you down a rabbit hole if you go to the computer and Dr. Google, stress you out [certainly not needed!] and lead you to information not applicable to you.
Ginger
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4 ReactionsLab tests (blood and urine) are more conclusive than looking at bubbles in your pee & whether they pop or not and trying to determine if it is actually bubbles, foam or froth.
It is true that too much protein is hard on kidneys. I know this because I am also diabetic and was trying to limit carbohydrates. I was loading up on protein. But it is not just a generalized thing. Certain kinds of protein are worse than others (such as red meat). Besides you do need a healthy balance of all the food groups.
You mentioned that you were eating the protein bars for the fiber. Have you been told to increase your fiber? If you can see a dietician or nutritionist you can get lists of foods that have high fiber. You can also get advice on types and quantities of protein to suit your particular situation.
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2 ReactionsMy colon and rectal doctor advised me to eat 30 grams of fiber a day. I was having issues with constipation and as a result, got an anal fissure that wouldn’t heal. I was operated on last February for my fissure. It’s been a real struggle for me. I started to keep a food diary and was writing down things I thought were constipating me. I then started to avoid certain foods and eliminate a lot of foods from my diet. I just thought it was easier to eat the protein bars that had fiber. It was easy for me to calculate the fiber that way. But unfortunately when I stopped eating them, the bubbles didn’t go away.
I made an appointment for January 27th to see a specialist. Hopefully it will not be serious.