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Urine dip test - no glucose

Rushkami

Rushkami

Well-Known Member
Messages
65
Location
Glasgow
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Apologies if there is a more relevant thread for this, I'm new!

I'm still in the early stages of getting sorted with diagnosis - type 2, I will be starting metformin next week but I've changed a lot of eating habits over the past month after a very high HbaC1. I had a urine test this morning which had no glucose, surprising the nurse, but did have excess protein. My question is, does not having glucose in the urine mean my sugars were OK at that time? Or is it different to if I'd had blood tested at that point and had the bloods be stable? I didn't think to ask the nurse at that point.

I hope that makes sense, I'm still learning about the scientific side of diabetes and how to discuss things!
 
I can’t answer the relevance of the protein in your urine, however glucose will only show up if your blood glucose is over 10mmols/l which is higher than I would like to see.
 
Rushkami said:
Apologies if there is a more relevant thread for this, I'm new!

I'm still in the early stages of getting sorted with diagnosis - type 2, I will be starting metformin next week but I've changed a lot of eating habits over the past month after a very high HbaC1. I had a urine test this morning which had no glucose, surprising the nurse, but did have excess protein. My question is, does not having glucose in the urine mean my sugars were OK at that time? Or is it different to if I'd had blood tested at that point and had the bloods be stable? I didn't think to ask the nurse at that point.

I hope that makes sense, I'm still learning about the scientific side of diabetes and how to discuss things!
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Hi. @Rachox answered the glucose part of the question. I'd just add that urine testing is far less accurate for glucose and can't be used to diagnose diabetes with any reliability. A blood test and an hba1c specifically is needed for that.

We can't diagnose on the forum, however I'll just say that protein in urine may be an indicator of kidney disease, damage and/or injury. Elevated blood glucose can cause kidney damage, so this is usually tested for once diabetes is confirmed. One urine test alone can't diagnose this, NICE guidelines state that a follow-up urine test should be done at least 90 days later, which will be tested by a lab. Worth also saying that the regular urine test strips you see doctors and nurses using (the ones that test for multiple different things) don't distinguish which type of protein is present in urine either and different types of protein can mean different things. Finally, kidney disease/damage isn't the only possible condition that's indicated by protein, it can be caused by several possible reasons. Best to follow up with your doctor/nurse on this one, they'll likely want to do further tests.
 
Paul_ said:
Hi. @Rachox answered the glucose part of the question. I'd just add that urine testing is far less accurate for glucose and can't be used to diagnose diabetes with any reliability. A blood test and an hba1c specifically is needed for that.

We can't diagnose on the forum, however I'll just say that protein in urine may be an indicator of kidney disease, damage and/or injury. Elevated blood glucose can cause kidney damage, so this is usually tested for once diabetes is confirmed. One urine test alone can't diagnose this, NICE guidelines state that a follow-up urine test should be done at least 90 days later, which will be tested by a lab. Worth also saying that the regular urine test strips you see doctors and nurses using (the ones that test for multiple different things) don't distinguish which type of protein is present in urine either and different types of protein can mean different things. Finally, kidney disease/damage isn't the only possible condition that's indicated by protein, it can be caused by several possible reasons. Best to follow up with your doctor/nurse on this one, they'll likely want to do further tests.
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I've been reading up on it all and the possible reasons, I should get a follow up about the protein next week but I'm taking the fact the sugars are nowhere near as high as in the first urine test as a win at least. And thanks for the info!
 
Rachox said:
I can’t answer the relevance of the protein in your urine, however glucose will only show up if your blood glucose is over 10mmols/l which is higher than I would like to see.
Click to expand...
Thank you! It's clearly a lot lower than the first urine test a month ago so I'm happy about that at least
 
Rushkami said:
I've been reading up on it all and the possible reasons, I should get a follow up about the protein next week but I'm taking the fact the sugars are nowhere near as high as in the first urine test as a win at least. And thanks for the info!
Click to expand...
It's definitely a win on the glucose front. Ignoring the inaccuracy, if a urine test showed high previously and it's now low/normal on the test strip, that can only be a good sign.

Have you considered, or looked into, getting a blood glucose meter?
 
Paul_ said:
It's definitely a win on the glucose front. Ignoring the inaccuracy, if a urine test showed high previously and it's now low/normal on the test strip, that can only be a good sign.

Have you considered, or looked into, getting a blood glucose meter?
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I asked today if I'd be given one and she said they usually only give them to those with type 1 so I'm considering buying my own I just can't be spending a fortune and don't know if the cheaper ones are any good. I'd like one though!
 
Rushkami said:
I asked today if I'd be given one and she said they usually only give them to those with type 1 so I'm considering buying my own I just can't be spending a fortune and don't know if the cheaper ones are any good. I'd like one though!
Click to expand...
All UK sold blood glucose meters are manufactured to the same guidelines and have to conform to the same margin of error range. Strictly speaking, it shouldn't matter which you buy, however from a cost perspective it does. The key thing to check out is the cost of test strips. Meters themselves are available relatively cheaply, but test strip costs can rack up quickly if you're testing often.

Luckily, one of the most knowledgeable people on the forum regarding blood glucose meters has already replied to you. @Rachox - would you be able to provide Rushkami with the blood glucose meter links you have please?

Edit - Most doctors and diabetic nurses recommend against T2 diabetics using blood glucose meters, claiming they're expensive and unnecessary. While they can be expensive, they don't have to be, and most of us on this forum have ignored that advice. Personally speaking, it's been one of the most useful tools for designing my new diet, testing my reaction to foods, and reducing my blood glucose levels.
 
Paul_ said:
All UK sold blood glucose meters are manufactured to the same guidelines and have to conform to the same margin of error range. Strictly speaking, it shouldn't matter which you buy, however from a cost perspective it does. The key thing to check out is the cost of test strips. Meters themselves are available relatively cheaply, but test strip costs can rack up quickly if you're testing often.

Luckily, one of the most knowledgeable people on the forum regarding blood glucose meters has already replied to you. @Rachox - would you be able to provide Rushkami with the blood glucose meter links you have please?

Edit - Most doctors and diabetic nurses recommend against T2 diabetics using blood glucose meters, claiming they're expensive and unnecessary. While they can be expensive, they don't have to be, and most of us on this forum have ignored that advice. Personally speaking, it's been one of the most useful tools for designing my new diet, testing my reaction to foods, and reducing my blood glucose levels.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm thinking, I want to know if I'm on track and doing the right thing by my sugars. Again thanks for the info!
 
@Rushkami , here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.



HOME HEALTH have the Gluco Navii, which is a fairly new model and seems to be getting good reviews.

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/



Links to the strips for future orders:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/glucose-navii-blood-glucose-test-strips-50-strip-pack/



Then they sell the older SD Code Free, details to be found here!

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/





SPIRIT HEALTHCARE have a meter called the Tee2 + which is quite popular:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793



The strips are to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097



If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.



Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
 
Rachox said:
@Rushkami , here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned.



HOME HEALTH have the Gluco Navii, which is a fairly new model and seems to be getting good reviews.

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-produ...ose-meter-test-strips-choose-mmol-l-or-mg-dl/



Links to the strips for future orders:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/glucose-navii-blood-glucose-test-strips-50-strip-pack/



Then they sell the older SD Code Free, details to be found here!

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/





SPIRIT HEALTHCARE have a meter called the Tee2 + which is quite popular:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...e2-blood-glucose-meter?variant=19264017268793



The strips are to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/co...py-of-tee2-test-strips?variant=19264017367097



If there is a choice of units of measurement then ‘mmol/L’ are the standard units in the UK, ‘mg/dl’ in the US, other countries may vary.



Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
Click to expand...
This is brilliant thank you so much!
 
Paul_ said:
I'll just say that protein in urine may be an indicator of kidney disease, damage and/or injury.
Click to expand...
While this can be the case, and possible kidney damage is the reason why diabetics are tested for protein in urine along with the other regular checks, protein in urine can also be some nothing thing.

I had a doctor tell me to be aware of protein in my urine when I was 21 on a work physical, long before diabetes. I wasn't interested at all, I just wanted to be a sailor and I got the all clear for that so I promptly forgot about the protein thing. :)

The next time I was tested was almost 20 years later, when I got diagnosed with diabetes.
Nothing wrong with my kidneys at all, so no idea what was going on when I was 21, but apparently it hasn't harmed me.

At my last tests (I'm 46 now, diabetic for 7 years) I showed some protein in my urine again, which was when I remembered that doctor 25 years ago. My endo and I decided to up the BP medication a little to be on the safe side, and not worry about it until my next test, a year later.
 
Antje77 said:
While this can be the case, and possible kidney damage is the reason why diabetics are tested for protein in urine along with the other regular checks, protein in urine can also be some nothing thing.

I had a doctor tell me to be aware of protein in my urine when I was 21 on a work physical, long before diabetes. I wasn't interested at all, I just wanted to be a sailor and I got the all clear for that so I promptly forgot about the protein thing. :)

The next time I was tested was almost 20 years later, when I got diagnosed with diabetes.
Nothing wrong with my kidneys at all, so no idea what was going on when I was 21, but apparently it hasn't harmed me.

At my last tests (I'm 46 now, diabetic for 7 years) I showed some protein in my urine again, which was when I remembered that doctor 25 years ago. My endo and I decided to up the BP medication a little to be on the safe side, and not worry about it until my next test, a year later.
Click to expand...
Maybe you were a bit dehydrated because apparently that can cause it to show excess protein too! I'm not the best at always drinking enough water so it might just be that. As long as i get my blood sugars down I'm happy for now :)
 
Yeah, agreed. Dehydration can be one of the more common causes from what I've read.

I was sent a home test kit by the NHS about a week after my T2 diagnosis. It's supposedly super sensitive, able to detect lower levels of protein in urine than the standard multi-test strips. You install an app, pee on the strip, put it next to a colour chart, leave it a minute or so, then go to the app and it uses your phone camera to determine the level of protein against the colour chart. I got an "abnormal" result for albumin. "Abnormal" probably isn't anything to worry about too much according to my nurse. Got my follow up test in 2 weeks.

Ironically, when I started all this I was on 3 blood pressure meds. After going low carb and losing weight I've since been taken off 2 of them, one of which was Ramipril, which can be protective for kidney damage. Since my T2 diagnosis I've gone from class 3 obesity down to class 2, dropped 2 BP meds, reduced my fatty liver blood test numbers by a lot, cut my triglycerides in half, and significantly reduced my hba1c. Just 3 months in the score is "Diabetes 0, Paul 5", so I guess early stage kidney disease might make diabetes feel a bit better about the absolute spanking I've given it so far! :hilarious:
 
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