Protein in the urine

Chelsea71
Chelsea71 Member Posts: 1,169 Member
edited October 2012 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My husband had his first treatment of Folfiri with Avastin yesterday. He's been off chemo for almost 8 mos. His last Avastin (before yesterday) was Dec. 29, 2011. When they tested his urine yesterday there was a small amount of protein present. (The nurse didn't volunteer this info, I asked). She made it seem like it was not unusual. Last time, protein did show up in his urine after several treatments, but it was never enough for him to skip the Avastin. They did stop it early as he was preparing for surgery. Has anyone else had this experience? Does this mean he has permanent kidney damage? My concern is that the Avastin will become a problem for him and will be discontinued.

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.

Chelsea

Comments

  • janie1
    janie1 Member Posts: 753 Member
    #2
    Hi Chelsea
    They will continue to monitor protein in the urine (at least they should.....my first oncologist office never checked it).
    I believe small amounts aren't too concerning, but if it continues to rise, they would stop. Small amounts doesn't indicate permanent damage. Even if the protein got higher, the treatment would stop, and the kidneys would recover.
    Have your husband drink plenty of water. Not over-the-top amounts, just normal, if he is one not to drink much anyway.
  • ron50
    ron50 Member Posts: 1,723 Member
    #3
    Hi Chelsea
    The baseline for protein loss is .015 grams per 24hrs. I have gotten as high as 3.2grams in the years since chemo(14+) A My last 24hr collection was 2.7 grams. When the protein loss gets high I tend to develop edema ,swelling of the lower legs and ankles. I have that at the moment. The protein loss is caused by damage or inflammation of the kidney filters. With chemo it seems more like inflammation. Even with my protein loss high my other kidney functions remain reasonably good. I believe that when the chemo stops the protein will stop. Ron.PS the cause of my protein loss appears to be auto-immune.R.

Discussion Boards