The doctor took blood to test my kidneys. What can be determined from just bloodwork?
402922
"Certain laboratory tests can indicate whether your kidneys are eliminating waste products properly. These tests include serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN); too much of either can indicate kidney damage."\n\nhttp://www.medicinenet.com/kidney_disease_hypertension-related/article.htm\n\n"Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) is a waste product produced in the liver and excreted by the kidneys. High values may mean that the kidneys are not working as well as they should. BUN is also affected by high protein diets and/or strenuous exercise which raise levels, and by pregnancy which lowers it. Creatinine is a waste product largely from muscle breakdown. High values, especially with high BUN levels, may indicate problems with the kidneys."\n\nhttp://www.amarillomed.com/howto.htm
104851
There are several different ones you can do- liver/gall bladder, kidney, blood, lymph, and colon are the ones that come to mind right away.
1004742
A blood test and if needed, a urine test as well
1000287
This question should best be asked of your Doctor.  Only your Doctor can honestly answer you.  More than likely your Doctor will order blood tests to see your levels and advise you from there.\n\nGood Luck....Have a lovely rest of the day......
416557
What kind of a pregnancy test?The apparatus you get from the pharmacy??If it's that one,dont trust it.If you had your blood checked in a hospital then relax.
870301
How bizarre - presumably this is your gp that has given you this rather poor information?\nWhat you need to do is have your blood taken and your creatinine level checked.  Your creatinine should be at around 100.  If it is higher than 150 then you will need a referral to see a nephrologist who can organise for a GFR test which will show the exact amount of kidney funciton you have.\nTo say that someone has the kidney of an 80 year old is a load of old rubbish. You need to know exactly what percentage of function you have. What has caused any decline in function and what you can expect.  \n\nIt might be helpful for you to know that many people can survive their whole lives very happily on just one kidney.  I spent most of my childhood and teenage years with only 30% kidney function and lived a pretty normal life. It's also worth knowing that often when a kidney is damaged then it's function will continue to decline slowly over the years.  Healthcare for kidney patients is much improved from the old days.  There is a choice of dialysis - haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis - but it might be that you'll never even need either of these treatments.\n\nIf your kidneys are failing then it's likely that you would feel noticeably tired and sleep more.  When there is very little function left then you would start to feel very sick.\n\nI'm not very impressed with what your doctor has said. He's given you a really inarticulate diagnosis and not provided you with any of the information you might need.\n\nCheck out these site for more information:-\n\nhttp://www.kidneypatientguide.org.uk/site/contents.php\nhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/crf1.shtml\nhttp://www.kidney.org.uk/index.html\n\nI hope you are ok.
170825
Sweetie, I'm not a doctor but blood in your urine is not a good thing and you are not quailified to analyze your own urine or symptoms. If your Doctor said to see a Urologist, then do it. Now, I do have some medical training and experience and blood in the urine doesn't usually mean a death sentance. It's a precaution your Doctor is taking to rule out a possible serious disorder. Do you really want to take a chance and not look into it? Are you going to stay healthy on heresay? It could be something as simple as an infection whether you have symptoms or not. It's best to find out asap so that it doesn't turn into something serious. Until you get a Medical degree, I wouldn't be second guessing my Doctor. There is nothing to be afraid of. You seem a little prone to denial as well. Would rather have an answer or wait for the problem to get so bad that you need a kidney or something? Get your butt to that Urologist now, Honey. Don't make me come there and put you in time out! Good luck, and please try not to get all upset till you have something to get upset about.
744722
lab test for kidney disease: albumin, calcium, creatinine, estimated GFR, creatinine clearance, electrolytes, erythropoietin, microalbumin, parathyroid hormone, phosphate, potassium, prealbumin, renin, urinalysis, urine culture, vitamin D\n\nlab test for liver functions: Liver panel, AST, ALP, ALT, Albumin, Bilirubin, PT, AFP, Total protein
513647
This question is really too general to answer completely.  \nBecause there are many types of kidney diseases, there are many kinds of symptoms that people can experience.  You should go to www.kidney.org (the national kidney foundation website) and take a look at the patient information.\n\nTo address a previous comment, urine output is often confused with kidney function.  The amount of urine made does not tell you about your level of kidney function or whether your kidneys are sick.  Please remember that depending on the cause of kidney disease/failure (chronic or acute), a person could experience low, normal or high amounts of urine output.  The way kidney function is tested is by using laboratory values--the most common value used is called the serum (blood) creatinine level.\n\nThe laundry lists of signs and symptoms that are usually given for kidney failure are LATE symptoms of kidney failure. These generally occur when a person is at a point where their kidneys have failed completely and they require dialysis treatments. Most people with early/moderate kidney failure have NO symptoms at all.  \n\nSo, the most common symptoms of kidney disease are no symptoms at all.  Kidney disease is usually a SILENT disease that is more often then not picked up by checking routine laboratory tests. It is not ususally picked up by symptoms.   Catching kidney disease early is the best way to prevent further kidney damage.   \n\nThe best advice is to check with your doctor and make sure they have checked your level of kidney function. It is important to note that certain diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease are major causes of kidney disease.  If you have these and other predisposing diseases, you need to make sure your doctor checks for kidney problems on a regular basis.  If there is a kidney problem, you may need to be referred to a specialist (nephrologist).
422877
3 days in a urine sample, other tests can detect longer (blood, hair)
424123
First of all...to all the people that said "duh"...Your answers to this question were 100 times as stupid as the question itself.  The answer to the question is that they will only find out if you have AIDS, if you've done marijuana, or other drugs if they run a specific test for it.  They don't put the blood in a machine and have it run all the tests that are known.  When you get blood drawn, there has to be a reason...They might be looking for how your kidneys or liver are functioning, so they will test for that.  If they want to know if you have been taking drugs, they can test for that as well.
179094
The main job of your kidkeys is to clean certain waste products from your blood. They do this by carefully filtering your blood, and what they filter out becomes your urine. This means that when you pee, you are removing the waste products produced throughout your body which your kidneys expertly removed from your blood.  \n\nThis kidey's job is very important. If your kidneys stop working, these waste products can build up in your blood and over the course of a week or so will reach levels that can kill you. Fortunately, dialysis is a way to keep that from happening.\n\nDialysis is basically a way to have a machine play to the role of your kidneys and filter your blood for you. There are two main types of dialysis-- peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis. In peritoneal dialysis, a tube is placed in your abdomen and your abdominal cavity is filled and flushed several times a day with a special fluid. In hemodialysis, needles are placed in your arm and your blood flows through a special machine. In either case, what is happening is that certain waste products are being removed from you blood, just like your kidneys would normally do. Both of the methods work, and your doctor can help you decide which is best for you.\n\nUnfortunately, people who begin dialysis often will require dialysis for the rest of their lives. Sometimes people can receive a kidney transplant. If you get a new kidney, you can stop dialysis since your new kidney can begin filtering your blood for you.\n\nStarting dialysis can be scary. It often means that a person's kidney disease has become worse. Still, people on dialysis lead full and productive lives. Even some famous actors and professional athletes have been on dialysis. Although it can seem scary at first, dialysis is a way to help people with serious kidney disease live a long and rich life.\n\nThe best person to talk to is your doctor. Your doctor can help you understand the details specific to you, and can explain more about what you can expect from dialysis.\n\nHope this helps!
745015
No, it can indicate renal failure, though. Albumin is one of the smallest proteins, and will be the first lost if there is kidney hypertension, or nephritis.\nA biopsy is where they stick a needle in your kidney to get a sample of it to look at it under a microscope. There are other kidney function tests they would do before a biopsy, including other biochemical tests, ultrasound, etc.
732119
TAKE A BLOOD TEST .. IT SHOWS EVERY THING
853956
I have a transplanted liver and kidney. .For 2 years almost all my blood work was crazy... don't worry it takes time.  This May will b my 3rd anniversary and this months blood work only has 4 of 30 tests not in normal range... e mail me if you want.
423219
Creatinine is a substance that is produced during the body's natural activity (metabolism). It is usually excreted (got rid of) from the body through the kidneys. If the kidneys start to become diseased, for whatever reason, the level of creatinine rises in the blood stream. It is the level in the blood stream that is usually measured in renal function tests and I presume that it is this level that you are referring to. The normal level of creatinine is usually 60 to 110 micromoles per litre but the exact figures can vary from lab to lab. Having a low level of blood creatinine indicates nothing more than an efficient and effective pair of kidneys. \n\nA further test of kidney function is to collect all the urine passed over a period of twenty-four hours and then to compare the amount of creatinine in the blood to the level in the blood stream (creatinine clearance test). This can look at the efficiency of the kidneys and is only usually done if there is an indication of a problem with renal function. In normally functioning kidneys, the level of creatinine in the urine compared to the blood should be high as it is being passed out efficiently. Conversely, if the level in the urine is low, with a high blood creatinine level, this in an indication of a problem, for which a consultant physician is usually involved. I hope that this information helps you understand the significance of a low creatinine level.
137816
This test is most often performed when kidney disease is suspected. It may be used as a screening test.\n\nNormally, protein is not found in urine when a routine dipstick test is performed. This is because the kidney is supposed to keep large molecules, such as protein, in the blood and only filter out smaller impurities. Even if small amounts of protein do get through, they are normally re-absorbed by the body and used as a source of energy.\n\nSome proteins will appear in the urine if the levels of protein in blood become high, even when the kidney is functioning properly.\n\nIf the kidney is diseased, protein will appear in the urine -- even if the blood levels are normalNormal Values:\n\n\nFor a spot check by dipstick: the normal values are approximately 0 to 8 mg/dl. Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories.\nFor a 24-hour test: the normal value is less than 150mg per 24 hours.\nNote: mg/dl = milligrams per deciliter\n\nWhat abnormal results mean:\nAbnormal results may mean an increase in urine protein, and this may indicate: \n\nAmyloidosis\nBacterial pyelonephritis\nBladder tumor\nCongestive heart failure (inadequately perfusing the kidneys)\nDiabetic nephropathy\nGlomerulonephritis\nGoodpasture's syndrome\nHeavy metal poisoning\nLupus erythematosus\nMalignant hypertension\nMultiple myeloma\nNephrotic syndrome\nNephrotoxic drug therapy\nPolycystic kidney disease\nPreeclampsia\nAdditional conditions under which the test may be performed: \nAcute nephritic syndrome\nComplicated UTI (pyelonephritis)\nEclampsia\nHemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS)\nInterstitial nephritis\nMedullary cystic disease\nMembranoproliferative GN I\nMembranoproliferative GN II\nMembranous nephropathy\nNecrotizing vasculitis\nPost-streptococcal GN\nRapidly progressive (crescentic) glomerulonephritis\nReflux nephropathy\nRenal vein thrombosis\nRocky mountain spotted fever