24 hour urine calcium test

[Fatpidgeon]

I have been asked to do a 24 hour urine collection test. Has anyone had experience of doing one of these tests? Just worried about the practicalities of collecting urine whilst doing a bowel movement and avoiding contamination. Any suggestions welcome.

[Kaarina]

I googled it and this is what I found.

If you have a bowel movement, you must collect the urine separately.

If unable to do so you should abandon the collection and start again on another day, using a fresh container.

Goodness, it does sound a right pain, reading through the instructions, even without a bowel movement to deal with, which hopefully you will be able to avoid. 🤞🤞🤞

[Fatpidgeon in reply to Kaarina]

Thank you Katrina. It sounds frightfully tricky.

[Sheena2020]

It does sound tricky but I did it! I don’t know how to explain this and not sound too gross… you just have to pee as soon as you feel you have to, while trying to keep from having a bowel movement at the same time.

[Cilla65]

Hi there, I did it too. It is tricky to collect and I recommend by experience to use a sterilized smaller container to collect each urine and then fill with it the bigger one (it is also important, at least here in Italy, to provide the lab with the total quantity of urine in the 24 h) starting from the second urine of the day until the first of the next day then, when finished, shake the big container and put a sample in a smaller sterilized urine container to take it to the lab. You can keep the urine at room temperature in the bathroom during collection, do not contaminate it. A bit of a pain but doable.

[peasandtoms]

I had to do this after my DXA scan revealed 5 compression fractures. I was told it was to exclude other underlying causes. I only captured normal peeing and ignored the rest. There was sufficient for the purpose. Mind you I had to use a funnel to avoid spillages!

[Samosalover]

I used a plastic jug for collection since I was pretty sure I would “miss” the entrance to the container ( which here in France looked like something you can go and buy wine from one of those things that look like petrol pumps). Then I transferred to the container. Hence if I’d had the problem you mention then I would have ditched that collection on the basis that that small amount over a 24 hour period would hardly make a difference to the test. After all I expect they only take a small sample of the whole to actually run the test. I make this assumption being wholly ignorant of any scientific background or education at all 😉

[love42france in reply to Samosalover]

I also live in France and had to have one done. I found out this was to give baseline results not results they can use. My Generalist said they were not necessary and I have never had another one done. I must admit though that the blood tests I have look like the cover everything plus the kitchen sink. The Generalist gives me the ordinance (prescription) annually.

[fraid]

The surgery gave me the funnel, containers, instructions and took the lot away and sorted it out themselves. No hassle really, just remember not to have a poo at the same time! You soon get into the flow! 😁

[Fatpidgeon]

Thank you all for your replies.I was given a large 2 litre container to take to the lab and 1 cardboard urine sample collector (not sure if this is big enough) and strict instructions to collect everything. So a jug and a funnel seem excellent ideas.

[Oatmeal_lover3]

I did one and was given a “hat” which what we call them here in the US. It sits under the toilet seat. I was also given a larger jug to pour the urine in right after. I was able to keep the jug in the bathroom overnight since room temperature is ok, but during the day I kept the jug in the fridge.

[CinnamonRose in reply to Oatmeal_lover3]

They use them in hospitals here in UK

[Fatpidgeon in reply to CinnamonRose]

There are available on Amazon but not quickly.

[FrogLeg]

I found it helpful to use a Solo or other plastic cup to capture the urine while pooping. Also, I would recommend wearing glasses or safety goggles while pouring/transferring from the container you actually catch your urine in to the sampling container you ultimately submit to the lab. It seems like overkill but the lab container has a very strong hydrochloric acid in it for preservation purposes. This is also why men should not be tempted to pee directly into the lab container. Pour slowly also when transferring. Good luck!

[Coffee56]

Make sure you avoid calcium supplements during the 24 hour urine test. I did not do this the first time as the doctor never told me not to. My results came back high. After checking Keith McCormick's "Great Bones" recommendation to avoid calcium supplements, I requested another test. The results of second test were within range. Make sure to refrigerate the sample before taking it to the lab.

[Fatpidgeon in reply to Coffee56]

Thank you for your suggestions.

[ROSModerator Partner]

Hi everyone,

It’s really lovely to see the kindness and support shared in this thread. This is exactly what makes our community so special, and there are so many helpful ideas here.

Just a gentle reminder—our community guidelines ask that we avoid giving medical advice to one another. We absolutely understand how helpful it can be to share your own experiences, and you're very welcome to do that. But when it comes to offering medical advice, we kindly ask that that's left to the healthcare professionals, as the safety of our community is so important.

If you’re unsure about things like whether to stop or continue a medication in relation to a test, or how and where to store a sample, it’s always best to speak with your doctor or the person who arranged the test for you.

If you’d like more in-depth information, our specialist nurses are here to help. You can call the Helpline on 0808 800 0035—they won’t offer medical advice, but they can give you detailed medical information and answer any questions you might have.

If you have any questions about moderation in our online community, we warmly ask that you private message us directly in line with our community guidelines: healthunlocked.com/boneheal...

Take care, and thank you all again for being such a caring and respectful community.

Very best wishes,

Lulu

ROS Moderator

[Fatpidgeon]

All done and dusted.The collection container supplied by the hospital was too small. They supplied a 2L container and I completely filled it beyond the 2L line and was scared it would leak on the way to the hospital. Glad it is behind me.