Clean catch urine samples

[1985mum]

It's exremely important to make sure that urine samples taken for testing are done by clean catch method.

I'm posting this with the feeling that I may just be the dumb kid in the class. As many know, I've been very quiet on here lately mainly because I've been through a very busy few weeks with tests etc since seeing my new 'knight in shining armour' general physician who is doing absolutely everything in his power to work out what is wrong with me.

He has picked up on and persued a lot of the small detail that other docs have ignored so far. One being the amount of white cells present in previous urine tests. From this he ordered a myriad of scary urine tests and in passing small conversation he mentioned that a lot of women don't actually know how to do a urine test correctly. I didn't ask him what he meant but it got my 'I'll show him' hackles up so I went home and did my own bit of googling. Lo and behold I discovered something called the 'clean catch method'.

I know a lot of you will probably wonder what sand pit I've had my head buried in all these years, but in all my years of doing urine tests NOT ONE doctor, nurse or pathologist ever told me about clean catch.

Hence, after doing all my latest round of urine tests by this method, it was found that I don't have proteinurea, haematurea or white cells in my urine!!!

I just wanted to post this just in case there is someone else out there like me who is wondering why there are all manner of things wrong with their urine.

[maggielee]

Just read up on clean catch, never new, amazing that they don't give instructions to woman in particular. Thanks for sharing. ML

[bluebell99 in reply to maggielee]

When I was pregnant forty odd years ago it was normal to be given a "kit" when attending ante natal clinic. This was an aluminium tray with lid where your name was written and swabs to wet with warm water. In the loo there were instructions on how to wash your hands before and after, cleaning the area and to collect a midstream sample. All a bit of a faff but obviously vital for mother and unborn babe.

When I attend a rheumy clinic nowadays, I am just given a plastic bottle. No wonder my sample often comes back contaminated. Bring back the kit and instructions!

Perhaps there needs to be an awareness campaign!

[1985mum]

Thanks for the replies. I'm glad I'm not the only one!

I think it is definitely worth an awareness campaign. Just think how many wild goose chases it would avoid if we were all instructed how to do it properly.

[ac489]

Anytime I have to give urine sample, they explain how to clean and about midstream and give me a wipe with the cup.

[EOLHPC]

Grrrreat post

You probably know about my UTI+pyelonephritis saga...well, my GPs neglected me too for decades...I had to research urine sample collecting for myself. am now in the care of a brilliant urology surgeon & chief immunology consultant. They are horrified by this historic neglect

You are not alone

🍀🍀🍀🍀 coco

[1985mum in reply to EOLHPC]

You too coco?? Isn't it crazy? You would think the people responsible would make sure we knew about it so we don't come up with false results. As it stands I sent my new doc down a garden path trying to work out what it was and if he hadn't have said what he did in passing we would still be racing down that path. The next step was to do a kidney biopsy😟 and it makes me just think how much wasted resources unneccesary invasive procedures there is just because of this one little error in collection procedure.

If I had full presence of mind (aka no brain fog!😉) and the know-how I would begin an awareness campaign...but alas my health does not permit!

Unfortunately healthy people with the energy to campaign probably never have reason to know there is this kind of problem out there.

[EOLHPC in reply to 1985mum]

YIKES....WELL SAID...🌟🌟🌟🌟👏👏👏👏💥💥💥💥

(I must clarify: my version of this neglects is different: despite NO instruction on sample collection from my flippin Gp's, somehow I actually managed never to have a false positive urine sample result..

Instead, my Beef is that, after years of agony, it was ME who finally resorted to buying my own urinalysis kit cause even pre-infant-onset-lupus-rediagnosis 50-something- Jemima-Puddleduck-inexperienced-me had realised my MEGA infections had become chronic and were not 'just' UTIs: the onset was ULTRA rapid with volcanic: horrific, multisystem reactivity and everything including the kitchen sink in the samples...I had to use the Gp's Out of Hours Service over & over for several years, hanging around in tesco car parks doubled over with pain & urgency waiting for the early hours pharmacy opening.

Eventually I was allowed to keep an emergency home supply of antibiotics. So when our local hospital urology chief blew my surgery up re their negligence & explained to me that I actually should've been a bunch of NHS red-lidded lab test MSU collection pots (all those flippin years I'd been using sterilised jam jars) to keep at home, + a sheet of MSU collection instructions...you can imagine how I responded. I'd FINALLY been referred to the chief 4 years after my lupus re-diagnosis

Apologies for venting 😜...and THANKS for this opportunity to vent....+ for getting this MEGA IMPORTANT discussion going)

🍀😘🍀😘🍀😘

[1985mum in reply to EOLHPC]

👏👏👏👏👏Vent well received!!! That makes it seem like urinalysis is an all round undervalued testing process anyway when it can hold vital information regarding our health.

It still baffles me how a lot of doctors seem to be unable to connect the dots as in your case. We learnt about analytical reasoning and logic in 4th grade!😉

[EOLHPC in reply to 1985mum]

😂😂😂😂😂 have just written an article for my local lupus uk support group newsletter explaining how this wonderful forum has helped me better understand how it was possible for Drs (NHS & private) to miss the infant onset lupus all those decades...vvvv therapeutic writing that 😉🌻🌻🌻🌻

[1985mum in reply to EOLHPC]

😁I would love to see some of these newsletters! Seems to be very interesting subjects you find to write about. Good on you!👏👏