I had a letter from my daughter’s consultant today saying she had high levels of protein in her water. They want her to do a 24 hour water sample. They didn’t say anything about what causes this or what the problem might be. She has recently changed from Mixtard 30 to NovoRapid and Lantus. Do you think the change of insulin might be causing this new problem?

No, the protein in her urine has nothing to do with the change of insulin. It may not be a diabetes related problem at all. I am fairly sure that what is going on is that a ‘screening test’ has shown some protein. This is not a diagnostic test and that is why a 24h collection is necessary. Quite often a urinary tract infection is picked up this way. The other thing to consider is blood glucose control. Poor control is associated with protein in the urine and, over many years, this becomes a major issue. You should ask your team what information they already have and what will be the implications of the 24h test for your daughter.

KJR