[Writergirl2002]

High total protein level - should I be concerned

by Writergirl2002 on Sat Mar 04, 2017 12:11 pm

A doctor sent me to have further testing for high calcium at 10.4, and a PTH level of 38.

She said other tests seemed to show I was dehydrated, but I noticed total protein was 8.6 and normal is 8.3

Of course I googled like an idiot and freaked out.

I don't meet with the parathyroid expert until Monday but here I sit worried and stressed.

My BUN was elevated, but all other blood tests (WBC etc) were normal.

Just not sure what to think at this point.

[Multibilly]

Re: High total protein level - should I be concerned

by Multibilly on Sun Mar 05, 2017 9:35 am

Dehydration can cause hyper­pro­teinemia (high protein level in your blood), mild hyper­cal­cemia and can also raise your BUN level. I therefore wouldn't jump to thinking that you might have myeloma. I would instead follow up with your doctor and make sure that you are well hydrated for a couple of days before seeing the parathyroid expert or before you get re-tested.

[Writergirl2002]

Re: High total protein level - should I be concerned

by Writergirl2002 on Mon Mar 06, 2017 4:08 pm

Some of the trends in my blood tests over the last seven years are making me nervous. I met with the parathyroid guy, and he doesn't know if I have it or not. I got no answers.

I am very worried and upset. My WBC seems lower than it was three years ago but still normal, and my playlets have dropped each year but are still within normal. My albumin from that test was 4.8, which was normal range.

I don't know what to think, and I'm scared. I have two young children to take care of.

[Multibilly]

Re: High total protein level - should I be concerned

by Multibilly on Mon Mar 06, 2017 6:07 pm

Hi Writergirl,

I might suggest going to a good hematologist (again, when you are well hydrated).

If you want to rule out a plasma cell disorder such as myeloma, you could simply ask your doctor to run a serum immunofixation test. That test will tell you if you have any monoclonal proteins in your blood (a hallmark of most forms of myeloma and related diseases) or not. It's a cheap and easy test to run.

I know it is hard, but I wouldn't get too worked up about this and jump to conclusions that this might be some sort of cancer given most of your numbers are still within the normal range.