Show Thanks to advanced technology, physicians can “see” what’s going on inside your body without wielding a scalpel. Diagnostic tests tell us a great deal about the state of your health. At Woodstock Family Practice & Urgent Care in Woodstock, Georgia, Dr. James Lee and our team offer onsite diagnostic tests that reveal important information about your body’s processes, including vascular, respiratory, digestive, and endocrine systems. One of the most common tests we administer is urine analysis (urinalysis). If you need to undergo this test, here’s what to expect and what we’re looking for in your sample. What to expect during a urinalysisYou don’t need to do anything special to prepare for a urinalysis, but it helps to have a full bladder — or at least not an empty one. We hand you a small cup with a lid on it as well as a cleansing wipe and show you to the restroom. In order to get an uncontaminated sample, we ask women to use the wipe to cleanse their labia from front to back, and men to clean the tip of their penis. Once you begin to urinate, pass the cup into the stream to collect a sample. We don’t need much; a couple ounces will do. That’s it — we take it from there. There are times when we may need to collect a sample from your very first urination in the morning, because it’s more concentrated. If this applies to you, we send you home with a cup and you can bring your sample to us. Who needs a urinalysis?You may need a urinalysis for any of the following reasons: Routine physical examA urine analysis gives us essential basic information, so it may be a part of a routine physical examination, which may also include a blood test and other basic exams that check your weight, blood pressure, temperature, etc. As part of our dedication to preventive care, we use the urinalysis to help us detect early signs of problems such as diabetes, liver disease, and kidney disease. Potential pregnancyIf you think you might be pregnant, a urinalysis gives us a definitive answer by measuring the level of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your system. Drug testingIf you need to take a drug test for legal or employment reasons, a urinalysis can detect many substances or rule them out. Diagnostic testingIf you have symptoms such as back pain or abdominal pain, a urinalysis lets us know if you’re dealing with a kidney or liver problem. It may also provide clues about why it’s painful to urinate or why you have blood in your urine. Monitoring medical conditionsUrinalysis allows us to keep tabs on your treatment progress, especially if you have a urinary tract infection or kidney disease. What we’re looking for in your urineWhen we examine your urine, we’re looking for anything out of the ordinary. Healthy urine contains water, salt, and waste that have been filtered through your kidneys. The first thing we do is take a look. Healthy urine is clear, so if we see cloudiness or discoloration, we know we need to investigate further. We also use our olfactory senses — a foul odor may indicate an infection. The next step involves the paper test, where we dip a strip of treated paper into your urine. The reaction it causes lets us know what’s in your urine that shouldn’t be, or if you have too much or too little of certain elements. A simple urinalysis can tell us if your urine has:
We also check your urine under a microscope to gather even more information. Here, we check for abnormal cells, proteins, crystals, bacteria, yeast, and other pathogens. Urine analysis tests are simple and painless, and they provide a wealth of health information. If you’re due for an annual physical exam, you’re having pain in your abdomen or back, your urine doesn’t look or smell right, or you see blood, come see Dr. Lee right away. A quick urinalysis here in our office provides answers and peace of mind. Schedule an appointment by calling our friendly staff, or book your visit online today.
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Minor body pain is common and usually subsides with rest and simple measures. But when pain affects your ears, it’s hard to know when to treat it at home and when to seek urgent medical care. Here’s a guide to earaches to help you decide. Understanding the urine drug test A urine drug test, also known as a urine drug screen or a UDS, is a painless test. It analyzes your urine for the presence of certain illegal drugs and prescription medications. The urine drug test usually screens for: Alcohol can also be included in screening tests, but it’s usually detected through breath tests rather than urine screens. A urine drug test can help a doctor detect potential substance abuse problems. After a drug test identifies drugs you may be misusing, doctors can help you start a treatment plan. Taking urine drug tests throughout substance abuse treatment helps to ensure that the plan is working and that you’re no longer taking drugs. There are several scenarios where a urine drug test might be necessary. For example, your primary care doctor may order this test if they suspect you have a problem with drugs or alcohol. An emergency room doctor may also request this test if you’re confused or your behavior seems strange or dangerous. Learn more: Illicit drug addiction » Many employers require potential employees to take a urine drug test before they can be hired. One benefit of the urine drug screen is that it can keep people with drug problems out of jobs that require the ability to be alert and focused. For instance, an air traffic controller or truck driver who uses drugs could put the safety of many people at risk. Testing may also lower the risk of on-the-job accidents. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers test residents on a regular basis. This helps ensure that people receiving treatment for drug or alcohol abuse stay sober. If you’re on probation or parole for a drug- or alcohol-related offense, the officer in charge of your case may request random drug tests to verify your sobriety. Finally, the tests can be used in home settings. For instance, a family member may want a loved one to take this test to prove that they’re not using drugs or alcohol. If you plan to use an at-home test, it’s a good idea to consult with your family doctor or another health professional beforehand. They can advise you on how to follow up if the test is positive. There are two types of urine drug screens. The first, called the immunoassay, is cost-effective and gives results fairly quickly. However, it has drawbacks. For example, it doesn’t pick up on all opioids. Also, it sometimes gives false positives. A false positive occurs when the test results come back positive for drugs, but there has been no drug use. Read more: Opioid abuse and addiction » If your first test comes back positive, a follow-up test known as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is done for confirmation. This type of test uses the same procedure for getting a urine specimen as the immunoassay. GC/MS results are more expensive and take longer to give results, but they rarely produce false positives. Both types of tests can create a false negative, which is when the test reports a negative result even if there is drug use. Both tests can also fail to capture same-day drug use. You will likely take the urine drug test in a bathroom specifically prepared for drug testing. The test procedure includes the following steps:
Some sites have instant results, some do not. Depending of the reason for the drug test, the sample is often sent out for testing so that a formal report can be generated. Immunoassays, the most common type of urine drug screening, don’t measure drugs themselves. Rather, they detect how the drug interacts with the body’s immune system and its ability to form antigen-antibody complexes. Results of this test are expressed in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). The test uses a cutoff point. Any result below the cutoff number is a negative screen and any number above the cutoff number is a positive screen. If it’s an instant result, the people who administer the drug test usually give the results in terms of positive or negative rather than numeric values. Many instant immunoassay tests don’t display the ng/mL measurements. Rather, the results appear on a test strip that turns different colors to indicate the presence of various substances. If you get a positive result for illegal drugs that you haven’t taken, you should make sure to get a GC/MS follow-up test immediately. You will also want to talk to the medical review officer (MRO). This is the physician in charge of interpreting and reporting the results of any drug testing done in their facility. |