Blood tests

[PHIL HERNON]

I see a lot of guys talk about lab results. I see ZERO that are complete. I see no one test for homocysteine, B12 then an MMA test if low or high, D, uric acid, estradiol, PTH, calcium, prolactin. Of course you need BUN, creatinine, ALT, AST, BG, TSH, free thyroxine, albumin, total protein, total bilirubin, direct bllirubin, alk phos...

 

[ClaytonBigsby]

how much does a complete test run?

best places to get them done??

 

[yatyas314]

Yes please post what an optimal screening would be , My blood just came back and Im all smiles , Doc even asked if I wanted to get any others ran ..Just need to know and I will do it

 

[ClaytonBigsby]

taking my first blood test ever at age 37 next month...any info you can give me phil would be great!

 

[Kaladryn]

GGT is a nice one to get for liver problems. It indicates the type of bile duct issues specific to AAS use. Small elevations in AST/ALT or ALP with a low GGT is probably just exercise/diet induced.

 

[TheDeceiver]

I just had bloods done and my red and white count was high.i know the red is high from the hormones but the doctor said whites are usually high if you have an infection. I don't have an infection unless I'm doin' some shitty gear!

 

[get it in ya]

I see a lot of guys talk about lab results. I see ZERO that are complete. I see no one test for homocysteine, B12 then an MMA test if low or high, D, uric acid, estradiol, PTH, calcium, prolactin. Of course you need BUN, creatinine, ALT, AST, BG, TSH, free thyroxine, albumin, total protein, total bilirubin, direct bllirubin, alk phos...

thank you for this info

 

[repper]

I do bloodwork very regularly and monitor my own levels to make sure my supplementation is at the right dosages and my levels are at optimal points. Of course testosterone levels are important, but so are DHT, estrodiol, free/bioavailable testosterone, along with all the ones Phil stated above. Incomplete bloodwork is almost pointless since you need a complete picture of your values to know what's going on as a whole.

An infection can cause whites to be high, but so can allergies sometimes. It shows your body is fighting something, or has just finished fighting something and the whites are on their way down and you just caught them at that point. That's why bloodwork should be done more than once. Wait a while and do another one to see if it's still elevated or not. Also, if one or two values are a little off, it's not a big deal. If you see several of them being off, then it might signal something that should be checked into further. But again, wait a while and re-test.

As far as reds, yes the hormones cause them to increase. Everyone is different, so some people get less elevation, some get more. In my opinion, testosterone and DHT both cause elevation.

For example:
My hematocrit and MCV...
They stay UNDER the top of the normal range when I'm on a moderate amount of testosterone along with finasteride (DHT is in middle of normal range).
But if I cut my testosterone in half and get off of the finasteride then my hematocrit and MCV goes OVER and out of range. My DHT jumps to 5 times normal, despite testosterone being cut in half. So for me, I have high DHT conversion and it influences the reds more than testosterone does.

Also, I've found that when I use 1 mg finasteride per day, it boosts my total testosterone by almost 25% and increases my bioavailable testosterone by about 20%. At the same time, aromatization increases slightly so I adjust Arimidex if needed. Without bloodwork, I would just be dosing blindly and guessing as to what drug is doing what and how much. I have a couple decades under my belt with gear, so dosing blindly gets "less blind" over time because of more accurate intuition and being in tune with my body...but the bloodwork makes things a lot easier and more accurate, in addition to my being able to monitor my health.

 

[co1e_train]

I shoot to have full complete work with everything Phil said every 4 months or so. Would advise finding a doctor who will monitor if you use anabolics whether thats a general MD, or an endo or HRT doc.

 

[Gizmo]

I just had bloods done and my red and white count was high.i know the red is high from the hormones but the doctor said whites are usually high if you have an infection. I don't have an infection unless I'm doin' some shitty gear!

White blood cells are also elevated post work out.

 

[mackpatti]

how much does a test like that cost.

 

[Bodybuilder109]

A test like that can be very very expensive, depending on your insurance. Not to mention the more things you want tested the more blood they have to draw. I think they have a max of 40 categories they can even select (at least at my lab)...and even when you do request "FULL PANEL BLOODWORK" from your doctors they usually leave out some stuff. Most people (and endos) just text for the major things.

 

[repper]

Bloodwork can definitely be expensive but most insurances cover it a good bit, if not all, of the cost if the doctor codes it properly.
Also, there are at least a couple sites online that you can place orders for bloodwork panels at a decent price.

Personally, as far as a doc goes, most MDs have little knowledge of the full complexities of the endocrine system when it comes to gear. I had an internal specialist that I used to use as my general doctor and he checked CBC, CMP, Lipids one time and then all he would test for in regards to hormones is total testosterone. That was simply stupid. Total testosterone alone doesn't mean a whole lot. He even flat out refused to test for estrogen. He offered to put me on TRT but I didn't want anything further to do with a doctor who not only didn't know enough with that stuff, but simply wouldn't listen to his patient with an open mind. I do have to say though that the doc was probably around 55 years old.

Younger docs are more "eager to learn/help" in my opinion, and therefore more open minded. I finally ended up with a young (in his late 30s) endocrinologist. He gives his own opinions and recommendations, but when I mention that I have actually experienced something a different way, he listens to what I have to say and 99% of the time goes along with it because it makes sense to him and he knows I do have a couple decades of real life personal experience with it. Plus, he has told me that he is interested in hearing what I have to say because even though most of his patients are older guys with no juice experience, diabetics, and people with fertility issues, there's always something here or there that I tell him that he can in some way use with his other patients.

If you don't have insurance and/or just don't want to see doctor, get some labs done yourself online. I'm lucky to still be alive considering the stupid shit I had done a long time ago without knowing how I'm actually reacting internally.