What to expect during first visit with endocrinologist or GP?

[Isaac]

I don't have my letter to start hormones yet, but I'm expecting to get it within the next few months.  When I go to a doctor for the first time to get hormones, I understand that I will be expected to get blood work.  Anything else they might make me do?

Also, any estimate of how much blood work costs?

[anibioman]

i just went to an endo for the first time he took a ton of blood and talked about my medical history, procedure, going forward with blockers, t, and other stuff. thats it and idk how much it costs because my doc bills my insurance directly and then i get billed my copay which is $25 for a normal doc appointment but idk about copays for endo appointments idk about the labs themselves either.

[Simon]

As long as you have the "golden ticket" from your therapist you're basically good to go. My endo appointment was mainly talking to the doctor about what method I wanted to do (gel,patch,injection), discussion about dose, she made sure I knew how to do the shot/where to do it, she talked to me about a few things to expect, wrote me the Rx, and sent me on my way. (I can't start my shots till after surgery next month...I have the vial but avoided buying syringes. Too much temptation)

I have my blood work done at a Hospital I frequent a few months back so my endo just used that. I'll have blood work at the Hospital again 3 months after surgery (that will also be 3 months on T), and after that I'll be paying out of pocket with no insurance. I haven't checked with the billing department but my endo said the test can be anywhere from $200 to $400.

Oh, and in case you're wondering the vial of T (10mL) was $96 without insurance but will last a good while.

[Arch]

Oh, and in case you're wondering the vial of T (10mL) was $96 without insurance but will last a good while.

You should be able to get a 10-ml vial for considerably less than that, but availability might depend on where you live. T is cheapish through the mail (I've only done Strohecker's) or in person at a Priority pharmacy. Costco is cheaper than most drugstores but more than the other two options. And some guys use other mail options.

[Simon]

You should be able to get a 10-ml vial for considerably less than that, but availability might depend on where you live. T is cheapish through the mail (I've only done Strohecker's) or in person at a Priority pharmacy. Costco is cheaper than most drugstores but more than the other two options. And some guys use other mail options.

Thanks for the heads up and I'll look into it for sure. I got the 10ml/2000mg per vial in Cottonseed oil so I thought it was a decent price. It was twice that amount at the pharmacy they have at the Hospital.

I think Strohecker's stopped selling to certain States. I remember seeing that in a video but I'll look into it. I'm not too worried. That vial will last me anywhere from 5 to 10 months depending on the dose I settle on. CVS here was outrageous though. They tried selling me two 2ml vials for $65...haha, nope.