My doctor is happy to do my blood tests so I can hopefully start T privately soon.
He needs to know what kind of blood tests I'm going to need though. Anyone know?
My doctor always checks my tsetsterone levels, both free and total. I would think that would be the bare minimum, but anything else would relate to conditions that T affects. For example, it can be deterimental to your cholesterol levels, so I have that checked. I also get a lipid analysis, for similar reasons--T just has a negative effect on things like that, so it helps to get those checked when you get your testosterone levels checked. But if you're in good health, from what I've been led to believe, all you need to know are your levels of free and total testosterone
I have no idea what the test for but when I had mine done they took around 6 or 7 separate little samples so I presume each was to test for something different.
EDIT: Bloody hell as luck would have it my doc gave me a treatment plan which lists the pre-hormone blood tests:
FBC, U&Es, LFTs, TSH, FSH, Glucose, Lipids, Testosterone, Oestrogen, Prolactin.
I have no idea what the first 4 are but the rest make sense to me.
Thank you! :D
Quote from: Greg on January 08, 2010, 07:05:41 PM
FBC, U&Es, LFTs, TSH, FSH, Glucose, Lipids, Testosterone, Oestrogen, Prolactin.
I have no idea what the first 4 are but the rest make sense to me.
Just FYI
FBC = full blood count, usually looks at levels of RBC/red blood cells, WBC/white blood cells, haemoglobin etc, can also tell if there's infection etc
U&E = urea & electrolytes, this measures the functioning of your kidneys and salt levels in the body, shows things like dehydration levels too
LFT = liver function test, as it says, tells how well your liver is working to get rid of toxins and medications etc
TSH = thyroid stimulating hormone, looks at low or high thyroid function, important for metabolism etc
FSH = follicle stimulating hormone, in women it stimulates the production of eggs, in men sperm
Glucose = blood sugar levels
Lipids = good and bad cholesterol
T and E obvious
Prolactin = to do with lactation (eew) and simply put orgasms!
I have all these too and as a start I had my chromosome checked to see if I was XX/XXX/XXY/XXYY etc
Jay
Damn that's a lot of blood to take.....
Six or seven little samples? How "little" is little? Lmao!
My veins shrivel up by third vial usually (no joke, if they can get a vein it usually stops flowing by vial three or four) so i guess i'm looking forward to several more pokes when i go get my tests (should be soon!)
*sigh*
I guess i can bear it for T.
I think the vials were about the size of an average little finger, but I could be wrong, I think I was looking at the ceiling most of the time. And they may have taken more than 6 or 7. Something to look forward to lol.
Thanks for the info Jay, seems like they're testing for decent general health as well as hormone levels.
Quote from: Greg on January 09, 2010, 08:34:36 AM
Thanks for the info Jay, seems like they're testing for decent general health as well as hormone levels.
No worries! All that study paid off for something at last lol! Absolutely - they test you for everything to get that baseline of how your health looks then each time compare. T will affect most functions in your body as we all know like the breakdown process in your liver and what your 'female' organs/hormones are doing especially once they're 'not needed' and begin to shut down - its important to keep an eye out see if anything too bad is happening. We don't want to get sick in the process now do we.
I don't have a particular fondness for needles either - but definite exception for T! Hell I'll even do what I'm told for the benefit of T! ;D
PS - yeah they take like 6-7 vials but as Greg said they're only the size of your pinky and I can tell you about a max of 10ml, usually less ;) it always looks like more than it really is with blood!!
Oh crap.... they check cholesterol?!
I'm so screwed :(
Anyone been knocked back for T rockin' high cholesterol, or did you get the impression they were more looking for a baseline to monitor changes?
*Sigh* Why do tasty things have to be so tasty? :-\
I've got hereditary super-high cholesterol, but my doc didn't make a big deal of it. Obviously she wants me to bring it down, but since cholesterol is something that builds up over time, as opposed to something that fluctuates more rapidly like blood sugar, I think she more just wanted that baseline. Meds were mentioned as a future possibility, but that depends on if and how much it goes up on T. Hopefully it won't!
Quote from: Aussie Jay on January 09, 2010, 09:08:25 AM
I don't have a particular fondness for needles either - but definite exception for T! Hell I'll even do what I'm told for the benefit of T! ;D
PS - yeah they take like 6-7 vials but as Greg said they're only the size of your pinky and I can tell you about a max of 10ml, usually less ;) it always looks like more than it really is with blood!!
I'm not worried about the T part, i'm 100% FINE with regular shots. It's just the blood draw. My veins are HORRIBLE. Like you said, though, anything to stay healthy and anything for T. :)
Quote from: Greg on January 09, 2010, 08:34:36 AM
I think the vials were about the size of an average little finger, but I could be wrong, I think I was looking at the ceiling most of the time.
I look out the window..... If i watch them stick it in or even look at it after, then it actually hurts (mental thing, i guess). But i have a strange fascination when they put an IV in - had to have it down twice and i couldn't stop staring at it.... :(
Quote from: FolkFanatic on January 09, 2010, 03:50:25 PM
It's just the blood draw. My veins are HORRIBLE.
I look out the window.....
Try drinking lots of water - keeps you hydrated and helps the veins feel more bouncy and easier to stab! Even with fasting bloods - you can still drink water. Not many people know that. Its different to fasting for surgery and its really hard to bleed dehydrated patients! And the cannula (IV) vs venipuncture (blood draw) - I don't look either way! Well I never used to be able to - not so bad now! I always felt taking blood was different - like invasive as it was taking part of me!! Like you said - in my head!!
Oh and relax as much as possible - I know, not easy when you're already worked up etc :-\ but the most ouchy part is getting throught the skin, once in - its usually not AS bad and tensing the muscles makes it WAY worse!!
Quote from: Teknoir on January 09, 2010, 10:30:30 AM
Oh crap.... they check cholesterol?!
I'm so screwed :(
Anyone been knocked back for T rockin' high cholesterol, or did you get the impression they were more looking for a baseline to monitor changes?
*Sigh* Why do tasty things have to be so tasty? :-\
Sucks – just had my levels checked and low and behold... High cholesterol again! Subtle diet changes help dude. Like you can get margerines that help lower your absorption. Oats/porridge do too. Avocados in moderation and almonds – be careful they have other fats present so you don't need a lot! Blueberries are supposed to be good too. Omega fatty acids like in fish too. There are also supplements like flaxseed oil and more google the subject for those - just be careful if your LFT was elevated too ::)
I have started all this again – and it's worked before so fingers crossed!!
And remember just my opinion and what I do – I'm not a doctor. Not quite ;)
I have a friend who could not start T until he got his cholesterol down. I think it depends on your doc.
Myles
Please don't say that. I've been on tablets since i was 12 cos of my cholesterol levels and no matter what i do it doesn't come down. I'll be really down if something i've inherited from my dad stops me before i've even begun
Quote from: alex k on January 09, 2010, 06:22:07 PM
Please don't say that. I've been on tablets since i was 12 cos of my cholesterol levels and no matter what i do it doesn't come down. I'll be really down if something i've inherited from my dad stops me before i've even begun
Is it controlled with the meds?? I think Myles is right in saying it will depend on your GP. Good luck dude - that sucks :-\
can't get it as low as it should be but its fairly controlled. oh well just another thing to x my fingers over
If my doctor didn't know, I'd do some research, not on what I might need, I'd research finding a doctor who did know.
Your doc can decide, especially if they are familiar with your situation. I wouldn't worry just ask them about it. My friends was easily controllable, changed his eating a bit and all was good. Wasn't trying to scare you, just point out that each doc can be different.
Myles
Gizzy
I'd suggest you give Dr Curtis (I presume that's who you're seeing privately) a call and ask him or his secretary - they'll be able to tell you for sure what blood tests you'll need. Much better to do that than have ones that someone on a message board's doctor does for them, and then discover it's not the same ones that YOUR doctor requires!
:)
Had to get my cholesterol level down before starting T, it's a family problem for me too. Since I've actually started T (five months) it's actually gone down by 0.7 so for some reason T seems to help me.
Quote from: Flameboy on January 12, 2010, 05:31:48 AM
Gizzy
I'd suggest you give Dr Curtis (I presume that's who you're seeing privately) a call and ask him or his secretary - they'll be able to tell you for sure what blood tests you'll need. Much better to do that than have ones that someone on a message board's doctor does for them, and then discover it's not the same ones that YOUR doctor requires!
:)
I was quoting the info I was given by Dr Curtis.
My endo didn't ask for blood tests. Should I be concerned? He said I shouldn't need to because my hormone levels should be normal. He's putting me on estrogen and progesterone blockers while I take my T. He was highly recommended by a support group where I am.
I always noticed that everyone talks about getting blood tests first before getting prescribed, and it makes sense. Maybe he put me on a low dose.
A little late to the party, but these are the initial tests my endo ordered:
CBC with differential, Platelet count, Comprehensive metabolic panel, Vitamin D, TSH, Cholesterol, Triglyeride, HDL, LDL, HDL/Cholesterol Ratio, and Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio
The 3-month tests ordered are:
CBC, Comprehensive metabolic panel, and Testosterone, total
I'm fairly certain that's what the 6-month and 1-year tests are as well.
Quote from: Lachlann on January 12, 2010, 02:49:36 PM
My endo didn't ask for blood tests. Should I be concerned? He said I shouldn't need to because my hormone levels should be normal. He's putting me on estrogen and progesterone blockers while I take my T. He was highly recommended by a support group where I am.
I always noticed that everyone talks about getting blood tests first before getting prescribed, and it makes sense. Maybe he put me on a low dose.
I would be considered if my endo didn't ask for any blood work before giving my hormones, but that's just me. Turns out my vitamin D count was dangerously low and I needed a prescription for it. If it hadn't been caught, putting me on T could have seriously effected my bones. Thankfully everything else was within normal range. Do you know if he plans to do follow up blood work?
He said he wanted follow up blood work, but he wanted to see me 5 months afterward. I know I'm not allowed to say the dosage here, but it seems pretty big for starting.
Quote from: Lachlann on January 12, 2010, 10:06:25 PM
He said he wanted follow up blood work, but he wanted to see me 5 months afterward. I know I'm not allowed to say the dosage here, but it seems pretty big for starting.
If you think it's high, you can ask him what he normally prescribes although he might not tell you. You mentioned that the support group you go to recommended him. Would it be possible to ask them if the no initial blood work, dosage, etc is typical of this doc?
Quote from: Adio on January 12, 2010, 10:11:34 PM
If you think it's high, you can ask him what he normally prescribes although he might not tell you. You mentioned that the support group you go to recommended him. Would it be possible to ask them if the no initial blood work, dosage, etc is typical of this doc?
I suppose I could do that.
I also got my blood taken recently, and nothing came back that was out of place. So maybe my family doctor forwarded that, who knows. I'll ask when I go in to get the shot.
Quote from: Lachlann on January 12, 2010, 10:13:55 PMI also got my blood taken recently, and nothing came back that was out of place. So maybe my family doctor forwarded that, who knows.
Did you ask your GP to do that? If you're in the US and didn't give permission they couldn't do that due to HIPPA laws.
Quote from: Radar on January 13, 2010, 02:20:46 PM
Did you ask your GP to do that? If you're in the US and didn't give permission they couldn't do that due to HIPPA laws.
I'm in Canada. Maybe he didn't forward it.
Quote from: Lachlann on January 13, 2010, 02:25:25 PMI'm in Canada. Maybe he didn't forward it.
I'm not sure if Canada has HIPPA laws or not.
HIPPA is an American Law, and despite our efforts to have everyone on earth obey our laws, so far, they don't extend past our borders.
Quote from: tekla on January 13, 2010, 06:28:04 PM...and despite our efforts to have everyone on earth obey our laws...
Which, many times, is a good thing. Other countries not having U.S. laws or standards I mean.
/political statement
Quote from: Radar on January 14, 2010, 07:05:56 AM
Which, many times, is a good thing. Other countries not having U.S. laws or standards I mean.
/political statement
Depends on the country that you're drawing a comparison to.
Canada is a pretty private country as is. Either way it's better not to guess, although my friend and I might have figured out why he gave me what he did. Still going to bring it up though.
I just got a call that made me want to post in here and stress the importance of getting bloodwork done frequently when you're on T. I waited six months to get my first post-T bloodwork done, and my testosterone is TWICE what it should be. My cholesterol has gone up 100 points, and the excess T has apparently messed up my liver pretty badly. If I had gotten bloodwork done sooner, I could've minimized the negative effects, and I'll probably have to stop T for a while now to let everything go down. Ah well, just a word of warning...