[quote]buffd_samurai wrote:
I get my hormone levels checked EVERY month.
[/quote]
Will a regular MD be willing to do this for me (I have decent insurance)? Exactly what hormones should I have him check? T, E, GH, IGF-1, etc?
If you can pursuade him with out offending his ego:
CBC With Differential/Platelet
Comp. Metabolic Panel (14)
Estradiol
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
Insulin, Fasting
Lipid Panel with (total cholesterol, HDL,VLDL, triglycerides, LDL/HDL Ratio to total cholesterol)
Prostate-Specific Ag, Serum
Testosterone, Free and Total
Thyroid Profile(TSH,T3,T4)
[quote]V R wrote:
Im 27. I have insurance. I full round of tests, and Im talking EVERYTHING, costs 1300 bucks, and my insurance covers about 1000 of it. So its about 300 bucks. IGF-1 is the pricey test. If I dumped that, I would be paying around 2 ish…[/quote]
For those who have an IGF-1 result that is ok/normal, they will not be doing the IGF-1 tests again for a long time. No point.
[quote]Plowman wrote:
“if tests run over a thousand dollars how do you expect a guy in their 20’s to get T levels checked?”
He’s 41.
I didn’t mean to suggest that a T level test by itself cost over a thousand dollars. But for those entering this area, they need to know that it’s more than the visit and the cost of the drug.
I’m looking at a print-out from Quest Diagnostics. I have no idea how competitive these prices are. But I also know that when your doctor draws blood, he sends it where he chooses, and you pay. And if you want to talk to two people who DON’T know how much it costs, ask the doctor or the nurse.
Testosterone: 133.17
Free Testosterone: 157.85.
That’s approximately 290. Now, you’re going to get your levels checked at least three times a year by a self-protecting doctor. buffd_samurai gets his checked every month. That means, if his cost ONE HALF of mine, and ONLY Test (not free test), it’d be eight hundred a year.
But that’s only the beginning. A self-protecting doctor will test lipo and triglicerides even more closely because of the impact of HRT. And then there are the near-obligatory QN, glucose AST, ALT that is tacked on – a pittance of a total at 30 dollars per draw. Multiply. Divide. Go to bank. Withdraw.
And while you’re at it, check the LH. What’s that? You’re 41? Better run a PSA on you, what with the T and the risk of BPH all. And how IS your estradiol now that you’re injecting?
I double-checked the total for four different blood draws, and it totals 1,000 dollars over a seven month period. My numbers stand. My advisement of hidden costs stand. There’s a bigger picture here than just going to the doctor and getting a script.
Hooray for all who are getting cheaper bloodwork. I welcome your figures and recommendations.[/quote]
I think it first begins with a good doctor who knows what you are doing and who will work with you to keep monitored. I have a doctor like this…actually 3.
And OK, I see what you are saying with respect to cost over the year. I misunderstood; I thought you were talking just about a few tests (like 3 total which is what I would suggest). And yes, I do spend roughly a grand a year for these tests; but again, that’s 12 tests a year. I can afford it because I make it a priority.
3 measily tests to determine what your levels are when you’re 25 or below. What you spend now will be gold to you later.
I still stand behind my encouragement to get these tests…NOW.
“3 measily tests to determine what your levels are when you’re 25 or below. What you spend now will be gold to you later.”
I should have been clearer that I meant the cost of HRT therapy as a decision, a medical commitment.
With respect to getting a number when you’re young: absolutely. My first T test came when I was in my early forties. It was about 320 on the common 290/970 ng/dl standard. Had it been that low throughout my thirties, during all those years in the gym of unremarkable progress? I’ll never know.
A younger man might approach a skeptical doctor and say directly, “I plan to monitor my hormone levels as I age, so I’m going to ask for benchmark now.” It’d pretty hard for a physician to argue with that.
Information is good. buffd is right; it’s money well spent.
[quote]Plowman wrote:
“3 measily tests to determine what your levels are when you’re 25 or below. What you spend now will be gold to you later.”
I should have been clearer that I meant the cost of HRT therapy as a decision, a medical commitment.
With respect to getting a number when you’re young: absolutely. My first T test came when I was in my early forties. It was about 320 on the common 290/970 ng/dl standard. Had it been that low throughout my thirties, during all those years in the gym of unremarkable progress? I’ll never know.
A younger man might approach a skeptical doctor and say directly, “I plan to monitor my hormone levels as I age, so I’m going to ask for benchmark now.” It’d pretty hard for a physician to argue with that.
Information is good. buffd is right; it’s money well spent. [/quote]
If these baseline tests are not medically justified, probably not getting any insurance coverage for that. One can get the tests through lef.org and save a lot of money and have the results mailed direct to you. You cannot get insurance coverage for lef.org ordered blood work as this was not ordered by a ‘your doctor’. So do your own thing!
[quote]Plowman wrote:
A younger man might approach a skeptical doctor and say directly, “I plan to monitor my hormone levels as I age, so I’m going to ask for benchmark now.” It’d pretty hard for a physician to argue with that.
[/quote]
Excellent suggestion Plowman.
Couldn’t come up with any better words than this!
Just FYI - I had my doctor test AND I had my own blood test performed too.
Initially, I had a complete physical by my doctor and complete blood work, including T levels. My initial blood work from the doctor’s lab said I had almost no white blood cells or platelets - so the doctor retested and I got my own blood work done independantly as a second opinion.
Fortunatly, the initial blood work was completely wrong!
My independant T test (both total and free) cost me $110 out of pocket.