Doctor is Stingy with Test Results

Pharma TRT
1

EDIT: You may want to skip to the second page…

Hi everyone,

I’m a 37 year-old male, former competing martial artist, now coach. I had asked my doctor about T replacement therapy as I had been becoming tired easily and my libido wasn’t where I’d like it to be.

June 2010 -The doctor reported my free testosterone as 10.6 and my testosterone (RIA) as 5.9

She started me on testosterone shots called enantate (which now I’m a little nervous about as I see a different spelling on this forum) 250mg every two weeks.

July 2010 - This time she reported my SHBG as 72.1 and my testosterone (RIA) at 3.9 She
did calculations and told me my free testosterone is 1.18% and my bioavailable is 27%.

It seems like my T level is going down, but she wants to cut my injections to once per month because she’s afraid my testes will shut down and that I’ll get cancer. I don’t think I’ve ever given her reason to fear either of those things, since there is no cancer in my family and I’m certainly not a risk. Also, she said that my prostate result was great (from the info on the blood test).

If you are reading this and have a moment, I would appreciate feedback re:

  • my test results (sorry they’re so limited)
  • cutting back to once per month shots (which I don’t want to do)

I’m not looking to be as big as some of you guys; I’m just looking to stay lean and fit into my 40’s and keep my libido up!

2

Your Dr is clueless.

You will shutdown on any TRT dose that is effective - shutdown is a side effect that is inevitable. You cannot prevent down regulation of LH or FSH but you can prevent testicular shutdown with hCG use.

You need to post the units for your tests to have the best advice here

You need to read stickies on TRT - this will give you mor knowledge than 99% of all DRs in this subject. Either get a better DR or educate yours.

How much test are you currently dosing?

3

How much test are you currently dosing?
I’ve been doing one 250mg needle every two weeks.
Today was my sixth time, so beginning the 11th week, I believe.
The Dr. told me I will not be administered my next shot until four weeks later.

You need to post the units for your tests to have the best advice here
I’m not sure what you mean, but here are all the numbers from the first test in June:

WBC Count 5.2
Homoglobin 14.1
MCV 90.9
MCHC 33.6
Testosterone 5.9
RBC Count 4.62
Hematocrit 42.0
MCH 30.5
Pit Count 220

EDIT:
Albumin 4.0
SGPT 29
Total Bilirubin 1.0
SGOT 31
GTP 15
T. Cholesterol 134

Like I said, I’m not trying to get as big as some of you guys, but I do like to pump iron and do calisthenics and in general stay active and have good workouts that produce lean, hard muscle.

4

Post the lab ranges and units! Look at what others post for an example.

Total cholesterol seems very low. Are you taking a statin drug to lower cholesterol?

Glucose?

Get a new doctor, there is a sticky for you to read about that.

5

call the doctors office and ask them to fax the results. You need to have the actual results in your hands.

6

[quote]Helper wrote:
It seems like my T level is going down, but she wants to cut my injections to once per month because she’s afraid my testes will shut down and that I’ll get cancer.
[/quote]

This could be the single most stupid thing I have heard that a doctor said on this site.

8

we need to create a new thread - The worst advice doctors have given.

9

[quote]KSman wrote:
Total cholesterol seems very low. Are you taking a statin drug to lower cholesterol?

Glucose?
[/quote]

No, I’m not taking anything to lower my cholesterol.

Thank you all for the responses and advice. I really wish I could give the full test results from both tests, but as the title indicates, my doctor is stingy with the results.

I’ll check out the sticky about getting a new doctor.

10

I cut-and-pasted a fellow board member’s test results. I am considering printing out these test results and taking them to my doctor, so that I can get all of my necessary #s.

Is the below test thorough?

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
Blood Results from 6/29/10

First the boring stuff…

Catecholamines, total: 276 pg/mL (Supine: 123-671, upright: 242-1125)
*Hemoglobin: 17.5 g/dL (13.2-17.1)
*Hematocrit: 50.8% (38.5-50)
*MPV: 7.4 fL (7.5-11.5)
*Creatinine: 1.34 mg/dL (.8-1.3)

*LDL: 148 mg/dL (<130)
*HDL: 40 mg/dL (>=40)
*Total Cholesterol: 226 mg/dL (<200)
*Triglycerides-direct: 179 mg/dL (<150)

C-Reactive Protein: 1 mg/L (<8)
*Remnant Lipoproteins: 32 mg/dL (<30)
Albumin: 4.7 g/dL (3.6-5.1)
Homocysteine, Serum: 8.0 umol/L (<11.4)
IGF Binding Protein-3: 6.3 mg/L (3.4-7.8)
IGF-1 ECL: 283 ng/mL (88-374)

Now the good stuff…

Vitamin B12: 315 pg/mL (200-1100, with a caveat that people between 200-400 may experience neuropsychiatric and hematologic abnormalities due to occult B12 deficiency)
Vitamin D3: 46 ng/mL (30-100)

Testosterone, Total: 562 ng/dL (241-827)
Testosterone, Total: 546 ng/dL (250-1100)
Testosterone, Free: 101.1 pg/mL (46-224)
Testosterone, Free: 146.3 pg/mL (35-155)
*Testosterone, Free %: 2.68 (1.5-2.2)
DHT: 60 ng/dL (25-75)

E2: 30 pg/mL (13-54)
Progesterone: 0.6 ng/mL (<1.4)

*LH: 12.7 mIU/mL (1.5-9.3)
Ferritin: 54 ng/mL (20-345)
DHEA Sulfate: 177 mcg/dL (110-510)
SHBG: 22 nmol/L (7-49)

TSH: 2.25 mIU/L (0.4-4.5)
T3, Free: 392 pg/dL (230-420)
T4, Free: 1.7 ng/dL (0.8-2.7)
T3, Reverse: 26 ng/dL (11-32)
Thyroid Peroxidase AB: 12 IU/mL (<35)
Thyroglobulin AB: <20 IU/mL (<20)
[/quote]

11

^^^Those tests of mine are only part of what I got taken. I didn’t even post the extremely boring stuff. I actually filled up 19 vials of blood at the lab! This is because I have an excellent doctor who knows how to interpret the gamut of tests. It is probably overkill if you don’t have the right doc.

Read the stickey on blood tests. That is probably more localized to what most people need.

12

ditto… check out the blood test sticky.

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I thought that my doctor was holding back my results, but it turns out she didn’t test everything that I had asked her to. I’ve found a new doctor and have an appointment for next week.

My question: do you think it would be wise to “start all over” and get a “before” test done properly?

What I mean is, would it be a good idea to wait until the effects of the testosterone injections wear off, and get labs done again, properly? Any idea as to how long that would take? It’s been 2.5 weeks since my last injection, by the way.

I had been getting 250mg “enantate” (not misspelled) shots every two weeks, for a total of seven injections. At first it was awesome! Then, it wasn’t as good.

I read about hCG and no A/I on the board, and thought that I should talk to the doctor about it. Actually, my (now previous) doctor was surprised when I showed her the information in the Protocol sticky, and told me that she had never used hCG and A/I before.

I told her that, to my understanding, your E goes up when your T goes up, which she agreed with. When I asked her how she counteracts that, she said she just lowers the T shots to every month, which lowers the E.

I told her that my sack is feeling a little tight lately, so she told me it’s time to get off of T.

Anyway, I sent the Protocol Sticky to another doctor, and I was told that I can be prescribed what I need. On one hand that’s great, but on the other hand, I’m still learning about this and want to do it right.

14

Your she doc has no idea what she is doing, run as fast as you can!

Good luck with your new doc. Hopefully “what I need” is not defined only by what the doc thinks.

15

[quote]KSman wrote:
Your she doc has no idea what she is doing, run as fast as you can!

Good luck with your new doc. Hopefully “what I need” is not defined only by what the doc thinks.[/quote]

Thanks for the well-wishes. Any tips about whether I should try to get “before” labs done (again)? And how long that would take?

16

read: http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/reprint/90/5/2595.pdf

17

Hi,

Thanks for the link KSman.

I went to the new doc, and had new labs done (at $675.00!) after being off T for three weeks. Did the blood work at 11am on an empty stomach.

Cortisol 11.5 (5-25)
Free Test: 8.1 (M20~39: 8.8~27)
ACTH (RIA): 16.4 (10~60)
DHEA-S: 118 (35~430ug/dL)
Testosterone: (RIA) 4.8 (2.62~15.93)

HbA1c: NGSP: 5.5 (3.5~6.5%)
IFCC: 37 (15~48 mmol/mol)
eAG: 111

WBC(B): 4.91 (4.00~10.00)
RBC(B): 5.29 (3.87~4.90)
Hb: 16.1 (11.5~16.8)
HCT: 49.1 (36.0~46.0)
Platelet: 234 (145~375)
Band Neutrophil: 0.0 (0.0~5.0%)
Neutrophil Seg: 48.3 (40.0~72.0%)
Lymphocyte: 33.2 (20.0~48.0%)
Monocyte: 7.5 (4.0~10.0%)
Eosinophil: 9.4 (1.0~7.0%)

Basophil: 1.6 (0.0~1.0%)
N-RBC: (0/WBC 100)
Blast: 0.0 (0.0~0.0%)
pH(RU): 7.5

WBC(RU): Negative
Blood(RU): Negative
Glucose(RU): Negative
Nitrite(RU): Negative
Protein(RU): 1 Positive
Ketone(RU): Negative
Urobilonogen(RU): Negative
Bilirubin(RU): Negative

PSA: 0.837 (0~4ng/mL)

CK-MB(S): 2.15 (0.00~4.84 ng/mL)
Free fatty acid: 288 (170~585)
Somatomedin-C: (IGF-1) 164.0 (109~329)
IGF-BP3(CLIA): 4490 (ask doctor for range)
Homocysteine(S,CLIA): 11.73 (3.7~13.9 umol/L)

LH: 3.05 (1.5~9.3)

Estradol(E2): 30.70 (M: below 52)

Progesterone: 0.26 (M: below 1.29)

TSH: 1.64 (0.35~5.5)

Free T4: 1.04 (0.78~1.54 ng/dL)
Free T3: 3.25 (2.3~4.2 pg/mL)

Direct Bilirbin: 0.41 (0.0~0.4 mg/dL)
Indirect Bilirubin: 0.8 (0.2~1.0 mg/dL)
Protein total(S): 7.3 (6.6~8.5 g/dL)
Albumin(S): 4.6 (3.5~5.0 g/dL)
Bilirubin, total: 1.2 (0.2~1.4 mg/dL)

ALP(Alkaline phosphatase): 49 (39~117 U/L)
AST(SGOT): 33 (0~31 U/L)
ALT(SGPT): 29 (0~31 U/L)
*-GT: 15 (7~32 U/L)
CK (Creatine Kinase, CPK): 196 (0~170 U/L)
LDH (Lactate dehydrogenase): 451 (230~460 U/L)
Creatine: 1.1 (0.7~1.3 mg/dL)
BUN: 19.7 (4.5~23.5 mg/dL)
Uric Acid: 3.6 (2.4~5.7 mg/dL)

Cholesterol: 139 (0~220 mg/dL)
Triglyceride: 36 (0~200 mg/dL)
LDL Cholesterol: 80 (0~130 mg/dL)
HDL Cholesterol: 44 (35~80 mg/dL)
Glucose(S): 59 (70~110 mg/dL)
Amylase(S): 58 (20~104 U/L)
Calcium: 9.8 (8.1~10.5 mg/dL)

Inorganic-phosphorus: 2.9 (2.5~5.0 mg/dL)
ACP (Acid Phosphatase): 0.7 (M:<6.6)
Lipase: 26 (13~60 U/L)
Na(Sodium) 142 (135~145 mmol/L)
K(Potassium) 4.1 (3.5~5.3 mmol/L)
CI: 104 (98~110 mmol/L)
Mg: 2.3 (1.8~2.4 mg/dL)

The doctor would like to start me on the following program:

Morning

  1. DHEA 25mg
  2. Pregnenolone 50mg
  3. Amino Acid 1 C (not sure what that means)
  4. Thyroid 1/2 T (maybe tablet?)

Before Bed

  1. Multivitamin & Mineral 1 C
  2. Zn
  3. Amino Acid 1 C
  4. Melatonin 3mg
  5. Progesterone 100mg

Testosterone inj. 250mg/3wks
hgh 8iu/wk

ORAL MEDS: $450.00/month
T: $80.00/month
hgh: $550/month

I told her that I can only afford the T, and would need an A/i. She refused to give me an A/i as my E was low. I explained that the E will rise when I take the T, and then she said that if that happens, she’ll give me an A/i.

I told her I need hCG, and she told me the hgh (which I can’t afford) would do the same thing.

Long story short, I left the office with 15 syringes of T (cost me $80), loaded at about 13mg each. I came home and put them in my fridge, and then started typing this.

I’d appreciate readers’ thoughts about my bloodwork. I’d like to make a good plan for self-injecting, which I plan to do as soon as I can find a reasonably-priced A/i and hGG.

18

(Edited the above post)

19

Amino acid caps to promote GH release.

Her comment re hCG and hGH is totally bogus - lacking intellectual integrity.

HCT: 49.1 (36.0~46.0) is a concern. Donate blood if you qualify.

DHEA-S is cheap if OTC where you are. Pregnenolone can be good, but many do not absorb well.

Multi-vit will absorb better with a meal. These are cheap.

You know how we feel about T injections that are one week or longer.

20

[quote]KSman wrote:
Amino acid caps to promote GH release.

Her comment re hCG and hGH is totally bogus - lacking intellectual integrity.

HCT: 49.1 (36.0~46.0) is a concern. Donate blood if you qualify.

DHEA-S is cheap if OTC where you are. Pregnenolone can be good, but many do not absorb well.

Multi-vit will absorb better with a meal. These are cheap.

You know how we feel about T injections that are one week or longer.

[/quote]
Cool, I’ve been thinking about donating blood. And thanks for the information on the oral medications.

Ok. I have the T in my fridge. Before I start-up again, I want to get a/i and hCG CHEAP. I did a site search, but using keywords like “online” and “order” give me WAAAYY to many results.

I found the link to the Indian arimidex, but I’m a little wary. Anyone have contact information for the “research” arimidex?