If you have been following this journey, you know that for the past year+, I have been having full blood hormone panels performed every 4 weeks. It has helped to get a handle on what is going on in my body.
But I feel as though things are leveling out, and I decided to cut back to every six weeks, working my way to every three months, to coincide with the week before pellet re-insertion.
Today was blood day. And as the results begin trickling in, I find myself surprised at some of the results.
- For multiple blood cycles, my “alkaline phosphatase” was unusually high, as well as my HDL-C, which was also low, which neither doctor was happy with. My Asian doctor asked me to cut down my Vitamin D by 2/3 (to 4000iu), which I agreed. In conjunction, my HDL-C was also low.
The latest results show my Alkaline Phosphatase returning to normal (46 on a 35-129 scale); and my HDL-C moving to 54 on a >35 scale.
I did not make any other changes except the reduction of vit D.
- Even with the substantial reduction in Vitamin D supplements, my test levels showed >70 on a >29 scale. That is not good and makes me think I need to lower the intake even more. I am getting substantially more sun right now, and that may be something I will have to consider as I plan supplements in the future. The goal was to get me in the 45-50 range.
- DHEA-S INCREASED even though I cut the amount of DHEA supplementation in half. I was at a reasonable 263.7 in the previous test; 403 on this test (on a scale of 51-295. That is a real shock.
- Hematocrit. A month back, I had a blood let because my hematocrit was at 53, and my doctor was in a panic about that number. She won’t be happy with this test result either. Hematocrit INCREASED to 55.7. Red blood cells count was also high.
What bothers me the most about this is: “A high hematocrit with a high RBC count and high hemoglobin indicates polycythemia. … Dehydration”. I seriously monitor my intake of water. The only time I can be dehydrated is in the early morning when I can’t have liquid after midnight because of this test.
Nowhere on the web does it talk about taking an afternoon blood test to confirm dehydration.
- Estradiol. I was slightly high last test, but I wanted it higher in order to find my sweet spot and see overall how I was feeling. Remember that ultra-sensitive tests are not available in Asia, so my regular E2 test came back at 69.8 on a scale of 25-60. That is about the same amount higher (by percentage) than I was last cycle. It is possible that I should return to 2 dim daily instead of one.
I am feeling pretty good however with the slightly elevated E2.
- Asian doctor asked me to add a few tests, including GGT (Gamma Glutamyltransferase) which is a liver based test. It was normal at 20 on a 10-66 scale. “GGT is elevated in the blood in most diseases that cause damage to the liver or bile ducts”. Doctors also use the test to see if the patient might be under-reporting alcohol use (I don’t drink).
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SHBG increased to 40.55 which I am not happy to see. The only difference in what I am doing is that I am taking Danazol in 100mg capsules at 6pm each day; if I was in the USA, I take a 50mg early morning, and another 50mg at 6pm. I do not understand how that could effect my numbers.
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The rise in SHBG caused a decrease in Free Testosterone, which was 2.2% this time. If my SHBG had remained at 30 like before, I would be at a 2.5% ft.
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Testosterone was 1435. That is a similar drop to my last insertion. Based on previous testing, the increased SHBG will cause my testosterone to deplete faster which could mean that I will have lower T levels than I am comfortable with at the end of the cycle. Keeping my SHBG lower causes my T levels to remain higher for a longer time.
- (Still missing one test)