How Long Before Labwork Readings?

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Hello all,

First time poster here.

STATS:
AGE 45
HEIGHT 5’9"
WEIGHT 250
WAIST 38
BODY/FACIAL HAIR LESS THAN MOST
CARRY FAT AROUND MIDSECTION AND SOME AROUND CHEST AREA
NARCOLEPTIC
TOOK FLOMAX FOR A MONTH AND DIDN’T LIKE THE SIDE EFFECTS / DIMINISHED SEMEN

FIRST SET OF LABS BEFORE STARTING TRT /
Total Testosterone was 353 lab range being 132-813 ng/dl
Free T4 was 1.18 lab range being .78- 2.19 ng/dl
Total T4 was 7.0 lab range being 5.5-11.0 ug/dl
Triglycerides 89 mg/dl
Cholesterol 219 mg/dl
HDL Direct 40.0 mg/dl
LDL Calculated 160 mg/dl
VLDL Calculated 18

DIET IS KETOGENIC HIGH PROTEIN ALMOST NO CARBS/NO SUGARS ONLY CARBS BEFORE AND AFTER WORKOUT
TRAINING IS DC
ERECTIONS ARE ALMOST NON EXISTENT

I have a doctor that seems to be willing to work with me even though he admits he doesn’t know much about this. I’ve only been on trt a month and have never achieved the great results of the first week on it. First week i took 200 ml of test cyp. which was double the amount i was prescribed. I wasn’t trying to abuse it I thought it was proper protocol for frontloading.

Had a few erections and my mood was fantastic as i was very happy that week. Nothing at all since then, sad to say. I continued with the 100 ml prescribed and nothing happened. I missed one week and then took the labwork and it showed total test of 150 and sensitive E2 of less than 3.

Then when i got back on it I doubled again thinking that’s what i needed to fix me as i figured the doc would up my dosage anyways. After seeing my “low E2” I started taking Dhea tabs from a supplement store at the mall. I realize now that everything I’ve done so far may be wrong and i may not want to be on Dhea at all and that possibly my low sensitive E2 may not have been low at all even though i seem to be having bone issues, horrible mood swings and generally feeling like crap.

I only have two tests that were performed on my l.w. this second time, total and sensitive E2, which after finding the suggested guidelines here I realize may possibly not have been the right ones lol.
I haven’t noticed any affects from either med’s at all short of the first week with the test cyp.

I believe doc would allow me to choose l.w. tests i ask to be taken.

I have a another thread on another site that I started which i won’t link as i don’t know the policies of either site as to protocol etiquette.

My question is that how long should I wait until i take the appropriate labs?
In other words let’s say that this week is actually the beginning week of my therapy, should i wait like 3 weeks while on it before i get the labwork or more?

Second question is what is appropriate length of time since my last shot to get this labwork?

Thank you for your consideration!

2

Total T of 150 was 14 days after your last 100mg injection, correct?

The E2 reading was either the wrong test or a false reading. You need the Quest Estradiol Sensitive Test #4021. ref range something like 4 - 54.

You really need to test for TSH. If TSH > 1 then ask for Free T4 AND Free T3. Without Free T3, the results are useless.

Weekly shots give hormone swings. Try 50mg E3D. and then get the blood drawn on day 2.

3 weeks on sounds reasonable. some will say wait 6 weeks, but with injections, I think testing sooner is doable.

most people are deficient in D3. You can test for it by testing D25-OH, but most are helped by taking 6,000iu D3 daily.

3

Exactly 12 days since injection. I am near Labcorp.
Is the TSH the one with free t or without?
Can’t find which test is d25 at Labcorp?
Thanks

4

TSH was not tested. They only tested for Free T4 and Total T4. those are good tests, but by themselves those tests are useless. T4 info is only good in reference to T3 values.

5

Thank you. I will try to get those tests added in. I will wait until 3 more weeks before i have the blood test done.

I guess i have dowager’s hump. Looks like it very well maybe osteo happening.

6

Thanks, I will get those tests added in.
I was wondering what this hump was on back of my neck and seems to possibly be dowager’s hump.
I also have a huge intolerance to heat, possibly hyperthyroidism?

7

your T4 numbers don’t seem to indicate hyper, but without TSH and Free T3 there is no way to know for sure.
dowager’s makes me wondwe what your calcium and D25-OH levels look like. - have you seen a chiropractor to see if they can help?

8

I do see a chiro but it’s only for A.R.T.
Never had any b.w. done by him though.
Even though i’ve been taking a good multi I just went out and bought
Calcium and D 600 mg. It’s says to take one or two tabs daily, should i start with one tab since i am taking Dhea and multi’s?

9

Wow discovery is amazing lol…I found out that my love for salt and coffee has been robbing my body of calcium that i don’t have in my diet. Now… if i could see an improvement in my libido…

10

Last nite showed some improvement…woot! Taking my shots every 3rd day. Still going to take Dhea as long as things continue to seem better. I realize that it’s going to take the proper blood work to realize exactly what’s going on. Can I assume that since I missed that shot that week, that the 3 weeks I have to wait for getting blood tests should be counted since then? If so then maybe it is time to get blood work done.

Oh and not exactly sure it’s dowager’s because the pics i’ve seen show the curve/lump lower than the spot of my raised bone i think. Will have a doc look at it when i can.

11

I realize I’m all over the place. Sorry for that. I’m trying to figure out which blood tests from Labcorp are the right ones I need.

Name of test / test number
TT / 070001
FT / ?
E2 / ? POSSIBLY 004515
PROLACTIN / ? HOW MANY SPECIMENS
DHT / ? HOW MANY SPECIMENS
TSH / ?
FREE T4 / ?
FREE T3 / ?
D25-OH / ?
Is there a test for DHEA-S?

It seems that Labcorp’s test menu has many different tests for each one. I want to be able to produce the name and test number of each one. The more thorough I am the easier it will be to ask for those tests to be run. If someone could help it would be appreciated.

12

sorry, not familiar with LabCorp tests. Do they have an online tool like Quest where you can look up all of their different tests and find the numbers? if not, you just have to rely on the doctor’s office.

13

Yes they do.

14

Yes they do if you go to their website you will see a link for test menu.

15

I believe I have figured it out. I’m only not sure of the FREE/BIOAVAILABLE TESTOSTERONE AND FREE T4 and FREE T3 tests.

Name of test / test number
TT / 070001
FT / ?
E2 / 004515
PROLACTIN / 004465
DHT / 500142
TSH / 010314
FREE T4 /
FREE T3 /
D25-OH / 081950
DHEA-S / 004697

16

I just did a search for free T3 in their menu and it said test

010389 = free T3
224576 = TSH + free T4
081950 = Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy
070038 = Testosterone, Free, Equilibrium Ultrafiltration With Total Testosterone, LC/MS-MS

but again, your doc should know more about which actual tests are best. You just insist on the type and let him/her pick the actual test #.

17

Thank you PureChance! I REALLY appreciate all your help. I agree that my doc should know more about this than he does. It is up to me to find a doc that does though. Until then it’s an immense help getting views from people like you on this forum!

So I will wait until the day before my shot (E3d) to get blood drawn, between 8-10 am and no food in stomach…sound good?

18

day 1 - shot
day 2 - blood draw
day 3 - nothing
repeat

as close to 8am as possible (you may as well ask for 8am Cortisol while you are there)

19

Awesome will get blood taken tomorrow if doc okays it by then. Thanks again.

20

and as a side note, that is what worked for me. actually I tested on day 3, then a couple of weeks later tested on day 2.

that is how I learned that I burn through T way too fast, and why I had to switch to EOD injections.

you may want to test on Day 3 to get your low point as well.

these are all just opinions and not hard facts in most cases. Take everything you read with a grain of salt.