Donated double reds (double red blood cells) im order to lower my high hemoglobin -17.8 (top of range 17.1)because Endo wanted to lower my dose. She, like majority of docs, is incompetent - as she told me prior that’s donating won’t help. Lol.
So after getting results of labs back she said she was confused at how fast my hemoglobin dropped. Haha. But unrelated my free T was high. 178 (35-155)
SHGB 21 (10-50)
TT 830 (250-1100)
100 mgs/week Test Cyp.
So she lowered my dose to 75 mgs for a month & then retest. Ive been on 100 mgs for 15 yrs and feel great. Don’t want her messing w/ this.
After she threatened to decrease because of hemoglobin, i ordered my own T in case of this scenario. It’s waste of $ for these doc appts & labs. Especially since she lacks basic knowledge- i told her i wanted my E checked & she argued it wasn’t necessary. Ultimately, I convinced her. Too many other examples to list.
You need to inject T twice a week, subq, not IM to get steady T and E2 levels.
Steady T levels with reduced T peaks will help with RBC and hematocrit.
What was hematocrit and then and now?
Do not be dehydrated for lab work.
Always do labs halfway between injections so results are more representative.
You need to test E2 and manage near E2=22pg/ml and most guys need 1mg/week taken 1/2mg at time of injections. A few need 1/8th mg twice a week.
Avoid iron fortified:
- cereals
- rice
- breads
- flour and baking mixed
- vitamins
Do not ignore thyroid, iodine and oral body temperature issues, see below.
Please read the stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category - #2 by KSman
- advice for new guys - need more info about you
- things that damage your hormones
- protocol for injections
- finding a TRT doc
Evaluate your overall thyroid function by checking oral body temperatures as per the thyroid basics sticky. Thyroid hormone fT3 is what gets the job done and it regulates mitochondrial activity, the source of ATP which is the universal currency of cellular energy. This is part of the body’s temperature control loop. This can get messed up if you are iodine deficient. In many countries, you need to be using iodized salt. Other countries add iodine to dairy or bread.
KSman is simply a regular member on this site. Nothing more other than highly active.
I can be a bit abrupt in my replies and recommendations. I have a lot of ground to cover as this forum has become much more active in the last two years. I can’t follow threads that go deep over time. You need to respond to all of my points and requests as soon as possible before you fall off of my radar. The worse problems are guys who ignore issues re Thyroid, body temperatures, history of iodized salt. Please do not piss people off saying that lab results are normal, we need lab numbers and ranges.
The value that you get out of this process and forum depends on your effort and performance. The bulk of your learning is reading/studying the suggested stickies.