Just gave blood witjh hematocrit of 55.2, and hemoglobin 18.9

[jasondd1]

I literally just gave blood with a hemoglobin of 18.9 and a hematocrit of 55.2. 6 months earlier they flagged me for high hematocrit(53) and told me to check with my Doctor. They told me they would not do it. I went in today to try it because my hematocrit is out of control and getting worse. They pulled me up on their computer and asked why I was deferred before and i told them about my hematocrit levels and that my Dr checked me out and said I was good to go so they pulled a higher up to over ride the system and I'm off. After seeing my hemoglobin and 18.9 she asked again why and i said its just high and my doc tested me for everything they were concerned and i was good to go. She then asked is it because of testosterone and i said no. She went quiet because I think she knew I was lieing but went ahead and did it. I got the feeling if I said yes she still would of done it but I didn't want to risk it.I'm going to go back every 8 weeks now and retest in 4 months or so.

[kelkel]

That should knock it down 3-4 points. Donating is a healthy thing. Good for you and society but you may want to examine your dosage and consider lowering it a bit to help mitigate the issue.

[BallSak]

My RBCs were above range before TRT. Doc had my oxygen checked and erythropoietin but everything came back fine. I think it may be because I eat a very high iron diet. I've now gotten iron-free multivitamins and tried to scale down my iron intake. My iron is still in the upper part of the range and I make sure to donate every 2 months. I've got labs in 2 weeks so I'm interested to see what if the lower iron diet has had an effect on my RBCs.

[tripperdogg]

Everytime I go and donate,every 2 months,my hemoglobin is usually in the 17.5 range. My wife says Im a stroke risk now and wants me to stop therapy. Im going to decrease my dosage like Kel said and see what the hemoglobin number is next month. She has never supported me in my journey with TRT and always comes up with things from her medical backround to discourage me from TRT.My neck is 18" and she tells me that Im at risk for sleep appnia. Ill try lowing the does and see where Im at. Good post OP. Good luck

[kelkel]

I remember you saying you're "unsupported" Tripper. That sucks. Only good part is she may very well be put on testosterone herself as she ages. Then it's your turn to say "I told ya so."

Hope all is well.

[tripperdogg]

Marriage aint so good , but what can you do. Be there for the 2 boys and try and make the best of it.She is so against medication, she'd rather be miserable than feel good. Lucky me, ha ha. Hope you are well.

[kelkel]

Trip she's simply uneducated when it comes to testosterone. She should also not be so closed minded.

[bigt405]

Back in March I had the same issue my hemoglobin was 18.9 when I donated. I just went this week ( 56 days later) and it was 18.6 when I donated this time. It looks like an every 56 day donation is what it is going to take to keep mine under control. It sucks but I think it is worth it......