Blood Test results confusing

[ginkobulloba]

I went to a local hospital that for about $65 will test for all the health basics- total blood count, lipid profile, kidney and liver function, etc. I also specifically requested testosterone levels be checked. Basically everything was normal in each test and when I went today to get the results of the testosterone, the nurse shows me results of 5.0 and it says "normal" next to it.

I tell her I am looking for a 3 digit number, between like 200 and 1000. Not one digit. She doesn't understand what I am saying (this is Thailand) and points to the results and says I am normal. I tell her I want to see the printout of the results. Again, 5.0 is all it shows. There is a range of 2.3 to 17.3 and I was 5.0 and normal she says. I told her I wanted to see a Dr.

So I talk to the Dr. and he's as clueless as to what I am talking about as the nurse. I start off by telling him that I am looking for 3 digits, not one. He laughs and says, no, no you are normal. Normal range is between 2.3 and 17.3 and you are 5, normal. That's great I say, but I am looking for 3 digits. This was going nowhere. I told him I want to be in the high normal range and he looks at me and says that steroids make your muscles bigger and you'll have more hair on your face. While he is looking at my 3 day old stubble and biceps. This is a Dr. and that's what he came up with in response to my stating I want to be in the high normal range. Steroids make my muscles bigger.

I told him, yes, thanks I know that steroids make your muscles bigger. Basically that was the end of it. I thought there was no chance they would screw this test up, but sure enough they did. Now I am just trying to make some sense of the results. I guess 5.0 is equivalent to 500ng/dl, right? So, that puts me right smack in the middle. I am 26 and want to be high normal, closer to the 1000ng/range. I feel fine and don't think hrt is what I necessarily want or need. Maybe throw in some aromasin, some hcg once in a while, some tongkat, tribulus, and things like that to get the test levels higher.

Any thoughts on this?

[Random]

wow good story...hope u figure the results out better...some people shouldnt be allowed to practice medicine...

CD

[phatkid77]

im guessing you are no where NEAR 500ng.....
im a 11, my reference range is 10-22nmol/dl

if you told the doctor you wanted it in different Units, or lab values he might of clued in....

was does your print out say... ng/dL, ng/L ect ect... conver from there..

im guessing you are in the 200ng range.... 144 actually...?
but something is off...because the top of the range u got is like 500+...reality is 1100ish?? need the units u were measured in

phats

http://www.globalrph.com/conv_si.htm

http://www.vin.com/scripts/labquest/converthtml.pl

[Stat1951]

Yes, you have to know the TYPE of measurements that they were using for your Testosterone testing... does your print out say... ng/dL, pc/mL, etc., etc.

Several different types exist and - for example - one version will be used primarily in one country (say England) while 3 other variations might be used in the US, etc.

Just saying that it is "a 5" is meaningless. A five of what? And based on a normal reference range of "what"?

[ginkobulloba]

I am pretty sure that the type of measurements used was ng/dl. The range was 2.3-17.3 for normal levels. I told the Dr. if I was a 5.0 and the top of normal was 17.3, I was definitely in the lower end. He responded wih "you are normal." That was all I was getting out of these people.

[phatkid77]

maybe show them some studies.... definitely low...search for a better Dr...

good luck

[ginkobulloba]

Yeah, I checked the conversion sites you gave me and if that is correct, then I am definitely low, like 142 or something. I really don't think there are too many competent Dr's in this area, but I will have to go to another hospital to get a different blood test anyway. I asked my boy Kale what he thought of someone my age, 26, and hrt. He was against it for several reasons that make a lot of sense. But these levels, if they are correct, are totally unacceptable and something needs to be done.
If I ever do go the hrt route, I wouldn't necessarily need a Dr to write me scripts. I can literally walk 5 minutes from the gym to the pharmacy and get all the testosterone I could want and never need a script. So, if push comes to shove I'll get back on some juice and see what a difference it makes.

About 6 months ago I got into a bad motorcycle accident and got on 125mg of test a week and 100mg of deca. I can say that at that time I felt awesome, much better than normal and normal is generally pretty good as is. Afterwards I got on an agressive pct, but have not felt as good as I did then.

[phatkid77]

again, i know nothing...but MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT!! YOU may have damaged your pituitary (in your head)....get that checked as well..

phats

[ginkobulloba]

It was a very bad accident, head on collision, but I never hit my head, just my left shoulder where I broke my clavicle and scapula. I'm now back to being just as strong, if not stronger than I was beforehand, so I don't think there is any reason to think that my pituatary got smashed up.
I'm on hgh at 4iu per day as well and loving it. I'm pretty tempted to get on some test, at least for the short term, only like 125mg a week to see what the effects are in conjunction with the hgh.

Does anyone have experience with trying things such as hcg, aromasin, trib, zma, dhea, etc in an effort to get test levels to a high normal range? Is there a good chance that the levels can stay that way for prolonged periods? I realize each individual response is unique, but firsthand reports would be great. Low test levels are just unacceptable from my pov.

[Kale]

M I think that test they did is for free Testosterone. The test you are talking about is for Total Testosterone. They probably fvcked up dude and didnt do both. Go back and ask them. Can I have you GF when you are finished with her, I need a new one

[ginkobulloba]

Dude, I just got back from your city/state last night. What a nice place, all the way around it was a great trip. The site you pointed me to, with all the Optimum stuff, the owner came and personally delivered all the stuff, is giving me distributor prices and hooking me up. Nice place to live, I can see that.
In regards to the test, I am pretty sure it was for total test. I saw the printout and it simply said testosterone. I will go back there and verify.
In regards to the girl...at the moment we're still on. Lots of shit to put up with, I can tell you that much.

[lacey231]

If you really want your number in this range 241.00-827.00 ng/dL. Just figure out what percentage of your range you are and convert it into the range you want. Basicaly you are at the 18% mark of your normal range. So the 18% mark of the range above gives you a number of 346.48 ng/dl. Different places use different scales, and equipment.

Basically you're in the bottom of the range. I don't know what it's like in Thailand but even here in Canada, or the States a lot of docs wont do anything with those numbers. You need a good doc experienced with TRT. Tribulus, and Dhea don't bother. Aromasin I think is a suicide inhibitor don't bother with that. Before trying to bump up your test with an AI you need to know if you actually have high Estradiol. ZMA's a good idea but don't expect miracles. HCG doesn't work good as sole TRT but should be used while on TRT.

[ginkobulloba]

That analysis makes sense, thanks for posting this. I am already on zma and have been for a few months. The effects of that seem to be nil. I just talked to a friend of mine, a 50 year old who got his levels checked the same time as me. He came back with a 37! Dude said the doc was asking him all kinds of questions about what he's on. He's never touched aas in his life. He wanted to get on hrt but I told him to get tested first. I'm a 5 and this dude twice my age is a 37. Damn.

[lacey231]

That analysis makes sense, thanks for posting this. I am already on zma and have been for a few months. The effects of that seem to be nil. I just talked to a friend of mine, a 50 year old who got his levels checked the same time as me. He came back with a 37! Dude said the doc was asking him all kinds of questions about what he's on. He's never touched aas in his life. He wanted to get on hrt but I told him to get tested first. I'm a 5 and this dude twice my age is a 37. Damn.

Twice the range for a 50 year old? Wow.

If your doctor wont do anything and you can everything yourself I'de get Total Test, free test, estradiol, and DHEA tested. then jump on some test, and hcg (not too much or you'll become primary). get those tested agian, and possibly add in a small amount of arimidex if you need it. Aim to get your testosterone up to the top of your range. If the DHEA is low the hcg will help that a bit, and will keep your nuts from shutting down. I don't know what your estradiol range is, but you don't want it too high or it can give you some of the symptoms of low test.

[ginkobulloba]

Ok, went back to the Doc and it is 5.0 ng/ml. So that is 500ng/dl Just like I originally thought. That's ok, but I'd like to be higher. So I hopped on some test just for a bit. I started with 250mg last week and today took 125mg and will keep it at that dosage for a couple of months at least. I want to see the difference of what higher test can do. Nothing out of the normal range like a real cycle, just on the higher end of normal. I can already say I am feeling it. It was actually like 2 days after the 250mg shot that I felt it. I've banged my chick no less than 5 times in the last 24 hours. Little Elvis is definitely feeling the difference.

[justtrnd40]

Ok, went back to the Doc and it is 5.0 ng/ml. So that is 500ng/dl Just like I originally thought. That's ok, but I'd like to be higher. So I hopped on some test just for a bit. I started with 250mg last week and today took 125mg and will keep it at that dosage for a couple of months at least. I want to see the difference of what higher test can do. Nothing out of the normal range like a real cycle, just on the higher end of normal. I can already say I am feeling it. It was actually like 2 days after the 250mg shot that I felt it. I've banged my chick no less than 5 times in the last 24 hours. Little Elvis is definitely feeling the difference.

I will be 42 in Sep. I got my test checked about 2months ago and it was 1325. I am on trt and take 125mgs of test cyp a week along with hcg and gh. I have been on trt for a little over 2 years now. I feel alot better on a low weekly dose of test than I ever did on a cycle. I am not suggesting that at your age you go on trt I just wanted to let you know my experience. My test was not real low when I started trt. I do it on my own and get blood tests through my doc. I am definately shut down and will have to do the weekly shots for the rest of my life. I am good with that but it definately is a huge commitment and would not recommend it to anyone younger than me unless they have true health problems from low test and can't get their levels up any other way. Good luck

[ginkobulloba]

I've been on the trt dose of test for about 10 days now and gh for about 6 weeks and hcg at 500 units e3d. Also, 50mcg of t4 daily for the last 6 weeks. I supplement with animal pak on training days and centrum on off days, fish oil, creatine monohydrate, vitamin c, and digestive enzymes.

At this point I can say that I look and feel better than I have ever been before. My workouts are insanely intense, my bodyfat is damn close to single digits now, my weight is up and I'm lifting more weight than ever before. Today I deadlifted 315 for 10, followed by 405 for 3, did a superset of 4 sets of 10 on the leg curl and leg ext machines, followed by squats 3x12 of 220 and then 3 sets of stiff leg deads.

My appetite is through the roof, I can't even tell you how much I love to eat. I eat more than ever before and my bodyfat continues to go down. I've been playing with my diet some and cutting out pwo shakes in favor of solid food. Today my weight was 94kg/208lbs and I can almost guarantee that by this time next week I'll be 210.

Obviously I am loving this experience. In regards to the trt, my intentions are not to get on this dosage for life. I'm going to continue to find a way to keep my test levels closer to the 1000 ng/dl range naturally and in the meantime, for the next few months keep the trt dose of 125mg a week along with my 4iu of hgh and perhaps put in some proviron at 50mg per day to increase free testosterone.

[thebrakes]

If you really want your number in this range 241.00-827.00 ng/dL. Just figure out what percentage of your range you are and convert it into the range you want. Basicaly you are at the 18% mark of your normal range. So the 18% mark of the range above gives you a number of 346.48 ng/dl. Different places use different scales, and equipment.

Basically you're in the bottom of the range. I don't know what it's like in Thailand but even here in Canada, or the States a lot of docs wont do anything with those numbers. You need a good doc experienced with TRT. Tribulus, and Dhea don't bother. Aromasin I think is a suicide inhibitor don't bother with that. Before trying to bump up your test with an AI you need to know if you actually have high Estradiol. ZMA's a good idea but don't expect miracles. HCG doesn't work good as sole TRT but should be used while on TRT.

finally some sense in this thread. the % of range approach is the best bet without knowing the units used in the test.

also, rest assured the 50 year old @ twice the range, in thailand, is on juice. there is virtually no doubt.

[ginkobulloba]

^^^
Dude I figured out the units already and it was 500ng/dl. The guy who got tested was for sure not on juice at the time. He wanted to get juiced and I told him to get his blood tested first. I don't believe his numbers were as high as he said though, could've been a mistake on his part.

[Kale]

^^^
Dude I figured out the units already and it was 500ng/dl. The guy who got tested was for sure not on juice at the time. He wanted to get juiced and I told him to get his blood tested first. I don't believe his numbers were as high as he said though, could've been a mistake on his part.

M

Has your GF killed you yet ? PM me you mofo

S

[Tapout]

ginko and kale--both your girls are pretty badass from the pics and let you post their pics here--neither one of you should get rid of them.

[ginkobulloba]

Dude, I wouldn't wish this crazy bitch on any friend of mine. She's hot but very dangerous. I'll take a sane 9 over a crazy 10 any day of the week.