High hematocrit levels????

**bass** · 09-18-2013, 12:48 PM

it should be the same for men and women.

**bigt405** · 09-18-2013, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by bass

find another blood drive that's not affiliated with the last one, and give another pint. this should put you within range. just make sure to answer NO when they ask you if you donated in the last 8 weeks

Going to give it a try.....i donated at the Red Cross and they are having a blood drive at work with an organization called Lifesouth. The worst thing can do is turn me away.

**bass** · 09-18-2013, 01:59 PM

let us know, I am curious to see if this nation wide or state to state. in fact I called them a while back to see if they share their records with other blood drive companies and they looked at me like hell no, and said the records are private. like you said, the worse they can do is decline you. but I think they'll take you as long as they are not affiliated with RC.

**FRDave** · 09-18-2013, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by qkcam

could also have dr order a therapeutic phlebotomy. a few times a month to get numbers down.
what is the cut off on HCT for women anyone know? 50% maybe -

I would assume less since 46% is considered high for women vs 51% for males (LabCorp's range).

**bass** · 09-18-2013, 02:31 PM

Dave is correct, found this,

for men 40 to 54%; for women it is 36 to 48%.

**TestingMe** · 09-19-2013, 01:17 AM

I have 3 different places I can donate and the records are not cross checked. My HCT level dropped 3% per donation and I think that's typical. My level is about 49 and rather than find yet another place ( i hate lying lol), I called my new doctor and left a message to see if he will give me a prescription for it. My Hemoglobin is slightly above the high range and I think he will write it.

If there is a national database, then no one is working too hard to use it and I am in a major city. They are generally thrilled to get anyone in to donate. At the Red Cross one worker was practically harassing people to donate double red cells...It was pretty funny actually..I wish I had known then to have done it.

My blood work shows the range for HCT to be 42-52..really depends on the lab for most levels it seems.

I went to American Blood first, donation took 30-40 minutes then Red Cross took less than 1/2 the time and then to a private hospital about 20 minutes. No way was the hospital checking and frankly all three places you can see were very happy to get me in there. I called one today and they told me my blood saved 2 lives..

I do feel like a jerk that I did this for selfish reasons but they certainly didn't seem to mind. They told me my blood doesn't carry a common virus and can be used for babies and burn victims..That felt good to hear.

**austinite** · 09-19-2013, 01:20 AM

There's a database. FDA requires so. There may be places that don't follow regulations. If you can donate, great, it doesn't matter

**TestingMe** · 09-19-2013, 01:32 AM

I guess you know but you would think the Red Cross would be checking...I saw each of them one week or less apart..It's possible it takes time to update the records and I was umm...fresh blood...

**austinite** · 09-19-2013, 01:33 AM

They're just people. Lazy, like the majority

**TestingMe** · 09-19-2013, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by austinite

They're just people. Lazy, like the majority

Now I really wanna know...maybe I'll take one for the team and just flat out ask them if there is a database that they check..I'll give them a pint of blood for the answer...lolol

**austinite** · 09-19-2013, 01:54 AM

Or you can go look at the FDA site and AABB requirements. If your blood is unusable/infected, global profiles are in place to prevent you from lying and donating. 2 minutes on google is all you need.

**TestingMe** · 09-19-2013, 02:40 AM

I read the requirements and see they are required to keep records and are audited every two years. I want to find out in the real world of my state if they check a central shared database before accepting the blood to see if you are eligible. My bet is no, not here at least. I'll share my results as it seems to come up often.

I know I've read some members have mentioned they are blacklisted
from donating..

**spin_doctor** · 09-19-2013, 03:50 AM

I tried to donate yesterday but they wouldn't let me because of my military service and extensive travel in other countries. Are there any other alternatives.....other than lie. Its pretty obvious I'm a former marine though.

**FRDave** · 09-19-2013, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by spin_doctor

I tried to donate yesterday but they wouldn't let me because of my military service and extensive travel in other countries. Are there any other alternatives.....other than lie. Its pretty obvious I'm a former marine though.

Get script from a Dr.

**TestingMe** · 09-19-2013, 08:35 AM

I called the blood center where I made my first donation and was told there was a form the doctor can fill out online and I can come back in more often to donate.

While I had them on the phone I asked if the records are shared with Red Cross and was told "we do not share our information with any other places nor do we get information from any other places"

This is not the definitive answer as to what other places do in other states but that so far seems to be the way it is here. There is no checking with a central database to get this information.

**TestingMe** · 09-19-2013, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by spin_doctor

I tried to donate yesterday but they wouldn't let me because of my military service and extensive travel in other countries. Are there any other alternatives.....other than lie. Its pretty obvious I'm a former marine though.

Your doctor can download a form or you can send it to him. Here's the info from a local place and how it works:

"If the person with hemochromatosis meets all criteria applied to all blood donors, blood from phlebotomy for hereditary hemochromatosis can be used to transfuse patients.
No fee will be charged for the phlebotomy even if the patient does not meet the criteria. If the patient does not meet these acceptable criteria, the blood will be discarded."

====

Just spoke to the Red Cross. Here's what I found out. I know some members have mentioned being Blacklisted and not sure if that's blacklisted from the same blood bank but the Red Cross told me in no uncertain terms that information is not shared with or from any other blood bank. They said they have a new database that is less than one year old that does share information with all Red Crosses in the United States but again, they unequivocally said they do not share or get information with any other blood banks.

====

**bigt405** · 10-08-2013, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by bass

let us know, I am curious to see if this nation wide or state to state. in fact I called them a while back to see if they share their records with other blood drive companies and they looked at me like hell no, and said the records are private. like you said, the worse they can do is decline you. but I think they'll take you as long as they are not affiliated with RC.

They evidently do not cross check as I was able to donate.

**bass** · 10-08-2013, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by bigt405

They evidently do not cross check as I was able to donate.

Good to here, glad you were able to donate.

**bigt405** · 10-09-2013, 10:58 AM

I am going to get blood work done next to see where this puts me. I hoping to get it around 50 this time.

**bigt405** · 10-25-2013, 06:54 PM

Got my results today....hematocrit level is now down to 48.5 after two blood donations. So regular blood donations are going to be part of my life....

**austinite** · 10-25-2013, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by bigt405

Got my results today....hematocrit level is now down to 48.5 after two blood donations. So regular blood donations are going to be part of my life....

Welcome to the club my friend.

**qkcam** · 10-25-2013, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by bass

Dave is correct, found this,

for men 40 to 54%; for women it is 36 to 48%.

wondering if 54% is the high end for guys and it seems like alot of guys are trying to be under 50%? is that correct? then maybe for females not going above 45% would be safer?

hope my question makes sense..? basically what i am asking is since guys seem to be pulling before the max range then should women as well? since i can't donate blood i need to have a good ballpark for my hematologist- thanks

**austinite** · 10-25-2013, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by qkcam

wondering if 54% is the high end for guys and it seems like alot of guys are trying to be under 50%? is that correct? then maybe for females not going above 45% would be safer?

hope my question makes sense..? basically what i am asking is since guys seem to be pulling before the max range then should women as well? since i can't donate blood i need to have a good ballpark for my hematologist- thanks

54 is worrisome for men. That's at or very close to being rejected for a blood donation. It shouldn't be a 'goal' to stay at the higher end of range. TRT patients that have high HCT or constantly require blood donations have some other issue going on. such as sleep apnea, dehydration, living in elevated areas, etc... Or probably using too much testosterone .

Staying under 50 is great. You don't have to wait until you're at the upper limit to draw. If it does reach upper limits, double RBC would be best. Since you're unable to donate, just be sure the phlebs keep you in range.

**qkcam** · 10-25-2013, 11:15 PM

are you saying under 50 is great for a female bodied person? i only take a low dose of testo 20mg a week and the HCT starts going above 45% which is cut off for in female range in some labs. there isn't much info about women and test ..although there is some info. thanks

**austinite** · 10-25-2013, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by qkcam

are you saying under 50 is great for a female bodied person? i only take a low dose of testo 20mg a week and the HCT starts going above 45% which is cut off for in female range in some labs. there isn't much info about women and test ..although there is some info. thanks

No sorry. I was speaking about men.

Womens range is 35.0-45.0 by Quest Diagnostics. Going over 45 slightly is fine. 50% or higher might be alarming for women.

Hepcidin (master iron regulator) suppression , is the main cause of RBC excess with regards to exogenous testosterone . 20mg should not suppress hepcidin enough to cause any issues. (I am not too familiar with female reaction to testosterone), but in men, that dose would do absolutely nothing to hematocrit.