Very concerned about my latest blood test results

[vinny t]

Im from the UK i have been on trt for 3 years sustanon 250 1ml every 3 weeks .

I have regular blood tests every 3 months . My latest results i got back friday concern me . I had full blood count done i will state the ones out of range.

Haemoglobin 19.8 (13-18 g/L)

Packed cell volume which is Hematocrit 0.605 (0.40-0.50)

Lymphocite count 1.4 (1.50-4.00)


I am mainly concerned with haemoglobin and packed cell volume (hematocrit) as in all previous blood test since starting trt they have been lower albeit out of range .

These are the previous results in the last 2 years or so

HEMATOCRIT 0.531 (0.40-0.50)
HEMATOCRIT 0.558 (0.40-0.50)
HEMATOCRIT 0.553 (0.40-0.50)
HEMATOCRIT 0.545 (0.40-0.50)
HEMATOCRIT 0.545 (0.40-0.50)

HAEMOGLOBIN has always been around between 17.5 and 18.5

So both haemaglobin and hematocrit are considerably higher on this latest blood test.

What i have read online is that my packed cell volume (haematocrit) of 0.605 is very high and considered dangerous.

My GP does not seem to concerned he said see what my endo says i said im not seeing an endo at the moment so i asked him for a new referal and he said come back in next week and i will refer you .
This referral could take months .

Does any know whats going on with my blood levels ?

[APIs]

Blood is too thick from administering exogenous Testosterone . Donate blood on a regular basis & these values will fall in line. Drink more fluids & start taking a baby aspirin every day until you get it down. Your dosing schedule of every 3 weeks probably isnt helping much either. Talk to your Doc about reducing the dose @ twice weekly injections. Others will contribute their thoughts...

[Rusty11]

My levels were very similar. Doc didn't even mention it, but I knew what to do. After 2 blood donations, hgb was down to 15.5(was 19.3) and hct down to around 48(was 54.5). Going again in a couple of weeks. Just donate, as APIs stated. That should take care of it.

[BallSak]

In addition to what APIs and Rusty said, check your iron. High iron will contribute to your high RBCs.

[Rusty11]

Exactly. I should have mentioned that in addition to donating, I cut out all iron-rich foods and reduced my gel dose.

[bigt405]

My levels were very similar. Doc didn't even mention it, but I knew what to do. After 2 blood donations, hgb was down to 15.5(was 19.3) and hct down to around 48(was 54.5). Going again in a couple of weeks. Just donate, as APIs stated. That should take care of it.

The problem I have run into with the donation route is my hemoglobin is above 19 and I have been turned away twice by Lifesouth in the last month and a half. Rusty your hemoglobin was above 19 when you donated. What organization did you use? I really do not want to have to come totally off test to get it down. I have lowered my dose down to two weekly shots of 40 mg to see if this helps. If it does how long does it usually take for the numbers to drop? Thanks for any advice......

[Rusty11]

The problem I have run into with the donation route is my hemoglobin is above 19 and I have been turned away twice by Lifesouth in the last month and a half. Rusty your hemoglobin was above 19 when you donated. What organization did you use? I really do not want to have to come totally off test to get it down. I have lowered my dose down to two weekly shots of 40 mg to see if this helps. If it does how long does it usually take for the numbers to drop? Thanks for any advice......

I go to the Red cross. I'm in CA. I don't know if different states have different cut-off levels. Mine got down rather quickly
I really think cutting out white bread and my daily triple serving of my favorite cereal that contained 90% of daily iron requirement helped.

[kelkel]

Have your doctor write a script for a therapeutic phlebotomy.

[vinny t]

Ok this is an update i went back to my doctors last monday ad i was not happy and i was concerned about my high levels . I told my doctor i want another blood test as who is to say these levels are still not rising , he did a blood there and then on monday he then rang me on wednesday and told be they have not come down so i told him again i was concerned and i wanted him to do something about it . He said he would ring the hospital up and speak to a haematologist and ring me back .
Half an hour later he rang me back and said that he spoke to a haematologist and that the haematologist told me to drink plenty of water and that he was going to do an urgent referral to another haematologist doctor said it could take up to 2 weeks .

Anyway i was still concerned so i looked to go see a haematologist privately , i went to see an heamotolgist privately on friday morning just gone .

I told him all my history etc. showed him all blood test results that i had .
He told me to strip naked did a full examination then told me i was at high risk of having a stoke he took a pint of blood off me there and then and prescribed me asprin .He told me i have to stop all trt untill i get levels down .After he took the pint of blood he did another full blood count blood test and within 20 minutes he got the results back. My haemaglobin was now at 18.3 (was 20)and hematocrit at 0.51 (was 0.605)) he is going to take another pint of blood in 10 days time and see where we are at .Then he said when levels are back low refer me to an endocrologist to se other alternatives ways of trt.

Pretty stressfull when my doctor did not seem to concerned untill i pushed him into doing things .

[Beethoven]

Vinnyt, I had the same problem. My Dr simply wrote a script for.therapeutic draws, (3) which brought the level down. You can do a draw every 7 days.

[kelkel]

250mg every three weeks? You must feel horrible. You need to find another doc as well.

[MRNJ1992]

Donate blood every 8 weeks should help.

[bartman314]

quite an experience. good for you for keeping an eye on things and addressing the issue directly and aggressively.

[vinny t]

I am now under the care of a haematologist i have been taken off TRT put on asrin ,i have to go to the hospital every week now and have a pint of blood drawn , i have to do this every week untill my hematocrit levels are down to 0.47 then monitored to keep them at that level.

I will then see an endocrinologist with the option of going back on trt then put back with probably a different application method and i will be continuosly monitored with blood tests and and having venesections (blood drawn) to keep hematocrit levels at 0.48. The haematologist has said nobody on trt should let there levels go above range as it is dangerous .