Well, I had a new doctor (my plan switched me), and I have not had a regular checkup or physical checkup in more than five years. I requested it with my primary doctor because of other issues I was concerned about. So I thought the blood work would help me figure out if something was wrong with me, or if it’s something else.
So, I guess the “trick” is to say that you’re having a problem with XYZ and you want to have blood work done to see if it’s possibly something wrong with your body.
Nate: What was the time frame between the 4-AD-EC and the blood draw? I had blood work done while on 4-AD and had a 431 point bump in total T. (See my thread in the steroid forum, “4-AD-EC Boosts Test”.) The question as to whether 4-AD can cause an erroneously high T reading on a lab test was brought up. Well, Cy Willson indicated that it is possible if the immunoassay method is used. I did some research and found out that the method used by Quest for mine was just that. Just great. 
I know that 4-AD is not particularly suppressive but, I’d think that post cycle T levels certainly would not be higher than pre and perhaps even lower.
BTW…Blue Cross/Blue Shield has been pretty good about paying for numerous labs over the past couple of years. Sometimes I’ve had to shell out 60 or even 100 bucks out of pocket but, considering the billed costs of these hormone profiles, I suppose it’s not too bad.
snipe,
I had a serving of 4ADEC about 45-60 minutes prior to the blood draw. It was the only thing I consumed prior to the test as the test was to be done on an empty stomach. I would suspect that the 4ADEC is the reason my T-levels were so high. As it was in the 600 range three years ago (not using MAG-10, 4ADEC or Tribex at the time).
I’m off the 4ADEC for the next few weeks until I get another blood draw and lab report. The doctor wants to see if it’s causing the increased potassium and BUN levels. If all checks out well, I’ll finish up my cycle of 4ADEC.
its been my experience that in general, dr’s hate supplements. every dr that i have ever seen has told me not to do them. i’m a diabetic, so they dont want me taking anything. but since i watch my glucose levels very well, and just think drs over react alot. i take what i have to get the results i want. having results slightly over the norm isn’t anything to worry about. they told me my red blood cell count was high. big deal. thats a good thing from what i hear. anyways, don’t let little lab results bother u, unless of course things are way off.
Yeah, I’m only doing it to make the doc happy. I’m sure it’s my increased protein consumption that caused the higher potassium and BUN readings and not the 4ADEC. So we’ll do the retest and see what’s up.
I’ll go back on 4ADEC after the appointment and keep doing what I’m doing. I’m obviously staying healthy from the way I eat, train, etc.
I know what you mean about most doctors. They think most supplements are bad, yet, they don’t mind recommending medication for certain things.
I’m getting lab work done too so I’ll post on this thread and we’ll compare Nate.
FYI: I told my doc that I wanted to get my total and free T tested, as well as my thyroid, at my last physical and he put down “experiencing fatigue” in my chart so insurnace would cough up the dough for it. It may be worth a try…
Machine,
Sounds good! Let’s see what you got!
Oh yeah, my thyroid is functioning normal as well. So that means past use of T2 and more recent past use of Hot Rox did not affect my thyroid.
Tyler,
My doctor put down “insomnia” since I’ve had some restless nights in the past few months.
Same with me Nate. I had the blood drawn about 3 hours after the 4-AD. Had I been aware of the problem using immunoassay I’d have asked my Doc. to request another method.
Sounds like you’re taking the right course of action.
I have to agree with jackedhulk that most doctors put down supplements. (Mine is an exception.) Meds are fine with them though. The pharmaceutical giants and their puppet FDA would like to see our access to supplements curtailed.
Here are my results after being off 4ADEC. There are some surprising changes, but nothing bad or anything that could be attributed to 4ADEC.
Cholesterol: 204 (below 200 desirable)
Triglycerides: 35 (Doc was surprised at how low they were)
HDL (good) Cholesterol: 73 (40 or greater desirable)
LDL (bad) Cholesterol: 124 (below 130 desirable)
Sodium: 141
Potassium H: 4.9
Chloride: 99.0
Carbon D: 34
Urea Nit H: 26.0
Creatinine: .90
Glucose: 88.0
Calcium: 9.9
I believe the increase in cholesterol levels was due to the fact that the week prior to the blood work I was visiting relatives and was served some crap food. At the same time, my triglyceride level was much lower (lowest Doc has ever seen) and my HDL had increased and total cholesterol had increased.
There was only a minor decrease in Potassium and BUN levels.
So I have to say, that I’m still healthy and the 4ADEC had no negative effects. I’m currently back on 4ADEC for a six-week cycle to finish up my supply.
It’s possible that the 4 AD-EC could cause a transient elevation of your total cholesterol.
As for the K, 4.9 is nothing to worry about. What is the normal range on your printout? I don’t know what the lab where your blood was sent considers normal, but 5.3 is often the upper limit. Different labs have different values for normal. At the hospital where I work, it is common to find an asterisk next to the K value denoting a “slightly hemolyzed” sample. That may be why your previous value was a little high. Some labs don’t provide this info.
You may now resume your normal activities of leg humping, crotch sniffing, and fire hydrant sprinkling.
Don’t worry about your total cholesterol, a lot of that is due to your outstanding HDL ( I saw a kid with an HDL of 119 the other day). LDL is fine, but lately I’ve just been calculating the Non-HDL CHolesterol (Total - HDL) and if it’s greater than 160 then a change is warranted, wether that be diet/excercise for non-t-men, or meds or what-have-ya.
How does one bring up their good cholesterol? Anyone know? My bloodwork was fine except for this.
I think the reason my “good” cholesterol increased was because I started using my fish oil caps again (I had taken a break for a few months), and I was also eating more fresh fish (salmon, tuna).