If you feel fine at 17.1 why donate again? Maybe take a breather and re assess. Are you able to work out following all these donations? I feel like crap when mine is that high so I understand your need to get it in check.
@jaybourbon Hope your monitoring your iron donating that often. I know a female who just had to have a blood transfusion because she was dangerously anemic from losing blood with her monthly cycle. Your donating weekly and that sounds like it could lead to bad things to me if your not careful.
I hear ya it was my concern as well. My Dr seems to think I’ll be OK. I went in yesterday and finally after 4 donations my hemoglobin was at 15.3. Which was vert close to my target number 15.1.
I still decided to donate 1 more time and take a break till next month to see where I am at. I am hoping that things are under control now and I will be able to donate every 3 months. I feel much better at 15 then I did at 17. We will see how today goes after donating but so far so good.
Just following the Dr’s orders. He seems to think that the frequency of donations will get me back on track. My first urologist never told me to donate I was on for 6 months before my first donation. 4 Dr’s later I found one I like that knows what they are doing.
My hemoglobin was in the 19s from my first blood work 3 months in and never told to donate… Went through 2 urologists and a hematologist all said to get off trt until my hemoglobin goes down. They all also recommend that I do 200mg every 2 weeks. Took that dosage for the first 3 months felt aweful. Emotionally wrecked at the end on the first week. Fucking idiots had me drop my dosage to 50mg a week for a month before I left and found my current Dr and threatened to revoke my subscription to test if my numbers didn’t go down. I agreed to do 50mg a week and after a month my hemoglobin didn’t drop a point and I had every low t symptom return plus random heart palpations. Went to donate at red cross and was at 19.9 which at 20 they refuse you as a donation. After much research I found that you can ask your Dr for a referral to give therapeutic donations at most local blood banks. My new Dr was on board with this and had me do weekly donations ect. Ect seeing as red cross only allows donations every 55 days. . Anyway… I Felt like shit until my hemoglobin was under 18. First blood donation before I did weekly donations my hemoglobin dropped like
.02 points. Next one a month later dropped me to 19.4… Then a week later was 19.1.
3rd a week later was 17.4th 17.1. Went in for the 5th I was 15.3.
Did 5th yesterday feel fine today and I will get checked a month from now. Supposed to get blood work this week but super busy.
The hematologists I all talked to in the last 5 weeks all have dealt with a lot of trt patientsnams said that this is a fairly common issue for some guys. They said it could take frequent donations of up to 6 months to get in track. Some even need to donate monthly to stay in they’re safe zone. Really hoping I’m not one of them. Cutting down on red meat intake is very important as well.