Expert advice please?? –blood tests tomorrow morning!!

…sorry I know I posted this in two different places again, but its urgent! I will erase one later, thank you guys


Hello all, I know I have been told already which tests to get, it is posted on the FAQ’s page as well to I think, but my doctor (endocrinologist) seems to disagree with testing for all of these. I showed him the list, and encouraged him to also visit the site as well please, because “there is a lot of scientific data on there.” Is what I told him. But he says these are all he wants to see. I second guessed him, as he wasn’t going to do Free T, but after some work was able to convince him to do Free T as well.

He says he will test me for:

Testosterone, total
Testosterone, free
DHT

LH
FSH

Prolactin

…and then some of the other things checked he checked off on this sheet are, I have it right in front of me, he gave it to me to bring in to the lab tomorrow, they are:

CBC & differential (includes platelets)
Sodium
Potassium
Chloride
CO2
BUN
Creatinine
Glucose
Albumin
ALT (SGPT)
AST (SGOT)
Bilirubin, total
Bilirubin, direct
Calcium
Iron
Phosphate
PSA
Uric acid

This will all be done at the Clinical Laboratories of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA.
He seems like a very good doctor. He’s been working at Beth Israel Deaconess, for many years, and is also a professor at the Harvard Medical School. Although he says he has never heard of persistent post finasteride side effects. Which worried me a little bit.
Anyway, I told him to visit the site and to read many of the testimonials and many of the persistent symptoms people are having, and about them, as well as all the scientific data, and very believable writings on here. I tried to convince him. There are a lot of people suffering out there. And my theory of course is that most people taking finasteride do not know it yet because they have yet to come off it, and symptoms are worse when you stop taking finasteride. Anyway….

Anyway I am just wondering if he is testing me for enough stuff do you guys think, and if this will be ok, or if I really do need just a few more things on the list?? I’ve got it right in front of me, and could technically check a few more boxes if I really wanted to and deemed it necessary, although I wouldn’t want to do it and annoy him, or offend him in any way, if its not totally necessary. I will do it if enough of you think some of the others are totally totally necessary, otherwise I will probably not. I don’t want to get caught. He said he would also look at SHBG afterwards somehow, if he needed too or it was necessary or something.
What do you think guys?

One more question is. I have been on a strictly liquid diet/fast for the last two days (“The Master Cleanse” as I posted about it a few days ago.), will this throw off any of my readings since I will not have a well balanced diet of food in my stomach and body at testing time. I definitely feel quite mellow right now, as I have not eaten in two days. Will T tests still give accurate enough readings under these circumstances?
Worst case scenario, if it was really really necessary, I could ditch my diet tomorrow, eat normally all day, and then go in for tests on Friday morning instead… although I really would just like to finish my ten day diet, cleansing.

Thank you in advance to any and all of you for your responses. I really want to do this right the first time, and beat this thing!! I can go at 8am Eastern tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to getting this testing thing out of the way. He says he will have the results in a week, and to call him. I will also point out, of course he says I will be fine. Its just my balls still ache, and things seem swollen in there. I wonder if this is maybe a sign things are coming back to life. Anyway, this is info for another post. Thank you guys.

Thank you all,
Boston
(took Propecia for only three weeks, its been three weeks since I stopped!)

You need to add a sensitive Estrodial (E2) test.

Make sure you get a full nights sleep and you blood is drawn before 9am

I don’t see an Estrodial or E2 on the list, or even anything starting with E or estrogen related.

Well your Dr can write it in but since it’s not on the list it’s not a test he orders often. That right there tells me he doesn’t deal with Hypogonadism very often. You may want to find someone who does

To put it bluntly, your doctor doesnt know what he’s doing. He might be ok to get you started but i would keep looking for another one, unless he is willling to learn off you - not likely.

He missed Estradiol, SHBG, and TSH.

If it were me, I’d get on a decent diet for the day, even over the weekend, and go in for a test on Monday morning… not eating may give you low blood sugar, which may have an impact on something (I’m no expert, just a thought).

Hope he visits this forum and reads through the studies.

yeah me too