Seeing Doc Today

[Clint Lovelace]

After waiting 3 months to see the Endo 3 weeks ago, I have had 8 vials of blood drawn, and an MRI requested with the Insurance company and rejected 4 times. They sent me a letter stating my prolactin level was at a 12, they would approve an MRI at at 20. I went back to Endo last week and he said lets get more blood work and attempt an MRI again. Doc called me Friday and asked that I come see him today. I have an appointment in an hour. This will be the first time I will get to find out what all the blood work has shown too. Not sure what else to expect since we can't get an MRI approved.

 

[Gene Devine]

After waiting 3 months to see the Endo 3 weeks ago, I have had 8 vials of blood drawn, and an MRI requested with the Insurance company and rejected 4 times. They sent me a letter stating my prolactin level was at a 12, they would approve an MRI at at 20. I went back to Endo last week and he said lets get more blood work and attempt an MRI again. Doc called me Friday and asked that I come see him today. I have an appointment in an hour. This will be the first time I will get to find out what all the blood work has shown too. Not sure what else to expect since we can't get an MRI approved.

Clint - Keep your status and updates here in this thread, don't start a new one.

Post the outcome of your appointment today and next steps.

Sounds like you are on the right path.

gd

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Clint

No doctor can justify a MRI with a prolactin of 12. If that was my prolactin, I would not seek an MRI since it would be a waste of time and money.

 

[Clint Lovelace]

So I saw the Endo this afternoon and he told me my testosterone level was at 309 and he felt that was "wonderfully great" and would not do anything, followed by "even though that is very low end of normal". I got a copy of all of my labs but do not have it with me at the moment. Bad thing is the report did not list the reference ranges for me to compare to.

So now, I feel I start over again.

 

[Gene Devine]

Unfortunately Clint, if I had a dollar for what happened at our Endo visit today I wouldn't have to pay my bar tab for a year!

In other words, she may not trained in HRT for men and may not understand some of the men's health medicine being practiced today.

You may want to search for another doctor.

Here's a good start: https://www.excelmale.com/forum/threads/491-How-to-Find-a-Good-Doctor-that-Prescribes-Testosterone

Eventually, ExcelMale will have its own directory of physicians that we can attest for their services in the men's health field.

Post your labs here complete with ranges (don't forget that) and will jump in with our thoughts.


Gene

 

[Clint Lovelace]

Here are my labs from the report. As I said he did not give me a report with the ranges. When I asked he said "Sorry". I am going to try to get it today especially because some of the values had an * by them so I know that meant it was either high or low from previous lab reports.

Sodium, 138 mmol/L
Potassium, 3.9 mmol/L
Chloride, 101 mmol/L
CO2, 28 mmol/L
Anion Gap, 9
Glucose, 86 mg/dL
Osmo Serum, 285
BUN, 11 mg/dL
Creatinine, .9 mg/dL
BUN/Creat Ration, 12
Calcium, 9.3 mg/dL
Corr Calcium, 9.1 mg/dL
Phosphorus, 3.1 mg/dL
Albumin 4.2 gm/dL
Calculated GF, 106.04 mL/min
Cholesterol Total, 177 mg/dL*
HDL, 30 mg/dL*
LDL, 123 mg/dL*
Cholesterol/HDL, 5.90*
LDL/HDL, 4.1 H
Triglyceride, 120 mg/dL*
T4 Free, .93 ng/dL
FSH, 4.1 m-Int. Unit/mL*
Luteinizing Hormone, 4.7 m-Int. Unit/mL*
Prolactin, 10.84 ng/mL*
PTH-Intact, 30.0 pg/mL*
PTH-Intact Ca, 9.2 mg/dL
Cortisol Total, 12.2 mcg/dL*
Estradiol, 43 pg/mL*
Hemoglobin A1C, 5.4%*
Estimated Avg Glucose, 108 mg/dL
Testosterone Total, 309 ng/dL
Testosterone Free, 51.0 pg/mL*

 

[robs2nd75]

Do you know which lab was used?

 

[Clint Lovelace]

More than likely LabCorp but not 100% sure.

 

[Gene Devine]

Clint - By law the Doctor must give you a copy of all you files and lab work when you request it. You may have to fill out a form or two, but they must give it to you.

Call the office and demand your files, you will need for the next Doctor who will know how to treat you correctly.

Don't accept "no" as it's the law.

Keep us posted.

Gene

 

[Clint Lovelace]

They charge $25 for a copy of your full record. I will try to call and get the full lab report that includes the ranges without having to pay the $25.

 

[JSayaMD]

They are permitted to charge an administrative fee for records, but as Gene noted they HAVE to give you your records as long as you fill out a release form.

Dr Saya

 

[JSayaMD]

Your endo is amusing..."wonderfully great"... had my laugh for the day lol

 

[Gene Devine]

It's interesting the labs she pulled.

Good on the Total and Free Testosterone.

Good on the Estradiol (but is it the more sensitive assay?)

No TSH BUT did run FT4 for Thyroid...interesting...she knows something!

Good on LH and FSH and Cortisol.

If it were me, I'd want to see more like:

SHBG
Albumin
PSA
D3
DHEA-S
IGF-1
ALT
AST

 

[Gene Devine]

Your endo is amusing..."wonderfully great"... had my laugh for the day lol

She's just not trained...which is a shame.

For men reading this, this is why it is so important to learn TRT for men (oen reason why we started ExcelMale.com) so you are empowered when you meet a Physician like this who is clearly not trained.

Or, do your due diligence and find a Doc who is trained correctly.

Remember, it's your health care and you are the one in charge!

 

[Clint Lovelace]

Just to be clear, it is a man. So you think 309 is a good Test level? He told me he would not treat that and figured I had functional or mental problems instead of hormonal.

 

[Gene Devine]

Just to be clear, it is a man. So you think 309 is a good Test level? He told me he would not treat that and figured I had functional or mental problems instead of hormonal.

Like I said, he's not trained.

His response is clear validation of that.

Personally, I think 309 is damn near tanked for most men.

Know that men who live in the bottom quartile of Testosterone serum levels generally live 10 years less then those above...not discounting the lower quality of life.

 

[Clint Lovelace]

Yeah, 309 to me was awful and when he said "functional or mental" I was like well okay then. I said wouldn't starting back some type of TRT help and he said it may or may not raise the levels but I don't see that its needed so I won't prescribe it.

 

[JSayaMD]

You will undoubtedly HAVE functional and mental problems in the future if your T levels stay in that range. They would then likely place you on an antidepressant or similar medication which would then exacerbate said functional and mental problems (not to mention exacerbate some low T symptoms especially diminished libido).

Be be your own advocate, realize that most "sick-model" trained endos are not knowledgeable or even interested in the wellness care aspects of TRT, and find a suitable physician who is.

Dr Saya

 

[robs2nd75]

Sign up for an account and you will have most if not all your results w/in minutes. https://www.labcorp.com/wps/portal/patient/results . Click on link "Visit LabCorp Beacon: Patient " to set up the correct account.

 

[Clint Lovelace]

Rob, I did that earlier today and it told me I had entered invalid information on the registration so I have sent them a "request" to look into it.