Can blood work be incorrect?? Really confused

JetSpyder

Member
I am one of the guys that deals with erythrocytosis and I have been for years. I have lowered my T dose to 70 mg per week. 20 mg EOD. Over the past year I have really been struggling with the cycle of donating, then crashing my ferritin levels.

In April of this year my HCT got up to 53.2 and I wasn’t feeling very good. Constant heart palpitations and a struggle to sleep. Figured it would be beneficial to donate. I did a Double Red donation. This took my HCT down to a 48 but also the cycle of destroying my ferritin levels. However my ferritin levels went from a 36 down to a 21 (38 - 380 ng/ml scale). Came across the Vorck Protocol: Rapid Ferritin Restoration and decided to give it a try.

I’m not sure if I messed something up but it didn’t work great for me. I mean it did work well to raise my ferritin up to a 52 ng/ml but also brought my HCT back up to a 53.2 again. I started feeling the heart palpitations again and trouble sleeping for several weeks so I decided to try it again. I had another blood donation to get my HCT back down and try the protocol again. This time the results were better but still not great. I did a 7 day protocol and got my blood checked the day after (7/11/25.)

July 11.
HCT - 50.4
Ferritin - 52 (38 - 380) LOW NORMAL
Iron, Total - 299 (50 - 180 mcg/dl) HIGH
% saturation 73% (20 - 48%) HIGH

So I thought maybe I should have waited a little longer to get my blood checked instead of the day after. I waited 3 weeks from after I finished the protocol and I had my blood tested again. And HERE is why I am writing this. I’ve dealt with erythrocytosis for years while being on TRT but here are the results I just got back below. I am completely dumbfounded and confused AF. How is it possible for my HCT to drop to a 33 and Ferritin to a 3!!! Does this seem more likely that the lab screwed this up then these levels actually being correct?? Has anyone else seen this before?

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Understanding Your Hormones

Estradiol (E2)

A form of estrogen produced from testosterone. Important for bone health, mood, and libido. Too high can cause side effects; too low can affect well-being.

DHT

Dihydrotestosterone is a potent androgen derived from testosterone. Affects hair growth, prostate health, and masculinization effects.

Free Testosterone

The biologically active form of testosterone not bound to proteins. Directly available for cellular uptake and biological effects.

Scientific Reference

Lakshman KM, Kaplan B, Travison TG, Basaria S, Knapp PE, Singh AB, LaValley MP, Mazer NA, Bhasin S. The effects of injected testosterone dose and age on the conversion of testosterone to estradiol and dihydrotestosterone in young and older men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Aug;95(8):3955-64.

DOI: 10.1210/jc.2010-0102 | PMID: 20534765 | PMCID: PMC2913038

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