Hematocrit came in just over the high limit

Greetings all…

I did lab work Monday. I was asked to do the lab 2 days after injecting my Testosterone. It was administered Friday morning and Lab blood draw was actually 7:30 AM Monday but I doubt it makes to much of a difference. The reason for testing after injection was to see the peak level. We have a low point at 14 days out from injection.

The overall level was good 770. Last I had tested, 14 days after injection it was 393. At that time I was doing 200mg every 2 weeks. Without permission from the Doc, I switched it up to 100 mgs once a week to stop the yo-yo effect rather then 200 every 2 weeks. I felt much better. Apparently it works well too!

He did not ask for free Testosterone but I can do that another time.

I did however see the PSA went "DOWN". Last I checked it was 3.97. This time it was 3.61. Not much difference but? Seems interesting.


The big news was I came in high on the Red Blood cell stuff.
RBC 6.19 with 5.8 the max according to this lab.
RDW 15.2 with 14.5 the max
The big one
HEMATOCRIT: 54 with a Max of 52.

Is this really a problem or within reason for Testosterone therapy?

I sure don't want to hear I will have to go off now after 4 months and finally getting my levels into a good place.

Thanks
Mojave

Mojave, YES, RBC & Hematocrit values tend to elevate with exogenous testosterone treatment. Easy solution ... Donate blood! Donating on a regular basis (every 2 months is fine) will keep your levels in check, and you could be potentially saving somebody else's life who is in dire need of blood. I also donate for these reasons, and to keep my ferritin and iron levels in check (hemochromatosis carrier).

And yes, 200mg every two weeks is not a good protocol. Good move to change it up to 1x/wk. You will see even more consistent serum levels by splitting your dose and administering 2x/wk.

Thank you for the response. Very helpful.

I was going to mention it but I had already said after reading my results, "I should just give blood" No kidding!

More on how to manage increased red blood cell volume (hematocrit) while on testosterone replacement therapy: https://www.excelmale.com/forum/thr...ia-Caused-by-Testosterone-Replacement-Therapy

I gave blood today.

So can't go back until June 6th. Hope this is enough to ward off the issue. Will take my receipt to the Doctors to prove I did so. Now that I'm up to 770 over all T, I would like to keep it there seeing this has only been 4 months of steady treatment etc. I'm feeling a lot better, leaning out some and when I can recover enough I plan to do some lifting. Old injuries and degenerative disc disease. I'm of the mind the T treatment will help improve the bone etc. It's not really bone that is the problem but can't hurt.

I started using Hydrolyzed Gelatin along with Chondroitin. It stimulated Synovial fluid and really helps discs recover and pull back from the bulge. Working for me.

Thanks Nelson as usual.

OK, excellent work on donating blood! You will see a steady decline of RBC and HCT as you continue the donation process. Your serum level of 770 sounds like a good range to aim for. Keep an eye on where your free & bio test sits in relation to all of this, plus of course your E2. Are you also taking anything else to compliment your regiment, e.g., HCG, DHEA, Pregnenolone, B12, Vitamin D, etc...? You will find overall homeostasis more achievable when backfilling pathways upstream with the proper supplements and compounds. Also, keep an eye on your thyroid productivity, as hypogonadism and hypothyroidism tend to go hand-n-hand in many cases. You may already be completely up to speed on all of this ... If not, we're here to help.