exploder
New member
Why do those records matter? Life insurance? Private health insurance? Trying to figure out if I'm missing some reason to care, since I don't have any insurance outside regular govt. health care.
Affordable blood testing labs in Canada?
- Thread starter exploder
- Start date
Yeah, insurance matters for one. Those fuckers will, of course, use anything they can get their hands on to avoid paying anything out. Many scenarios where they could use them against you. A similar situation to when people say they don't smoke, I know of a situation where a lady died and they refused to pay out life insurance because they found one picture of her holding a cigarette on facebook. If you don't declare your drug use they could use an elevated test result to cast enough doubt about your honesty to make shit hard. Heart attack? We think you were juicing and lied to us about it, sorry no coverage for you. Let your mind wander through the various scenarios.
And the other main factor is how a Dr would let it affect his judgement on how to treat you. Their are a million stories out there about Dr's who refuse to "support your illegal drug use". Lots of those stories right here on this site. Imagine one day you are seeking help with TRT or gyno or liver issues and they won't treat it, nevermind that they will treat for issues stemming from smoking, overeating and rec drug use.
To be fair the chances of a Dr digging into your past tests is probably very small but it's there, not worth it if it can be avoided alltogether.
exploder
New member
Thank you for the great info @gondar1 , this newb is learning fast to understand the lay of the land, and it's deeply appreciated.
It has been easy for me to ignore factors like life insurance that I don't have and am not even thinking about, but that are very real issues for others.
What has been on my mind is more making sure that I have ammo for when I do end up approaching a doctor, so I can make a strong case that I didn't just embark on this therapy of optimization out of ignorant speculation. Of course it's also important for me, because if low T isn't the real factor here (very little chance), then I'm going to be marching myself straight into the doctor's office for a very thorough head to toe inspection, because something else has to be going quite wrong for me to be in this condition. As it stands, I'm pretty dialed in and tuned in to what's happening, and my father's health history is a crystal clear 20 year forewarning of where I'm heading, I'm a chip off the old block, and that has clear consequences. The good thing is with 20/20 hindsight, we now know if he'd started TRT 20 years ago, he wouldn't have spent the last 15 years on insulin, ultimately pinning the wrong hormone to patch over an issue that T would have actually fixed from the ground up. At least he's got the brains and determination to bounce back, and the T is already just starting to put a hint of spring back in his step, even just a couple of weeks in.
It has been easy for me to ignore factors like life insurance that I don't have and am not even thinking about, but that are very real issues for others.
What has been on my mind is more making sure that I have ammo for when I do end up approaching a doctor, so I can make a strong case that I didn't just embark on this therapy of optimization out of ignorant speculation. Of course it's also important for me, because if low T isn't the real factor here (very little chance), then I'm going to be marching myself straight into the doctor's office for a very thorough head to toe inspection, because something else has to be going quite wrong for me to be in this condition. As it stands, I'm pretty dialed in and tuned in to what's happening, and my father's health history is a crystal clear 20 year forewarning of where I'm heading, I'm a chip off the old block, and that has clear consequences. The good thing is with 20/20 hindsight, we now know if he'd started TRT 20 years ago, he wouldn't have spent the last 15 years on insulin, ultimately pinning the wrong hormone to patch over an issue that T would have actually fixed from the ground up. At least he's got the brains and determination to bounce back, and the T is already just starting to put a hint of spring back in his step, even just a couple of weeks in.
How do I get my E2 checked by lets get checked? They have an option for testosterone but I don’t see one for E2.
How accurate are the finger prick tests? I'm assuming the E2 is the non sensitive test?
exploder
New member
They call it Oestradiol under the Male Hormone Plus test on this page:
At Home Male Hormone Testing Panel Options | LetsGetChecked USA
Lab test kits for male hormones to detect possible hormonal imbalances at home. Order online, tests sent via mail & results available online in 2-5 days (USA).
www.letsgetchecked.com
I don't know how they are testing that. I guess I wasn't interested, not willing to pay for it.
I don't use LGC but I had asked the same question of somebody here who does, iirc they e-mailed LGC and asked but I can't remember the answer, @ABMonkey or @Oldguyjiujitsu maybe?
All i can say is that from the test i have done with my TRT Dr and with LGC, the results have been very similar. Hormone testing does not require very much Blood. The finger prick at the Blood Services is enough to tell you your Hemoglobin and iron level. With LGC my test levels have tested to be within the range i anticipated they would be. For E2, its as good as any non sensative E2 test...its really meant as a guide anyways as E2 bounces around depending on how often you pin, diet, stress, body fat levels etc. I have done two tests in two weeks and gotten two different results. As my TRT Dr explained if you get tested regularly you get to establish a pattern, and the "standard" E2 test will be within a certain standard deviation (which will be different for everyone). If one out of 7 or 8 tests fall outside your normal parameters and you have no other symptoms of Low or high E2, ignore that single outcome....but I digress. Overall, i am confident in LGC results.
Great post, raises some important points
Yeah they just said it was the 'standard estrogen test for males'. So I assume non sensitive.
How'd you get the 30%? I noticed they give you 30% if you subscribe to a new kit every 3 months, was that it?
exploder
New member
Yeah, I did the 3 month subscription. Will probably cancel, there is no penalty, and I seem to have my doctor on board, and have already had 2 official labs done here in BC, both confirming the low T.
exploder
New member
It went pretty easy for me, I was surprised. Wash with warm water (I think not cold?) to help circulation. Then stab finger and milk your arm to help push blood down. I also stood up for that, so my arm could be hanging down. Would help if you can set the container on a low surface, and put it on a plate or something to catch any drops that miss. I had it sitting on my desk, which is fairly low, but it would not have worked without the extra gravity from standing up.
Harley00
The Rebel
Nope i just looked up coupons for it and found that
Harley00
The Rebel
Yeh gotta milk it like a tit lol , wash your hands and arms with as hot of water you can stand to warm up the blood and improve circulation and it helps alot
I actually pulled some blood this morning for my letsgetchecked tests.....sick of the finger prick bullshit and I had three separate vials to fill because I did hormone, liver, & heart health tests so I used an 1ml 27G insulin syringe and jabbed a vein in my arm. It took two milliliters to fill the three vials and I actually had to get the old lady to draw the plunger back because I couldn't do it all and keep the needle still at the same time. I didn't want to end up with a big bruise there. I've never used any intravenous drugs so this was not something i've ever done before lol but it was so much better than trying to milk my finger of 2 mls of blood.
exploder
New member
I thought about that even for one vial, because I had my doubts about being able to bleed even that much, but then I looked up about using small needles to draw blood. The answer is that small needles actually break / damage blood cells, and I think I recall 21 gauge being the normal smallest blood draw needle. However, it doesn't seem like that should matter when we're testing for molecule like T, instead of something like our red blood cell count.
In the end, I would probably rather stab my finger and milk my arm repeatedly, than shoot for a vein, if I don't really have to. I know it's not a terribly big deal, and total props to you for braving it. I just think it's already gross enough shooting subQ into my belly fat, let alone actually poking my blood pipes on purpose.