Bloodwork: Four Weeks Off

[glennds]

hi everyone. havent been on too much lately since off cycle for five weeks a 15 week successful cycle of tren/test/eq. this board too addictive, and too tempting to jump back on cycle without doing the proper rest period.

anyhow, at the end of my cycle had bloodwork done and BP, cholesterol, and liver enzymes all elevated, ESPECIALLY cholesterol! (i have always had excellent level in all three). so off the charts i came clean to my doc about my AAS use. he was professional and nonjudgemental but cautionary and recommended more bloodwork after a month off. here are some results.

cholesterol 6/04 when completely clean: 205, LDL 78. (bad cholesterol)
" 2/05 at end of cycle: 278, LDL 243!!!!!!
3/05 one month after cycle: 239, LDL 156

per my doc desirable total cholesterol should be <200, LDL should be<130.

blood pressure and liver enzymes were elevated at end of cycle but now back to normal. this has been an eyeopening experience at the importance of getting bloodwork done and taking time OFF. AAS may make you look incredible but the side effects should not be ignored.

 

[DIVISION]

hi everyone. havent been on too much lately since off cycle for five weeks a 15 week successful cycle of tren/test/eq. this board too addictive, and too tempting to jump back on cycle without doing the proper rest period.

anyhow, at the end of my cycle had bloodwork done and BP, cholesterol, and liver enzymes all elevated, ESPECIALLY cholesterol! (i have always had excellent level in all three). so off the charts i came clean to my doc about my AAS use. he was professional and nonjudgemental but cautionary and recommended more bloodwork after a month off. here are some results.

cholesterol 6/04 when completely clean: 205, LDL 78. (bad cholesterol)
" 2/05 at end of cycle: 278, LDL 243!!!!!!
3/05 one month after cycle: 239, LDL 156

per my doc desirable total cholesterol should be <200, LDL should be<130.

blood pressure and liver enzymes were elevated at end of cycle but now back to normal. this has been an eyeopening experience at the importance of getting bloodwork done and taking time OFF. AAS may make you look incredible but the side effects should not be ignored.

Glad you're doing the right thing, Glenn.

Neglecting bloodwork is a mistake. You could be proactive and ask him from some BP meds, cholesterol meds etc.......for use in the future.



DIV

 

[glennds]

thanks division. jenetic helped me design my cycle at the onset and he recommended niacin, which i ignored. next time i will take his advice. live and learn...

 

[DJ_UFO]

good job Gland.

 

[small but working on it]

good job doing blood work bro. I am glad you ended up with a cool DR. When are you gonna post some pics ?

 

[DIVISION]

thanks division. jenetic helped me design my cycle at the onset and he recommended niacin, which i ignored. next time i will take his advice. live and learn...

I've hard niacin works for cholesterol.......does it inhibit LDL only or total cholesterol?

Speak on it, Glenn.



DIV

 

[glennds]

good job doing blood work bro. I am glad you ended up with a cool DR. When are you gonna post some pics ?

posted a pic in member galleries. i am no satchboogie but not bad for an older guy.

 

[TheAssholeFomerlyKnownAsDBBT]

I've hard niacin works for cholesterol.......does it inhibit LDL only or total cholesterol?

Speak on it, Glenn.



DIV

Reduces VLDL levels.
Reduces LDL levels.
Variable effects on HDL levels. HDL levels tend to increase

 

[DIVISION]

Reduces VLDL levels.
Reduces LDL levels.
Variable effects on HDL levels. HDL levels tend to increase

Proper Niacin dosing schedule?



DIV

 

[DJ_UFO]

Niacin+Policosanol = wondeful cholesterol levels.

 

[Madcow2]

I hope your doc is cool enough not to have written your steroid use in your records.

Regardless, kudos to you for watching out for your health. The lack of medical supervision is one of the major problems with the whole anti-steroid thing which it seems is only getting worse thanks to some baseball tell-alls trying to sell some books.

 

[badslinky]

You would need to take 3000+mg of niacin a day for it to be beneficial, split up into 3 dosages.

 

[badslinky]

as far as for the policosanol I believe it is 20 mg a day... also something unique about policosanol is that it has a anti-platelet effect similar to aspirin at 100mg/day.

 

[sweed]

sorry for intruding.. but im going to school in a different area then home... where should i get blood work done.. i plan on doing it, and there are plenty of hospitals around where i am now. so do I just go in to get blood work done and no problems?

 

[glennds]

I hope your doc is cool enough not to have written your steroid use in your records.

Regardless, kudos to you for watching out for your health. The lack of medical supervision is one of the major problems with the whole anti-steroid thing which it seems is only getting worse thanks to some baseball tell-alls trying to sell some books.

good point madcow. i have learned after this whole thing that my doc is a bit of an opportunist. he is using this experience to write a paper about the side effects of steroids and how doctors may mistakenly prescribe meds (cholesterol lowering meds, BP meds) when AAS users hide their usage and cannot explain away their elevated bloodwork.

he is a younger doc, about 38, and i suspect using this to further his career. ambition is a trait i recognize.

he sent me endless emails asking question about what i used, where i got my AAS, dosages, sides effects. i found it intrusive but gave him some info with the stipulation that none of this goes in my file. i am an insurance man and not unaware of the problems this could cause if in my medical records.

i am off to work now but will post more on this later if anyone else is interested. my doc's actions really surprised me in his dogged determination to get info from me. enough where i am thinking of dropping him.

 

[badslinky]

good point madcow. i have learned after this whole thing that my doc is a bit of an opportunist. he is using this experience to write a paper about the side effects of steroids and how doctors may mistakenly prescribe meds (cholesterol lowering meds, BP meds) when AAS users hide their usage and cannot explain away their elevated bloodwork.

he is a younger doc, about 38, and i suspect using this to further his career. ambition is a trait i recognize.

he sent me endless emails asking question about what i used, where i got my AAS, dosages, sides effects. i found it intrusive but gave him some info with the stipulation that none of this goes in my file. i am an insurance man and not unaware of the problems this could cause if in my medical records.

i am off to work now but will post more on this later if anyone else is interested. my doc's actions really surprised me in his dogged determination to get info from me. enough where i am thinking of dropping him.

How did you breech the topic to begin with??? Did you start of by " I know this guy that..." , "Hypothetically speaking, say i took...", or did you just tell him and find out afterward whether or not there was gonna be anything put in your record??

 

[Madcow2]

good point madcow. i have learned after this whole thing that my doc is a bit of an opportunist. he is using this experience to write a paper about the side effects of steroids and how doctors may mistakenly prescribe meds (cholesterol lowering meds, BP meds) when AAS users hide their usage and cannot explain away their elevated bloodwork.

he is a younger doc, about 38, and i suspect using this to further his career. ambition is a trait i recognize.

he sent me endless emails asking question about what i used, where i got my AAS, dosages, sides effects. i found it intrusive but gave him some info with the stipulation that none of this goes in my file. i am an insurance man and not unaware of the problems this could cause if in my medical records.

i am off to work now but will post more on this later if anyone else is interested. my doc's actions really surprised me in his dogged determination to get info from me. enough where i am thinking of dropping him.

Make it an even trade. Tell him everything he wants to know (don't mention specific internet boards and sources obviously) and in return he keeps an ultra close monitor on your health - make him absorb your copays too since this is partly for his benefit. Next time you are there, make him show you the file (don't let him know in advance) and make damn sure that stuff isn't in there. If it is, I'm not sure what you can do - in the old days just tear out the pages and walk out. Nowadays, with computer records...not so sure. Steroids are a hot topic now so I can see why he wants to publish something and get his name out there in the journals. That said, you should benefit in some way for helping him so let him do his part for you.

 

[terrapin]

probably the most ignored part of doing a cycle! Way to go bro, you did the right thing and glad to hear enzymes are back to normal! Try to deal with the cholesterol w/o the drugs for now.

 

[sweed]

sorry for intruding.. but im going to school in a different area then home... where should i get blood work done.. i plan on doing it, and there are plenty of hospitals around where i am now. so do I just go in to get blood work done and no problems?

^^^

 

[glennds]

you do not walk into a hospital and ask for bloodwork. it is normally something your doc orders for you, or performs in his office. bloodwork is typical when you get a checkup.

 

[badslinky]

So how did you break it to your doc glen? I would love to have a relationship with my doc like that. He seems very professional so i know he wouldnt rag on me about it. Just curious how you went about it.

 

[glennds]

So how did you break it to your doc glen? I would love to have a relationship with my doc like that. He seems very professional so i know he wouldnt rag on me about it. Just curious how you went about it.

when i see my doc the first thing he does is go over my bloodwork and he immediately brought up the sudden changes in my vitals. i was all nervous before the appointment because i feared this would happen.

i just couldn't explain this away and told him i had a confession to make, that i was using steroids.

now that it is over and done i am sure i did the right thing. a doctor should be someone you trust and can be honest with. i am the worlds worst liar, just can't hide things. honesty always best in the long run.

 

[Guvna]

when i see my doc the first thing he does is go over my bloodwork and he immediately brought up the sudden changes in my vitals. i was all nervous before the appointment because i feared this would happen.

i just couldn't explain this away and told him i had a confession to make, that i was using steroids.

now that it is over and done i am sure i did the right thing. a doctor should be someone you trust and can be honest with. i am the worlds worst liar, just can't hide things. honesty always best in the long run.

how often do you go for a checkup? Also, before you told him you were on AAS, how did he justify the need for blood tests, and how did you convince him that you needed them?

 

[Neo22]

you do not walk into a hospital and ask for bloodwork. it is normally something your doc orders for you, or performs in his office. bloodwork is typical when you get a checkup.

I wouldnt say its typical. I had to basically scream at my dog telling me I wanted to get my test levels and cholesterol levels checked. He said that he had to have a reason for sending me to the diagnostic center.

 

[Slyder190]

And how does one get bloodwork covered by insurance?

 

[glennds]

And how does one get bloodwork covered by insurance?

may depend on your insurance. i have terrific health insurance thru aetna. lab work is covered, with a copay of course.

 

[DIVISION]

may depend on your insurance. i have terrific health insurance thru aetna. lab work is covered, with a copay of course.

Those copays really kill ya' in the end..........wooooooo!



DIV

 

[glennds]

well even a 20% copay is better than 100% out of pocket. not all bloodwork is THAT expensive, depends on the test...and the amount of test your doc orders.

 

[DIVISION]

well even a 20% copay is better than 100% out of pocket. not all bloodwork is THAT expensive, depends on the test...and the amount of test your doc orders.

My insurance doesn't have copay..........THEY PAY.



DIV

 

[Guvna]

how often do you go for a checkup? Also, before you told him you were on AAS, how did he justify the need for blood tests, and how did you convince him that you needed them?

????

 

[glennds]

hey guvna. have check up once a year and bloodwork is standard procedure. blood pressure is done there in the office and sent me to the hospital lab for some blooddrawing. some docs may do right in their office i guess.

had to go to the doc for another reason recently where he did some bloowork. due to elevated vitals i admitted my AAS use so he did not start prescribing cholesterol meds and ask a bunch of questions i would not be able to explain away.

after i told him my AAS use he recommended bloodwork done one month later because had just finished my cycle. wanted to see how vitals where after clean for few weeks.