Getting comprehensive blood tests -- need advice

[kilimanjaro]

Hello all. I would greatly appreciate any advice from experienced posters who have had or know about blood tests and hormone levels.

I haven't been to a Doctor or had a blood test in over three years, and I have never had any specific blood tests for testosterone, DHEA etc.. in my life.

However, I am supposed to finally see a doctor (endocrinolist-- thyroid/diabetes/PCOS expert) next week and just had my blood test done today (they drew the blood into three large tubes and two smaller ones due to the number of tests involved).

Anyway, the doctor's secretary allowed me to get as many blood tests as I wanted without even seeing the doctor yet. She said that the doctor just wanted me to take a few of the main ones, but that she would request the blood testing clinic to perform as many as I wanted!

Since I pay for a significant portion of these tests (crappy health insurance) myself, I decided not to go overboard. Here's what I had done (I requested options 5-8 below with the rest required by the doctor):

1) Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
2) Complete Blood Count (CBC)
3) T4/FTI (Thyroid)
4) Hemoglobin
5) Lipid Panel
6) DHEA-S
7) Testosterone Free
8) DHT
9) Urine Albumin

I also wanted to get other things checked out such as cortisol, estrogen, estradiol, progesterone, corticosteroid hormone etc... The blood clinic will store my blood for a week so I can possibly also get these tests done from the same blood drawn today if my doctor recommends it next week.

I have had some symptoms of thyroid in the past, but never tested positive for thyroid problems.

I do have excessive body hair and am loosing scalp hair. I also have hyperhidrosis (sweaty palms and feet).

No-one in my family on either side has much body hair or hyperhidrosis. My mom's side is bald though while dad had great hair most of his life until recently.

Anyway, please let me know if you guys think I should get any other tests done.

I also want my doctor to prescribe Proscar. Does he have to mail the prescription to Wal Mart or CVS etc...wherever I get the Proscar from? How do I try to make my insurance pay for it if possible?

Anyway, I hope some people response and give me feedback on my game plan.

 

[luke77]

Why are you getting tested? Are your only symptoms sweaty palms and body hair? I don't understand what you hope to find...

 

[kilimanjaro]

Well my main concern is hormone levels such as DHT, testosterone and maybe estrogen etc...next week.

I just think I gotta have much more DHT than the average man, or much more follicle sensitivity if the tests prove otherwise.

I also got some gyno and probably need to get estrogen checked. The clinic nurse said that was usually only tested on women.

Has anyone here had the estrogen test?

I also want to get tested again after starting and being on Proscar for a while to see if DHT levels declined as much as they say.

 

[alf]

I think you have the right game plan. I just started on finasteride two weeks ago and right before i did i got my DHT levels checked. They were way above normal. I'm going to get it rechecked in a month or so to see if they go back to normal.

Hope everything goes well.

 

[kilimanjaro]

Got all my results today and everything (including cholesterol) was in the reference range except for something called MPV, which was slightly above.

The main thing I was interested in (DHT) was listed as 505.9 (no units?!) and my doctor said it was normal. How come DHT is the only one that was listed without a reference range among the 50 or more other readings in my blood test results printout? Anyone know what the range is and whether I am at the high end?

Anyway, the Testosterone was 497 (reference = 220-1000 ng/dL), Free Testosterone was 2.9 percent (reference = 0.5-3.2 percent), and Testosterone Free was 144.8 (reference = 40-240 pg/mL).

Thanks a lot for those who responded.

I didn't get cortisol tested. Anyone ever been tested for that?

Otherwise, I think no more doctor visits for me for a few years unless its a necessity. It was depressing and sad seeing all the really sick folks struggling to make ends meet while I was spending a few hundred bucks on blood tests just like that :-(

 

[-cj-]

Shoot I just read your first post, made a list, then noticed you'd already gone!

Here it is anyways:
LH (Luteinizing Hormone)
TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)
Prolactin
Estradiol
Cortisol
E2 (Estrogen)
FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone)
SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin)
Testosterone and Free Testosterone
DHT
PSA!

You'll definitely want to do this prior to taking finasteride.

Good luck.

 

[kilimanjaro]

Thanks a lot cj.

I got most of those done except PSA and Cortisol. Hopefully I can get those done later.

So can anyone answer my question about the meaning of my DHT reading of 505.9 and what it could mean since I was given no units or reference range to compare with?

Thanks.

 

[kilimanjaro]

DHT of 505.9 means?