Hemoglobin to high to donate

[MuscleMick]

Been on TRT for 5 years (100mg test-c E3D). Been having breathing issues and high BP (140-160/80) since having COVID. Docs been treating it like asthma and it's getting worse. Got my routine bloods and RBC (6.34), Hemoglobin (19.5) and Hematocrit (57.1) were all high and they never were before.

I went to Red Cross to donate but finger prick showed Hemoglobin at 20.5 so they won't let me donate. Any suggestions on how I can get these levels reduced? Thanks!

 

[MisterSuperGod]

Speak with you doctor about therapeutic phlebotomy. There's always the DIY way of doing thing's, but go through the proper channels before resorting to that.

 

[lankyOldIdiot]

Typical bodybuilder way is 18g needle in vein attached to empty barrel. First half-pint flows out fine. Takes about 10 minutes.

- But what about passing out and bleeding out, blah blah
Aside from that probably never happening, if you disturb the needle, the blood flow trickles out or stops.

This is not medical advice, just saying how it's commonly done.

 

[MuscleMick]

Speak with you doctor about therapeutic phlebotomy. There's always the DIY way of doing thing's, but go through the proper channels before resorting to that.

Thanks! Already put a call in!

 

[BBC3]

Been on TRT for 5 years (100mg test-c E3D). Been having breathing issues and high BP (140-160/80) since having COVID. Docs been treating it like asthma and it's getting worse. Got my routine bloods and RBC (6.34), Hemoglobin (19.5) and Hematocrit (57.1) were all high and they never were before.

I went to Red Cross to donate but finger prick showed Hemoglobin at 20.5 so they won't let me donate. Any suggestions on how I can get these levels reduced? Thanks!

Red Cross is a bunch of sorry asses that work harder at getting out of work... FACT..

Had you walked into a clinic that is in business with the medical community (conducting the Therapeutic Phlebotomies) they probably would have taken you with those stats. Getting the doc to sign the papers will eliminate the 8 week waiting period between donations and you can go weekly all the way down to 13 technically. DONT DO THAT(SEE NEXT PARAGRAPH). I would recommend stopping mid range around 15. You can count on dropping off 0.75 to 1.25 points for every donation depending on hydration levels.

A solid member around here once educated me a bit on the following. Know that shit starts to get out of balance in terms of blood components once you get out of whack and try to bring it down too fast. Iron, hemoglobin, red blood cells, & ferritin are all different red blood cell factors and components that do not replace as equally as they are bled out. Its a difficult concept to understand. I don't think the techs really do either. All they know is they will bleed you out all the way down to 13 if you let them. Its like there's vampires living in the back... I'd recommend going once a week for 2-3 weeks tops and then back off to every 4 weeks till you get down around 15. Trust me on this.. DO NOT GO TOO FAST / Youoollll be sooorrrreyyyy....

Once you hit 15 you can probably get away with once every 8 weeks if you are on 200mgs test or less... Just paying it forward as one did for me.

 

[MuscleMick]

Red Cross is a bunch of sorry asses that work harder at getting out of work... FACT..

Had you walked into a clinic that is in business with the medical community (conducting the Therapeutic Phlebotomies) they probably would have taken you with those stats. Getting the doc to sign the papers will eliminate the 8 week waiting period between donations and you can go weekly all the way down to 13 technically. DONT DO THAT(SEE NEXT PARAGRAPH). I would recommend stopping mid range around 15. You can count on dropping off 0.75 to 1.25 points for every donation depending on hydration levels.

A solid member around here once educated me a bit on the following. Know that shit starts to get out of balance in terms of blood components once you get out of whack and try to bring it down too fast. Iron, hemoglobin, red blood cells, & ferritin are all different red blood cell factors and components that do not replace as equally as they are bled out. Its a difficult concept to understand. I don't think the techs really do either. All they know is they will bleed you out all the way down to 13 if you let them. Its like there's vampires living in the back... I'd recommend going once a week for 2-3 weeks tops and then back off to every 4 weeks till you get down around 15. Trust me on this.. DO NOT GO TOO FAST / Youoollll be sooorrrreyyyy....

Once you hit 15 you can probably get away with once every 8 weeks if you are on 200mgs test or less... Just paying it forward as one did for me.

Thanks, BBC3!

I went yesterday and they took a pint out. If I get weekly draws, how often should I get bloodwork?

 

[BBC3]

Thanks, BBC3!

I went yesterday and they took a pint out. If I get weekly draws, how often should I get bloodwork?

FYI I may have my terms backwards and the scale (13-20) they measure prior to blood draw is actually hemoglobin. Its just that not all RBC's have hemoglobins attached. But those are the ones that matter. They are measuring on a different scale too I think. I forget more than I THOUGHT I knew...

They will prick your finger to measure RBC as hemoglobin every time before they draw. Just ask them what it is when they read it on the machine.. For males 13-20 is range. Like I said - just not too fast and hold up at 15-16. Consider you are at 19-21 and not dead. Also consider if you should come down with Covid affecting your lungs, you might wish you had some of those red blood cells back... In terms of RBC accumulation from TRT, there is no need to get any other bloodwork. The finger stick they do at the beginning will tell you every time.

If they have a website get them to set you up with an ID and they may give you access to your stats there as well, and may also tell you your cholesterol counts and if you show covid antibodies. I think most places are not testing for covid anti-bodies anymore because it got to the point that all the blood has antibodies.. They also wont give you the 10 or 20 bux they offer from time to time if you are not registered online with them. They wont tell you that till you have missed out on enough gift cards to wonder when they are going to arrive. If you don't register the answer is NEVER...

And hey read up on some of those diseases they ask you about on the questionnaire. Like Chagas disease for example from the kissing bug. That stuff will freak you out..

General donor assessment - Blood Donor Selection - NCBI Bookshelf

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[MuscleMick]

Thanks, BBC3!