Blood test results, could use some input

[Alpin]

I can't complain... was treated with courtesy and appreciation. Lots of questions in the beginning - I was grateful that I did not have to lie.
Donating whole blood is easy and quick. Platelets is another matter. Today's double platelet apheresis took 118 minutes on the machine, total time about three hours. Just keeping your arm straight starts to hurt about halfway through. Along with your filtered blood, you are infused with an anticoagulant that messes with your blood ph and can cause some tingling, etc. I can't say that it was pleasant, and I frequently had to remind myself of how much I loved my fellow man.
I'm on 200mg/week.

200 mg/week should be putting you comfortably at 1200-1300 ng/dl Total T....
forgot what it was like to have T levels like that.
Did you tell them you "inject" TRT?

 

[Megatron28]

200 mg/week should be putting you comfortably at 1200-1300 ng/dl Total T....
forgot what it was like to have T levels like that.
Did you tell them you "inject" TRT?

You don't have to tell them that if it is doctor prescribed -- at least in the US.

 

[Mprtz]

As long as you're not taking anything on the deferred medication list you don't have to list medications. There is a question if you are using needles to inject anything not prescribed by your doctor.
In my first interview, I was asked why I wanted to give blood now. I could have evaded the question, but I said I was on prescribed hormone treatments that might raise my hct. I think that would have been obvious to the tech anyway from body type and initial hct of 53%, so I think being honest if possible is best.

While I was in the apheresis chair yesterday I saw someone come into the facility - big guy, big arms, no hair. He went into the interview room, there was a lot of head shaking by the interviewer and he left again. I guess he was deferred for some reason. With the explosion of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in addition to bodybuilders I'm sure they can spot guys like me a mile away.

 

[halfwit]

Well I decided to put the platelets donation to the test and I can confirm that it works:

First visit (whole blood donation) hgb: 17.7 (not so good)
Second visit (a few weeks later, double platelets donation) hgb: 17.0
Third visit (10 days later for second double platelets donation) hgb: 15.7

Interestingly, there was apparently more drop from the apheresis (which purportedly returns RBCs to the body) than from a plain old whole blood donation.
Extrapolating, I estimate my current hgb as 14.4 ( hct 43.2% ) which is below my pre-TRT level and gives me some headroom before I need to donate again. Thanks for the excellent tip, halfwit!!

Awesome results man! Yeah, the time investment can suck - but we have movies at my Red Cross which helps a bit. I'm surprised it took so long for you. I'm usually in and out from the chair in 45-50 minutes due to a really high platelet count.

 

[Mprtz]

Awesome results man! Yeah, the time investment can suck - but we have movies at my Red Cross which helps a bit. I'm surprised it took so long for you. I'm usually in and out from the chair in 45-50 minutes due to a really high platelet count.

50 minutes for a double platelet donation? 7.5x10^11 platelets? Maybe different equipment.

 

[halfwit]

50 minutes for a double platelet donation? 7.5x10^11 platelets? Maybe different equipment.

I had a platelet count of around 570,000 last I checked. I'm on deferment until next month since the tech collapsed my vein twice in a row, but it's usually pretty quick. I'll take a peek next time I'm in and see what machine they use at my Red Cross.

Edit: That's for a triple platelet donation btw.