My POLYCYTHEMIA experience

Punkrocker

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So as you guys know I have been dealing with a high hematocrit. I felt like crap and had a constant pressure in my head and a headache that just didn't seem to go away accompanied by dizziness and a general haze and just out of it feeling. I got a prescription slip in my email to get a therapeutic phlebotomy but unfortunately on Monday which was Presidents Day there were no Labs able to do that. On Monday I felt so horrible that after I couldn't find any labs to do the phlebotomy I just went into an ER and explained the situation. They told me that they were unable to help me because my situation was not life-threatening. I argued that it was and I also asked them if I should just wait until I have a stroke and then try to call them if I survive. They agreed to test me and see what to do from there. So they check my hematocrit hemoglobin and my hemoglobin was 18.2 and my hematocrit was 55%. After arguing with the nurses and doctors, they contacted the shift supervisor who advised them to infact give me a phlebotomy because my levels were technically considered life-threatening. So they laid me in a bed and stuck an 18 gauge needle in my arm and attached it to a giant syringe that looks like a turkey baster and they basically pulled the blood out of my arm like in the way you would pull your testosterone out of the bottle. The nurses had no idea what they were doing and pulled my blood out way too fast to the point where my body went numb and I would have passed out if it wasn't for my adrenaline keeping me going and me freaking out. All in all my hematocrit is now 51% and my hemoglobin is 16.8 I stopped using HCG for now because that's what really jacked my levels and I am now in contact with a phlebotomist whom I will visit within a month probably to drain one more pint because I am still on the upper end of the spectrum. At least the pressure headache and hazy feeling has gone away and I do not think I'm at risk of a stroke now. What a terrible awful experience. Guys please keep track of your hematocrit levels this stuff can get scary.
 
Cgkone

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I'm having issues similar.
I can't talk to doc about AAS.
I've been on self administered trt
For 6months. With a cycle thrown in there.
I can't give blood because melanoma.
I'm flagged in the system.
So I need to take a pint out At least.
I ordered a blood bag. It will be here tomorrow.
We will see how it goes.
I don't think I need anticoagulant to extract a pint.
I ordered from a vet supply.
Its frustrating how right people are with blood collecting stuff.
 
Cgkone

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I didn't realize hcg raised levels.
I'm off hcg now but recently was on it.
I had symptoms of head pressure and out of it feeling.
My blood pressure was averaging 130/85.
That bottom number is never that high.
I got a little more serious about keeping my bp in check and symptoms eased up.
But I know my body. I need to drop some blood.
 
Punkrocker

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I'm having issues similar.
I can't talk to doc about AAS.
I've been on self administered trt
For 6months. With a cycle thrown in there.
I can't give blood because melanoma.
I'm flagged in the system.
So I need to take a pint out At least.
I ordered a blood bag. It will be here tomorrow.
We will see how it goes.
I don't think I need anticoagulant to extract a pint.
I ordered from a vet supply.
Its frustrating how right people are with blood collecting stuff.
If I were u, ID just do what I did and go to a hospital. Don't wait for a stroke and don't do it yourself because you could mess it up and give itself a clot or stroke. Just go to the ER, be honest, get tested and then demand to be drained like I did
 
Cgkone

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Well
I got to figure out how to self draw a pint of blood.
I'm flagged for 5 years.
This **** ain't rocket science.
Just got to have a vacume bag.
 
Punkrocker

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Well
I got to figure out how to self draw a pint of blood.
I'm flagged for 5 years.
This **** ain't rocket science.
Just got to have a vacume bag.
Bro, I think you're more punk than me.
 
Cgkone

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Yeah I'm a harcore peckerwood from Cali.
But I'll get back to you after I do this
 
Cgkone

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**** yeah bro! 14 words!
You know it!!
There is a few of us on AM.
But way more lames!
Nice talking to you brother. Glad your feeling better.
I'll let you know how my little cha cha goes.
Loyalty n Respect
 
Punkrocker

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You know it!!
There is a few of us on AM.
But way more lames!
Nice talking to you brother. Glad your feeling better.
I'll let you know how my little cha cha goes.
Loyalty n Respect
Just be safe bro! Lemme know how it goes. Stay hydrated! 88
 
kenpoengineer

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On TRT for 2 years myself. I'm pretty sure HCG didn't cause the polycythemia, it was the testosterone. Any steroid increases RBC production thus causing "thick blood". I assume you guys use FB. Go to Testosterone Replacement Therapy Discussion FB page. It's run by ExcelMale (Nelson Vergel) and has great information.
 
Cgkone

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On TRT for 2 years myself. I'm pretty sure HCG didn't cause the polycythemia, it was the testosterone. Any steroid increases RBC production thus causing "thick blood". I assume you guys use FB. Go to Testosterone Replacement Therapy Discussion FB page. It's run by ExcelMale (Nelson Vergel) and has great information.
Thanks I will.
Me and a buddy got a pint out of me yesterday.
I would say I felt instant relief.
Pressure gone from behind my eyes and ears.
I'll do 2 more pints over the next 5 weeks and then stick to 1 every 56 days.
I'll check out that FB page and see if I can get better insight.
Using a water bottle with a 10ml syringe attached to increase vacume. 19 gauge needle attached to a tube.
Kinda crude .
 
Punkrocker

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Thanks I will.
Me and a buddy got a pint out of me yesterday.
I would say I felt instant relief.
Pressure gone from behind my eyes and ears.
I'll do 2 more pints over the next 5 weeks and then stick to 1 every 56 days.
I'll check out that FB page and see if I can get better insight.
Using a water bottle with a 10ml syringe attached to increase vacume. 19 gauge needle attached to a tube.
Kinda crude .
You are gnarly bro. I love it! Haha
 
chemjr

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Thanks I will.
Me and a buddy got a pint out of me yesterday.
I would say I felt instant relief.
Pressure gone from behind my eyes and ears.
I'll do 2 more pints over the next 5 weeks and then stick to 1 every 56 days.
I'll check out that FB page and see if I can get better insight.
Using a water bottle with a 10ml syringe attached to increase vacume. 19 gauge needle attached to a tube.
Kinda crude .
No more crude than blood letting! I give props and am about 2 seconds away from doing the same. Big ups
 
Cgkone

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No more crude than blood letting! I give props and am about 2 seconds away from doing the same. Big ups
I needed a second guy for this set up.
I used a 21g needle at first and it literally would get clogged.
Once we switched to my 19g drawing needle it went fast.
A little more steady hand needed compared to a glute injection but you can do it.
Its your body and your blood.
Now I'm considering storing my blood in case I ever need it.
As a society it seems weird that we transfer strangers blood into our bodies.
Every American should have a gallon of their own blood on ice for emergencies.
 
chemjr

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I needed a second guy for this set up.
I used a 21g needle at first and it literally would get clogged.
Once we switched to my 19g drawing needle it went fast.
A little more steady hand needed compared to a glute injection but you can do it.
Its your body and your blood.
Now I'm considering storing my blood in case I ever need it.
As a society it seems weird that we transfer strangers blood into our bodies.
Every American should have a gallon of their own blood on ice for emergencies.
Agreed. And was thinking of storing it and getting a PRP kit and making some for my knees. Have a surgeon buddy that should have mo problem hitting my knees.
And yes, quite weird, esp when you consider things like lyme disease are not scanned for and can be transferred durring transfusions. I don't give blood anymore now that I know I have it, but before that I did a lot bc I have that blood that anyone can take...? Anyways, thx for the tips and I have a pretty steady hand, and have had to do quite a bit of poking over the years with my lyme treatment so I'm not afraid of blowing one out. Nothing the hospital hasn't done already. Thx for sharing your experiences!
 
Cgkone

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I knew that 95% of AM wouldn't approve.
But the 5 % might actually need to know.
 
Punkrocker

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This hands down is the coolest thing that I have ever seen on AM. I wanna do this too! I'm showing this to my phlebotomist and gonna be like "yea I don't need u now bitch"
 
Punkrocker

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That's the thing.....you dont!!
So basically once you made the whole contraption, you just injected the 19 gauge needle into your vein and then lightly pulled on the plunger that was attached to the bottle to create a vacuum that ended up pulling your blood into the bottle correct?
 
Cgkone

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Yup
We only pulled wen it got slow.
I would squeez my fist and my boy would pull a little .
 
Cgkone

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Once we got to the 19 gauge needle everything went pretty smooth we didn't really need them very much vacuum at all
 
Cgkone

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The 21 gauge needles gave us problems.
Id say go big gauge and it could be done alone.
Also pet supply web site have bags.
My boys pretty crafty so he MacGyver that water bottle pretty good
 
Cgkone

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I should be getting a blood collection bag today or tomorrow
 
Punkrocker

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Yup
We only pulled wen it got slow.
I would squeez my fist and my boy would pull a little .
When I was in the ER the nurse was literally pulling the blood outta my vein with a giant syringe. She was pulling too fast which made my body go numb and I almost passed out and maybe could have died. Definitely don't wanna pull Ur blood too fast. Slow and steady wins the race
 
Cgkone

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When I was in the ER the nurse was literally pulling the blood outta my vein with a giant syringe. She was pulling too fast which made my body go numb and I almost passed out and maybe could have died. Definitely don't wanna pull Ur blood too fast. Slow and steady wins the race
That ER experience sounds way worse than my backyard experience
 
Punkrocker

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That ER experience sounds way worse than my backyard experience
Yeah I think I would have rather done something like what you did. I mean you were right how hard can it actually be. You stick the needle in and let it drain into a bottle. I don't know why the hell they didn't do it like that at the ER and had to literally pull it out of me with turkey baster sized syringes!
 

Randallk21

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So f'ing bada** lol love the get sh*t done at all cost mentality haha
 

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