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High Hematocrit/Hemoglobin issues

dedication00

New member
As the title states, my Hemoglobin was 17.3 and my Hematocrit was 53 at my last lab. I haven't seen the Dr. yet, but I know these values are high. Everything else is within range.


Before I began TRT a year ago it was at 15.5 and 45.8. I'm wondering if anyone else has had their levels increase this much. This seems like a quite a jump for only being on TRT for 4 months.

I have been feeling pretty run down, short of breath lately and not sleeping well....my mind immediately goes to Polycythemia Vera since I have all of the symptoms including the burning/itching skin in legs.
 
Sounds like jaundice.
You should have a bilirubin count done as well a full liver panel..IMO
 
dedication00 said:
As the title states, my Hemoglobin was 17.3 and my Hematocrit was 53 at my last lab. I haven't seen the Dr. yet, but I know these values are high. Everything else is within range.


Before I began TRT a year ago it was at 15.5 and 45.8. I'm wondering if anyone else has had their levels increase this much. This seems like a quite a jump for only being on TRT for 4 months.

I have been feeling pretty run down, short of breath lately and not sleeping well....my mind immediately goes to Polycythemia Vera since I have all of the symptoms including the burning/itching skin in legs.
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what is your trt dose?

i have had success with fish oil and baby aspirin.
 
Since being on trt my levels are high also. I donate blood every 50 something days. If I go too long I get to mid 50’s, donating drops my levels about 4-5 points. When I donate at each allowed interval I stay high 40’s low 50’s and feel fine. My blood pressure goes up and I get warm all the time when the levels get high. I recommend donating blood to lower your levels and the doctor who prescribes your trt will also.
 
I have just picked up some fish oil and asprin. I also just donated blood yesterday. I will keep donating as often as allowed. When i see my Dr next he is going to check levels again and if necessary check the JAK2 gene to rule out Polycythemia.

I have dropped all B-6, Vit C and Zinc in the short term to see if these help lower my levels.

BP was 120/60 right before giving blood. Hopefully I can get that systolic number down some.
 
dedication00 said:
I have just picked up some fish oil and asprin. I also just donated blood yesterday. I will keep donating as often as allowed. When i see my Dr next he is going to check levels again and if necessary check the JAK2 gene to rule out Polycythemia.

I have dropped all B-6, Vit C and Zinc in the short term to see if these help lower my levels.

BP was 120/60 right before giving blood. Hopefully I can get that systolic number down some.
Click to expand...
if donating frequently keep a eye on iron levels.
 
dedication00 said:
As the title states, my Hemoglobin was 17.3 and my Hematocrit was 53 at my last lab. I haven't seen the Dr. yet, but I know these values are high. Everything else is within range.


Before I began TRT a year ago it was at 15.5 and 45.8. I'm wondering if anyone else has had their levels increase this much. This seems like a quite a jump for only being on TRT for 4 months.

I have been feeling pretty run down, short of breath lately and not sleeping well....my mind immediately goes to Polycythemia Vera since I have all of the symptoms including the burning/itching skin in legs.
Click to expand...


I have this same problem, donate blood as often as you can, Good for you, good for your community !!
 
It's common and especially if you live at altitude. My specialists don't even bat an eye until it starts hitting the 54-55 range as long as everything else is in place.

Dehydration is the biggest culprit here and part of the reason why guys that go in and get labs in the early morning may have higher levels reported. I've tested this myself recently, and I had a 53.4 reading first thing in the morning and then another later in the day after consuming water and hydrating as normal and had a 50.8 lab.
 
kisaj said:
It's common and especially if you live at altitude. My specialists don't even bat an eye until it starts hitting the 54-55 range as long as everything else is in place.

Dehydration is the biggest culprit here and part of the reason why guys that go in and get labs in the early morning may have higher levels reported. I've tested this myself recently, and I had a 53.4 reading first thing in the morning and then another later in the day after consuming water and hydrating as normal and had a 50.8 lab.
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Good Point !!
 
dedication00 said:
As the title states, my Hemoglobin was 17.3 and my Hematocrit was 53 at my last lab. I haven't seen the Dr. yet, but I know these values are high. Everything else is within range.


Before I began TRT a year ago it was at 15.5 and 45.8. I'm wondering if anyone else has had their levels increase this much. This seems like a quite a jump for only being on TRT for 4 months.

I have been feeling pretty run down, short of breath lately and not sleeping well....my mind immediately goes to Polycythemia Vera since I have all of the symptoms including the burning/itching skin in legs.
Click to expand...
As many have said try and donate blood. I donate what is called Double Reds. This needs to be done at a Center. This process removes your whole blood, puts it into a machine which separates it out into all the blood components, saves the Red Blood Cells or RBCs and gives you back the rest of your blood, ie platelets, plasma.

This will help reduce your Crit and I assume your RBCs were high as well. I find this approach to be better and longer lasting results.
 
ohiostate2827 said:
Just make sure you are hydrated when getting your labs done..if not that throws things out of whack
Click to expand...

I have made this mistake, particularly with fasted blood work, you still need to drink lots of water !!
 
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