TrialTracker_MD said:The single most useful discipline is bringing the whole panel to a clinician rather than one flagged value.
Pushing back on TrialTracker_MD here. I would drop the "get everything" instinct further than this thread does. Every extra test is another chance at a false positive, and incidental findings have their own cost in scans, biopsies and worry.
chris_chi24 said:My prescriber ordered three tests and this board recommends about twenty, and I would like to know which of those two lists is right.
PSA: get baseline labs BEFORE starting baseline bloodwork therapy. You need a "before" picture to measure progress. My recommended pre-treatment panel:
- CMP + A1C + fasting insulin
- Complete lipid panel with particle count if possible
- hsCRP, ferritin, B12, vitamin D
- Thyroid panel (TSH + free T4)
- CBC with differential
- Liver panel (ALT, AST, GGT)
- DEXA scan or body composition
Total cost at Quest without insurance: ~$200. Worth every penny for the data.
JessicaH_TX said:I would drop the "get everything" instinct further than this thread does.
Blood work came back perfect. baseline bloodwork + this community = winning. 🏆
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View ResultsOne thing that is still open after newstart_MO’s answer:
How often to repeat it, because quarterly seems to be the convention and I cannot find the reasoning?
Reporting back.
Took the whole panel in rather than the one flagged line, and the conversation lasted two minutes instead of generating three more tests.