Dr.AddMedPHL said:The single most useful discipline is bringing the whole panel to a clinician rather than one flagged value.
I read this differently from Dr.AddMedPHL, on substance rather than tone. 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.
That is the short version; the long version is somebody else's post.
Dr.LipidDallas said:I got a full panel before starting and a repeat at three months, and the second one is more useful than the first purely because I now have something…
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.
Dr.ObesityLA said:I would drop the "get everything" instinct further than this thread does.
Shot day Monday report relevant to baseline bloodwork:
Week 35. Currently on 5mg. Down 71 lbs from starting weight of 283 lbs.
This week's observations: Appetite very well controlled, no cravings.
Labs due next week — looking forward to seeing the metabolic panel. I'll post results in the Lab Results section when they come in.
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Shop Reference StandardsOne thing that is still open after kate.chem’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.