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765439 tn?1292960414

hormones vary with each test?

last march i got two blood tests. i dont remember all the results just the testosterone ones. one test my level was 270, the other was 450 same range around 1 month apart.

last month(1 year later) i got hormones done again. i got them faxed over to quest fom a doctor i never met. this doctor was a testosterone dpecialist,who i had researched. anyway i emailed him back and he said my numbers for all of my hormones werent even close to deficient and even asked me if i had started taking a supp since my last results i had given him. i hadnt. ths same guy believed that my 450 was deficient, so my lvel this time must have been 650 plus!!!
i had quest fax my local physician the results but my local physician refuses to give them to me, since hes nott he ordering doctor...wtf..

anyway im gonna get my hormones done again. what should  iask for? im going to demand all the tests i want and need, ive had this tumor for too long. also ive heard there are online labs. my insurance covers blood testing for free, but if my doctor refuses to help i may go to an online lab but  icant find any??? i tried google searching.

but yeah what hormoens should  i get tested? heres what i am going to request so far...

Iron Level
FerritinFerritin
TransferrinTransferrin BL
Free T4
Free T3
T3
T3, Reverse
T3 Total
TSH
DHEA
TIBC
UIBC
transferrin %Sat
Thryoglobulin Antibody
Thyroid Peroxidase Ab -
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Avatar universal
I had a script that said *pituitary MRI* only... It was with and without contrast, dynamic and with headphones. But yes, I prefer a script that has it all laid out.

Not all places have headphones but some do... The last place where I had my legs done, locally, had them - they had radio stations, not cds.

My last 1.5T on my head had headphones too.
Every place differs.

The CD is free. The copy of the films now costs something like $6 to $10 a page. I got one of those free when I asked for the CD in advance but the CD copier was broken. It weighed 5 lbs. ACK.

In NJ or NY, I think the docs are restricted by state law to only charge $.75 or $1 per page - so when I order medical records, say from a hospital, that is what they charge. But they often give you a copy of the report, one, for free. For the report, call 24-36 hours after the scan. They will mail it.
Helpful - 0
596605 tn?1369946627
Hey- I've not been feeling well enough to write, but I have been watching your thread. Here's some things that might help:
1. You are entitled to get copies of labs/medical records. BUT the doctor may charge you a resonable fee for the copies. Write a short note (it can even be handwritten and faxed) asking your doctor/nurse for say the last 20 pages of your medical chart and then ask how much they charge per page and offer to pay when you go in to pick them up. Usually the charge is 25-50 cents per page.
2. There are six pituitary hormones that can be tested via blood work or special stimulation tests . General endocrinologists or internists usually do not know how to deal with Pituitary or HPA axis patients as you've figured out
-Cortisol
-Growth Hormone
-Thyroid
-LH/FSH (via estrogen/progesterone and testosterone)
-Antidiuretic Hormone via Desmopressin (not common)
-Oxytocin (not tested)

3. I would recommend that you add IGF-1 (growth hormone), LH and prolactin to your request

4. Without lab tests there is no way to know if your adenoma is a secreting type or not and if it is causing ANYTHING that is objective.

Hope this helps
Horse


Helpful - 0
875426 tn?1325528416
Not having had a 3 t MRI that I know of, I would think you still would need with and without contrast because of the importance of watching what the dye does in locating the tumor.
Helpful - 0
765439 tn?1292960414
i never got headphones or music =\ i guess is that for the dynamic 3t machines only?

im not gonnna lie those mris scare me =\. do i still need to ask for it w/wo contrast?

im hoping  i get a clear picture!

thanks.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yes. They automatically do the whole head - if you ask a*head* of time, and wait a couple of minutes, you can walk away with the cd right then and there. But ask before.

They give you headphones and music. I was tortured with Celine.
Helpful - 0
765439 tn?1292960414
rumpled i  going for my mri very soon, i just wanna make sure i get this down EXACTLY.

im gonna ask to go to st barnabas in livingston nj. i want a 3t dynamic mri scan of the pituitary w/wo contrast?

is that right? it sounds like youre saying dont get the rest of the brain also?

also i dont understand the celine dion joke but im going yto the neuros tomorro.
Helpful - 0
765439 tn?1292960414
well i just called my doctor to see if they added any thryoid tests and they said no. i had the whole list odf tests in front of me, that i wanted done, but felt foolish asking for them. i asked for t3, and t4  and they didnt evenb sound thrilled about that. they said they werent adding more tests, itll cost me money?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
No doc comes with a guarantee.
Sometimes stones form in the salivary glands. It will make a lump and then pass.
Helpful - 0
765439 tn?1292960414
theres no visible lump though just inside of the skin i can move it where the pain is. also i get twitches in that area  a lot. i hope i dont have a tumor there!
Helpful - 0
765439 tn?1292960414
i think im just gonna not waste my money on more testing. im just gonna go to the neuros and request another mri. then when i get that back i will try to go to barentsky for testing. you said hes pretty fair in listening right>

i woke up today with sore hands and feet. this happens a lot. is this another symptom of tumors?

also something that happens on and off is ill get a lump on the right side of my fce below my jaws. itll make my jaw on that side hurt and ill feel a lmp moving. it comes and goes.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
They just have to write a script for a pituitary MRI - and just make an appt there. You can ask for the 3t when you make the appointment - you may have to wait longer.
If your doc agrees, see if you can add extra tests.
Helpful - 0
765439 tn?1292960414
ok cool, i will be sure to request to go there when i make an appointment with a neuro(havent seen 1 in a year jsut gave up hope lol) do i have to tell my neuro to write a prescription for a 3t mri? i definitely want that kind!
well i have had my testosterones and everything checked, but they vary a lot and are normal most of the time. i guess  i should add estradiol and prolactin?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I assumed you were covered on the pit tests. So I only commented on the others. Forgot the estradiol.

I go to St. Barnabus in Livingston for my MRIs. They have an outpatient center that has some 3T machines. Be careful, one guy may subject to an hour of Celine Dion... bleah.
Helpful - 0
765439 tn?1292960414
well i got a lot of those tests off a thyoid forum. at this point ive accepted i might not get this tumor removed and  i have no choice but to believe the doctors that its not causing my symptoms lol. so i was thinking of thyroid tests.


so you wouldnt get prolactin,estrogen etc done? bio test is free test right and sec binding is shbg>

just curious i want to get an mri soon where do you go for yours? nyu? i dont mind driving a little. im in nj as well. want a clear mri.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The creatine monohydrate may show up in the tests as kidney issues - perhaps has too much protein in the kidneys. It should not mess with the hormone tests.

The dhea test should be dhea sulfate.
Why do much iron testing - does hemochromatosis (iron overload) run in the family?

I would ask for bio-available testosterone, sex binding hormone, LH/FSH since you are worried about androgens.
Helpful - 0
765439 tn?1292960414
oh and ive been taking creatine monohydrate for the last 2 weeks for weightlifting will this mess up my results for my blood test? i started this after my last blood test(the super high  testosterone blood tesing).o.
Helpful - 0
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