Dr.AddMedPHL said:The single most useful discipline is bringing the whole panel to a clinician rather than one flagged value.
Pushing back on Dr.AddMedPHL 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.
tammy_FL 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.
kate.chem said:I would drop the "get everything" instinct further than this thread does.
Shot day Monday report relevant to baseline bloodwork:
Week 39. Currently on 5mg. Down 85 lbs from starting weight of 297 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 StandardsA narrower follow-up, since the general answer is now clear:
What actually belongs on a baseline panel, as opposed to the enormous list that gets pasted around here?
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.