SarahChen_PharmD said:The single most useful discipline is bringing the whole panel to a clinician rather than one flagged value.
Filing a mild objection. Mild because I might be wrong; an objection because nobody has addressed the case that does not fit. 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.
Ask again with the specifics and you will get a better answer than this one.
SaraMom3 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.
Shot day Thursday report relevant to baseline bloodwork:
Week 16. Currently on 15mg. Down 52 lbs from starting weight of 264 lbs.
This week's observations: Energy levels excellent, zero nausea.
Labs due next week — looking forward to seeing the metabolic panel. I'll post results in the Lab Results section when they come in.
Dr.SportsMedIN said:I would drop the "get everything" instinct further than this thread does.
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.
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View ResultsA narrower follow-up, since the general answer is now clear:
How often to repeat it, because quarterly seems to be the convention and I cannot find the reasoning?
OP back with an update, since a thread like this is useless without one.
Took the whole panel in rather than the one flagged line, and the conversation lasted two minutes instead of generating three more tests.