Has anyone dealt with my bloodwork is so much better - showing my doctor was worth it?

Dr.RaviCardio said:

The single most useful discipline is bringing the whole panel to a clinician rather than one flagged value.

PSA: get baseline labs BEFORE starting baseline bloodwork therapy. You need a "before" picture to measure progress. My recommended pre-treatment panel:

1. CMP + A1C + fasting insulin
2. Complete lipid panel with particle count if possible
3. hsCRP, ferritin, B12, vitamin D
4. Thyroid panel (TSH + free T4)
5. CBC with differential
6. Liver panel (ALT, AST, GGT)
7. DEXA scan or body composition

Total cost at Quest without insurance: ~$200. Worth every penny for the data.

Following on from NurseLeah_Nash — and this may be the naive question:

What actually belongs on a baseline panel, as opposed to the enormous list that gets pasted around here?

DoseLogDan said:

PSA: get baseline labs BEFORE starting baseline bloodwork therapy.

Blood work came back perfect. baseline bloodwork + this community = winning. 🏆

Closing the loop on my own question.

Took the whole panel in rather than the one flagged line, and the conversation lasted two minutes instead of generating three more tests.

KevinCompounds said:

baseline bloodwork + this community = winning.

Agreeing with KevinCompounds, and the qualification matters more than the agreement. One addition: if the lab changes analytical platform between your draws, the comparison breaks and nobody tells you. It is worth asking when a value moves inexplicably.