12-month metabolic panel comparison — looking for input

CryptoCarl said:

A defensible baseline is short: HbA1c and fasting glucose, a lipid panel with ApoB if you can get it, ALT and AST, creatinine with eGFR, TSH, ferritin…

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.

One thing that is still open after MASHdoc_SA’s answer:

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

jason_paloalto said:

PSA: get baseline labs BEFORE starting baseline bloodwork therapy.

Shot day Wednesday report relevant to baseline bloodwork:

Week 49. Currently on 1.0mg. Down 75 lbs from starting weight of 287 lbs.

This week's observations: Mild fatigue day 1-2 post-injection, then fine.

Labs due next week — looking forward to seeing the metabolic panel. I'll post results in the Lab Results section when they come in.

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.

roxy_nash said:

Shot day Wednesday report relevant to baseline bloodwork: Week 49.

Agreed, and reference ranges are laboratory-specific. Comparing your number to somebody else's range, or to a screenshot from another country, is how people convince themselves something is wrong.