Help needed with setting up labs
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Hey all, I live in a semi-rural area and don't have a Quest Diagnostics close to me which is what many of these discount lab services seem to use are their draw site. I'm a total noob to getting labs not ordered by my doc, is there some flexibility built into this process?
I DO have an Express Labs location though, is anyone aware of a lab service that can run lipo/hormone/IGF-1 that uses them?
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@vpeptides There's one about an hour away from me, but nothing closer than that. I could make it happen if I need to.
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There is a number of services that will allow you to use labcorp. See here https://www.findlabtest.com/lab-test/general-wellness/insulin-like-growth-factor-1-igf-1-labcorp-010363
Also https://ownyourlabs.com/ uses it. -
Hey all, I live in a semi-rural area and don't have a Quest Diagnostics close to me which is what many of these discount lab services seem to use are their draw site. I'm a total noob to getting labs not ordered by my doc, is there some flexibility built into this process?
I DO have an Express Labs location though, is anyone aware of a lab service that can run lipo/hormone/IGF-1 that uses them?
@SwollStreetBets
I had mine done through Rhythm Health, everything is done by mail: They send you a little stick on sucker thing that draw the blood into a little vial [it's painless], Fed Ex picks it up at your door, labs are available online a few days after.
There is another company that does it this way as well if you look. -
@SwollStreetBets
I had mine done through Rhythm Health, everything is done by mail: They send you a little stick on sucker thing that draw the blood into a little vial [it's painless], Fed Ex picks it up at your door, labs are available online a few days after.
There is another company that does it this way as well if you look.@Stan-Douglas Rhythm would do IGF-1?
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@SwollStreetBets
I had mine done through Rhythm Health, everything is done by mail: They send you a little stick on sucker thing that draw the blood into a little vial [it's painless], Fed Ex picks it up at your door, labs are available online a few days after.
There is another company that does it this way as well if you look.@SwollStreetBets
I had mine done through Rhythm Health, everything is done by mail: They send you a little stick on sucker thing that draw the blood into a little vial [it's painless], Fed Ex picks it up at your door, labs are available online a few days after.
There is another company that does it this way as well if you look.Those are more prone to error and are not as accurate as doing them in person.
A.I. analysis below
Finger-prick/capillary kits (small vial you mail back) are more prone to error — hemolysis, insufficient sample volume, temperature exposure in transit, and clotting can all skew results, especially for hormone-sensitive markers. Venous draws are more reliable.
Analyte stability matters — some hormones and metabolites (e.g., cortisol, certain protein-bound hormones) degrade faster than others if a sample sits in transit for a day or two before processing.
If you're only doing labs 2 or so times/year, a 1 hour drive isn't that bad.
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@Stan-Douglas Rhythm would do IGF-1?
@JtCjEfF
No, they do not to IGF-1 as part of their testing. -
@SwollStreetBets
I had mine done through Rhythm Health, everything is done by mail: They send you a little stick on sucker thing that draw the blood into a little vial [it's painless], Fed Ex picks it up at your door, labs are available online a few days after.
There is another company that does it this way as well if you look.Those are more prone to error and are not as accurate as doing them in person.
A.I. analysis below
Finger-prick/capillary kits (small vial you mail back) are more prone to error — hemolysis, insufficient sample volume, temperature exposure in transit, and clotting can all skew results, especially for hormone-sensitive markers. Venous draws are more reliable.
Analyte stability matters — some hormones and metabolites (e.g., cortisol, certain protein-bound hormones) degrade faster than others if a sample sits in transit for a day or two before processing.
If you're only doing labs 2 or so times/year, a 1 hour drive isn't that bad.
@Neil-McCauley dont get me started on pin prick tests lol I had a PSA elevation nightmare due in part to one of those. In person labs showed picture perfect levels.
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@SwollStreetBets
I had mine done through Rhythm Health, everything is done by mail: They send you a little stick on sucker thing that draw the blood into a little vial [it's painless], Fed Ex picks it up at your door, labs are available online a few days after.
There is another company that does it this way as well if you look.Those are more prone to error and are not as accurate as doing them in person.
A.I. analysis below
Finger-prick/capillary kits (small vial you mail back) are more prone to error — hemolysis, insufficient sample volume, temperature exposure in transit, and clotting can all skew results, especially for hormone-sensitive markers. Venous draws are more reliable.
Analyte stability matters — some hormones and metabolites (e.g., cortisol, certain protein-bound hormones) degrade faster than others if a sample sits in transit for a day or two before processing.
If you're only doing labs 2 or so times/year, a 1 hour drive isn't that bad.
If you're only doing labs 2 or so times/year, a 1 hour drive isn't that bad.
That's the conclusion I think I'm coming to, I have to drive at least an hour to go anywhere as it is, not the end of the world.
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From $99/mo
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@SwollStreetBets
I had mine done through Rhythm Health, everything is done by mail: They send you a little stick on sucker thing that draw the blood into a little vial [it's painless], Fed Ex picks it up at your door, labs are available online a few days after.
There is another company that does it this way as well if you look.@Stan-Douglas I use Rythm monthly and I love it! Very useful for TRT and diet lipids however, they do not offer IGF-1. I have to get it thru a standing lab. Also, Rythm just added H&H that is extremely important in higher TRT but it has 50% of the time failed due to hemolysis that’s very common in this type of test and delay in getting it ran in lab.
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I switched to FunctionHealth this month, they DO do Igf-1 but it costs $200 extra and you have to drive to once of their locations to get like 12 vials drawn.
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I used https://dirtcheaplabs.com/ last time. Cheapest pricing I could find and everything went smooth and fast. Options for both Quest and LabCorp.
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I used https://dirtcheaplabs.com/ last time. Cheapest pricing I could find and everything went smooth and fast. Options for both Quest and LabCorp.
@denti Dirt Cheap Labs appears to be closed according to a message on their site.
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I switched to FunctionHealth this month, they DO do Igf-1 but it costs $200 extra and you have to drive to once of their locations to get like 12 vials drawn.
@Stan-Douglas I do function health as well for most of my blood tests, but since I have to go to quest anyway, I found walk-in labs to be much cheaper for IGF-1. I think I paid $70.
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I used https://dirtcheaplabs.com/ last time. Cheapest pricing I could find and everything went smooth and fast. Options for both Quest and LabCorp.
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