On the road to kidney failure. Do your Labs!

[sam1976 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sam1976]

I have a buddy at my gym who is 35 years old. He decided to start using gear 6 years ago at age 29. Recently, while taking a physical for a new job, he found out that his kidney function tests didn't look right. He went to a specialist and after a couple months of test, they determined that he has lost 40% of his kidney function. This damage was caused by high blood pressure, which has gotten from using gear. Sadly, it seems that he was predisposed to having this issue. He had no clue that anything was wrong until he had his labs done. His Dr said that if he were to ever go back to cycling, it is going to kill him. Heres the kicker, he only ran low doses. The most test he ever did was 500mg EW. His most recent cycle was 1cc test, 2cc EQ EW.

My point in writing this, is just to express how important it is to follow up on your lab work every 3 months. If you dont have a Dr that will work with you to keep you safe, make it a priority in your life. There are a great bunch of guys, here at JM, and I'd hate to see any of you get hurt when it could be prevented.

[M FREAKY Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close M FREAKY]

Sam its important to do your lab test every 6month or so needless to say either you on AAS or NOT, I am not sure the nature of your good friend possible heavy drinker could push this issue. Its amazing how everyone receptor react differently then others when consuming AAS, I am blessed still as healthy I myself will never take the old rout 2k test week etc good old days are over hope I will never have to pay for the consequence in the near future,,,

[sam1976 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sam1976]

Good point about getting labs, on or OFF. I've never talked to the guy about his history with drinking. I know he has never been into rec drugs, but sure, that could certainly play a role. Its sad that this could have been prevented if he were to have been doing his labs all along, you know. I'm a few years older than some of the guys who come to the board and are running gear. I remember the feeling of invincibility I had when I was younger. I bet that if I started young, I wouldn't have invested the time/money into my health. I would've just ignored the possibility of health concerns. I hope that this thread might hit home for any of the younger guys who aren't running labs. I believe that gear can be used safely. It's just a matter putting in a little effort into making sure that everything is running ok on the inside. I guess thats what you call a calculated risk. We all take such risks.
Speaking of this topic, Do you know who Derek Anthony was? If you hadn't heard, he just passed away. Believe he was 31. He was in kidney failure for 2 years and recently, they found cancer in his liver. I imagine he was a BIG partier and he said his BP was really high for years. He never did anything about it. Just like my buddy from the gym, he said he never felt any signs to make him believe that he was having internal problems. Damn shame that his death could have been avoided, had he just been under the care of a Dr.

I know the biggest hurdle for me, was finding a Dr that was willing to work with me, without reading me the riot act and judging me, every time I went in. I think that gets in the way of a lot of guys. They're afraid of what will happen if they tell their Dr what they're doing. For me, that made it easier to put it off. I'm grateful to have a good one now. For anyone in that boat, I want to reassure you, they are out there. If you want to use gear, please be responsible and find a good Dr. I want to see all of you guys here on the boards in 20 years, all old and jacked