posted Mon, 03/28/2016 - 08:18
17110
+ 5 Self bleeding
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I'm lead to believe gear users should try and donate blood every couple of months or so to try to counteract the negative impacts of steroid use.
Unfortunately I cannot donate blood in the uk as I have tattoos and unable to make the impossible appointment times.
There is another gruesome option out there for me and my fellow gym rats and that's self bleeding. Anyone out there regularly self bleed or have even tried it? How sucsessful are/were you and what protocol do you follow?
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You're a better man than me Darth. No way I could do that myself. How often do you think it should be done?
Technically every couple months. Honestly tho I don't. It was probably six months before this last week when I did it. That is too long, I kept holding out and figuring on hitting a blood drive but with the type of person I am that is a pipe dream. It is really far simpler and definitely much more efficient for me to do it solo. It isn't for everyone and that is okay, but I am going to make an effort to stay on schedule this time. Next bleed is around June 1st
Wow self bleeding , that's first time I ear that...
Well, after a visit ti the doc yesterday I knew it was well past time to drop a couple pints. I have had a mild headache for the last 5-6 days so I had a feeling my BP was spiked and sure enough it was. 150/94 was the first read. It dropped to like 142 on the second read about twenty minutes later but it is still way higher than where it has been.
So after Vikings last night I put on one of my blood occlusion tourniquets, an 18g needle and a syringe with the stopper pulled and a large measuring cup. It went pretty smooth this time and I didn't even turn the bathroom into a crime scene. Let me add, you guys don't have to push that needle in far, just get it in a little bit and it will be flowing anyway. I felt better right after but honestly this morning i still have that feeling, the next step is to get my sodium back in check. I admit I got a little sloppy.
BTW, it took about twenty minutes to drain out 2 pints/cups
edit: I drained one pint/ 2cups
My confidence is growing after reading that. Still haven't had time to crack on with it as work is busy but once it quiets down I'll make it a regular thing and update everyone.
Self bleeding is hard core. I have a friend on aas who works in a blood lab, and so he checks his own blood work weekly. Lucky bastard. However, he's already said that he'd be fine drawing a unit of my blood if needed. Since starting my own adventures of "the dark side," I've gotten one blood test and donated blood once when my bp was getting high. It was literally an immediate improvement. I can't donate again for another six or seven weeks, so if needed, I will be utilizing my buddy to help me out with withdrawing a unit of blood (if needed).
So if I do need to have my buddy help withdraw a unit of blood between donations, is it weird that I want to dilute it in water and spread it over my compost piles or garden as fertilizer? Hell, I break my back to grow food for my family. Might as well LITERALLY put my "blood, sweat and tears" into that garden. Mind you, I love it, so I haven't found myself crying in my garden, but still, we all know the saying.
@Darth Pale, thank you for sharing this with the community. It's hard core, but it is SO NECESSARY for all of us using aas to have our heart and circulatory systems "running normally." (For those who are reading my comment and don't know what we're talking about, please do a search for "elevated red blood cell count" or "test raises rbc.") We all gotta stay safe, always.
I may be a bit of a wild card but the bottom line is we all should know when it is time to do something. For me, if there would have been a blood drive happening at 11pm in my town I would have went that way. In the meantime I have done this enough times that I am very confident in what I doing.
Zues, pay close attention to everything your friend does so you will have the knowledge in the event you need it.
You never know if being able to do a pik line or something may save someones life someday besides our own.
Yes a pik line saved my infant son's life at the time, that was over 2 years ago an he's running around being a normal toddler now. Very good to know some simple medical procedures if your perceptive enough.
Your advice has not fallen on deaf ears. +1 for this one, for sure.
I will pay attention to my next blood draw, indeed. All of it. The preparation, the process before, during, and after. I will also do a basic google "study" on this procedure, simply because, well, you never know.
Thank you for suggesting this, too. You're absolutely right, all the knowledge we can have ready when needed, the better we will all be in the long run.
did you drink it when you were done?
You know I did!
Keep it up Big Darth. I am rooting for you.
When I was young and took High Anadrol and Dbol doses with EQ I would get bp so high my eyes would shake in their sockets and I would see spots...should have drained a few pints for sure.
I'm getting the exact same symptoms but my blood pressure machine says my bp is perfect. I think I may have to get it checked at a pharmacy to make sure
Yea, if your arms are over 15" you need an extra large cuff. But normally the normal sized cuff reads us extra high.
Been checked buddy.... 124/76 I'm very happy with these numbers was expecting the worst tbh. The symptoms thing could be related to lack of sleep been very run down lately ;)
Yea, I am thankful today I feel much better. Yesterday was pure torture. Now to just keep things locked down on the salt front for a bit and I should be back to normal.
Honestly darth I really believe that my blood pressure stays good because of the fish oil and garlic capsules I take it swear by them buddy.
Hope all goes well for you mate keep us posted ;)
One pint. I had to go back and double check my math but that is all they take when you give blood.
1 pint/2 cups is the approximate amount when donating blood. Is 2 pints a typo or is it legit? I know we have about 10 pints so I'm really unsure.
No, you are right I took just over two cups so only 1 pint. Now I will have to do it agin in a few weeks I guess
Congrats on your successful self phlebotomy darth. See, it's very easy and simple. And good point on not having to push the needle in far. Just enough to start the flow of blood is all that's required
@GrowMore, keep us posted. I'm a yank, so it's "easy" to donate blood in the States. As a result, I don't think about issues like this for other peeps outside of the USA.
If there is a website to actually purchase "blood donation bags & tubes," etc, this might be decent info for members here that would use this as a strategy to keep rbc lower.
Anways, good luck @GrowMore and please keep us updated!
I didn't even think about looking at self bleeding kits.. I'll have a look. Thanks for the input and best wishes fella. I'll let you and the rest of the community know.
I'd definitely like to know myself. Life doesn't always make it easy to get in to donate, and it's not a happy place to be in the city. You can donate or sell, and there are a lot there selling.
You are very wise to be considering this. High hematocrit is probably the #1 cause of death of gearheads. Perhaps even worse than high blood pressure. Further, we have ample evidence (Search for Dennis Mangan's blog) that excessive iron is linked to a variety of long-term deleterious health conditions.
Bottom line, unless you are an olympic runner, you do not need high levels of red blood cells.
One unit a month is enough to keep my levels at the low end of the range.
All good advice here, but definitely use a spotter. If you have the cash, you might try hiring a nurse to perform phlebotomies for you. There are some alternative health places that do this in the US, but they are pricey. We don't have a blanket prohibition on tattoos here, so I just go to different hospitals and blood banks as part of my rotation.
I wish this topic came up more frequently. It really is a major health issue for many bros, and it's not terribly difficult to be proactive.
I'll give it a go myself, I'm not that scared of this kind of thing. Thanks for the encouragement, it's been on my mind a while now and it's something you cannot shy away from.
I've been wondering myself how to go about this as I'm not able to donate.
Just try leaches. You can wear them around like a nicotine patch.
I like the leach idea too.
Hey, it worked for centuries till all this modern medicine nonsense.
We should set up a leach business.
Just wondering if BFG would us considered / register us as a Source ?
LMFAO
Great idea! I'm already planning a promo.
I bet we'd get stuck in the accessories category though. Would have to do some heavy pm's.
"Send you a box prime leaches bro. These buggers really suck. All you gotta do is tell your bros, give us a glowing review and vote us into the #1 leach spot"
" WE - B - LEACHES "
With a Source name like that how could we fail ???
Other names could be:
SWOLLEN LEACHES
LEACHES ON TREN
etc
18gauge, pull the stopper out of the syringe and just be careful. Like Pez said is good advice.
StevebIf you're on EQ or Primo maybe if your blood pressure is too high. You do not have to donate just figure out how to draw it yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKuUPO6NNcU
Thanks for the link fella
I use to do this on a monthly basis. It is also what had me reevaluate the risk versus reward. Make sure you have a spotter and are measuring how much you are letting out. The blood banks follow 450ml every three months.
Reevaluate the risk / reward, can you elaborate more please?
Make sure you are testing your blood to warrant it. You don't want to get carried away. I had to do this because my doses were too high and I was staying on for too long. At that point, the reward is too little for what I was doing. I am not a pro and make no money doing this. I didn't need to be stressing my cardiovascular system to look good. If you aren't on TRT or using EQ, this shouldn't be necessary, as long as you are running correct cycles and taking the time off. Once every three months doesn't hurt, you just have to have that spotter so you don't bleed to death.
Makes complete sense Pez. I'm going to give it a go and I'll make sure the Mrs is near just in case.
Listen to yourself, how sick you are, no offense
We're bodybuilders..... We stick sharp pieces of metal into ourselves and shoot modified forms of testosterone..... We are all already sick in some way lol what's the difference between sticking a needle into a muscle and injecting hormones or sticking a needle into a vein and letting blood come out???
Couldn't of said it better myself. He's probably the kind of guy that has it lights off missionary position once a month and leaves all the fun stuff to us sickos!
lmao yep, hed probably cringe at the idea of a girl going down south and tossin salad mid blowjob. but those who are in the know... know whats good lol
Lol at the neg warp.. You lil prude lmao
lol at you insulting on the internet, if anything
you are just crazy to self bleed no matter how macho you think you are, and theres a fine line between craziness and stupidity, where are you?
thank you
..i dont think any successful people get to where they are unless they are viewed as a little "crazy" ..i do what i have to do. whether thats rigging up a turnicate and self bleeding, getting up at 4am to go make money while i build my business after im off work, forcing myself to do cardio when i need to, or pushing past the pain barrier while lifitng. nothing is off limits to achieve what you want to achieve... nothing. you just have to be willing to accept the consequences. its not about being macho warp.. its about willing to do what you have to do in any circumstance...
Im no doctor but i bet theres a safer, saner and non-creepy way where you can avoid self bleeding for the purpose wanted.
Really, phlebotomy is the safest way of decreasing bp, rbc, and hematocrit that there is. Much much safer than relying on statin drugs or beta blockers to lower blood pressure. And as long as sanitary and safe protocols are implemented during the phlebotomy there is virtually no difference between doing it yourself at home versus a nurse doing it at a physicians office or at a Red Cross facility..
There is nothing insane, creepy or even complicated about it. So it is you that needs to drop the attitude bro.