That's exactly how I see it too.
For me, there's no compromising on this point: everything has to be sterile — filters included — and it has to come from makers with CAN/US certifications, sold via reputable medical supply distributors.
Reta Trials — Subject #007
- Thread starter ChubbyOp
- Start date
For me, there's no compromising on this point: everything has to be sterile — filters included — and it has to come from makers with CAN/US certifications, sold via reputable medical supply distributors.
woundcarping
Explorer
The purpose was a baseline update test, so it's checking pancreatic function and insulin resistance in relation to glucose/insulin.
It costs an extra $7 on top of the insulin test, and it removes 1 variable going forward, or when reviewing the past.
gimmeshelter
Explorer
How do people feel about these needles for reconstitution? Last time 31g was a nightmare to handle. Currently I'm using r10 vials, meaning 1 ML goes into the r10 vial.
Easy Touch 27G 1/2-Inch (12.7mm) 1mL/CC Syringes New Bag Of 10 Wrapped
Easy Touch 27G 1/2-Inch (12.7mm) 1mL/CC Syringes New Bag Of 10 Wrapped
Ouch! Is it that you're covered by insurance, or that no doctor you see will order these panels? I'm insured too, and my functional medicine doctor ran the full set. The visit itself cost me $210 cash, but insurance picked up every lab.
woundcarping
Explorer
It’s curious that insurance picked up the tab for “all of those tests” given that a number of them are optional or tough to justify as clinically required.
I do carry insurance, but I lack the tolerance for navigating bureaucracies built around going along with the norm.
Fitomics removes the runaround — nobody asking me to detail symptoms so a physician can find a reason to approve it, no “that isn’t strictly necessary, though I suppose I could order it”… you click a few buttons, hand over payment, and get your results.
My previous 2 blood draws together took under 15 minutes and happened less than a mile from where my daughter goes to school.
I’ve put $1256 into Fitomics and have already covered the labs I expect to want through the remainder of the year. I’m certain curiosity will strike eventually and I’ll add something extra, but for that kind of money I’m glad to skip interacting with people.
Thee Oohwee
Explorer
Right — "every single one" apart from 2, because that organ isn't part of my anatomy. Nor am I required to justify or explain anything to my physician, and I've been with the same MD for a very long time. A functional MD is not interchangeable with a PCP. Yes, functional MDs charge more at the outset, though with the right one that can pay off.
BNLFL
Explorer
For reconstitution purposes? I've got 3ml 23g luer lock syringes, which means a filter can be attached. Alongside those, I have 100 1ml luer lock syringes paired with a 27g needle. These are meant for flushing the filter.
gimmeshelter
Explorer
Yeah, but as of now I haven't figured out filtering, even though I've seen a video or 2.
BNLFL
Explorer
For the actual blasting day, I've got the 31g nailed down perfectly at this point, but when it comes to mixing, there's just no way.
From what I've seen, labs drawn during my yearly checkup do get billed to insurance — though I'll admit I've never really tested how far that goes. The real problem is the deductible: my plan only pays for "preventative" labs upfront. Anything that could be tied, even weakly, to my diabetes diagnosis — which is basically all of them — gets classified as disease management instead of prevention, so it hits my deductible first. With a HDHP I'm never going to reach that deductible, which means I end up paying the full negotiated rate my insurer and clinic agreed on.
They've managed to push my out-of-pocket cost for 6 basic labs past $500, so this year I'm switching all the "routine" ones to cash pay through a private lab. That should get me under $100, and I'll take whatever small satisfaction comes from knowing my clinic's revenue takes a hit, even a tiny one.
woundcarping
Explorer
Having a cash-only PCP or functional medicine doctor who I could just text would be great. That hasn’t happened for me yet, so I handle my own primary care. Switching my TRT provider to one that submits to insurance is something I might do, though it still comes to only 1 grand annually.
I’m also on a HDHP… if a Rx for EoE gets approved, I could hit my deductible this year. My guess is it won’t be approved, but the doctor seems really eager to put me on it, which is a bit odd. Should approval come through, I’ll crunch the numbers and switch plans next year, on the assumption that a higher premium with a lower deductible works out cheaper overall.
Paying out of pocket for labs is still something I’ll do happily, since it means no clinic or office visit and no scheduling hassle.
QueenMuntha
Explorer
LOL, considering every specialist on my roster:
Yet an increasing upside of being on GLP-1 medications is that my visits to these specialists keep dropping. What used to be a every three month cadence for most of them has turned into Yearly, thanks to how dramatically everything has improved.
- Cardiologist
- Electrophysiologist
- Rheumatologist
- Nephrologist
- Sleep Doctor
- Endocrinologist
- Orthopedic Surgeon (degenerative spine)
Yet an increasing upside of being on GLP-1 medications is that my visits to these specialists keep dropping. What used to be a every three month cadence for most of them has turned into Yearly, thanks to how dramatically everything has improved.
BNLFL
Explorer
I’ve got those too. The first one’s for AFIB, which came from the pneumonia. I had a really severe case of double, double pneumonia that nearly killed me, so that’s the lung specialist — Pulmonary doctor, I believe — and the Ortho guy for replacement parts. Just a shoulder up to now.
Neptide
Explorer
It's not hard to filter. Try it out on a vial with a low dose. It's absolutely worth doing. Many seasoned researchers suggest it.
ChubbyOp
Explorer
I may actually test those out. These needles didn't really satisfy me. I'd prefer to find luer lock ones, so I can use a larger gauge for pulling and a smaller gauge when injecting.
ChubbyOp
Explorer
Alright everyone, got home from work late today, but the scale arrived. Right now I weigh 401 pounds. First milestone is 350, then 300 after that. It's been a long time since I was below 300, so once I get there I'll pick a fresh target.
So far Reta hasn't produced any noticeable effect for me, though like someone said earlier in this thread, my dose is likely too low. My plan is to inject every 5 days, meaning the next one lands on Wednesday. I keep seeing so many different schedules — some go 5, others 6 or 7 days. What's your approach? Has anyone here rotated between schedules? If yes, which one gave you the best results?
So far Reta hasn't produced any noticeable effect for me, though like someone said earlier in this thread, my dose is likely too low. My plan is to inject every 5 days, meaning the next one lands on Wednesday. I keep seeing so many different schedules — some go 5, others 6 or 7 days. What's your approach? Has anyone here rotated between schedules? If yes, which one gave you the best results?
woundcarping
Explorer
My reason for dividing the dose is efficacy; Monday around night and Friday morning fit my schedule and keep the mental burden lower. Testing happens on MWF.
Shotsy makes any schedule straightforward to follow, though MF works fine, and other split patterns wouldn’t really offer me any practical advantage.
woundcarping
Explorer
Obviously, it’s your choice, but there’s no need for that. For water based peptides, it just means extra cost and extra trouble, with little to no real advantage.