 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
02/13/09
Yes, you’re a bodybuilder. You eat like a horse. You work like a mule. You sleep like a baby. And you lie like a dog whenever anybody asks you about your blood work. You probably mutter the industry standard line, “Sure, I get my work done every 6 months, and I’m completely healthy! And you probably haven’t had your blood work done since you scraped your knee in the 3rd grade and the nurse gave you a band-aid.
Let’s face it, if you’re in your 20s or 30s and using anabolic steroids, you’re probably feeling quite invincible. Health insurance may not be on your menu, and the prospect of finding some terrible disease may not be an exciting one. Better to live like a rock star in your gym, and live every minute like it’s your last, right? Wrong. You could have heart or liver ailments and not even be aware of it. Blood work could identify these problems early and you could stop something very bad from happening with your health through simple medication. Or, you could continue burying your head in the sand, hoping your blood work is fine and the 5 Anadrol you’re popping each day are perfectly healthy!
If you are very poor or don’t have a doctor, that is okay. You can have your blood work completed online, or at your local pharmacy, for under $50. It’s completely confidential. Or, you can take your own sample, drop it in the mail, receive your results in the mail, and actually check them against normal levels, at home on many popular bodybuilding message boards. The tests aren’t all that painful. Chances are, if you’re running a cycle, you’re not all that scared of needles anyway. You can draw the blood, mail it away, and forget about it. When the results arrive, visit your local message boards and compare the findings with the sample numbers there. There is a very good chance you’ll fall into safe levels, with a slightly elevated liver enzyme level due to AAS use.
Avoid all food for the 10 hours before you draw blood for your test. This will prevent the foods you eat from interfering with the findings. Remember that having blood work done isn’t a chore, nor a punishment. Rather, it’s just another tool that you can use to ensure you have not only a long and successful bodybuilding career, but a happy and healthy life as well. If you are going to use anabolic steroids, you are going to subject your internal organs such as the kidney, liver, and heart, to a level of stress and toxins they would not normally encounter. If you take regular breaks following your cycles, then it’s very unlikely you’ll ever suffer any long term internal damage. However, the possibility is always present. You could receive a bad batch of some drug which could severely hurt the liver. Or you may possess a genetic predisposition to an ailment of the kidneys or liver. It’s better to find out when there problems are small, and treatable, than when they develop into life threatening maladies.
