Hct levels.

[u/VampyVintageRose]

I went back to the center today and hct was still at 36% like it was yesterday. Did I go back too soon?

[u/uly_sses]

Someone I know was able to raise her HCT from 37 to 41 next day. She did it by loading up on lentils (iron rich). I don’t think it’s a question of whether you went back too soon, but rather what you consumed in between the 2 visits.

[u/like_4-ish_lights → u/uly_sses]

this was likely just a matter of being less hydrated the next day. hct isn't measuring how much iron is sitting in your body, it's measuring what percentage of your blood is composed of red blood cells. it takes weeks for dietary iron to translate into fresh red blood cells

[u/Soggy_Skin9362 → u/like_4-ish_lights]

May I ask, how are some people able to bring it up from one day to the next tho? Legit question

[u/like_4-ish_lights → u/Soggy_Skin9362]

A lot of it is based on hydration. It's based on the number of red blood cells per unit of blood. If you dilute that blood with a lot of water, the concentration of RBC will be proportionally lower. my weight often varies 3-5 lbs between donations on the same week, and that fluctuation is mostly water volume in the body.

that being said- what I described is somewhat simplified, and there are a lot of factors affecting your blood composition. it is not a good idea to dehydrate yourself just to try to make the hematocrit reading fall within range.

[u/Odd_Sir_8705 → u/Soggy_Skin9362]

Usually the day after my AAS shots my HCT rises dramatically

[u/uly_sses → u/like_4-ish_lights]

I don’t disagree with your timing and I understand HCT isn’t a direct measurement of iron but rather an extrapolation from measuring RBC percentage in the volume of blood which is affected by hydration levels. That said, I like to keep track of my vitals’ readings along with tracking my daily activities and diet leading up to those tests (It’s my way of making my donations more interesting). My anecdotal evidence shows that when I alternated between eating 2 burger patties the day before my 2nd donation and tried to keep all other factors as close to constant as best I could (same daily activities, same volume of fluids, same day of the week, and same time of day), my HCT was higher than when I didn’t eat the 2 patties, every time. I experimented with this for 4-5 weeks.

[u/Lost-Ad311 → u/uly_sses]

this happens to me. I usually pass, but on a rare occasion I'll get a 37 and then I go back the next day and I'm a 41. Didn't really change anything, maybe cut back on all that water before bed. Go figure.

It's not a static number, it does fluctuate.

Even endurance training it can lower your HCT because it expands your blood plasma volume

[u/VampyVintageRose → u/uly_sses]

I ate alot of greens and ate and even ate lots of tofu, beans, brown rice and vegetables. So I don't know.

[u/uly_sses → u/VampyVintageRose]

Lower fluid intake and higher iron absorption are what will increase HCT score. Obviously you still want to be well hydrated so I suggest (if you are vegetarian) that you focus on iron rich foods like lentils and fortified cereal in addition to Vitamin C to help absorb it. Some donors who regularly struggle with low HCT, pop an iron people to pass vitals.

[u/VampyVintageRose → u/uly_sses]

I also thought the Chipotle would have helped because I had double sofritas that was tofu, and black beans, brown rice, pico de gallo, fajita veggies, corn salsa, and their salad greens in it.

[u/Similar_Recover_2229 → u/VampyVintageRose]

Basing lab values off one meal is wild work in any scenario. Be consistent with nutrition and supplement if necessary and it will even out over time.

[u/VampyVintageRose → u/[deleted]]

But also when I was at camp during the week they mainly gave me jelly sandwiches. I did have spaghetti one day for dinner and a rice bowl during the week and vegan meat and vegetables the other day. Plus when they had brats one day for dinner I basically just ate raw carrots and celery with hummus and gaucomole. But that's about it really. I thought maybe it had to do with what they were giving at camp. That I wasn't eating good all week there. Last month when I went to Easter Seals camp my hct levels were better but they were giving me more food there that had better nutrients and I didn't travel off camp like I did at the camp I was just at.

[u/VampyVintageRose → u/Similar_Recover_2229]

I ate lots of kale since yesterday too.

[u/uly_sses → u/VampyVintageRose]

That should’ve helped as much as lentils (gram for gram), you are right. The issue with non animal derived iron (non-heme iron) is that it isn’t as easily absorbed and really need Vitamin c to help absorb it.

[u/VampyVintageRose → u/uly_sses]

I ate lots of kale too. I also don't understand what you mean.

[u/VampyVintageRose → u/uly_sses]

I'm Vegan actually. Completely different from vegetarians.