Started taking kelp yesterday and this morning (325 mcg Iodine per capsule, 4 capsules a day).
Apparently should be taken with food, not on an empty stomach.
I was pissing green this morning, lol.
Been doing IR for 2-3 days now. I find that after taking kelp (1.5 mg iodione total), my energy dips and I feel really tired and wanting to take a nap. I also feel very warm. The warmness I think is a sign that IR is having an effect, but whats with the fatigue?
Another observation, day 4 of using compounded test cream:
The boys down there are really hanging. No shrinkage as far as I can see/feel, balls are firm, and hanging well.
Maybe it’s too soon to see the effects of the new cream, but I would have expected some shrinkage or softness by now, unless I was also on hCG - but I’m not on hCG now. Wonder why?
Even the sex drive is coming back a little bit. Morning wood still weak, and libido is not where I want it to be, but it’s a little better than a month ago, albeit very inconsistent.
Good luck with educating the MD.
Are you planning to stay on TRT forever?
I wonder what you think about the failed SERM restart looking back at it now. It seems like there are two schools of thought:
A) you are naturally a low T producer, so it was bound to fail
B) there is something else going wrong in your body that is causing the low T that has not been corrected, so the restart failed
I probably will be on TRT for life. As for the failed restart, maybe I did not taper properly off the SERM. But I think A) and B) in your post is equally likely.
While I educate my MD on TRT, I will also have him explore other possible reasons why I had low T in the first place. If we DO find a cause that seems like a “slam dunk”, we can treat that and I’ll try the SERM restart again and taper properly.
But something tells me it won’t be that easy. So I won’t be shocked if I’m 60 and still on TRT.
EDIT: More body temps… waking temp is ALWAYS 97.9 F, it’s funny how there’s no variance there. Afternoon/evening temps are more variable, some days I get 97.8, other days I get 98.7. Today I got to 98.5.
Scrotum starting to tighten up and testes ache a little bit. It comes and goes, and sometimes the balls hang very well… but there are signs that it’s time to get on hCG and soon. Follow up appointment with new doc on Friday.
GREAT NEWS:
My new doctor is a keeper. Had a follow-up appointment after sending him an email asking to consider hCG and anastrozole along with TRT, and he is open to these options.
He said he wants to figure out the proper dosage of hCG and also wants to test E2 before putting me on anastrozole. He said this is all interesting, and encouraged me to give him any information related to TRT and general health, and he’ll work with me to achieve the best health as possible.
He also said he can help make the T creams cheaper by doubling the strength (200 mg/ml) and instructing me to take half of the cream (0.5 ml) daily… that way I get the same dosage but at half the cost.
I asked him to order thyroid and other hormone tests, and he already ordered those tests, no problem. The only test he was hesitant on was cortisol, he thinks I don’t really need to test cortisol until we test the other stuff first. Fine by me.
The next round of tests will be 2 weeks from today, and the next time I see him, he’ll probably put me on hCG and maybe anastrozole if E2 test warrants.
In the meantime, he recommended I check out a dietary regimen called “the whole thirty, it starts with food”. Said I don’t have to do it all the rest of my life, but that I might find some general health benefit. Haven’t checked it out in depth, but I will.
So relieved that I won’t have to change doctors AGAIN, this one is open to hCG. Thank goodness. He even said “we can learn from each other.”
Got BW done, should get results back in a week or so. Still don’t have HCG yet.
New Labs as of May 2013:
FT 9.2 (8.7-25.1 pg/ml)
TT 322 (300-1000 ng/dl)
E2 8.1 (7.6-42.6 pg/ml) <---- pretty low!
DHEA-S 264.2 (160-449 ug/dl)
TSH 3.62 (0.45-4.5 uIU/mL) <---- isn’t this WAY high?!!
Free T3 3.2 (2.0-4.4 pg/ml)
Free T4 1.23 (0.82-1.77 ng/dl)
Reverse T3 22.2 (9.2-24.1 ng/dl) <---- also looks high
Vit-D 46.5 (30-100 ng/ml)
B12 574 (211-946 pg/ml)
Folate 17.9 (>3.0 ng/ml)
Ferritin 72 (30-400 ng/ml)
Hemoglobin 16 (13.0-17.0 g/dl)
Hematocrit 45.5 (37.0-49.0 %)
AST 20 (10-40 u/l)
ALT 19 (9-60 u/l)
Other CBC and Liver panel results appear unremarkable, EXCEPT for the following:
WBC 3.4 (3.8-10.8 th/ul) <---- LOW
Neutrophils 1.1 (1.8-7.8 x1000/ul) <---- LOW, and the % neutrophils in the low 30% range
So, three things that are notable here:
-
T levels still low even after using the new compounded cream for a month. HGB and HCT levels are up slightly from previous tests. E2 is near the bottom of the range, which surprises me…??
-
I was shocked to see my TSH at 3.62. Shouldn’t it be close to 1.0? Note that free T3 and free T4 are right in the middle of the range, so could it be that my pituitary is pouring on all that TSH just to keep my thyroid humming along, in turn keeping my fT3/fT4 in the normal range? What about my reverse T3? That seems very high, on the top end of the range. What does this mean? Am I hypothyroid?
-
This may not be related, but my white blood cell count is below range, due to low neutrophils. This is not new. I visited a hematologist last year who did a spleen ultrasound and even a bone marrow biopsy, and came up empty. Everything looked normal, and hematologist didn’t know what was wrong. Could this be somehow related to my low T and/or thyroid issues? Does this mean autoimmune disease and/or systemic inflammation???
And how do I explain all this to my doctor? Do I still push for the ideal T/hCG/AI protocol in light of these labs?
So you have thyroid issues and cannot absorb transdermal T… yawning…
Read the thyroid basics sticky
– describe iodine intake history
– post waking and mid afternoon oral body temperatures
– explore hypo thyroid symptoms
– get tests for thyroid autoimmune panel.
Get on standard injected TRT protocol as per stickies.
High rT3: Read wilsons book on adrenal fatigue
Causes:
- starvation diets
- stress, accidents, surgeries, infections, parasites etc
- blocks effects of your fT3
Thanks for the reply, KSman. Sorry it seemed quite obvious to you. I didn’t think of the thyroid autoimmune angle - thanks tor that, and I will have my doctor test for that. Also, my iodine intake via salt and supps haven’t changed. However, when I took kelp, it made me feel nauseous, so I stopped. Body temps haven’t changed much. 98.1 this morning. 98.3 in the afternoon. My temps seem to be low, but stable / consistent.
I’ll check out Wilson’s and the adrenal angle, and ask my doctor to test for it as well.
The absorption issue is the perfect excuse to switch to injections. However, how wold I be able to keep my DHT levels optimal when on injections and not using transdermals?
Iodine replenishment [IR] can displace bromine contamination. So one may have to put up with that. Otherwise, perhaps kelp is something that your body does not like. So try something elemental instead of organic. rT3 can lower body temps
Funnily enough, I tested my body temp now and got 98.7. Just when I think I have hypothyroidism, my temp goes up to normal. Lol, maybe my body is just playing tricks on me.
Reporting in from today’s dr appointment:
- Doc said T still low, but free T has come up a bit
- Wants to do a 3 month trial of injectable hCG, and wrote me a scrip (FINALLY!!!) for 125 IU ED
- Since we’re adding hCG, decided to keep T dose the same, still on transdermal
- Noted my E2 is at the bottom of range, and decided to hold off on an AI until next labs
- Next labs in 3 months to see how I’m doing on T+hCG
- Thyroid concerns summarily dismissed, I could have argued but didn’t want to push my luck since I got a hCG Rx
Now my new TRT protocol is:
- 125 mg transdermal T ED (apply 100 mg morning, and apply 25 mg evening)
- 125 IU hCG ED
I know it’s not exactly how the stickies say it should be, but it’s one step closer. I’ll take it.
Next steps:
- Await new labs (blood drawn for free T, SHBG, and Prolactin)
- Do new TRT protocol
- Do IR with elemental iodine instead of kelp to give my thyroid a boost (since I’m on my own with the thyroid issue here)
- Reading Wilson’s book on adrenal fatigue and follow steps to remedy it
- At next labs, try to sneak in a thyroid retest along with autoimmune panel
With the half life of hCG, you can do 250iu SC EOD if you prefer.
Got the hCG today (that was easy) and self-injected for the first time. Injection site is a bit sore, maybe I hit a capillary.
Do you have to inject in different places each time, or is same place every time ok? Directions said not to inject same spot for at least 6 weeks.
Side note: When I went to the pharmacy to drop off the scrip for hCG, they had a sign for free iodine testing. I thought, hey why not, it’s free and I can get tangible proof that I am deficient in iodine. It was a skin absorption test, where they brushed liquid iodine onto my forearm. The color should remain the same for 24 hours if not deficient. Otherwise it fades or disappears before 24 hours.
Only 4 hours in, it’s already faded by like 60%!! I am going to start on Iodoral (12.5 mg per day) and that should bring my thyroid up to speed, and help with absorption of transdermal T.
EDIT: 9 hours after applying tincture iodine on my forearm, the coloration is almost gone. Slam dunk for deficiency. Starting 12.5 mg ED IR tomorrow.
Reporting in with no adverse reactions after 3 days to hCG, elemental iodine 12.5 mg, selenium 200 mcg, and magnesium 350 mg daily.
But not much difference in testicle size, libido, sleep, etc. Mood is slightly better, but could be placebo effect. Gonna give it a week or two, and then report back.
My balls and scrotum have been tightening up and hanging less since I started hCG. Opposite of what I expected.
Whats going on?? Is it too early (4 days, 125 IU ED)?
New labs (right before starting HCG):
TT 427 (348-1197 ng/dl)
FT 11.8 (8.7-25.1 pg/ml)
SHBG 29.4 (10-55 nmol/L)
Prolactin 5.1 (2.0-18.0 ng/ml)
So my test has come up a bit more, and that’s before HCG. My balls had already been starting to tighten up, but so far HCG is having no effect.
To early. Ur not absorbing the cream or its just not working well enough for you.Switch to shots 
Thanks, iw84aces, you’re probably right it’s too early. Almost as soon as I posted complaining that my balls haven’t been hanging, they dropped and hung really well for the rest of the day/night. A little firmer, too, if I’m not over-imagining things.
This morning, they scrunched back up to my body, but I was freezing my ass off. Maybe it’s just simply temperature regulation for optimal sperm production.
Also, I have been on TRT for some time without HCG (efficacy of TRT itself debatable especially with Androgel)… so maybe I have experienced some downregulation of the leydig cells, and need more time to fire 'em back up.