You did not test E2. At a guess, the Zinc (or something else you took) inhibited your aromatisation enough to bump your free T. That’s a bit out there as an explanation, but maybe.
I haven´t thought of that. Yes, zinc was present in the magnasium supplement (small quantities, but it was there).
Next time, I´ll ask to include E2.
Hi, new tests done. Since March i don´t do any sports along the week due to the pandemic and also due to a herniated disk (seems to be a very old thing but only now checked on exam). So, i´ve been dedicating time to heal it properly or at least the best that I can and i´m doing lots of floor exercises and work on elsaticity. So, no running, no gym. I´ll get back to the gym shortly !
Result is a few kg lost in mucle mass (i wasn´t properly big before, but i look more skinny now at 68-70kg with increased Fat.)
Energy is in low-mid levels. Been better before but i´ve also been worse too.
Sometimes (not always), I feel i´m entering a very mature phase of life. Probably low T symptoms !
Anyway, this time I asked the doctor and she agreed to include Estradiol and SHBG. She forgot free T, but at least we have new figures.
How´s SBHG and E2 compared to total T ? Total T hit an all-time low this time. don´t know how´s free T and it wasn´t included…smh.
If I had to do TRT, what should I talk with the doctor considering frequency of injection and amounts having in mind these labs as a starting point.
I´m still not ready to go the TRT route, but i believe at some point I should consider it, so, i´m trying to do some homework in advance.
Would highly appreciate some comments.
Cheers
@dbossa Hi, I´d highly appreciate your input if you ever have the chance to look at this topic, my bloodwork and my overall discription of symtoms (not always bad… but never great !)
If i ever have to start TRT, what you be a good place to start, frequency and amount wise ?
Thanks !
You are severely deficient in testosterone. I thought that much was clear.
Hi. I know my levels are low. Unfortunately!
What about my e2 and sbhg? Do you think TRT would work with those levels? More or less frequent dosing?
Just trying to have some info in advance before finding a doctor interested in my case.
No issues with your e2 or shbg that I see. No reason to pick one inj protocol over another based on your numbers.
You’ll have to see what works for you. I think a typical starting regimen would be 100-150mg of test c or test E per week in 1 or 2 doses.
You just need to find a competent doc to work with.
I’d probably start 150mg once a week, only go to 2 if you’re feeling particularly tired before it’s time for your next inj. If you wanted to start with 25mg per week, I’m fine with that too. Just trying to keep things simple for you. Wait 6-8 weeks to see how you’re doing and get some blood work. Adjust if needed based on symptoms. It can take a few adjuatments to get everything the way it works for you. Be patient, I know it’s hard.
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Thanks. I really wanted to have some input because doctor will say it is within normal then it´s fine. And we all know there´s nuances we need to understand better.
It´s not going to be easy to find someone to work with. But I can say that at this moment i´m fighting a little bit with lack of libido and sensivity. I don´t have brain fog like I had sometime ago (perhaps resting more due to confinment is helping in that regard).
There´s also this lack of “willingness” to do new things, embrace challenges and see a purpose on everthing I do with enthusiasm. Not really depressed (perhaps, who knows), but surely more like living in a robot-like fashion without a sense of joy.
Middle-age crisis feelings probably caused by low T ?
I know, I know…but i still don´t have a doctor to work with and also not mentaly ready to start. Too many questions marks regarding the journey…
If the doc won’t treat you, you may have to find a t clinic and pay out of pocket.
Depending on your country do you need a prescription to purchase testosterone? If not you could self prescribe and manager yourself. I mean that’s always an option, but usually should be the last resort.
Well, in here you need a prescription to buy testosterone. Some pharmacy stores eventually sell it without it (ilegally) but it´s not a permanent solution.
I also will not want to buy it from local pharmacies as i´d like to have some privacy. It´s a small village and there´s a lot of misunderstanding about testosterone which is purely linked to bodybuilding/aesthetics/steroids/recreational, etc. So, better to buy with prescription a few miles from here.
I need to start with a doctor. I don´t want to go UGL at any given point as the product quality has to be certified.
My family doctor (general healthcase, not private, not endo or urologist) recognizes I am low T, but not super-low. I believe she´s trying to see how I manage my symptoms more than relying on the figures and unless I hit the bottom of the scale she won´t prescribe anything. But that would be the least expensive apporach for sure and the appointments are free.
I have an idea : next appointment i´ll say i have ED. Repeat this a few times and see.
Well, I disagree with your assessment that you’re not super low, in my opinion you are and the best way to manage your symptoms is to get your t levels up to a healthy range. But I’m not a/your doc so you’ll have to see what they say.
Good luck
Hey, that´s what i´ve been told by my regular (global) healthcare doctor.
In my opinion, I am low. It´s not only the numbers, as I already have a few symptoms of it. Not all of them together, but they´re there.
As I didn´t suffer any sudden T crash, I think there´s a point where you just get used to it until you can no longer function like a normal human being. And maybe in that scenario the approach to the topic will change from the doctor´s perspective. And for sure in my perspective too.
I know it makes a world of difference in some cases.
Sorry if I didn´t explain properly.
Okay, that makes better sense.
I certainly understand the mentality to wait until life is unmanageable, but you wouldn’t do that with most other conditions. You don’t wait until you slide into a diabetic coma to treat diabetes, or treat high blood pressure until you’ve had a stroke.
The medical community really seems to resist this sort of treatment, for some reason (steroids,bad, m-kay). I find it frustrating.
There’s not billions of dollars to be made in treating it so it gets ignored or danced around treating symptoms with other drugs that make the pharmacutical comanies money. I’m a bit of a cynic on this topic.
Good luck in getting to feel better.
I totally agree with you. We dont need to go to diabetic coma to decide to start receiving insulin. Same thing for someone who has to take prednisone or deflazacort to stay alive. I think in those cases doctors understand they are immediatly life-threatning when compared to someone who has testosteorne deficiency, maybe because it mainly affect your life quality and sometimes you can “work around it” as time goes by and then you just age, get older and thats it.
And that lack of ability or undestanding from a doctor does not make me fully confident in giving it a try. Also, because the line that separates TRT from recreational use is sometimes very thin, you really need to find someone you can trust.
I also fear the side-effects of long-term use, mainly related to blood pressure, heart, prostate, etc. even though those markers are quite ok in my blood tests. That´s why sometimes you need to be so shitty to take a decision. I´m not feeling like shit, but sometimes it sucks ! That´s just it.
What was the trigger, the moment when you decided to start ?
I was trying exercise and lose weight, and the fatigue, and brain fog was relentless. I’ve struggled with ED for quite a while as I gained weight I assumed I was just getting older, and this us just they way it was.
I don’t recall quite what triggered the initial idea, an article or youtube video but damn if I didn’t have most of the symptoms. After batting arounf the idea a bit I got some labs done and my total t was 170ng/dl a follow up test was about the same. I had my doc refer me to the endo he worked with for this stuff for treatment. Started me at 200mg e2w. Felt slightly better for a couple of days after the inj but not great and slid back to sucky within a few days. He’d tinker with the dosing sched5but not the dose. I got fed up and switch to a telemedicine clinic and have been doing a lot better since. Still have some work to do, but I’m a lot better off than before.
In my case it just happened to be close 40yr old and returned to track n field sprint training again after many years out of the sport only doing gym work. Gym and track n field are totally different.
I wasn´t able to improve my long distance endurance after coming back even if I improved my sprinting. I´m a sprinter by nature, I know, but … my endurance was never particulary good and this time it was bad even if I looked physically in shape. I also wasn´t recovering too well between training sessions and started to feel “burnout” in the recent 2-3 years, because i´m mentally strong and tolerant to tiredness, so i just kept on forcing my body to adapt and my body wasn´t able to follow me ! So, when you feel crashed even before you started your 15 min warm-up run you know something isn´t right. And your labs are just fine, except T.
But as you know, with job, house, kids, etc you always think you´re just tired from your daily life and the aging process which is also quite normal, but…
I asked my doctor to have them tested just out of curiosity because I never did before. And voilá…
I´m not scared of pinning the arm or ass. I know it´s an issue for many, but not for me, to be honest. The thing is we never know until we try. And we hope it´s worth it even if we have to come off of it at a certain point due to health issues related or not to TRT. That´s the part that I need to work on !
That’s a very typical story of what leads men to trt. It seems like you’re in a pretty good head space and if/when you do go on trt, I suspect you’ll do well.
Thank for this nice chat. Sometimes, it´s good to just talk to someone about our concerns. I usually am very prudent in the decisions I take and rarely jump on anything. So, there more I learn and understand prior to anything, the better.
Time will tell. I´ll have this discussed on my next appointment. Cheers !
It’s almost always a bad idea to go to your “regular doctor” for hormonal problems, because sex hormone education is absent in traditional medical schools. You need someone who specializes in TRT.
Hi there,
Yes, this is a very special area indeed. I will have to look for someone sufficiently educated in this subject around the place I live.
By the way, when someone receives their scripts, is it a monthly supply? How does it usually work ?