I’m saying hello following a pretty patronising and lacking empathy appointment with a GP a my local NHS surgery. Its actually the third time i’ve been but previously I knew little or nothing about TRT and I simply got referred for therapy / counselling - they said i’m simply depressed. This GP went one step further and told me its just my personality and theres not alot that can be done about that.
This time I went armed with all my symptoms, how long it has been going on, the link that I had surgery on my testis when I was 6 years old, the anger, frustration, depression, tiredness etc… etc… etc…
The testostrone was never discuss until i raised it and it was bluntly put aside with a “You wouldnt been able to have facial hair and your voice wouldn’t be masculine if you had low T”
I was worried I’d be wasting my time as i’ve read so many people say this very thing but I was surprised when those exact words came out of the GP’s mouth.
Regardless he agreed to do a test but i’ve already contacted balancemyhormones and the leger clinic so I can get the ball rolling with people that will actually take me seriously.
Good luck with balance my hormones mate, I filled in their intake forms back in January and still haven’t heard back. I’ve been in touch with them a couple of times and they said they’re working through a backlog. I’ve got the ball rolling with optimale (who refer you to Dr Savage at the Leger clinic) and although it’s early days and I haven’t actually been prescribed anything yet I can’t fault their customer service.
Thanks mate. I have an inital phone call with Mike at balancemyhormones today and i’ve also contacted Leger clinic as they are only 1 hour away from me.
Labs:
TT
FT
E2 can suppress LH/FSH
Prolactin can suppress LH/FSH
CBC
hematocrit
Thyroid: Please eval via oral body temperatures as discussed below. Iodine deficiency is very common with guys here and more so with the UK gang. Low thyroid function has most of the same list of symptoms as low-T, so many here have double the trouble.
Vit-D3: It is easy to be Vit-D3 deficient there. Suggest 5000iu Vit-D3 every day. Yes, 5000iu. Shop around.
Evaluate your overall thyroid function by checking oral body temperatures as per the thyroid basics sticky. Thyroid hormone fT3 is what gets the job done and it regulates mitochondrial activity, the source of ATP which is the universal currency of cellular energy. This is part of the body’s temperature control loop. This can get messed up if you are iodine deficient. In many countries, you need to be using iodized salt. Other countries add iodine to dairy or bread.
KSman is simply a regular member on this site. Nothing more other than highly active.
I can be a bit abrupt in my replies and recommendations. I have a lot of ground to cover as this forum has become much more active in the last two years. I can’t follow threads that go deep over time. You need to respond to all of my points and requests as soon as possible before you fall off of my radar. The worse problems are guys who ignore issues re Thyroid, body temperatures, history of iodized salt. Please do not piss people off saying that lab results are normal, we need lab numbers and ranges.
The value that you get out of this process and forum depends on your effort and performance. The bulk of your learning is reading/studying the suggested stickies.
Oh man I’ve had the crazy NHS doctor stuff as well.
I had a psychiatrist fascinated by me being on TRT, he kept going on about super charged bodybuilding “you must be building massive muscles, aren’t you? Are your muscles getting super large?”
I was only hiking & riding bikes at the time, so was 160 pounds.
I’ve found many doctors to be strange people. A lot seem to be narcissists who are disillusioned with people in general.
It’s just your personality?? How long has this doctor known you, a few 10 minute appointments?
What was your Free testosterone & SHBG?
Id bypass this doctor & go to Medichecks & get a venous sample done. TRT Check plus, looks like a good starting point.
It includes Free Testosterone, SHBG, thyroid - Free T4, Free T3.
I’d then see a different GP & preferably get friends & family to recommend a new GP and if needed a new surgery. It’s within your rights to change surgery.
Perhaps a few knowledgeable members could write standard letters that a person can show their GP (primary doctor) that says in a nice & polite way “I’ve got the right to the following blood tests”.
My experience has been when I’ve been most in need of medical care, depressed etc - I’ve been the least articulate through that very brain fog.
Letters could cut through that.
Then put those letters up in this forum as ‘stickies’ (I know we don’t have stickies \m/ )
Perhaps a letter for each of the common countries that pop up on here - USA, Canada, Britain etc