Just Want to Be the Best Me Possible

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Age- 33

6’0 tall

36" waist

225lbs 32.61bmi

Patchy facial hair, not really hairy on my arms or legs, little to no chest or back hair.

Belly fat, thigh fat, chubby cheeks

Symptoms are difficulty losing weight, lack of energy in the gym, foggy brain function, sometimes weak erections, low interest in sex

I’ve started taking Centrum vitamins, Allegra now and then for allergies

No hair loss from my head, legs have hair loss but might be due to wearing work boots and socks

Result 9:44 a.m.​​ 97.4f
TT​​​​​​:310 r:250-827​​N
TSH 3rd generation w/ reflex to FT4 (36127):0.95 ​​​r:0.40-4.50​​N
Triglycerides​​​​​: 202​​​ r:<150​​​H
Cholesterol​​​​​: 226​​​ r:125-200​​H
HDL-​​​​​​46​​ r:​>OR=40​​​N
LDL-​​​​​​140​​ r:​<130​​​H
CHOL/HDL Ratio​​​: ​4.9​​​ r:<OR=5.0​​N
NON-HDL​​​​​:180​​​ r:…​​​H
HEMOGLOBIN A1c​​​​: 5.4​​​ r:<5.7​​​N
eAG(mg/dl)​​​​​: 108
eAG (mmol/L)​​​​​: 6.0
GLUCOSE BLOOD​​​​: 87​​​ r:65-99​​​N
UREA NITROGEN (BUN)​​​​: 19​​​ r:7-25​​​N
CREATININE​​​​:​1.01​​ r:​0.60-1.35​​N
EGFR NON AFR American​​​98​​​>OR=60​​​N
SODIUM​​​​:​138​ r:​​135-146​​N
POTASSIUM​​:​​​4.6​​​ r:3.5-5.3​​​N
CHLORIDE​​:​​​102​​ r:​98-110​​​N
CARBON DIOXIDE​​: ​​24​​​ r:19-30​​​N
CALCUIM​​​​​: 9.9​​ r:​8.6-10.3​​N
PROTEIN TOTAL​​​​​: 7.6​​ r:​6.1-8.1​​​N
ALBUMIN​​: ​​​4.9​ r:​​3.6-5.1​​​N
GLOBULIN​​: ​​​2.7​ r:​​1.9-3.7​​​N
ALB/GLOB RATIO​​​​: 1.8​​​ r:1.0-2.5​​​N
BILIRUBIN TOTAL​​: ​​0.8​​​ r:0.2-1.2​​​N
ALKALINE PHOSPHATE​​​​: 84​​ r:​40-115​​​N
AST​​​: ​​​17​​​ r:10-40​​​N
ALT​​​​: ​​29​ r:​​9-46​​​N
EGFR AFR AMERICAN​​: ​​114​​​r:>OR=60​​​N
WHT BLOOD CELL COUNT​​​: 4.4​​​r:3.8-108​​​N
RED BLOOD CELL COUNT​​​: 5.43​​​ r:4.20-5.80​​N
HEMOGLOBIN​​​: ​​16.6​​ r:​13.2-17.1​​N
HEMATOCRIT​​: ​​​50.3​​ r:​38.5-50.0​​H
MCV​​: ​​​​92.5​​​ r: 80-100​​​N
MCH​​​​​: ​30.5​​​ r: 27-33​​​N
MCHC​​​​​​: 33​​​ r: 32-36​​​N
RDW​​​​​​: 13.5​ r: ​​11-15​​​N
PLATELET COUNT​​​​: 174​​​ r:140-400​​N
MPV​​​​​​: 9.8​​ r: ​7.5-11.5​​N
ABS. NEUTROPHILS​​​: ​2323​​​ r:1500-7800​​N
ABS. LYMPHOCYTES​​:​​1562​​​ r:850-3900​​N
ABS. MONOCYTES​​​​: 339​​​ r:200-950​​N
ABS. EOSINPHILS​​​​: 158​​​ r:15-500​​​N
ABS. BASOPHILS​​​​: 18​​​ r:0-200​​​N
NEUTROPHILS​: ​​​​52.8​​​…​​​N
LYMPHOCYTES​​​: ​​35.5​​​…​​​N
MONOCYTES​​​​​: 7.7​​​…​​​N
EOSINOPHILS​​​​: ​3.63​​​…​​​N
BASOPHILS​​​​​: 0.4​​​…​​​N

Fairly clean diet with 100 grams of protein per day from chicken, pork or beef, salad for lunch and dinner, fats from avacodos, nuts, etc. little to no added sugar foods, bread eggs and milk for breakfast most days.

Little to no testicle pain, rarely after sitting I’ve experienced discomfort, I have varicoseles (like most men) left side of scrotum. Haven’t had children of my own so can’t speak for fertility.

Nocturnal erections are frequently found upon waking to use restroom. They very from hard as stock to chubby

Morning wood mimicks nocturnal wood really. Some days are harder than others.

Waking temps avg. 97.2 so far.

Hello guys. I found this forum after searching some of my symptoms and suspecting low t. The above blood test results are from January 2015. I recently had a new test done (hope it has all the tests needed to help diagnose) but haven’t received the hard copy yet. I expect it in a few days. The nurse told my my t levels dropped to 276 ng/dl but were still in the normal range. Sound familiar? Also told me I have higher cholesterol. I have begun to incorporate more iodine to see if I can bring the temps back up.
I don’t want to have to be on TRT if I don’t need it.
I’m having a hard time determining if that’s the problem since my tsh seems like a good number.
I’ve learned a lot from this sight and Ksmans posts as well as others. I have found this forum difficult to navigate so hopefully I’m posting this in the right place.

Like so many others I first went to my doc about low t symptoms. He tried to push me anti depressants. I don’t feel depressed, just don’t enjoy things like I used to and can’t focus. He doesn’t want to even talk to me about TRT which I admire in a way because he wants to see what the real problem is yet I’m not sure he has the knowledge to do so. As my conditions have gotten worse I have continued to study my symptoms and I’m confident low t is causing all of them. The only question is what’s causing my low t? Hopefully someone can help me understand my labs and put the pieces together. I will take whatever additional test I need to to be a better me. Thanks for reading.

2
  • this is a problem as TRT will take this too high and hopefully you can do blood donations to thin out your blood. Do not tell the blood bank people that you are donating blood for these reasons.

Do not take any supplements that have added iron, avoid iron fortified foods/cereals.

TSH is great. Check waking oral body temperatures and ALSO see if you can hit 98.6 mid-afternoon. Check that someone else can get 98.6 on your thermometer, they are cheaply made.

TT is low. Now you need to find out why, get these labs:
TT
FT
E2
LH/FSH
prolactin
TSH
fT3
fT4 [please not T3, T4]

Are outer eyebrows sparse? That could be low thyroid function and in turn might be cause by not using iodized salt. Sea salt should be avoided.

Blood pressure?

Low energy can be from low thyroid function and/or low-T

Hair loss on lower legs is a symptom of low T. Look at older guys legs in the summer time, shorts reveal all. You can also spot thyroid problems looking at eyebrows, but with women plucking their eyebrows… Have seen lower leg hair loss from wearing wool trousers, but not with other fabrics.

I think that you have had low T long term, perhaps forever. May be at a critical lower point now and/or complicated by low thyroid function.

Your TSH says, OK, body temps not. Low thyroid function robs energy and drives fat gain. Most symptoms of low thyroid function are same as low T and both together is quite common.

Centrum vitamins: Make sure no added iron, you do want trace elements including iodine+selenium.

Get ample EFAs in your diet, nuts, fish oil, flax seed oil/meal, you seem on track.

Get ample healthy fats. Low fat diet is dangerous.

Cholesterol may balance out when sex hormones are right.
Was lab work fasting?

Any signs of gyno? Any issues in the past?

A lot of issues above, try to address all that see to be questions.

Stickies to read found here: About the T Replacement Category - #2 by KSman

  • advice for new guys
  • things that damage your hormones
  • protocol for injections
  • finding a TRT doc
  • thyroid basics
3

Quote

“TT is low. Now you need to find out why, get these labs:
TT
FT
E2
LH/FSH
prolactin
TSH
fT3
fT4 [please not T3, T4]”

I will schedule these and post results asap.

“Are outer eyebrows sparse? That could be low thyroid function and in turn might be cause by not using iodized salt. Sea salt should be avoided.”

yeas they are both sparse towards the outsides

Blood pressure? 123/79

Your TSH says, OK, body temps not. Low thyroid function robs energy and drives fat gain.

so it’s possible to have an iodine deficiency and a good tsh level? Looking for iodine supplements also. Couldn’t find oral capsules at local nutrition stores

Cholesterol may balance out when sex hormones are right.
Was lab work fasting?

yes I was fasting

Any signs of gyno? Any issues in the past?

Last several years I have noticed increased fat being stored on my chest. I’ve never had a manly muscular chest, even when I was in great shape and very active.

A lot of issues above, try to address all that see to be questions.

Stickies to read found here: About the T Replacement Category - #2 by KSman

  • advice for new guys
  • things that damage your hormones
  • protocol for injections
  • finding a TRT doc
  • thyroid basics

Visit Topic or reply to this email to respond.

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4

Thyroid and thyroid labs can be more complicated than TRT. The active hormone is fT3 and rT3 can block fT3. Body temperature cuts through all of that red tape.

5

Verified and bought another thermometer.
96.9 waking temp
1:30 97.2
3:00 96.9

Checked it twice with 2 thermometers. They were within .2 each time.

Will TRT bring body temps up?

6

I think the point is that your low temps are showing that your thyroid is not doing its job well. And that tends to cause low T among other things and mimics its symptoms. TRT will not help your thyroid and TRT will basically be useless without getting your thyroid working.

This is stuff that KSman is amazing with. He has this info down

7

New labs came in today. Doesn’t look like they tested me for what I asked them so that’s another trip to the doc for me.
Albumin serum 4.8 ref 3.5-5.5
Ast 57 ref 0-40
Alt 59 ref 0-44
Prostate specific ag,serum 0.6 ref 0-4.0
Test serum 185 ref 348-1197
Lh 4.7 ref 1.7-8.6
Shb glob 27.1 ref 16.5-55.9
Estradiol 9.8 ref 7.6-42.6
Wbc 4.1ref 3.4-10.8
Rbc 5.20 ref 4.14-5.80
Hemoglobin 16.1 ref 12.6-17.7
Hematocrit 47 ref 37.5-51
Mcv 90 ref 79-97
Mch 31 ref 26.6-33
Mchc 34.3 ref 31.5-35.7
Rdw 13.1 ref 12.3-15.4
Platelets 199 ref 150-379
Neutrophils 52
Lymphs 37
Monocytes 9
EOS 2
Basos 0
Neutrophils abs 2.1 ref 1.4-7.0
Lymphs abs 1.5 ref 0.7-3.1
Mono abs 0.4 ref 0.1-0.9
EOS abs 0.1 0.0-0.4

Hopefully there can be some good information gathered from this blood test. I asked for TT
FT3 FT4 E2 TSH etc but this is what I received?

I have been taking iodine supplements and don’t see much of a change in temps. Waking temps are averaging 97

8

I went to a men’s clinic and they prescribed me .75 mil of 200mg/ml test cypionate and 1/2mg anastrazole per week. They just don’t seem to care enough to get to the bottom of the issue and wanted to start me on test while my other physician didn’t want me on test but didn’t care my test was low with symptoms. And I donated a pint of blood today. Bp was 120/73 temp was 97.6 and hematocrit was 46 at 11:35 am
The struggle is real.

9

So what are you going to do? Are they allowing self injection? If so, do injections twice weekly. Your E2 is low, but will definitely go up if you inject 150mg of T cyp once per week.

10

Yea they sent me the syringes pre loaded with test and anastrazole pills so I’m not sure how I could take a twice weekly injection without re using a needle. I would think the 1/2mg of anastrazole would keep e2 at bay. I guess I will know in 8 weeks when I get more labs. It feels like putting a band aid on a bigger problem still yet. I’d like to remedy my t levels naturally or know for sure I’ve exhausted all those efforts and TRT is the only solution.

11

ALT/AST liver enzymes appear elevated… are you a heavy drinker?

12

No I was sore from a heavy workout though. I’ve read that could affect the results.

13

well I went in for my 8 week follow up last week. I have felt much better since beginning trt. Doc put me on 150mg test cypionate and .5 mg Anastrazole per week when I started. Blood work showed test was up to 547ng/dl which is up from 185 ng/dl and e2 was at 24 which is up from 9.8.

I expressed concern over testicular atrophy and he prescribed Clomid in addition to the test cyp and increased Anastrazole to 1mg per week. I have a concern about Clomid as I asked him about HCG and got prescribed Clomid. I’ve read that Clomid can affect free testosterone. Is there any strong reason to not take it? Doc has the test and Anastrazole compounded together and sent to me loads in a syringe, the Clomid is in pill form and instructions were to take half a pill on day 5 and the other half on day 6 after test injection.

14

I’ve never heard of the T and Adex being compounded. Your E2 is great so not sure why he increased the dose of AI. Your TT isn’t very high for the amount of T your injecting. Do you have labs you can post?

1 Like
15

Your blood work and protocol seemed perfect on your checkup. With TT in the 500’s and E2 in mid 20’s I don’t think they should have changed your protocol. Be careful taking too much T and AI, your FreeT can get too high and Hemocrit will get high and your blood too thick. Your numbers look a lot like mine. I take 80mg weekly with no AI. TT and E2 about the same as yours. I feel good. Only thing I wish I had my cortisol checked before going on TRT a few years ago. I think mine was all caused by adrenal issues causing hormones to be low.

16

I will post the labs when they arrive in the mail. I too wondered why they would increase AI if the numbers were good. I never asked for Clomid and I’m really not comfortable taking it. I called the clinic today and told them that. The doc is supposed to call me tomorrow and tell me why he increased AI and give advice on the Clomid script.