You might ask Nelson Vergal on Excelmale.
Is that another forum?
So your advice would see a hormone doctor?
I’m pretty sure everyone here would recommend that. I, nor most people would recommend going with anyone other than a private trt doctor. You need to have them look at your numbers and potentially set you up with as protocol.
I understand you’re a college kid, but having come from where you are now this would be the greatest investment you could make.
Get started on this now.
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Where are you located? Maybe we can find a legit TRT doc that can help you. You would be rolling the dice just going to a regular doc that doesn’t focus on TRT in my opinion.
Disregard what I said about seeking out the PFS boards if @ncsugrad2002 says they aren’t worth a shit. He would know. I totally forgot he had those issues initially because he’s come a long way.
I’m in San Diego California. I found dr. Goldstein but some people told me hes in it for the cash and pushed ridiculous things for no reason. I’ve also been on those PFS forums I don’t even want to associate with them they just sit there sad for themselves, I’m not like that I just want to know how to get my life back
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@dbossa do you know of any good TRT docs in the San Diego area for @helpmeplease?
I don’t unfortunately
I’m in San Diego as well. Goldstein is one of the few that accepts PFS as a real thing. If you’re not looking at Goldstein I would go to Defy.
What’s defy?
Have you been to Goldstein? I heard he’s just money hungry
Defy Medical is a walkin/telemedicine hormone clinic.
No I have not been to Goldstein but have heard good things. I would suggest you research these places more and not be eager to dismiss them.
Hey dude, sorry for got getting back sooner, I have made a commitment to myself to avoid these types of forums - they can be helpful for information, however in your current stressed state they can be extremely poisonous.
Based on my experience, here is how I suggest you proceed (Disclaimer, this is what worked for me and is more of a holistic approach to healing, I also think this advice is more suited to those who are susceptible to anxiety):
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Understand and get through your head that EVERYTHING WILL BE OK. YOU WILL GET BETTER. It may be hard to see the light now, but trust me, I was on the verge of suicide at my lowest, and I am now doing 99999% better. Things will get better hang in there.
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Avoid these these forums. Do not do what I did and spend every hour of the day reading personal accounts of people going through the same issue. Avoid forums like Propeciahelp. This habit is extremely toxic and will only keep you in a constant state of high stress and high cortisol.
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Get some lab work done to know where you are at. If your testosterone is extremely low I would suggest trying HCG like I did. I would advise against hopping on TRT, you want to restart your natural production, not suppress it further. I would also suggest looking at your saliva cortisol levels.
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YOU NEED TO COMPLETELY DESTRESS. Your body is currently in a constant state of Flight or Fight, you are in survival mode. Avoid everything in your life that triggers stress. If you have to quit your job or school DO IT. I personally quit my job and am taking a year off, and it was the best decision to healing that I have ever made. Recognize that you are currently injured and need to heal. Similar to like an athlete who cant compete due to an injury. Do not put pressure on yourself to keep pushing forward, take a step back and do everything you can to minimise stress. Maybe even see a therapist if you can afford it.
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Back to point number 1. Mindset is everything. Purchase and read the book “You are the Placebo” by Dr Joe Dispenza immediately. If you’re too fucked up to read, just listen to Joe Dispenza on Youtube. The mind and body are one, your thoughts can literally regulate thousands of genes in the body. Shift to a positive attitude and practice meditation + visualization. The mind is more powerful than any drug out there, it is very important that you believe you will get better and have trust & faith in what you are doing to heal.
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Follow protocols for Adrenal Fatigue recovery. In these initial stages, avoid stress and strenuous exercise. The only exercise you should be doing is walking. Spend as much time as you can out in nature. Get direct sunlight. Obviously eat healthy and avoid drugs, alcohol, caffeine, etc
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Supplements. Edit 9/Oct/2020: The best advice I can give you is, do not look for health in supplements. I honestly think I spent thousands on useless supplements that did nothing for me. The most major improvements I saw was when I overhauled my lifestyle.
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Once you start feeling better, follow some testosterone boosting protocols and live an androgenic lifestyle - read Christopher Walkers book “Master your T”. Don’t do everything at once, make slow gradual changes to your life over time. Note: This should be the second step to recovery, the first and primary step needs to be destressing and allowing time to heal all the damage Fin has done. It took me a year to get to this point.
I would highly suggest you complete destress as soon as possible. I have read many accounts (myself included), of people with PFS having only a mild illness initially and then experiencing a worse second crash weeks to months later. Reducing stress and living very healthy can help mitigate and prevent a second crash and worsening of symptoms. In my case I had a second crash 2-3 months later which was worse than my first crash. Not trying to scare you, just giving you the heads up and advice to DESTRESS.
I know exactly what you’re going through man and how fucking scary and stressful this is. This has been the hardest thing I’ve experience in my entire life, but we will get better and we will be the strongest people on the planet after this. Don’t hestitate to ask any questions or keep me updated on your situation man, we got this together.
Oh and don’t touch any testosterone boosters like daa, tribulus, etc.
Peace
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No bro, my libido is still in the toilet, but I feel so much better that I don’t even care at the moment. I have started weight lifting again (after 18months off) and am walking 15,000 steps a day and am feeling great. Sleep has also improved dramatically.
I have frequent wet dreams (sometimes 2-3 times a night). From what I’ve read, nighttime erections are testosterone driven and daytime erections / libido is dopamine driven, so I suspect my lack of sex drive is mental / depression / self esteem related at the moment.
My balls are still atrophied and produce little sperm, my high FSH suggests testicular failure. At least they are still capable of producing testosterone. Hopefully whatever epigenetic pathway that has been damage will recover once the rest of my body heals.
Going to continue doing what I’m doing, get some more bloods in a few months time and will check back in here to update everyone.
cheers
How are the erections
update? Really curious man
Hi guys, sorry, again I avoid these forums at all cost for the sake of my mental health and sanity.
I had my testosterone checked again back in May 2020, but did not post here because my free test did not change much, however will post now. I’m confident my HPTA is working properly again given Total Test increased with the rise in SHBG to regulate Free Test.
TT: 27 nmol/L (about 800ng/dL !)
SHBG: 54 nmol/L
FT: 450 pmol/L
I had a massive night out a few weeks before this blood test and trashed my liver with alcohol & other drugs (fucking stupid I know), but that could have had an impact on my SHBG rising again.
The reason I’m back here is because I am genuinely making significant progress with my sexual health and wanted to give an update here for future readers. Over the past weeks I have on multiple occasions been able to achieve a full blown erection ready for intercourse WITHOUT any sort of visual stimulation from a computer and without touching myself. Just from thinking about sex in my mind I am now able to achieve an erection. I am also able to masterbate without porn or any visual stimulation for 30+ minutes. This is HUGE progress for me. Today I was at the beach and achieved an erection just by looking at a hot girl in a bikini. I find myself frequently thinking about girls and having sex again. This is a massive step forward for me that I am really excited about. I am still having frequent wet dreams as well, I had 2 intense ones last night, I’m practicing kegels to try get this under control as its disturbing my sleep. My libido still isn’t where it should be, but I am seeing huge steps in the right direction.
I do not watch porn, I only jack off to my imagination, I believe this is VERY important in rewiring our brain and fixing our dopamine receptors.
Also sperm production & ejaculate volume has improved significantly. I had a fertility test done which came back really good with no issues. Balls are still atrophied, but who cares, makes your dick look bigger right?
I still however have pretty bad adrenal fatigue issues with low cortisol. I am seeing a function medicine doctor (MD) next month for the adrenal fatigue and will request another testosterone blood test to update here.
For future readers I really want to emphasise the importance of reducing stress and avoiding the fight or flight response. Entering that parasymathetic, relaxed calm state is absolutely cruical to healing. The reason I have bad adrenal fatigue is because my body was in a constant state of severe fight or flight for so long. If I had of just chilled the fuck out and relaxed, I’m confident I would have healed and testosterone recovered much sooner. I had “Low T” tunnel vision, was a paranoid, anxious hypochondriac and was convinced I just needed the next testosterone booster or special supplement to fix my issues, boy I was wrong, my life needed a complete overhaul.
Rereading my previous post on the 16th of April, the majority of advice I still agree with, the only thing I would probably change is my advice regarding supplements. I genuinely believe supplements played absolutely zero role in my recovery. I probably wasted thousands of dollars on every single supplement you can imagine, it probably did me more harm than good to be honest. Save the money and spend it on good quality healthy food.
I also suggest everyone to check out the YouTube channel “Health Recovery”, once I started implementing James advice, I truly started to heal and that’s when I started seeing results.
Will chime in with another blood test in a couple months.
Cheers
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Thanks alot for replying. I am so glad to hear about your progress. It feels like an empty black hole at times. Reading this gives me hope. How long did it take you before you got to where you are now? Also these are my symptoms: Brain fog, feeling mentally disconnected socially, numb genitals sometimes feel sore to the touch, balls tight and atrophied, tinittus, insomnia. Did you experience most of these aswell?
Did you take Finasteride?
Do not give up hope man. This time last year I was a suicidal wreck and I have improved so much, keep pushing forward and never give up.
Yes I had pretty much all those symptoms. I was so fucked up it’s still traumatic to even think about.
You need to overhaul your life NOW. Watch “Health Recovery” on YouTube and implement his advice. Follow his advice for healing adrenal fatigue / cfs. Basically:
- Fix your sleep. It is the most important step to healing. Get COMPLETELY off phones/technology/computer/internet 2 hrs before bed and spend time relaxing, unwinding, meditating. It will be hard at first, but this is nobullshit how you will fix your insomnia the correct way. Go to bed EARLY at a set time every night. Avoid artificial light (from screens & lights) 2 hrs before bed. And get sunlight first thing in the morning. This will fix your circadian rhythm & fix your insomnia.
- Fix your diet. Avoid all inflammatory foods. Avoid processed refined bullshit like its the plague. Limit your intake of pro-inflammatory omega 6 fatty acids. Avoid refined oils. Avoid gluten & dairy. Eat more fruits, vegetables, beans & whole grains, basically eat lots of whole plant foods. Make sure you’re eating enough calories - food is fuel. NO CHEAT MEALS.
- Eliminate all stress and focus on staying calm & relaxed. Meditate & practice deep breathing. Spend time out in nature. Reduce your phone & computer usage. Avoid violent movies & computer games that keep you engaged & trigger your fight or flight. You want to be in that calm, relaxed, parasymathetic state as much as possible. This is the state your body heals in. Practice mindfulness and become aware of when you are stressed & overstimulated. I also recommend deep breathing exercises & meditation to keep you relaxed.
It’s important you understand that your body possesses the ability to heal itself. You just need to get out of the way and let it heal and you can achieve this by following these three points & staying calm, relaxed and at rest - PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. Check out “Health Recovery” he goes into much more detail & depth then I have time for here.
It takes a long time to heal. I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but it really does takes time. So put your fucking foot down now and overhaul your life to one that is pro-healing so you dont have to waste any time. I wish I had this fucking advice from the start, instead I wasted so much time of my life to figure this out.
Good luck man and never give up, I am off for today, will check back tomorrow. Cheers