Seanholio's Journey to TRT

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
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Hi there. Anyone who has seen my previous posts knows that I’ve been working my way through the medical maze to get myself to an optimal amount of T in my system.

I was recently able to see the Endo as the next step toward getting my T levels where they should be. He has been careful to state that my T levels are on the “low end of normal” but has also stated several times that he wants to bring them up to a higher level.

When I went to his office, he gave me the exam, checked the boys for any tumors, and then had me take another blood test. I asked him specifically to get an estradiol baseline reading for me, and he had no trouble checking that box on the lab form, which was nice. My GP has not wanted to do this for me, which I do not understand.

Today, he called me with the results, stating that the results indicate proper testicular function but low pituitary function, so they’re not being prompted to generate the T, putting my T level in the low 300’s. He is getting authorization from the insurance company for an MRI of my pituitary to ensure that there are no tumors or other abnormalities, and after that is complete, we will begin on Androgel.

I’ve been reticent in the past to start with androgel or patches because I tend to have sensitive skin, and I have two children with whom I have frequent skin-to-skin contact, especially the two-year-old who likes to raid my bedroom in the mornings. I’m also fortunately enough to have frequent skin-to-skin contact with my wife. I don’t want any of them to start sprouting hair that is not appropriate for them due to elevated T levels from touching me. My other source of reticence has been the high aromatization factor in the transdermal T.

The aromatization concern was removed for me today. I asked the doctor about my E2 level. It was 14. Holy cats! With the grumpiness I’ve been experiencing in the past, I figured my E2 level would be much higher.

I’m just happy to be moving closer to a better situation, whatever that may be. If it is pituitary surgery, great. If it is dealing with transdermals because my GP is uncooperative, fine. If I can get straight onto the T-cyp, excellent. Whatever it is, I’m one step closer.

Instead of posting a new topic every time I make a step forward, I’ll use this more-general topic to keep everyone up to date.

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The MRI machine is fun. I spent about half an hour getting my brain scanned. It may have been my imagination, but when my eyes were closed I was getting greenish tinted images around the periphery of my visual field. Regardless, I can definitely say that I am not claustrophobic.

The results came back quickly: My pituitary did not have any detectable tumors, adenomas, or any other Latin abnormalities.

The Endo quickly said that he would fax a prescription for Androgel to the pharmacy for me, and I picked it up an hour later. While it was my intent to skip Androgel and go straight to injectable T, the E3 level on my previous lab results tells me that Androgel is probably the way to go so I can get the E3 level up for a month or so.

I will be going in for blood work in a month.

Today is my third day on the Androgel. If there is a difference to be felt, I don’t know what it is because I also happen to have walking pneumonia, so I’m pretty tired all day.

I cannot express my gratitude enough for the guys on this forum who have helped educate me.

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I couldn’t find reference ranges for E3 but I have no idea why he would have tested for this. It’s E2 (estradiol) that you need to worry about. I suppose that E2 could be an indicator of E3 levels, but why not just test for E2 directly?

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[quote]Seanholio wrote:

The aromatization concern was removed for me today. I asked the doctor about my E3 level. It was 14. Holy cats! With the grumpiness I’ve been experiencing in the past, I figured my E3 level would be much higher.
[/quote]

Not so fast. T–>E aromatization requires T. With low T, E can be low. If does not take much E to block low levels of T. The operative level is FT.

But that does not matter. Watch E2 levels as you get your T levels increased. That may changes things a lot.

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[quote]happydog48 wrote:
I couldn’t find reference ranges for E3 but I have no idea why he would have tested for this. It’s E2 (estradiol) that you need to worry about. I suppose that E2 could be an indicator of E3 levels, but why not just test for E2 directly?[/quote]

This is what happens when I post while tired. I meant E2 levels and I have corrected the original post.

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[quote]KSman wrote:Not so fast. T–>E aromatization requires T. With low T, E can be low. If does not take much E to block low levels of T. The operative level is FT.

But that does not matter. Watch E2 levels as you get your T levels increased. That may changes things a lot.[/quote]

Thanks for the reminder, KSMan. It is my plan to get E2 measured at every blood draw. He neglected to include it on the bloodwork order I’ve received, so I’m going to call him and ask to add it on myself. The draw isn’t for four weeks.

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UPDATE:

Last week, I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia, so I’ve been really under the weather. Two nights ago, asked if the Androgel could come out in my sweat, since we sleep in close contact, and she’s had sex on the brain all day long.

I called my endo yesterday, and asked. He said that we could get her T checked, and that it is unlikely that I was transferring to her. I did a little research and found out that skin to skin contact can double the T level in female partners with only 15 minutes of exposure. I called the endo’s office and was fortunate enough to get an appointment for today.

Once in the office, I told the endo that I wanted to switch to injectable T. He started to offer office visits, and I replied that I would like to self-administer the shots. When I mentioned an EOD or E3D routine, he was dismissive, stating that it is “literally a pain in the ass” to do it that often, and stating that the enthanate he was prescribing would provide a “within normal limits” amount throughout a week.

He prescribed 100mg of testosterone enthanate once per week, and 18ga needles. The nurse showed me how to inject into the vastus lateralis, teaching me proper sterilization and injection technique.

This is a good start. Now I just need to obtain some smaller needles so I can inject more often with less scarring. I will be keeping a close eye on my testicles for any shrinkage, and I have him testing my E2 levels at my next blood draw, and will be using the results to bully him into a prescription for anastrozole. If he’s uncooperative, I can transfer the treatment to my GP, who seems more receptive to the information I bring her.

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18 gauge harpoons? Is this guy a moron? Drawing it with an 18g is asking for rubber chunks under the skin. Draw with 22 maybe and inject w/a 25gX1" to keep the scarring at bay. I use 25gX1’s myself. Just so you will have “ammo” for the doctor, look at :
http://www.roidcalc.com
To see what happens to T serum levels injecting once a week. It’s not too bad w/T-Cyp, or T-Enth, but most of us on shots do a lot less more often. Some guys have complained they don’t “feel as” (strong) the smaller amounts work for them. Maybe they didn’t realize it takes three weeks + - for their T levels to re-settle. I’d rather avoid the roller coaster effect myself.
Good luck finding a doc with an open mind. They do exist, but are sometimes difficult to find…

EDIT: you are doing your own shots.

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[quote]KNB wrote:
To see what happens to T serum levels injecting once a week. It’s not too bad w/T-Cyp, or T-Enth, but most of us on shots do a lot less more often. Some guys have complained they don’t “feel as” (strong) the smaller amounts work for them. Maybe they didn’t realize it takes three weeks + - for their T levels to re-settle. I’d rather avoid the roller coaster effect myself.
Good luck finding a doc with an open mind. They do exist, but are sometimes difficult to find…[/quote]

KNB,

I’m doing my own shots, .14cc of T-enth using a 29ga insulin needle into the VL, EOD. I did a lot of reading on here and elsewhere about the effects of T injections on any schedule less frequent than E3D and did not like what I saw. The doctor does not know I have adjusted the injection frequency, and I plan to keep it that way.

Eventually, I plan to move my treatment to my GP who is more open-minded, and has stated that my friend and I know more about TRT than most doctors. She’s willing to listen to what I have found in my research and supports me doing things the right way, along with her input. I will be discussing the other two legs with her, as this endo was a useful tool to get TRT started, and now to get the complete package I need to return to my more-open-minded doctor.

Meanwhile, I can now fully sympathize with the guys who have started TRT before me and complain about seeing no results in two weeks. I’m impatient as hell to get my morning kickstand back and stop crying during chick flicks. :smiley: