From what I understand, there is already evidence of hemolysis (i.e., my immune system is breaking down my red blood cells as if they were a foreign body). The spleen question is whether (or to what extent) the spleen is involved in my condition. My understanding is that if it’s enlarged, then it will need to be removed.
[quote]The3Commandments wrote:
From what I understand, there is already evidence of hemolysis (i.e., my immune system is breaking down my red blood cells as if they were a foreign body). The spleen question is whether (or to what extent) the spleen is involved in my condition. My understanding is that if it’s enlarged, then it will need to be removed. [/quote]
What do they do to treat that? Hope you get everything worked out ok.
If I have hemocromatosis, I have to do blood letting every week for months till my iron levels are normal and check for any organ damage.
I only know what I’ve read on the internet at this point. My understanding is that if I’m officially diagnosed with something like Hemolytic Anemia, I will probably need some form of steroid therapy to suppress my immune system’s response to my red blood cells, along with likely having my spleen removed.
Spleen Ultrasound today came back normal. I think that throws a wrench in the autoimmune disorder theory, but I’m not sure.
Here’s another question: is it weird that I don’t feel any different now that I have testosterone? This is just like the iron supplementation stuff: no change in how I feel. I feel the exact same now that my hemoglobin count is only slightly below range viz. when it was in the absolute tank. Don’t really get it.
It can take several weeks for it to kick in from what I read, hasnt kicked in for me either. Been going to the gym consistently and logging all my lifts. Watching for strength gains.
Honestly when I take a shot of HCG I feel it the same day. The same night from the day I take HCG I have vivid dreams and crazy erections.
I haven’t updated the thread because there hasn’t been a huge amount to report, but I had a general question that I was wondering about and might be of interest to others:
I’ve had three T-level labs drawn since I began using 100mg of Test Cypionate per week (prior to using TC, my levels were in the mid-30s on a 300-1000 scale). The first two (one shortly after I did my first injection, one about a month after that) came back in the mid-to-low 600s range (scale of 300-1100). My endo saw those and said that those levels were totally reasonable for the 100mg/week load.
I had another lab drawn a week ago, and my T level came back at slightly more than 1000.
I haven’t been able to talk to my endo yet about it, but my GP was baffled (understandably, s/he is not an expert in TRT).
So, the general question: are there any reasons that someone’s body might not be able to process and/or dispose of testosterone?
How often are you injecting? Were your bloodworks all taken the same time away from last inject?
I am injecting once per week, .5mL dose. The reason that I moved from 2x/week to 1x/week is that I don’t feel any different whatsoever when I’m taking T v. when I’m not.
I take the injection on Sunday, and I got this lab done on a Friday. The labs in the mid-600s were taken closer to the injection time (640 2 days after last injection; 613 4 days after the last injection).
Any other information that would be helpful? My general case just gets weirder and weirder, I suppose.
You’re right that doesn’t make a lick of sense…are you injecting in the same areas each time? Haven’t switched from IM to Sub Q?
Well, the first lab (640) was done two days after I got an injection in the glute. The second, which ran 613, was after a quad injection of .3 ML on Sunday (it was done on a Wednesday, then I did .2 on Thursday). This past one was on a Friday in the quad with .5mL.
Oh, and all quad injections have been with a 1" needle, while the glute was with a 1.5".
Your varying levels are a little odd. I’ve read that test cyp typically peaks 24-48 hours after injection, with slight individual variation. The >1000 response to your dose is also probably unusual, but not unheard of. For instance, I have a friend who peaks around 1500ng/dl two days after his shot of 100mg test cyp, and then drops to about half that before the next week’s shot. I also tend to respond very well to a low trandermal dose of testosterone. At any rate, I would think a level around 1000 is pretty good to shoot for as long as all your other bloodwork is in check.
Want to update this in case it becomes useful for future searchers:
Am now doing TRT, .5ml of 200mg/mL test cypionate weekly.
First, a perhaps trivial timeline:
So when I started TRT earlier this year, I did not feel any different at all, except that I started having morning erections. My labwork began to come out normal, though it was unclear whether this was due to the iron or the testosterone.
At the end of July, I decided to stop taking the testosterone because it didn’t seem to be benefiting me in any way other than getting the morning erections, and I was becoming somewhat apprehensive about the long-term effects of testosterone supplementation (this may have been stupid, but bear with me here).
Oddly enough, although I did not feel differently on TRT from my previous state, after a couple of months off TRT I began to have significant psychological “lows” that I felt may be due to the hormonal issues. So I began TRT again in December and have felt normal ever since. Much better than in late October and November.
Now, the upshot:
I have been taking labs this entire time. Although this was admittedly not the intention, I had basically conducted an experiment where I eliminated the Testosterone and saw what happened. Labs in November showed my hematocrit as being too low despite the iron supplementation. Redrew labs last week after three weeks of TRT, and hematocrit was back to normal.
I’ve done a number of other blood tests involving, for example, autoimmune disorders and otherwise. The hematologist was taken aback by the standard deviation of my red blood cell width, which was apparently very strange.
My hematologist’s position now is basically that the iron issue was a red herring that was confusing all the doctors involved. Instead, the testosterone serves to regulate my hematocrit levels and such. The next step is to eliminate the iron medication I’m taking and see whether that affects my hematocrit level. I’ve already decreased my dosing dramatically, as I have more severe reactions to the medication now that I’m on TRT (suggestive that the iron may be unnecessary).
So basically, even though I didn’t experience major differences physically when I’m on TRT, it balances out my blood profile.
Maybe you should try Hydrocortisone therapy some people can even start with it and one day leave it. I will paste here some awesome things that I’ve found
However, once I got recovered from the flu, I started to feel great. Amazingly great. My libido came back, I felt happy and energetic…and this awesomeness lasted for 3 full weeks, until a business trip stressed me out and I wound up back at square one. I’m pretty sure the Cortef was responsible for the jump in energy, zest, etc. So I don’t understand how it is said that HC only lasts a few hours in the body…mine lasted weeks. I have not had libido in 4 years and suddenly it comes back? I am sure it was the Cortef.
Prednisone took care of my ED and morning wood completely, E2 never really made a difference…I had low cortisol
For SIX YEARS the only response from doctors that I got was that I have mental problems causing my symptoms, like loss of libido,
ED, tiredness, lack of motivation to do things. It was not just one or
two doctors, but SEVERAL. So yeah, I’m not at all surprised. It seems
most doctors are either imcompenent or just don’t care. Luckily, my
problem was not something that would kill me because of late diagnosis,
like cancer. I turned out to be hypothyroid and have adrenal fatigue, and respond
excellently to thyroxine and hydrocortisone. Thanks to internet and
messageboards like this, I solved this puzzle.
BTW,
after only a few days on adrenal extract I have noticed a huge
improvment on my sex drive too, which was an unexpected but welcome
surprise! 
i had ED with high-normal IGF-1 and Testosterone…the cure for my ED was prednisone treatment due to low cortisol…
I can tell you from personal experience that once i started treating my
adrenal fatigue with Cortef my sex drive started to come back, muscle
strength and size and energy levels also much better fat loss without trying.
I have my free T and total T levels before treating adrenals and im
getting them tested now during treatment im sure they will be much
higher.
Is it possible to lose libido with low Cortisol? I got a Cortisol Stim
test where they inject you with cortisol and they take a few blood
readings and when they gave me the cort, I had a noticable libido jump a
few minutes later. I thought this was odd.
I will check my cortisol level and I hope very very much to be the thing that will solve my problem I can’t take it anymore I’m young with erectile dysfunction this is the worst thing that could happen to a men.
Brazilian Guy, Your English has improved greatly. Congratulations.
Thanks! I have my adrenal labs here and I have adrenal fatigue. As I’m reading these things I hope very much that I return to normal with treatment with HC. Hope All you guys get well too
Erectile dysfunction isn’t the end of the world, man. I appreciate your response, although I’m not sure I understand how it relates to me: I have secondary hypogonadism and had the testosterone level seen in a woman…
brazilianguy
if you care to pass by my topic @ 25yrs Old, Low Test Symptoms, 'Normal' Labs - Testosterone Replacement - Forums - T Nation
another brazilian here, thinking i may have adrenal fatigue as you do.