Young Man, Low T, Weird Case

Felix90 · December 29, 2012, 1:36am

Hey fellas. Came across this site while researching my own issues with testosterone .I have low T, just like you guys. Unlike most of you, however, I believe my problems originate in an orchiectomy I underwent as an adolescent. If you’ve got the time to read my story, I hope you can help me out some, or, if nothing else, relate a little. Some preliminary info:

Age: 22
Height: 6’3
Waist: Slim. Paunchy with wide hips (fat, not feminine hip-bone.) Seems unchangable
Weight: 190
Body Hair: Some leg hair and some chest hair. Faint “treasure trail”. Seems normalish, but compared to my very hairy ancestry, it seems downright childish.
Facial Hair: Very little. Grows very slowly and is very thin. Not enough for anything approaching a respectable beard or moustache.
Fat: When I was overweight, I carried fat like a woman. I had very large hips and breasts as well as a very feminine behind (to my embaressment). Now that I am slim, it has decreased in mass, but remains very feminine in distribution.
Health: Only surgery was orchiectomy. Also had a harmless cyst on my thyroid when I was a newborn.
Drugs: Only vitamins. I did take finasteride for about one and a half months at the regular dose when I was 20 but I promptly ceased it when I read about the horrible damage it can cause.
Diet: Normal. Try to eat healthy with good meat and good rich wheat. I force myself to eat at least a few servings of fruit and veg a day. I think I cut down on calories too sharply when I decided to lose weight at 20 years old, but my diet for more than a year has been very healthy

I’ll provide a brief timeline of my issues and then provide my current bloods in accordance with your guidelines. I hope you guys can help me make sense of this mess, because my GP, a urologist, AS WELL AS AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST certainly couldn’t. I’ve got an appointment with another endo coming up this month and I want to have some theories and solutions to my problem so as not to be dismissed as being “low normal” and “subclinical” yet again. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Pre-14:
Healthy and developing normally. Libido: Furious. You remember your early teens.

14:
Left testicle had descended along with the other normally ,but, as the years went by, it drifted back in to my abdomen. The Urologist discovered it and then removed it promptly as it would be a cancer time-bomb for the rest of my life if left alone to cook within my groin. He reassured me that my remaining testicle would compensate by producing more hormones and I would continue to live a healthy, vigorous life.

14-20:
The years following my surgery are my whiny bitch era. My weight ballooned (doubled even) and the new weight went right to my hips, behind, and stomach, giving me a feminine appearance. I also developed major gynecomastia-- not pseudogyenecomastia, but full-blown development of knobbly breast glands, complete with sensitive and eternally erect nips. Brain fog was the worst. It got so bad it was almost a learning disability. My libido diminished to almost nothing and my penis became less and less sensitive and produced so little semen (dry ejaculations) that I may as well have not have had a penis at all. Most distressingly, I felt myself becoming more and more feminized in my personality and facial features. My emotions faded away and everything became grey.

21-22:
Despite having no motivation or even passion I forced myself to lose weight, deciding that my excess fat was the source of my problems (I had no inkling yet that I had a testosterone deficiency). I lost the weight over a period of about a year and struggled in to a healthy body weight via diet and exercise. Despite this, all of the symptoms I describe above remained, though the brain fog and feminization did somewhat lessen. Also, during the course of losing weight I discovered that I was unable to put on any muscle. Really none at all. This lack of musculature is so severe that my lower back is constantly sore and my joints ache like an eldery man’s. All this and I’m only in my early 20’s. Realizing that my weight was not the source of my problems, I sought medical help. Becoming more aware of testosterone and TRT in my search for answers, I went to my GP to have my hormones tested. This was fruitless. I was within the “low normal” range, my GP told me, “try an anti-depressant.” unsatisfied, I followed up with a urologist and endocrinologist. They gave an identical answer. “Consider volunteer work,” my endocrinologist said, well past the point of retirement.

22:
I Finally found an endo who was willing to dig a bit deeper into my hormonal profile at a private men’s clinic in Toronto. He tested me thoroughly and the results were as follows. These are in British/Canadian units but I have included the reference range as… well, reference. Also note that I had been doing everything I knew in order to raise my testosterone and lower my estrogen naturally in the months preceding this test (diet, training, rest, vitamins–even positive thinking and practiced assertiveness).

Total T: 16 nmol/L (8.4 - 28.7)
Free T: 29.1 pmol/L (31 - 94)
LH: 6 IU/L (2-6)
Estradiol: 110 pmol/L (<157)
TSH: 2.79mIU/L (.35 - 5.00)
Prolactin: 5 (<18)

Finally. Confirmation that something was indeed wrong with my hormones after being turned away time and time again. Despite this, the doc was nervous about initiating TRT with me. He expressed concern about rendering me sterile or even inducing prostate cancer. I assured him that as my quality of life with my lousy hormone system was just about nil, I was willing to take some risks. He presrcibed Androgel, 5g a day and sent me on my way, to be re-tested in 3 months time.

Androgel:
While on Androgel I experienced a gradual improvement in my mood, body shape, and energy in the first couple of months. I was sleeping better, and even awoke with the occasional morning erection. Things were improving. I was excited. Until month three. At month three of androgel, my muscle mass melted away from my body. I was fatigued all day and yet could not sleep at night. My gynecomastia, which had persisted despite by weight loss but which had become more subtle, grew exponentially. I panicked and scheduled an appointment with the endo.
“Well, this was a risk,” he said.
He then advised me to stop the medication IMMEDIATELY and ushered me out the door. I could call him in three months, if I wanted, to arrange the removal of my boobies. That was all he had to say. He wouldn’t even test my hormones again.

Androgen withdrawal:
Guys, the next three months (the past three months, actually), have been hell. My muscle tone has evaporated and my fat has swelled out, making me look like an adolescent girl. An agrophobic, depressed, and sleepless little girl. The last couple of weeks have seen a slight upswing in my mood, but it has been accompanied by a persistent ache in my testicle, which is now pressed tight against my groin in a retracted and wrinkled scrotum. For the first time since the orchiectomy I am also experiencing hot-flashes. It’s a nightmare I know some of you are all too familiar with.

So, I put it to you guys. Is there anything in my story and my blood work that stands out to you? Is there some connection I and my doctors have missed? Previous doctors have dismissed any fallout my orchiectomy might have had on my T but given that all of the symptoms began immediately following the operation, my very low levels, AND the improvement I experienced on the testosterone, it seems like an open and shut case. I know we have to be our own advocates in this so I’ve got to ask you: What the hell is going on with me? What can I tell my doctor to convince him to treat me? Please feel free to ask me about any details I may have missed.

KSman · December 29, 2012, 2:51am

Your Androgel has shut you down.

Have you been studying the stickies? Start with the advice for new guys sticky and be open minded about suggested other problems.

What part of Toronto? - might be able to hook you up down town. The state of TRT in Canada is mostly a disaster.

You need labs - some you have:
TT
FT
E2
DHEA-S
LH/FSH
prolactin
TSH
fT3
fT4
AM cortisol
fasting CBC with lipids and glucose

You need this:
http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scales/clinical_data.html

You will need T+AI+hCG, you need to understand that.

You should be on nolvadex to shrink the breast tissue before surgery. That may improve other things.

With your low T, you were estrogen dominant, not surprise and now I think that it is worse.

Supplements:

Vit-d3, 5000iu
B complex vitamin and mineral with iodine
fish oil
vit-C, vit-E

You need to decide what you want and become informed to sell your case and then do battle with the system.

Report your body temperatures and iodine intake, see that sticky.

cre8vmynd82 · December 29, 2012, 3:09am

Hang in there! You’ve come to a good place to find information that many of the “experts” just don’t get. Read the stickies, educate yourself and be prepared to really work hard to get the treatment you need. Many of us wish we could sit back and let the docs take care of us properly, but that just doesn’t happen very often. Keep at it and you will get help.

Concerning your orchiectomy, doctors saying that the remaining testicle will pick up the slack is just ignorant. It may sometimes but that is by no means the rule. I was born with an undescended testicle that was not brought down until almost two years old. It did not develop properly and remained atrophied the rest of my life. My other teste never compensated.

Many of us know how you’re feeling right now so just stick with it and things will get better.

Casey

Tunapancake · December 29, 2012, 4:00am

Your TSH warrants more studies. That’s probably why you stopped absorbing the gel. The hard part wont be learning, it will be a finding a doc willing to help you. You need a full thyroid panel with thyroglobulin and antibodies. Also an ultrasound to check the thyroid for the progression of the cyst or if there is anything new.
You probably need more iodine as well.

Hang in there.

Consider doing a short cycle of HMG and banking sperm just in case. HCG should preserve fertility, to an extent.

Felix90 · December 29, 2012, 5:17pm

Really appreciate all the responses, guys. I had forgotten that my thyroid was even a factor after my endo told me it was insensitive (or something like that) but subclinical. I will follow through on the diagnostic procedures KSman suggested.

Speaking of which, I’ve noticed on other threads that lots of guys have reported high and tight testicles as well as soreness. I think I may have read KSman explain that this was due to a specific chemical/hormone but I can’t relocate the thread where I read that. What hormone would that be?

KSman · December 29, 2012, 5:32pm

The testes and scrotum need LH to be right. TRT shuts off LH/FSH. hCG has the same action on the LH receptor as LH. hCG maintains the testes.

Felix90 · January 15, 2013, 2:49am

I have procured the tests that KSman recommended. For ease of assessment I will also include the results I have previously posted in addition to the new arrivals. I begin with the metric values first in order to keep the reference ranges the lab provides valid.

Regrettably, I was not able to get my blood tested during my post-androgel crash (the perma-nightmare, as I call it), but I WAS able to get tested recently (about four months after quitting the steroid), just as my androgen-withdrawal symptoms were finally letting up. Predictably, my current levels are nearly identical to the pre-androgel levels that I previously provided. All of the symptoms I describe before the crash remain, but I can get up and at least crawl through life again. HOORAY! I get to be merely hypogonadal again! My GPA, however, will likely never recover.

TT–16 nmol/L (8.4 - 28.7) OR 460 ng/dl (a slightly earlier test puts this at 440).

FT–29.1 pmol/L (31 - 94) I cannot find the conversion info for this figure. Below range, and below the levels of a non-TRT elderly man, in any case.

E2–110 pmol/L. OR 30 pg/ml *Note that this is actually a relatively low score for me. Previous tests that I have recovered from my endo and GP report estrogen levels at approx 35 pg/ml.

DHEAS–12.2 nmol/L (5.73 - 13.4) OR 3.5 ng/ml Near the top of the range. Taken pre-androgel, but as all my other levels have returned to homeostasis, my instinct is to assume that this one has as well.

LH–7 IU/L (2 - 9)

FSH–4 IU/L (2 - 12)

Prolactin–5 ug/L (<19) *A test taken about a year earlier puts this at 9 ug/L. Funnily enough, I had a puppy at that time. Just goes to show you.

TSH–2.79 IU/L (.35 - 5) (Weirdly enough, earlier tests report fluctuating TSH’s of 1.35 and 2.09)

fT3–4.1pmol/L (2.6 - 5.7)

fT4–25 pmol/L (12 - 22)

*Sorry about all the edits, admins
Body Temp: consistently 98+ degrees. Occasional dips into the high 97’s. Never dropping below 97.6 which, I think I read, is the danger zone.
Iodine: Table salt is iodized; 70%. Daily men’s vitamin contains .15mg of iodine (potassium iodide)

CortisolAM 534nmol/L (170 - 540) OR 19.3 ug/dl

Fasting Glucose–5.1nmol/L (3.6 - 6)

Vitamin B12–511pmol/L (>148)

CBC-- A long list of results. All are within the normal range except:
RDW–14.6% (11.5 - 14.5) slightly high
ABS LYMPH–1.4 (1.5 - 4.0) slightly low

*Note that I was experiencing some inflammation and was taking an anti-inflammatory when the blood was drawn

Edit: I have discovered that I was indeed tested for lipids:
Cholesterol–139mg/dl
LDL–66mg/dl
HDL–62mg/dl

As this site and my experience with doctors have proven, the armchair endocrinologists are much more knowledgeable about this than the accredited ones. So I put it to you guys to help me sort this out.

The thyroid levels are actually drawn from a year old test I just recovered from my previous (idiot) endocrinologist. He made a fuss about it. The T3 is a bit high but the T4 is above range. Is my thyroid subclinical as he says or does this warrant further investigation?

I also wonder about my LH and FSH. Why would I have a high-normal LH but such a low-normal FSH? I thought the two went hand-in-hand. My remaining testicle is still lifeless and tight against my body, with occasional pain.

Having given myself a bit of an education via this site, I would tentatively guess that my normal prolactin, normal-ish (but still lousy) Total T, and very low Free T seem to indicate primary hypogonadism. This is undoubtedly because of my unusual orchiectomy at an unusual age (14).

Being lean (though I could not prevent some paunch from sticking to my hips and rear), getting some exercise, and supplementing with Zinc and D is probably the only thing keeping my estrogen in check. It is still a bit too high for comfort though, especially given my low T. My Testosterone-estrogen ratio is probably cause for concern.

What do you guys think? And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the advice and words of support. It really helps.

Felix90 · January 15, 2013, 5:39am

[quote]Tunapancake wrote:
Your TSH warrants more studies. That’s probably why you stopped absorbing the gel. The hard part wont be learning, it will be a finding a doc willing to help you. You need a full thyroid panel with thyroglobulin and antibodies. Also an ultrasound to check the thyroid for the progression of the cyst or if there is anything new.
You probably need more iodine as well.

Hang in there.

Consider doing a short cycle of HMG and banking sperm just in case. HCG should preserve fertility, to an extent.[/quote]

My throat was examined via the doctor’s hands (the old diagnostic stranglehold) and by peering down my thoat, but my request for an ultrasound was flatly denied. Turns out that infantile thyroidal ductal cysts are a relatively common problem, and rarely cause for alarm. Combine this with Canada’s overburdened health care system, and I wasn’t getting anywhere near an ultrasound machine.

I asked my new Gp for the whole thyroid shebang and she obliged. She seemed a bit ignorant of the names and natures of the tests and seemed to rely on her computer, but she’s been receptive thus far and so I have high hopes that she requested more than just the usual TSH and T3/T4. Had I been in a healthier state of mind at the time, It may have occured to me to double-check exactly what she had written on the requisition form before I handed it to the lab tech. I’ll have the results in a few days time.

Tunapancake · January 15, 2013, 7:56am

[quote]Felix90 wrote:

[quote]Tunapancake wrote:
Your TSH warrants more studies. That’s probably why you stopped absorbing the gel. The hard part wont be learning, it will be a finding a doc willing to help you. You need a full thyroid panel with thyroglobulin and antibodies. Also an ultrasound to check the thyroid for the progression of the cyst or if there is anything new.
You probably need more iodine as well.

Hang in there.

Consider doing a short cycle of HMG and banking sperm just in case. HCG should preserve fertility, to an extent.[/quote]

My throat was examined via the doctor’s hands (the old diagnostic stranglehold) and by peering down my thoat, but my request for an ultrasound was flatly denied. Turns out that infantile thyroidal ductal cysts are a relatively common problem, and rarely cause for alarm. Combine this with Canada’s overburdened health care system, and I wasn’t getting anywhere near an ultrasound machine.

I asked my new Gp for the whole thyroid shebang and she obliged. She seemed a bit ignorant of the names and natures of the tests and seemed to rely on her computer, but she’s been receptive thus far and so I have high hopes that she requested more than just the usual TSH and T3/T4. Had I been in a healthier state of mind at the time, It may have occured to me to double-check exactly what she had written on the requisition form before I handed it to the lab tech. I’ll have the results in a few days time.[/quote]

I’m the same age as you and have had to deal with doctors who are unwilling to help and I know how frustrating it is. I’ve had to add tests to the lab form at times to be able to get everything I need. Subclinical is the fancy way to say they aren’t gonna help you. They focus on treating acute disease not prevention or improving quality of life. You have to become an amateur endo and take charge of your own health. Keep looking and you may find a good doc.

Hopefully she ordered TPO and thyroglobulin AB. You really need both tests. I suggested these test to my aunt her TSH, FT4, FT3, and, TgAB came back normal, but the TPO was way out of range, she has hashimoto the ultrasound also revealed a cyst. I had suggested ultrasound to you to be on the safe side and be extra sure. Thyroglobulin is another test used to detect thyroid cancer. (As a note, if TgAB is positive, thyroglobulin may be falsely low.)

Do you feel bipolar at times or have gluten allergy? Those are symptoms of Hashi.

This is a good site to learn more about thyroid http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

Take care.

Felix90 · January 15, 2013, 3:39pm

Thanks pancake. If I pick up my results and see that they do not contain those tests, I will turn around and request them that very day. With what infromation I already have (t3, t4), does my thyroid at least look relatively normal to you? I ask because while my androgel dosage was low and short-lived, I did experience many positive effects. I attribute the crash to a flush of unchecked aramotization because I was not taking an AI. The gynecomastia supports this notion.

Regardless, I will order the tests you recommend. I hope KSman returns from his voyage soon.

Tunapancake · January 16, 2013, 10:01am

Yes, KS is a smart cookie.

You mentioned you use iodized salt and your temps aren’t low. Do you eat soy? If you do, stop its bad for your thyroid. Knowing that your trying to control estrogen I guess you are already avoiding it.

It doesn’t look bad. With FT4 a little over range and FT3 at that level, TSH should be closer to 1.0 so that seems a bit sketchy. Which is why I suggested you asked your doc for more tests to make sure your on the safe side. Even if it seems unnecessary to them its better to make sure your ok. Like I mentioned before my aunt had perfect numbers with TSH, free T3 and T4 TgAB, but way out of range TPO. So you never know.

Labs are very useful, but things like your symptoms body temps etc are more important. Since symptoms of low T and thyroid are so similar its hard to differentiate.

About the androgel, a lot of guys who have thyroid issue stop absorbing shortly after or don’t absorb at all. That could be or not be the case for you. Sometimes the body just stops absorbing it. In your case E2 really affected you and could be the cause you stopped feeling benefits, maybe even a combination with absorbent issues.

As KS posted shots and HCG + AI would be better for you than gels.

jimbo12 · January 16, 2013, 11:38am

You seem really smart, smarter than I was when I came to this site. I’m sure you’ll figure things out. FWIW, results look pretty normal to me except for free T, unless I missed something? Not really seeing thyroid as a huge problem. Also, did not see LH/FSH being that abnormal. At any rate, it never hurts to do too many tests IMO, preferably getting current results to rule out the possibility of a progressing illness.

Overall, your best bet to raise free T, if that continues to check out low, is to go the route of injections and use something to inhibit estrogen production, seems to work better than simply Androgel. But realize that even very high free T/low estrogen doesn’t necessarily solve all your problems with your physique or even how you feel. First, I’d suggest ruling out other underlying problems, or what might be related to the free T. For instance, low vitamin D is correlated with lower free T, and higher Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SBGH).

Simply taking a small dose of vitamin D might not solve this matter if you’re super low. Note in general, high SBGH is correlated to low free T. This is produced in your liver, and there are several things that can mess with your liver and SBGH. Common drugs that often raise SBGH and decrease free T are sedatives, blood pressure meds, tranquilizers as well as beer. There is also some research that long term calorie deficits can increase SBGH, and lower free T. Were you on a diet or doing anything unusual when you had free T checked? If so, I’d recheck.

Also, note there is some evidence, albeit not as good, that stinging nettle can free up T. It had a noticeable effect on my free T. You could also do a liver panel to see if something is up with your liver, or a vitamin panel to see if you have some deficiency that is being missed. I do these lab tests on my own through privatemdlabs/labcorp. It’s a hassle free route in the states.

In New Hampshire, they don’t even ask me for ID. Good luck. In my experiences, most endos are only semi decent–in part because it’s one of the less respected medical specialties, in the states at least, and many of the most talented doctors leave Canada. To find a good endo, you could literally go through dozens, so it’s best to find one to whom you can sell your pitch after you’ve done your own research.

KSman · January 16, 2013, 4:41pm

Read the thyroid basics sticky. rT3 can block thyroid hormones and increase TSH even when other thyroid tests look good. You need to be able to get to 98.6 during the day. “Above 98” is not comforting.

Felix90 · January 19, 2013, 4:56am

Having read the thyroid stickies and having poured through stopthethyroidmadness, among other sites, it is becoming increasingly clear that something is wrong with my thyroid–I have reason to suspect Hashimoto’s and related adrenal complications.

Got a more accurate (more expensive) thermometer to do the temperature test due diligince. Results are schizophrenic:

8:30 (waking, still in bed): 98°
3:00: 98.8°
4:00: 97.5°
4:30: 95.9° (wtf?)
6:00: 99° (wtf?)

All of the these tests were taken while sitting in the library doing research. Same location, and wearing the same layers of clothe to eliminate variables. And I was much colder yesterday, with my temperature rarely cresting over 98°. I am beginning to notice everyone else in t-shirts in class–even girls–while I have to button up. I was even colder the day before. Hard to treat the temps as diagnostic in themselves as I’ve been taking Concerta to keep the depression at bay and allow me a modicum of focus in class, but they vary every day, and they vary throughout the day, and they’re generally very low. I’m in trouble.

But its not just the body temps that have got me all worked up. I have a few things I need to report to you guys that I’ve kept from you. I guess I was so fixated on my low T and the appealingly simple fix that it suggested that I pinned all of my symptoms on it, now matter how bizarre. I see now that I am probably dealing with something a lot more complex.

Here goes:

When my testicles began to revive, some three/four months after quitting the gel, a few things reverted to their pre-andro state. My penis cautiously emerged from my pelvis, and now goes white and retracts only occasionally. The hair on my scrotum has returned, and my testicle is in better shape. My paranoia has lessened, and so has the pain in my back. All encouraging signs of my body returning to homeostasis. But right alongside these reassuring signs of life, some increasingly disturbing symptoms have emerged.

I began experiencing a burning pain in my lower abdominal/upper pelvic area. I got some anti-inflamitories from the doc, and this has mostly subsided, but even now, almost every night, I get this weird gassy pressure in the area. Even More alarmingly, my fingers and toes will spontaneously go numb and become sluggish to respond to commands. I lost half an hour of exam time because I couldn’t manipulate my pen. Pins and needles prick at my body when I exert myself. I’ve had several episodes of acute hypoglycemia, which I’d never experienced before in my life–didn’t even know the name for it, till a friendly diabetic told me. My roommates just thought I’d taken up drinking during the daylight hours, in the European way.

All of these symptoms grew and grew until they knocked me over and I was hospitalized. I was just sitting at home, eating a sandwich and studying up. I stood up to grab a drink, and found that my nose and the left side of my face had gone completely numb. I felt very dizzy. I phoned telehealth, and my speech was slurred and slow. Sometime during our conversation, I collapsed. An ambulance took me to the hospital where doctors scanned my head, chest, and took my blood. I was discharged in a few hours when they could find nothing physical to account for my symptoms. So of course I must have been faking it. Throughout the whole experience I felt more hypoglycemic than ever before.

Before learning a bit about the thyroid and adrenals, I thought that all of these symptoms were just peculiar little errors my body accrued as it came back online. Now I think I know better.

I guess my thyroid has been in a slow burn for a very long time, wearing away at my already sub-par testosterone and diminishing my QOL bit by bit, day by day. Thyroid issues run in my family. Uncle just lost his to cancer, and my mom’s thyroid has been on the brink for quite a while. And I had my own close scrape with a thyroidal cyst as a newborn. And my TSH has just been climbing, from 1.35 two years ago to almost 3 today. And of course there was my bizarre response to the Androgel: A month of modest improvement followed by a brick wall of emotional volatility, fatigue, and a reversed circadian rhythm. And yes I do feel extremely bipolar.

Somehow–and god knows I don’t understand JUST how–I suspect my sharp hormonal turns (from an almost doubling of my free T falling right into full on testicular collapse) have rapidly accelerated this disease. My adrenals, too, are probably torched: My circadian rhythm has pretty much reversed and I don’t feel awake until past 6 at night, after which point sleep is a long time coming, and frequently interrupted.

I know it seems like I’m jumping the gun here, but I’m desperate for an answer. I finally see a specialist on Tuesday after four long months on a wait list. Supposedly, he’s the man to see for HPTA dysfunction in Canada. But I’ve been ushered out the door by too many blank-faced endos in the past. And my issues are whole pay-grades more complex at this point. I just can’t leave this to chance. I need a working theory and I need to know what to ask for–the amateur endocrinologist thing.

Free T is consistently low–had it tested several times. And I was eating well before the tests. I think you are completely correct that I need to rule out everything else before trying the TRT route again. I’m afraid to even go the supplement route before getting to the bottom of this. Bought a bottle of forma stanzolol that is collecting dust.

So I need some help from you guys, who have already provided me with so much education either directly or indirectly throughout the forum. I need to know exactly what to ask this doc to test for. KSman, Jimbo and Tuna have suggested some tests and I will ask for them. Any more I should know about? Any that pertain to my messed up status? Thyroid antibodies, adrenal stuff, liver, celiac, progesterone, DHT, whatever. I know a lot of them are up in the stickies–don’t think I haven’t read them–but if there are any more obscure ones that occur to you or are of particular importance, I’d like to know about 'em. The more I read on this site and others, the more complex the HPTA becomes and the more new terms and tests I encounter. I’ve got to drive four hours in a borrowed car through Canadian January too see this guy. I can’t blow this one by omitting that one, crucial test.

I just want a human life. I don’t need to be an athlete. I’m not even so optimistic as to shoot for optimal health anymore. I just want the humanity that has bled from me. I want my sexuality back. I want my emotions back. I want to be able to sleep and have dreams again. I’m sorry to get so mushy on you. Its the estrogen talking. I know some guys here have it as bad or worse. Put away your tiny violins.

Sorry for the long ass read and THANKS for all the help guys.

jimbo12 · January 19, 2013, 9:20am

[quote]Felix90 wrote:
Having read the thyroid stickies and having poured through stopthethyroidmadness, among other sites, it is becoming increasingly clear that something is wrong with my thyroid–I have reason to suspect Hashimoto’s and related adrenal complications.

Got a more accurate (more expensive) thermometer to do the temperature test due diligince. Results are schizophrenic:

8:30 (waking, still in bed): 98Â°
3:00: 98.8Â°
4:00: 97.5Â°
4:30: 95.9Â° (wtf?)
6:00: 99Â° (wtf?)

All of the these tests were taken while sitting in the library doing research. Same location, and wearing the same layers of clothe to eliminate variables. And I was much colder yesterday, with my temperature rarely cresting over 98Â°. I am beginning to notice everyone else in t-shirts in class–even girls–while I have to button up. I was even colder the day before. Hard to treat the temps as diagnostic in themselves as I’ve been taking Concerta to keep the depression at bay and allow me a modicum of focus in class, but they vary every day, and they vary throughout the day, and they’re generally very low. I’m in trouble.