Greetings. Drew in AZ

[DrewAZ]

Greetings. Interesting forum with a ton of information, wish I had found it a couple years ago.

Me: 45. Low T for over a decade. NO libido. ED. Tired. Overweight. Lazy. Foggy.

I was tested with T-levels in the low 100s 3-4 years ago so my Primary Care Physician at the time prescribed Axiron which did nothing and was a mess. I gave up after four months. Fast forward to this year just got tired of being tired and having no libido and resolved to do SOMETHING but have discovered that there are very few Endocrinologists in my metro area and the ones that are here are six months out on appointments. Found a Urologist that does testosterone therapy (more on that later) and got started. Insurance has their "rules" that must be followed so we started with a testosterone test (Total T=126) and started with the Androderm 4mg patch for 3 months: no change in my quality of life. Changed to Testim Gel 1% for 3 months (50mg Test daily) and still no change in quality of life.
Told my Urologist that I wanted to change to injectable testosterone but wanted full bloodwork first.

Tested my levels again and surprisingly my results were:

Total-T LC/MS/MS: 453 ng/dL
Testosterone Free: 100.6
A Comprehensive Metabolic panel
Hemogram w/Platelet
PSA
Hemoglobin A1c (family history of diabetes)
No Estradoil. No LH. No FSH... I don't even know what those are

I've wanted to get to injected testosterone all along but insurance has their process. After the third ultra-expensive brand name product they were finally willing to allow a prescription for Testosterone Cypionate (CYP?) 200mg/ml starting with a 1ml dose every two weeks. I picked up the prescription (2 vials, two syringes, needles) yesterday and in looking for a video on how to properly inject, I found this forum.

That's my intro. Next post with some details.

 

[DrewAZ]

That brings me to a few questions:

1) Clearly my Urologist doesn't know what he is doing having not requested tests for Estradiol at the very least, and anything listed here (apparently I cannot post a link to the sticky that has all the blood tests listed with less than 4 posts) other than what I have mentioned above.

2) Should I be taking something else along with the Test. Cypionate? It appears that everyone here has one or more additional medications that they are taking.

3) I now know that I should split my dose to probably weekly. Too late for that for this first one, I injected about thee hours ago.

4) When should I get bloodwork run again? I was hoping that I could use Theranos labs to do my testing (they might be a west coast thing) but apparently they had some problems and Walgreens has severed their relationship and now we're back to super expensive testing.

5) The amount of acronyms used on this forum and others in relation to testosterone replacement theapy is unbelievable, confusing, and offputting to newcomers. Is there a guide that breaks down all the terms used?

6) How do I know if I should seek a better doctor?

7) Is there any recommended reading? If there are any books or other websites that are worthwhile please let me know.

That is all I have for now.

Thanks everyone in advance.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Welcome to Excelmale. A few quick points - if you have to ask if you need a new/better doctor, you do. You have to be your own advocate, and you have to use common sense. As for protocols, what was discussed with you in regard to HCG? Was it offered? You need to test between four and six weeks after TRT has started - which tests were ordered? As for reading material, the site has copious material, particularly the sticky-posts. Dive in. If you want a book, I urge you to read Nelson Vergel's text on testosterone and John Crisler's (short) overview.

Please stay involved with us - we're glad you're her.

 

[Sean Mosher]

Your bloodwork will tell if you need an AI or not to reduce high estrogen levels.
Very sad HCG was not discussed at all.
And yes, it sounds like you need a different Doctor.
It's sad but not uncommon.
Many of us have been in your spot.

Being in your spot, I'd consider seeking out a TRT specialist.
There are 2 on this site.
I personally get my care through PrimeBody who is located in Arizona.
Youve come to the right place though and are on the right track with this forum!

 

[DrewAZ]

Welcome to Excelmale. A few quick points - if you have to ask if you need a new/better doctor, you do. You have to be your own advocate, and you have to use common sense. As for protocols, what was discussed with you in regard to HCG? Was it offered? You need to test between four and six weeks after TRT has started - which tests were ordered? As for reading material, the site has copious material, particularly the sticky-posts. Dive in. If you want a book, I urge you to read Nelson Vergel's text on testosterone and John Crisler's (short) overview.

Please stay involved with us - we're glad you're her.

Thank you CoastWatcher. It's easy to say that I need to be my own advocate if one knows what they need to be advocating. HCG was not discussed, I don't even know what it is or what it does, so that is case-in-point. The tests that were ordered were what I listed in my first post, definitely lacking. Nelson Vergel's book: noted. Thank you.

Your bloodwork will tell if you need an AI or not to reduce high estrogen levels.
Very sad HCG was not discussed at all.
And yes, it sounds like you need a different Doctor.
It's sad but not uncommon.
Many of us have been in your spot.

Being in your spot, I'd consider seeking out a TRT specialist.
There are 2 on this site.
I personally get my care through PrimeBody who is located in Arizona.
Youve come to the right place though and are on the right track with this forum!

Sean Mosher: What is an AI ?
Looks like I'll start looking for a specialist. Thank you.

 

[DrewAZ]

Is there a glossary on this site of all the acronyms used?

 

[Pranayama]

Maybe Nelsons book has a glossary for that. I don't have it handy right now. I generally just read his book and found out all of terms when reading.

AI: aromatase inhibitor. It suppresses the conversion of testosterone to estrogen from what I understand. I'm no expert, and many here have more knowledge than I do. Reading Nelsons book is the best advice I can give. It's a lot to digest....

 

[CoastWatcher]

Here is one of the sticky-posts on the site. It is an introduction to TER prepared by Nelson, largely drawn from his book. It should ground you in some of the basics.

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?5823-ExcelMale-com-Guide-to-Testosterone-Replacement

 

[DrewAZ]

Thank you gentlemen. I travel quite a bit on business so my posts will be sporadic at times. I'll be doing some reading today.

 

[tarnation]

Welcome brother - i'm having some of the same issues as you so best of luck