After joining here literally on the brink of death I was naturally very much an advocate of frequent testing. I likely would have continued with frequent testing had I not run in to insurmountable barriers.
Meanwhile multiple instances of Test Tinker Fail reported here caused me to ponder the obsessive approach adopted by so many here toward all aspects of self care. People start feeling well even activated once they start a proper protocol which feeds an obsession often manifesting itself well beyond hormone testing.
A year or more may be required for the body to adjust to trt. Once beyond that point and the pt has learned to equate dosing to how he feels the frequency of serum hormone testing can drop dramatically imo. Other things to consider are the reliability of the assays, the wide range of interpretations and that the results any assay report what is occurring only at the moment of draw. The appropriate frequency of assay is going to vary from pt to pt.
I get the same feeling that many of us start to obsess about our health. Not just about testing, about supplements also. I keep finding new supplements that look like a good idea to take.
As far as how often I have tested while on Nebido, let's just say I am not a good example of what anyone should do. Since I was injecting Nebido once every 11 weeks, I wasn't under the care of a doctor, it wasn't like I get a lot of spikes and no changes in protocol, probably blood tests wouldn't have shown anything interesting.
How often you test depends on what meds you are taking. I think thyroid meds should be tested more often.
If I were to do it over with Nebido, I would test first at 3 months, then 6 month later, then 12 months later.
I think another reason people on here over test and tinker, is we are giving the control over a lot of these decision. We can order tests whenever we want, and within limits, suggest protocol changes that the doctors generally go along with as long as they are within reason.
A big change from the way most interact with Doctors. The doctor making all the decisions about what to test, when to test and what to proscribe.
So I think one reason people over test, it gives us a sense of control over our health and our lives.
