I'm sure my dad has low T.....

[Weasel]

My dad is 59, He's active, bike rides, walks to work daily, takes the dog out daily. He was on statins for over 10 years. I don't believe his cholesterol numbers were bad. his HDL is around 90 i do know.


Anyway, he's quit statins after giving him a bunch of stuff to read on how bad they are for you.


My concern is that he looks and acts worse than my 85 year old grandpa. I would put a huge amount of money on him having very low T.

He did have it tested once but the doc just said he was fine without giving him a number.

I think my dad would just rather not know than have to deal with it.

How can I get him to care about it?

 

[Vince]

You could ask him to run a testosterone panel through http://www.discountedlabs.com/ Prices are very reasonable and accurate. At least it would tell him where his levels are at. If he's not motivated to do something. I don't think you can motivated him.

 

[Helboi]

I have tried to get both my father and my father-in-law to get theirs tested and interested in treatment if needed, but so far no luck. They see and hear the success I've had, but apparently that isn't enough to do it. I gave them both Dr. Shippen's book for Father's Day, but they've only skimmed them as far as I can tell. And money is no object to getting this all done if they wanted to, so I'm at a loss.

 

[ERO]

Some people seem to want to just accept old age issues instead of fighting them. I am having this same battle with my wife over HRT for her...

 

[Vince Carter]

I think that folks of that generation are more accepting of aging and this being a natural progression and interference on that is frowned upon. There's of course those that will do it, but I think largely it's taboo or something.

 

[Helboi]

I think that folks of that generation are more accepting of aging and this being a natural progression and interference on that is frowned upon. There's of course those that will do it, but I think largely it's taboo or something.

Yeah, I think you're right in a way. Younger generations are more open to treating aging as a disease. That's the thing though, in both cases I've not approached it like that, rather I've just explained how it could help them both with their respective health issues (as it has mine). I'm a transhumanist at heart, and have many reasons I'm interested in TRT, but largely it was to improve my mood disorder issues. So I approached it with them as a health thing, not anti-aging and it still hasn't worked.

 

[ERO]

I also find this thought process to be strangely selective which drives me crazy. For example, the person in question may need glasses or a hearing aid for the first time or something similar that is generally associated with "people of a certain age" and they will go get them without a second thought, but you suggest HRT as a similar response to signs of aging and its not only no, but HELL no.

 

[Weasel]

Thanks guys, My dad has had his T checked, The doc said it was fine, didn't give him the actual numbers. So my dad just seems to accept that as good enough and the discussion should be over.

I truly believe those statins he was taking were dang near the death of him. He was basically a zombie. He's slowly improving since quitting the statin.

 

[Helboi]

Maybe have him try reading one of the great books out on TRT (Dr. Chrisler has one, and the one by Nelson is great too, or try Dr. Shipen).

 

[txmx]

I think it mainly boils down to this: if a man is interested in sex and his sexual function declines to the point that he cannot reliably perform, then he will eventually go to the doctor because he is "not feeling well." The discussion will begin there, and hopefully his testosterone will be tested. At that point he may well have to be his own advocate, depending on the quality of the doctor in relation to HRT. Other than that, there may not be enough motivation to overcome the lack of motivation brought on by low T.

 

[Vince]

For some it's just easier to listen to the doctor. Change is hard, learning something new is hard. I try not to offer advise unless someone asked me.

 

[CoastWatcher]

For some it's just easier to listen to the doctor. Change is hard, learning something new is hard. I try not to offer advise unless someone asked me.

Amen to that, Vince.

 

[Re-Ride]

Weasel, You beat the odds! He got tested. The First Law of Medicine is broken though when the magic words "cc pt immediately upon result" don't appear on the lab order. Technically, they no longer have to. DHHS recently issued a rule requiring labs to result the pt directly upon request. A doc no longer has to give his consent. Call the doc's office and ask them to mail him the result anyway. If part of a clinical practice call the pt advocate. If done at an outside lab call or write them for a true copy of what the doc gets.

"It's fine" may mean his T is at 300. A doc who discusses result without giving an actual result with range isn't one I'd be going back to.

I think it mainly boils down to...
there may not be enough motivation to overcome the lack of motivation brought on by low T.

Humorous but true, who here can't relate to that?

An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object in motion continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Harmony in the short run is best achieved by "not offering advice unless asked" as our moderators state. It's safer to let the uninformed discover things on their own the hard way. How does society as a whole pay a high price for this popular but harmonious behavior? Be the spark, the unbalanced force. Be tactful. If that doesn't work try a big stick.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

I think that folks of that generation are more accepting of aging and this being a natural progression and interference on that is frowned upon. There's of course those that will do it, but I think largely it's taboo or something.

Since I'm 59 years old, I'm from that generation. I don't think it is so much being accepting of aging and the like, as it is trusting your doctor (primary care physician) without question, since he is a medical professional, and an expert in all of this, right?? I mean, I had been brought up to never question the doctor...why would I ever do that? It goes against everything I ever learned as a kid, and as an adult. Bottom line: he's not an expert in everything, and it took me awhile to discover that, and take action for myself.

I first started questioning my doctor's opinion when he prescribed me finnasteride years ago for hair loss. After experiencing loss of sex drive side effects, I told him about it, and his reaction was..."oh, then just stop taking it." Gee, thanks doc for advising me about the possible side effects. I changed my primary care physician (PCP) after this debacle.

Later in my 50's, I started noticing all the textbook symptoms of low-T, and I brought it to the attention of my new PCP. Typical answer..."yeah Jackie, you know you're not getting any younger...it's the natural process of aging." Never once did he offer to check my Test levels (not that he would have known what he was looking for in the lab results anyway...) or even consider that I had low T.

As I was getting more and more frustrated, I started doing my own research online, and learning everything I could about low T. I read Dr. Crisler's and Dr. Shippen's books, then found this forum, and my knowledge base increased tenfold on the subject matter. I decided to get labs done on my own dime, so I could order exactly what I wanted.

When I took these lab results to my once again new PCP for my pre-TRT physical, I asked him all kinds of questions about TRT and my current levels. I think he was a little shocked that a patient came into a physical with lab results already in hand, interrogating him about his TRT knowledge. He looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language when I started talking about LH, FSH, SHBG, HCG and the like. He ended up being a nice guy, but I knew more about TRT than he did. I also knew that while I could trust this guy for band-aids and antibiotics, I had to find someone that knew their stuff for TRT. Enter Defy Medical.

Working with Dr. Saya and Defy have restored my confidence in the medical profession and my opinions about doctors. It is so refreshing to have a doctor that actually listens to you, and cares about your well being. I feel like I am a partner here, with an opinion and input with regard to my TRT protocol. I consider myself very fortunate to have found Defy.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

"It's fine" may mean his T is at 300. A doc who discusses result without giving an actual result with range isn't one I'd be going back to.

Spot on. A lot of folks my age will simply take the doctor at face value with that statement. No questions asked. It's how a lot of us were raised.

Be the spark, the unbalanced force. Be tactful. If that doesn't work try a big stick.

Hahaha! I like the way you think.

I experience a lot of frustration when I know friends of mine (in my general age group) that are hurting, and won't do anything about it. Broaching the subject of TRT isn't easy, especially with guys my age who aren't as savy with computer research skills, and those that aren't as open minded. I can just hear some of them now..."you're taking steroids? Are you crazy? That stuff will kill you!" That's the mentality I'm dealing with, so I feel for the OP, and what he's dealing with his Dad.

 

[1Draw]

Too many men and women as well believe their Doctor's are experts and will believe everything they say and trust them to control their health and well being. I was that way along with most forum brothers here. After reading Dr. Shippen's, Dr. Morganthaler's (A Harvard Medical School Urologist) and Dr. Chrisler's books, as well as Dr.Saya, I was really surprised and shocked all said they were not taught how dangerous low T levels are to aging males quality of life and how to treat low testosterone levels in Med School.

I would print out and show your Dad this article by Life Extensions "The Testosterone Controversy". This is a great short explanation of the harmful effects of low testosterone and also, what constitutes "healthy" T levels. They also have references to actual clinical studies to indicate their statements are back by scientific data, not opinion. A great source for the undecided or non believers!

http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2012/6/Testosterone-Controversy/Page-01

Good luck!