**Woman Defy patient, very unhappy, need advice/help
- Thread starter Amberlin
- Start date
I would call in the morning and hold until someone answers. I called today and was on hold for 3 min before someone picked up. It times out after 7 min I think at which point you would have to leave a message but I would just hang up and cal back a little later.
My personal experience with Defy has been great and they have been more than willing to work with me and help me out. I hope you can get this figured out.
My personal experience with Defy has been great and they have been more than willing to work with me and help me out. I hope you can get this figured out.
**UPDATE**
Defy called back. Part of the reason they didn't get back to me was I was emailing (Sam) who no longer works there. Note to all: When you opt to email Defy, email the [email protected] address over emailing any one of the individual employees because you never know when their last day will be.
The end result was continue doing the protocol that makes you feel best & we'll pull labs next month on the 3rd. Again, I had to request specific tests in an attempt to get to the bottom of why I don't feel optimal. Speaking with anyone other than the doctor hasn't proved successful & I end the call not getting the answers I need because the staff simply doesn't know. Hopefully new labs will yield results that can better direct the doctor in helping me feel less puffy & more energized.
Defy called back. Part of the reason they didn't get back to me was I was emailing (Sam) who no longer works there. Note to all: When you opt to email Defy, email the [email protected] address over emailing any one of the individual employees because you never know when their last day will be.
The end result was continue doing the protocol that makes you feel best & we'll pull labs next month on the 3rd. Again, I had to request specific tests in an attempt to get to the bottom of why I don't feel optimal. Speaking with anyone other than the doctor hasn't proved successful & I end the call not getting the answers I need because the staff simply doesn't know. Hopefully new labs will yield results that can better direct the doctor in helping me feel less puffy & more energized.
FeelingLost
Banned
I had this problem as well. When a person leaves the front office no one is assigned that persons email account so you get no return emails then one day you just get a message that person does not exist and has no email account. When that happens I just CC everyone I have ever talked to via emails. Its crude but has worked I do get thru.
Will Brink
Member
What are your thyroid labs at that dose? Not just TSH, but T3/T4 and perhaps FT3/FT4? What were your other labs like, T, E2, etc? For some, finding the proper doses is pretty straight forward, for others, women in particular, it can take 6 months to a year and that's with a competent doc. I would work with Defy for at least another 6 months before essentially starting all over again with another practitioner.
Will Brink
Member
It's a partnership. Run too many labs with people and they will then complain about the costs. The number of labs one can run is close to endless and gets expensive real fast. Nothing wrong with suggesting labs they may not have run you're willing to pay for. Any doc who is not open minded about that is not a doc i would want to work with. Cortisol levels will also cause water retention and other problems, and stress is a major cause of elevated cortisol levels...
How long would you have had to wait to speak with a dr instead of some random staffer? I don't like the sound of having to choose your own lab work.
Hi Johann. Today is 11/19/2018 & I've been off testosterone treatment for 3 weeks. I lost 10 pounds in 8 days after stopping. My diet & exercise have remained the same throughout the treatment. My protocol was considered high & was prescribed by one of the women @ Defy, NOT the doctors.
During my treatment (from March 2018-November 1 2018), I continued to gain weight & did not see lean muscle mass as the nurse practitioner noted I would. I was tested for hypothyroidism & was put on Cytomel (T3). The starting dose was 5mcg with directions to titrate up to 20mcg. That seemed to improve my overall well-being but it wasn't enough so I "self medicated" by further increasing the dose to 50mcg which is where I feel the best. I did increase (slowly) up to 100mcg but that was too much so I just dropped back to 50mcg which is where I currently am.
In July 2018 I tried to get off testosterone but my joints & muscles hurt so bad, I imagined I felt like what I see heroine users in movies going through. I went back on for a few months. During those months, I increased the frequency of dosing from .04 2xs per week to .03 2xs & .02 1x for a total of 3xs per week. That seemed to decrease aromatization but getting completely off has been so good for me.
Overall, I feel I needed thyroid medication over the testosterone but maybe the t-therapy for 8 months was enough to "kick-start" my system back into gear. My energy level seems much better now than prior to my introduction to Defy & I feel much more like my old self. My libido has kicked back in, my mood is MUCH better (no more crying over puppy videos on ********!) & I just feel happier. After nearly a year & still not dialed in, I felt like my time fiddling with testosterone passed. I felt better after starting the tyroid medication & after increasing the days I took testosterone & felt less aromatization, I felt more confident about stopping the t-therapy. This time was a breeze. There were a couple days where I was a bit more sore after working out than prior to stopping but I wasn't angry or emotional this time as I was in July when I tried to stop & was taking doses just twice per week.
I can see the future of testosterone doses being prescribed much lower & the frequency of doses increasing to daily. The needles I used were very fine & I opted to inject sub-q because science notes that method lasts longer & provides a more even effect. I didn't want the spike/drops in good feelings. I was looking for an even, mellow feeling, which is what I've obtained in stopping the testosterone & staying on Cytomel (T3 called Liothyronine).
If you're a woman reading this & you don't feel good @ the dose your health care professional prescribed: GO LOWER! don't chase the numbers, chase the feeling. Some people don't need large doses. YAY you! You will save money in the long run (cheap date). Another thing I noticed when I was taking a higher dose less often was, when I used about 3/4 of the bottle, the last 1/4 or so wasn't giving me the same feeling. By that I mean I felt as though I was detoxing off the t-therapy. The last 1/4 of the bottle left me feeling terribly achy & emotional which isn't my normal feeling. Order the new bottle as soon as is legally possible & you will feel better. To avoid that feeling overall, take a smaller dose more often. Again, I think very small daily doses incorporated into a person's (male or femal) daily routine just like brushing one's teeth, will be the future. A person doesn't take their multi-vitamin every other day or 2xs per week. We typically take it daily which is where I see t-therapy headed. Speed up the lag & take it daily now. See if you don't feel any different. Maybe less mood swings?
I hope my journey can help someone & to those who were so gracious as to give me sound advice either through their own experiences or through those or your loved one, thank you. there is another, well known site that is not nearly as accommodating to women. I just wanted to feel like my old self & through self medication/experimentation, I've found my perfect dose. don't be afraid to experiement on your own because the doctors will only tell you what you already know; take less or more to change how you feel. Be your own advocate because no one cares about you more than you do.
During my treatment (from March 2018-November 1 2018), I continued to gain weight & did not see lean muscle mass as the nurse practitioner noted I would. I was tested for hypothyroidism & was put on Cytomel (T3). The starting dose was 5mcg with directions to titrate up to 20mcg. That seemed to improve my overall well-being but it wasn't enough so I "self medicated" by further increasing the dose to 50mcg which is where I feel the best. I did increase (slowly) up to 100mcg but that was too much so I just dropped back to 50mcg which is where I currently am.
In July 2018 I tried to get off testosterone but my joints & muscles hurt so bad, I imagined I felt like what I see heroine users in movies going through. I went back on for a few months. During those months, I increased the frequency of dosing from .04 2xs per week to .03 2xs & .02 1x for a total of 3xs per week. That seemed to decrease aromatization but getting completely off has been so good for me.
Overall, I feel I needed thyroid medication over the testosterone but maybe the t-therapy for 8 months was enough to "kick-start" my system back into gear. My energy level seems much better now than prior to my introduction to Defy & I feel much more like my old self. My libido has kicked back in, my mood is MUCH better (no more crying over puppy videos on ********!) & I just feel happier. After nearly a year & still not dialed in, I felt like my time fiddling with testosterone passed. I felt better after starting the tyroid medication & after increasing the days I took testosterone & felt less aromatization, I felt more confident about stopping the t-therapy. This time was a breeze. There were a couple days where I was a bit more sore after working out than prior to stopping but I wasn't angry or emotional this time as I was in July when I tried to stop & was taking doses just twice per week.
I can see the future of testosterone doses being prescribed much lower & the frequency of doses increasing to daily. The needles I used were very fine & I opted to inject sub-q because science notes that method lasts longer & provides a more even effect. I didn't want the spike/drops in good feelings. I was looking for an even, mellow feeling, which is what I've obtained in stopping the testosterone & staying on Cytomel (T3 called Liothyronine).
If you're a woman reading this & you don't feel good @ the dose your health care professional prescribed: GO LOWER! don't chase the numbers, chase the feeling. Some people don't need large doses. YAY you! You will save money in the long run (cheap date). Another thing I noticed when I was taking a higher dose less often was, when I used about 3/4 of the bottle, the last 1/4 or so wasn't giving me the same feeling. By that I mean I felt as though I was detoxing off the t-therapy. The last 1/4 of the bottle left me feeling terribly achy & emotional which isn't my normal feeling. Order the new bottle as soon as is legally possible & you will feel better. To avoid that feeling overall, take a smaller dose more often. Again, I think very small daily doses incorporated into a person's (male or femal) daily routine just like brushing one's teeth, will be the future. A person doesn't take their multi-vitamin every other day or 2xs per week. We typically take it daily which is where I see t-therapy headed. Speed up the lag & take it daily now. See if you don't feel any different. Maybe less mood swings?
I hope my journey can help someone & to those who were so gracious as to give me sound advice either through their own experiences or through those or your loved one, thank you. there is another, well known site that is not nearly as accommodating to women. I just wanted to feel like my old self & through self medication/experimentation, I've found my perfect dose. don't be afraid to experiement on your own because the doctors will only tell you what you already know; take less or more to change how you feel. Be your own advocate because no one cares about you more than you do.
It depended on how many others were ahead of me. On average it was 2 weeks, though sometimes it was 3 weeks & more recently, it was only 1 1/2 weeks & if you choose to pay more, you can ask to speak directly to the doctor. I spoke with both Caulkins & Saya. Both are helpful & neither was overly excited when my numbers weren't exactly in range. They explained we are all different & some people just rn higher/lower than others. Take me for example. My blood pressure has reliably been 90 over 60 for years. In my younger, more athletic years the numbers were roughly 86 over 40. I was extremly athletic & in aging a bit, I've slowed down some so the numbers have changed but are still considered low. I just run low in that aspect. You can speak to whomever you pay to consult with. Regarding choosing your own lab work, you don't have to. The doctors always told me what I needed but in wanting to investigate further, I asked, "what about this or that?" & those lab purposes were explained to me & from there I was able to request them as an add on or not. With Defy, you have so much control over the lack of control we have with our primary care provider.
As noted above if you wish to do some research on thyroid here are 3 great sources:
1. Stop the Thyroid Madness™ - Hypothyroidism and thyroid mistreatment
2. http://www.tiredthyroid.com/
Great simple to understand articles.
Get her book.... “Tired Thyroid: From Hyper to Hypo to Healing—Breaking the TSH Rule”
3. Search for "thyroid" - Dr. Westin Childs | Thyroid & Health Supplements That Work
The Complete Hypothyroidism User Guide for Patients (2018 Edition)
A LOT of good articles and a great youtube page.
Spend time here looking around.
1. Stop the Thyroid Madness™ - Hypothyroidism and thyroid mistreatment
2. http://www.tiredthyroid.com/
Great simple to understand articles.
Get her book.... “Tired Thyroid: From Hyper to Hypo to Healing—Breaking the TSH Rule”
3. Search for "thyroid" - Dr. Westin Childs | Thyroid & Health Supplements That Work
The Complete Hypothyroidism User Guide for Patients (2018 Edition)
A LOT of good articles and a great youtube page.
Spend time here looking around.
While I appreciate you thoughts, I've already read both books noted, nearly 2 years ago prior to starting all treatments because I live an extremely halthy lifestyle & putting anything foriegn into it, is not common practice for me. To start testosteron treatment took quite a bit. To start thyroid took even more. The testosterone wasn't helpful but the thyroid medication is. I would like to see a little less pushing of taking iodine as that just doesn't work. Why are we so worried about what others are doing while our current protocol isn't dialed in? I feel better now than I have literally, in the last 5 years. After reading my dissertation, I find it interesting that you would sugesst I read books that discourage taking medication. There is so much misleading & contradicting information available & it can be overwhelming as well as confusing to anyone, doctors included when one is trying to find a solution, especially after the subject has tried many singel treatments as well as combination treatments, all to no avail. Sometimes the simplist solutions that are right in front of us are the right thing.Thanks again for your input. I've got this handled now.
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