Chemman's log

So it' been a while since I have updated this log.

I would say that I am about 60% back to normal these days.

I have been doing testosterone replacement using T cypionate 30mg on an EOD schedule for about 7.5 months now.

My last labs showed me at about 690TT, midrange free and BioT, and E2 at 23. I bumped up to 34 mg EOD two weeks ago, which works out to about 120mg/week.

Either this bump in the dosage or some other change has caused my libido to finally start coming back after an absence of nearly 2 years! Usually the age of 21-23 would be marked by a strong libido, but not for me. I can only hope it comes back all the way. I still can take me a long time to reach orgasm.

I still have some remaining issues to tackle:

Arthritis/constant injuries/tendonitis.
Mild anxiety and depression
Exacerbated morning fatigue
Fleeting hypoglycemia [Has been occurring much less frequently...to the point that I have forgotten about it at times]
Wiped out from exercise for nearly a week afterwards.


I see an endo tomorrow and hopefully we will be doing another endocrine workup to help rule out/in any other hormone abnormalities.

Check adrenals in side and out
acth serum
5hiaa 24 hour
adrenal antibodies
CBG - transcortin
lab corp has cortisol saliva 4 point now. How accurate it is I have no clue.
dhea 24 hour
estrodial
TBG
urine gh 24 hourf
igf-1
igf- bp3
dhea-s
24 hour cortisol urine
ft3
ft4
total t4
rt3
 
Welp, the appointment was actually pretty fruitful.

Instead of trying to shoot me down like those nasty bitches I saw a few months ago, this guy actually listened to what I was saying, examined my thyroid, etc.

So I have a script for a basic endocrine workup. I could be looking at an MRI if anything looks off and maybe an insulin tolerance test, which according to him is the best way of assessing the body's ability to pump out cortisol. But he said that it can be a scary test to take if the cortisol does not elevate.

My BP was up on the top number to about 150, so he also is looking at aldosterone and renin.

All in all a pleasant visit. :)
 
Welp, the appointment was actually pretty fruitful.

Instead of trying to shoot me down like those nasty bitches I saw a few months ago, this guy actually listened to what I was saying, examined my thyroid, etc.

So I have a script for a basic endocrine workup. I could be looking at an MRI if anything looks off and maybe an insulin tolerance test, which according to him is the best way of assessing the body's ability to pump out cortisol. But he said that it can be a scary test to take if the cortisol does not elevate.

My BP was up on the top number to about 150, so he also is looking at aldosterone and renin.

All in all a pleasant visit. :)

Great to hear! Sounds like a good guy. Younger or older endo?
 
So if you read my other post, you would know that I am having success alleviating my depression and anxiety with....coca-cola. LOL

I am serious though. This morning I was feeling shitty as usual, but around noon I was like fuck it and downed a coke. Been perfectly fine since then [yup 11 hours ago]. It seems that just giving my CNS that slight nudge does me good in terms of anxiety and depression.

So if it comes to a point that I need some pharmacological treatment of my anxiety and depression, a light touch of stimulant might be my best bet. I would try a lower dose of wellbutrin before ever ingesting an ssri ever again.


But as far as the physical issues go, I am in a bad spot. These joints are getting raped, and the pain seems to be getting more systemic now. FUCK. I can feel it in the hands and fingers a bit now, and as an avid musician who relies on his hands to do his thing, I will be one sad sack of shit if this gets in my way.

So I guess I am just thinking out loud here, but hey, gotta do whatcha gotta do.

Either the joints are damaged, not getting enough anti-inflammatory action [due to endocrine imbalances, etc.], or are experiencing autoimmune attack.

I would treat the first situation with a trial of increased growth hormone from GHRP-6, etc and various supplements. Ingest anti-inflammatories and especially pain killers as little as possible.

For the second situation, it's looking like cortef if I have low adrenal output.

For the third situation, it would be glucocorticoids and/or something like sulfasalazine. If it gets really bad then I would be looking at humira or enbrel. I am not very religous, but I pray that I will not need this kind of treatment.

I am also getting paranoid about my route of delivery for TRT. But my labs look ok so...
 
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So if you read my other post, you would know that I am having success alleviating my depression and anxiety with....coca-cola. LOL

I am serious though. This morning I was feeling shitty as usual, but around noon I was like fuck it and downed a coke. Been perfectly fine since then [yup 11 hours ago]. It seems that just giving my CNS that slight nudge does me good in terms of anxiety and depression.

So if it comes to a point that I need some pharmacological treatment of my anxiety and depression, a light touch of stimulant might be my best bet. I would try a lower dose of wellbutrin before ever ingesting an ssri ever again.


But as far as the physical issues go, I am in a bad spot. These joints are getting raped, and the pain seems to be getting more systemic now. FUCK. I can feel it in the hands and fingers a bit now, and as an avid musician who relies on his hands to do his thing, I will be one sad sack of shit if this gets in my way.

So I guess I am just thinking out loud here, but hey, gotta do whatcha gotta do.

Either the joints are damaged, not getting enough anti-inflammatory action [due to endocrine imbalances, etc.], or are experiencing autoimmune attack.

I would treat the first situation with a trial of increased growth hormone from GHRP-6, etc and various supplements. Ingest anti-inflammatories and especially pain killers as little as possible.

For the second situation, it's looking like cortef if I have low adrenal output.

For the third situation, it would be glucocorticoids and/or something like sulfasalazine. If it gets really bad then I would be looking at humira or enbrel. I am not very religous, but I pray that I will not need this kind of treatment.

I am also getting paranoid about my route of delivery for TRT. But my labs look ok so...

Any way you can call your doctors office tomorrow and see if you can get an labs drawn to check out your ANA levels? If it were auto-immune related you would think it would be positive during a flare up. May even be worth having him check every six months or something (as long as you are symptomatic).

As far as #2 goes, your ACTH suppression test should finish telling the story. If you are still suspicious after that - all you can do is try a short HC trial and see if it brings relief.

If it's number one me and you will team and up develop the best joint / tendon supplement on the market and make millions. :cool:
 
Any way you can call your doctors office tomorrow and see if you can get an labs drawn to check out your ANA levels? If it were auto-immune related you would think it would be positive during a flare up. May even be worth having him check every six months or something (as long as you are symptomatic).

As far as #2 goes, your ACTH suppression test should finish telling the story. If you are still suspicious after that - all you can do is try a short HC trial and see if it brings relief.

If it's number one me and you will team and up develop the best joint / tendon supplement on the market and make millions. :cool:

I only have a script for AM cortisol, which we have established is not the definitive measure of adrenal capacity. I need the stim test and/or the insulin tolerance test to really see how my HPA functions under stress. The ITT would also show how well I can pump out GH as well. Hypoglycemia is a true stress test of pituitary function. That's why if you have hypo episodes, then you can bet your ass that you've got some issues up there unless you are in a state of ridiculous insulin sensitivity or your liver is schwacked.

Interesting factoid: Cortisol is involved in the expression of at least 20% of one's entire genome. Cortisol is sooooo crucial.

I am working on getting in with a rheumy in my area. It could be a while till I get scheduled, so I will order the ANA privately to have done on Tuesday when I go in for my basic endo workup. Good call cubbie on that one. Actually I could even hit the whole arthritis panel and see if anything has changed.
 
Why not try and see one of the better docs instead of spinning your wheels?

Money, mainly. Who are you referring to?

Mariano? Crisler?

I have done a consult with Dr. Crisler and I was suggested to take TD pregnenolone. I tried it for a week or so and did not feel much of anything. But this was only one consult. Maybe he would have dug deeper if I kept asking his advice.
 
Yeah gordon, mariano, crisler et al.


You'd be better off getting a face to face legit consultation which would probably end up saving you tons of time and headaches since this whole hormone game isnt as easy as people say.
 
Yeah gordon, mariano, crisler et al.


You'd be better off getting a face to face legit consultation which would probably end up saving you tons of time and headaches since this whole hormone game isnt as easy as people say.

Who is this Gordon people have been talking about recently?
 
If its Dr barry gordon, this guy does not beleive e2 is an issue.
Dr Mark Gordon..He looks very good except when you when a center offers, botox, and other non medicinal procedures I would be hesitant.
 
Money, mainly. Who are you referring to?

Mariano? Crisler?

I have done a consult with Dr. Crisler and I was suggested to take TD pregnenolone. I tried it for a week or so and did not feel much of anything. But this was only one consult. Maybe he would have dug deeper if I kept asking his advice.

Some drs are specialization and do not look into root cause.
I would suggest looking at a CD57 as this will tell what type of your immune system is in.
 
The Millennium Health Centers, Inc.

Dr. Mark Gordon - he is the one referred to I believe.

The other Dr. Gordon is this guy:
Testosterone Deficiency The Hidden Disease by E. Barry Gordon, M.D.

Obviously both think they are doing good. It looks like the one below just loads his patients up with loads of test and sees what happens.

Here's the thing:
Chem's problem is likely deeper than hormones. It has an issue that could be autoimmune, endocrine, or "other". If he goes to Crisler, he is going to get the "Crisler package" which is going to be Test, HCG, transdermal PREG/DHEA and maybe an offer of GHRP6. While Dr Crisler has shown himself to be very good at managing those hormones and making his patients feel good, if there is something else going on, I don't think Dr. Crisler is the guy for you.

Mariano is another option, but he is all the way out in California, so I doubt Chem is going to do that. While I've read his posts and he seems like a smart guy, I've never really talked to anyone who was thrilled with his treatment from start to finish. I've met a lot who have just started with him, or started and never got anywhere with him, but I think I've come across one person who was really happy with him. I'd love for patients of his to come here and tell me their experience with him.
 
Crisler also treats thyroid as well as nutritional deficiencies ETC.

I think the point is Chem should seriously consider seeing a renowned "good" doctor because trial and error on your own with your limited knowledge (both clinical and theoretical) youre just going to keep wasting more and more time. You're not going to find a doctor thats good at EVERYTHING, ever. So you need to at least have some sort of idea of what your issues are and then proceed from there, thats your job.
 
I'v already talked about my experiences with Dr. Mariano. Yes I'v only been with him for 5 months and yes I'm not 100%, but if I did not move forward any more which I doubt i would not be angry.

To see how far Mariano has brought me from what i once was is amazing considering I'v seen 6 other docs who just seemed to make matters worse. I'm young like Chemman and after reading a lot of his posts I'v been through most of it. I should not even complain. Me not being 100% is just feeling a little off somedays.

Befor all my shit life was good i was in great shape and things were looking up. Everything changed in one night. After making some bad decisions and taking some stupid OTC workout supplement i had svtanywhere from 250-320 bpm for two days. long story short i had wolff parkinson white syndrome and had a emergency cardiac ablation.

A couple of weeks went by everything was fine and then i had a major shutdown. My heart seemed to skip thousands of times a day. the Cardiologist said it was all normal. It was not for me. I lost 25lbs in one month. i becoame so fatigued everyday that it hurt to walk. i would sleep 20 hours a feel like I never slept. My joints hurt. Everytime i moved my joint and sturnum would crack. My body pretty much wasted away.

Doctor after doctor all blew me off saying it's all in your head. My anxiety became so bad i could not do normal things. i did not even want to leave my house. i was in a constant brain fog and my life was falling apart. During this time i left school to move home. Finally one of my doctors found somewhat of a low testosterone and put me on trt. it helped, but like many it was definately not my only problem.

Parents made me go back to school this last fall and things just fell apart. i became deeply depressed becouse i could not do half the things i used to. I love working out and it hurt me to even try. I finally knew I could not live like this anymore and was sick of living like this for a year. i felt like i was just spinning my wheels with the othwer docs.

Dr. mariano was the best choice i have ever made when it comes to a doctor. Within four months my fatique, brainfog and joint pain is completely gone. I rarely ever have anxiety or feel depressed. I now can work out a feel good once again. i feel like i keep on getting better each week. I should not weven complain about not being 100%. i am so much more farthur forward than I was in the nightmare. Mariano will run many tests and it will cost you, but i rather have quality of life than to live like i did this past year.

Sorry for the long post but i just wanted to let you know.
 
If its Dr barry gordon, this guy does not beleive e2 is an issue.
Dr Mark Gordon..He looks very good except when you when a center offers, botox, and other non medicinal procedures I would be hesitant.

HAN, i think you are a decent enough guy with decent enough intentions.... but could you seriously take the time to proof read your sentences before you post? Also learning how to spell properly would increase your credibility.
 
Chem,

If you are gonna shell out money to see a specialist, I have heard that Mariano is the best. Hands down.

To use an analogy: Crisler is like community college. Mariano is like Harvard.
 
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