My Concerns With TRT, Erectile Dysfunction, And Overall Well Being

[Cataceous]

... why the liquid-c test may not be that great either...

If the mass spectrometry test gives you individual E1 and E2 values then it has the potential to be more accurate, if done right. But MS is tricky and when they mess it up the results can be way off—mine have been ridiculously wrong 30% of the time. On the other hand, the immunoassay-based estradiol tests are idiot proof and very reproducible, but they do cross-react with some other substances and can tend to read somewhat high—my results are about 5% higher than MS, and larger disparities are not uncommon.

There's no clear answer as to which is better. Best is to use both methods, if affordable, at least in the beginning. Having cross-calibrated the methods I am now comfortable using only the immunoassay tests, and Defy accepts them.

 

[Stpfan]

Just curious if anyone has experienced this? Or know of anyone who has? I don't know what exactly is causing this... or is it a concern to worry?

The past 6 out of 7 nights while sleeping on the right side of my body... (basically pressure against the right side/shoulder) my left hand goes numb until I move. So, then I'll sleep on my left side of my body (pressure on the left side/shoulder) and then my right hand will go numb. Once I even experienced both hands numb. I have always slept on my side. I tend to never sleep on my back or stomach.

I don't understand why my body seems to be falling apart? Non-smoker my whole life... 5-6 alcoholic drinks per year on avg. Never put on any type of medication my entire life... except for testosterone replacement therapy.

I even took a stress test (2019) and my doctor told me there's no need to worry. You passed easily. No signs of any heart related issue. I even have that crease in my ear "Frank's Sign" on both ear lobes. Then... having Erectile Dysfunction.... you put everything together... and that's why I'm concerned.

Everything in my head/mind seems to be analyzing things in MONO... not STEREO the last 2 full years or so. I think everything could be a little more crisp... I thought this was a Testosterone issue? Yes, numbers show I was Testosterone deficient... but that's been corrected. Something in my head isn't clicking.... I just know it. I've never been depressed about anything... I'm always a motivated person.... could a doctor prescribe something to MAKE ME ALIVE? lol Just to jump start whatever is dead in my brain?

You know when you need that 5th GEAR? Like... you can call it an Adrenaline Rush... something odd happened about 2-3 years ago. My body tried to produce this Rush... and I felt this CRAZY burning sensation throughout my entire body. Like, you know when you accomplished something amazing... or maybe won a jackpot... and you felt like you're on top of the world? That rush sensation.... which has always been there throughout my entire life... tried to ignite itself... and it simply WASN'T THERE. Then I felt this burning sensation for about 8-10 seconds throughout my body. Ever since this happened to me... I don't have a 5th Gear anymore. That's the best way to describe this. It's like my body has compensated for something that just isn't available anymore. And... the highest gear I can run in... is 4th Gear. So, I don't know what you want to call it? An androgen receptor issue somewhere? Something faulty in my mind? Or just approaching that 2nd half of life and I simply have to adjust? I'm only 42... and I've described these issues with all of my doctors... and they just tell me you're older now. The body changes.

It's just all strange to me... this wasn't a gradual decline in my opinion... it was taken away from me within days.

 

[slicktop]

It's just all strange to me... this wasn't a gradual decline in my opinion... it was taken away from me within days.

I apologize, but I struggle with following all the details in long posts, so if you mentioned it already, my bad. But in regards to the above- you say it was all taken away from you within days- what was happening immediately prior to that? What was your regimen before it, and what changed?

Also... I know it sounds like I'm getting paid to plug them (I'm not) but honestly, I think with your history of self experimentation you need to bite the bullet and schedule a consult with Defy and get Dr. Saya for your first consult. Be brutally honest with him and let him guide you. You've got more issues to sort out with your history and you need someone that specializes in that.

 

[Stpfan]

Here are my new labs gang. Still experiencing the same old ED problems. If I'm able to get it erect... I lose the erection within a minute. I honestly don't even have that deep down desire to have sex. I would still consider my libido to be classified as DEAD. For example you see a hot chick with a great rack on TV… the old me would be like damn I’d love to hammer her right now! The new me says… those tits are nice and continue reading the book I was reading. lol This is humorous for me to even type. lol I even laugh because this isn't how I used to be. I'm happy with my Testosterone levels in regards to Estradiol. Keep in mind I'm only injecting around 120-125mg of Test Cyp a week. Basically 60-65mg every 3.5 days. (I lowered it because my blood is starting to get a tad thick.) I can’t donate until March 4. NO AI. NO HCG. And that's a decent Estradiol score. I can't complain there. I didn’t really have a lot of energy for the gym. I skipped a lot of days.

I was also surprised that for the first time my SHBG score wasn’t between 28-30. For the first time it hit 23. Any idea what would cause this?

My thyroid seems to be getting worse? Could this be the reason why I’m having ED issues? Also, my Vitamin D score dropped out of range. My doctor put me on thyroid medication about 3 days ago. Levothyroxine 25mcg. About 4 hours after taking it my ears and face were rather warm. My vision was very intense. Kept seeing very bold colors. I honestly didn’t like the feeling. I stopped taking it for now. My question is… anyone who is put on TRT… does their thyroid always malfunction? Or was my thyroid already screwing up with LOW T? Basically if anyone is on TRT… it’s almost more than likely they’ll be put on thyroid medication?

I'm pretty happy with my Cholesterol score. It's much lower from April 2019. The only secrets I can give you... I ate a minimum of 2 servings (30g) of plain oatmeal a day. Some days I ate 4. So, I really do believe it has health benefits. Also, get your ass in the gym. lol That also works.

Well gang... if you want to glance at my numbers... and give me your opinion on what's causing my ED... be my guest. Again... thanks for all of your comments. It's much appreciated! Also, a shout out to Nelson Vergel... this is one amazing website! Thank you for all of your dedication and research in helping others!

 

[Stpfan]

Total Testosterone - 917 ng/dL (Standard Range 250 - 1100 ng/dL)
Free Testosterone – 189.8 pg/mL (Standard Range 46 - 224 pg/mL)
Bioavailable Testosterone – 390.2 ng/dL (Standard Range 110 - 575 ng/dL)
SHBG - 23 nmol/L (Standard Range 10 - 50 nmol/L)
Serum Albumin – 4.5 g/dL (Standard Range 3.6 - 5.1 g/dL)

Estradiol - 38 pg/mL (Standard Range 11 - 44 pg/mL)
Test Methodology: Chemiluminescence Immunoassay

TSH - 4.67 ulU/mL (Standard Range 0.40 - 4.50 ulU/mL)
Free T3 - 3.5 pg/mL (Standard Range 1.7 - 3.7 pg/mL)
Free T4 Thyroxine - 1.00 ng/dL (Standard Range 0.8 - 1.8 ng/dL)

White Blood Cells - 7.4 Thous/uL (Standard Range 4.0 - 11.3 Thous/uL)
Red Blood Cells - 6.10 Million/uL (Standard Range 4.30 - 5.90 Million/uL)
Hemoglobin - 18.1 g/dL (Standard Range 13.6 - 17.6 g/dL)
Hematocrit - 54.4% (Standard Range 40.0 - 50.0%)
Mean Corpuscular Vol - 89.2 fL (Standard Range 82.0 - 97.0 fL)
Mean Corpuscular Hgb - 29.6 pg (Standard Range 27.3 - 33.4 pg)
Mean Corp Hgb Conc - 33.2 g/dL (Standard Range 32.0 - 36.0 g/dL)
Red Blood Cell Distribution Width - 13.8% (Standard Range 11.6 - 14.8%)
Platelet Count - 208 Thous/uL (Standard Range 150 - 450 Thous/uL)
Mean Platelet Volume - 9.8 fL (Standard Range 7.4 - 10.4 fL)

Cholesterol - 154 mg/dL (Standard Range 100 - 199 mg/dL)
Triglycerides - 100 mg/dL (Standard Range <150 mg/dL)
HDL Cholesterol - 43 mg/dL (Standard Range 40 - 90 mg/dL)
VLDL Cholesterol - 20 mg/dL (Standard Range 2 - 30 mg/dL)
LDL Cholesterol - 91 mg/dL (Optimal <100 mg/dL)
Non-HDL Cholesterol - 111 mg/dL (Optimal <130 mg/dL)
Chol/HDL Ratio - 4.0 (Standard Range <6.0)

Sodium - 142 mmol/L (Standard Range 135 - 145 mmol/L)
Potassium - 4.1 mmol/L (Standard Range 3.5 - 5.2 mmol/L)
Chloride - 107 mmol/L (Standard Range 98 - 111 mmol/L)
Total CO2 - 26 mmol/L (Standard Range 20 - 29 mmol/L)
Anion Gap - 9 mmol/L (Standard Range 5 - 20 mmol/L)
Glucose - 96 mg/dL (Standard Range 60 - 139 mg/dL)
Blood Urea Nitrogen - 26 mg/dL (Standard Range 7 - 25 mg/dL)
Creatine - 1.11 mg/dL (Standard Range 0.60 - 1.30 mg/dL)
Glomerular Filtration Rate - 81 mL/min/1.73 m2 (Standard Range >60 mL/min/1.73 m2)
Calcium - 9.4 mg/dL (Standard Range 8.5 - 10.5 mg/dL)
Total Protein - 6.9 g/dL (Standard Range 6.4 - 8.3 g/dL)
Albumin - 4.7 gm/dL (Standard Range 3.5 - 5.1 gm/dL)
Total Bilirubin - 1.0 mg/dL (Standard Range 0.3 - 1.2 mg dL)
AST (SGOT) - 24 U/L (Standard Range <35 U/L)
ALT (SGPT) - 27 U/L (Standard Range 9 - 47 U/L)
Alkaline Phosphate - 79 U/L (Standard Range 33 - 120 U/L)

Vitamin D 25 Hydroxy - 26 ng/mL (Standard Range 30 - 100 ng/mL)

 

[Brandon82]

Did you ever find out anything

 

[Brandon82]

Im having the same issue