Do I need T treatment?

[JerryMc]

Many of your stories sound very familiar. I am a 52 yo man diagnosed HIV pos. 1987. (HTLV III)
After many years of occasional health issues, I am still alive and pretty fit.
My doctors at Kaiser refuse to treat me for low T in spite of all these symptoms.
Symptoms:
1. Erectile Dysfunction (barely get an erection, and maintain it)
2. Shrinking Testicles
3. LOW Semen Production
4. Osteopenia Diagnosed 2010
5. Osteoporosis Diagnosed 2016
6. PAINFUL Arthritis (7+ yrs. Hands, Hips, Spine) Difficult/painful to twist open jars, bottles, etc…
7. Thin Skin Breaks/Bleeds Easily,even with elec. shaver (Long time to heal a scratch or bug bite)
8. Depression (10+ years)
9. Abdominal obesity even on low fat and low sugar diets
10. Lipodystrophy/Lipoatrophy (Have had over 10 facial filler treatments)
11. No Fat on Extremities (hands, arms, legs, feet, etc..) Cause of thin skin?
12. Fatigue all the time, ESPECIALLY right after a meal
13. Difficulty Concentrating!
14. High Cholesterol many years even on low fat diets; currently on Lipitor
15. High Blood Pressure on and off many years
16. 4 mos R-CHOP chemotherapy for NHL in 2013/2014 (Remission Apr. 2014)
17. Neuropathy hands and feet
These were the last labs they did on me:
Kaiser lab (Nov. 18, 2016, 3pm) Results are:
Total Testosterone = 232 ng/dl
SHBG = 31 nmol/L
(Nov. 21, 2016 9am) Quest Diag.
LUTEINIZING HORMONE (LH) = 3.0 mIU/mL
FOLLICLE STIMULATING HORMONE (FSH) = 3.4 mIU/mL
CORTISOL = 8.4 mcg/dL
FREE T Level = 72.3 pg/mL
Total T = 507 ng/dL
T Bioavailable = 148.6 ng/dL
SHBG = 31 nmol/L
Albumin = 4.5 g/dL
(Dec. 8, 2016, 09:30am)
CORTISOL BASELINE 11.1 mcg/dL
CORTISOL 30M POST CHALLENGE 22.2 mcg/dL
CORTISOL 1H POST CHALLENGE 24.5 mcg/dL
If ANYONE out there can guide me as to what I should do, please do!!!
Thank you!

 

[Systemlord]

The endocrinology department within Kaiser is badwards when it comes to TRT, trust me I know. It's concerning to see you dipping into the 200 ranges, you shouldn't be seeing those numbers until you're at least 90 years old. You should never be seeing a total testosterone in the 200 ranges in your middle ages and that right there is a reason to suspect the pituitary is failing.

It's totally expected for men 50+ year old to have these sorts of hormonal problems. HIV positive patients will experience hormone deficiencies because HIV is hard on the body, Nelson Vergel is the sight owner and also has HIV and TRT has improve his condition.

Your biggest challenge will be finding a knowledgeable doctor within insurance networks, hormone therapies are paid little attention to in medical school. I'm with Kaiser and the endocrinologists know virtually nothing about properly diagnosing or treating a testosterone deficiency. You don't even have enough testing.

Most of us here on Excelmale were forced to go private because like you, we ran into the same problems, incompetent doctors who ignore our symptoms who chase labs values to determine whether or not we get TRT. There's no critical reasoning or thinking, you're a number and in range means you're fine, only it's not that simple.

There are a lot of us who are with Defy Medical, a telemedicine service that staffs competent doctors who have been doing TRT for decades, consults are over the phone, labs are done as usual and all my medicines are mailed to me.

I don't see any thyroid labs, typically thyroid panels consist of Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3 and antibodies.

Osteoporosis is usually diagnosed in those with hormonal deficiencies, low estrogen to be precise from having low testosterone.

 

[Jesse-Defy]

You're welcome to email me directly at [email protected] if you'd like more information on our program.

 

[Jiu Jitsu Dude]

JerryMc: I'm only 8 weeks into this process but I can already see some very promising results at times even though I'm still struggling to establish a good protocol. You are in the right place. Nelson that owns the site and many others could probably offer more intelligent advice but Glad you're here! Praying all goes well for you too.