Here's a long introduction

[Flrock]

Hello gents,
I ended up here after scouring the internet for issues I was facing. Ultimately I I was convinced I had adrenal fatigue and started making radical diet changes as well as attempting to reduce stress. I also headed to my pcp and after multiple times of turning down antidepressants finally got her to pull blood work for me.

After not getting anywhere with my VA doc I came out of pocket for a D.O. who quickly scanned my bloodwork and concluded that I have low T, or as he says "your T is in the toilet!".

He put me on a multivitamin 2x a day as well as fish oil 2x a day, and of course Testosterone cypionate.

My starting labs are as follows.
Albumin 4.9 g/dl
Prolactin 6.1 ng/ml
Estradiol 16 pg/ml (range < or = 29)
Free T 26.7 pg/ml (range 35.0-155.0)
TT 277 ng/dl (range 250-1100)
SHBG 43 nmol/L (range 10-50)

I also had my thyroid checked and that all seems to be in good range. I do have high calcium which I'll check again at my 6 week mark and handle accordingly (possible parathyroidism causing a small growth). If there's any lab results you're curious about I probably had them pulled, so ask.

My dock has me injecting T-cyp at a total of 210mg (1ml) weekly. After reading nonstop on this forum and listening to trt nation podcast. I decided to do my injections every 3.5 days and use a 27g .5" needle. Yesterday I ordered low deaspace needles that are 29g and .5" in length, as the ones I'm using are giving me about .07ml loss each injection.

I'm not taking HCG, I'm not taking an Ai and I'm not worried at the moment based on how I feel and the things I've read. I don't plan to have anymore children and testicle size is least of my concerns until the libido gets back on board. I'm currently in week four of my TRT, so obviously very fresh, but I've already started to notice little glimpses of my life returning.

I'm 33 and belive my issues all stem from a TBI I suffered many years ago in the war. My TT was below 430 at age 29, seven years after I was injured and honestly the noticeable beginning to my decline.

I joined another forum a few weeks back but that was before I found you knowledgeable hive mind. Thanks for putting yourselves out there and allowing someone like myself the ability to learn and understand from more than just anecdotal evidence.

I hope in the coming months I will have the ability to share postive results of my own. I can say that so far I've already felt some strength return on the soccer field and I'm happy and hopeful. If there's anything else you want to know, please feel free to ask.

 

[Vince]

TRT can be a long road and take time to get dialed in. I don't completely understand your protocol. I believe you're injecting 105mg every 3 1/2 days? I like the easy touch 29g 1/2" syringes.

Here's a good thread on labs.
Suggested Lab Tests and Questions Before and After Initiation of Testosterone Replacement
https://www.excelmale.com/showthread...ne-Replacement

 

[Flrock]

Hi Vince, I can see the confusion I made. Yes, my protocol is to inject 105mg of T-CYP every 3.5 days. I actually used this site and Nelsons stickies to make sure I was doing the right bloodwork. I also plan to pull all the recommended labs at my 6 week mark.

I understand that TRT will be a long and possibly stressful road, and I think I'm managing my expections fairly decently (with the advice from this forum).

I was nervous as hell starting this treatment and even more nervous about using a 23g 1.5" needle into my leg. So I purchased these 27g .5" and have been injecting in my upper outer thigh. I was getting some discomfort and decided to try sub-q injections. I used Dr. Crisler's method from a YouTube video and absolutely hated it. It burned like a mofo and the surface was sore to the touch for two days followed by another day of tenderness.

I came back to this forum again and found the ventroglute (not sure of the name, near the hip) And decided to give it a try. That location was great! No pain, no aches, and it went in quicker.

I almost purchased the syringes you linked, but I held back as I wasn't sure if they were low deadspace or not? So I ended up buying these and paying a hefty price for international shipping.

Unisharp fixed 1ml 29g .5" I purchased them from a webaite called exchange supplies.

 

[Keepgoing]

My experience
When using compounded testosterone two shots a week was better than once a week. When I stoped using compound pharmacy products and turned to Depo Test (Brand name) one shot a week was all I needed. The brand name cyponate acts like propionate from a compounding pharmacy. But with the added benefit of the longer ester. I was also able to lower my dosage with the brand name. I'm going to look further into the reasoning behind this 2-3 injections a week. My blood work does not reflect a need to change, but knowledge is power. So dont get hung up on this multiple low dose shot schedule. Let your blood work and mood be your guide.

 

[Vince]

The Easy Touch Store offers free shipping for all orders. I order all my insulin pins from them, and their prices are very cheap ($12.50 per 100 count box of pins). It really doesn't get much easier than that. You don't have to be rich to afford their supplies.

For any other med supplies (luer lock syringes and needles, etc), I really like East Coast Medical Supply. They have specials all the time, and offer as much as 20% discounts, and free shipping, if you order above a certain amount ($200, I think).

I personally like to buy in bulk. I never pay shipping, and I get better prices. Way better than you'd get from any drug store.

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?6873-Defy-meds[SUB][SUP]
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