Looking for some advice...

[CanceSux76]

Hello,

Looking for any feedback or advice if anybody has any for my specific situation. I am a 5-year testicular cancer survivor. I have one testicle left which has a pretty good size varicocele. My first testosterone measurement back in 2016 was around 238. My highest measurement during that time was in the low 400s. I have low testosterone and that probably explains excess weight and carrying but I also have other health issues post chemotherapy like occipital neuralgia, light-headed and dizziness at times as well as anxiety and panic attacks now that are taking place. I guess I'm hesitant to start TRT after all that I've been through the last couple years. My brother uses defy but when I talk to them I felt more like a sales pitch than a doctor truly interested in helping me. But that may just be my interpretation. Does it seem like I may be a good candidate for TRT? My erections are nowhere near what they used to be and I find myself very tired in the morning. I also struggle to lose weight however it's difficult to exercise with the neuralgia issues and the pulsing in my head that I get at times. Anybody ever experience these symptoms that TRT helped? My father and all his brothers have had prostate cancer as well so they were a little concerned about that family history with me starting as well. I've attached some recent non-fasting blood work. I'm also a member of the ******** group but for some reason I'm blocked from posting on there and I'm not sure why so I wanted to try here. Any doctor or men's clinic recommendations? My urologist at Duke that I saw prior didn't seem overly concerned with my numbers they were worried more about any symptoms that it may arise but I haven't spoken to them in a while as I felt like they were just brushing me off.

 

[Systemlord]

Does it seem like I may be a good candidate for TRT?

You’re operating on only one testicle, or half the testosterone your body was designed to operate on. Your testing is incomplete, no Free T values.

Elevations in SHBG can cause the Total T to rise while the Free T stays low. The Total T is meaningless by itself, the Free T is what truly matters and where the rubber meets the road!

 

[Systemlord]

My father and all his brothers have had prostate cancer as well so they were a little concerned about that family history with me starting as well.

Medical science has been flipped on its head and what we thought was wrong. TRT or high testosterone doesn’t cause prostate cancer, if anything the opposite is true. Newer data shows older men with low Free T in the bottom 25 percentile are at a 53% higher risk of developing prostate cancer and much more aggressive cases.

In some cases, the data showed the high testosterone (Free T) even delayed the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Impact of Low Free Testosterone on Prostate Cancer

Testosterone and Prostate Health with Dr. Abe Morgentaler

Prostate Related Issues

Latest information about testosterone and the prostate gland

www.excelmale.com

 

[CanceSux76]

Thanks for the feedback. I thought my free testosterone was listed at 7.7. but I will talk to my neurologist who ordered the test to see if there's anything else I can add to it. I often wondered if low t could cause prostate cancer as I think the male side of my family, my dad and his brothers are all overweight and I think low t may be a culprit in several of them. I will reach back out to defy and continue to search this forum for other clinics that people may use. It makes sense about running on one testing call that also has a varicocele. Thanks again.

 

[Systemlord]

I often wondered if low t could cause prostate cancer as I think the male side of my family, my dad and his brothers are all overweight and I think low t may be a culprit in several of them.

Low-T is strongly associated with obesity and both of these are linked to inflammation which is a hallmark of cancer and I believe a breading ground for cancer. I think we’ll find this to be true for women and breast cancer. Low hormones increases the diseases of aging.

 

[Cataceous]

It would be useful to have measurements of SHBG and LH. The latter would give an indication as to whether you do have testicular insufficiency. The former can be used to calculate a better estimate of free testosterone than that inaccurate direct test you had. In any case, you appear to be hypogonadal and probably would benefit from some form of testosterone therapy.

What's frequently underappreciated about TRT are the widespread effects on many other hormones, which sometimes create additional problems. One way to mitigate this issue is to use a short-acting form of testosterone, such as testosterone nasal gel or troches. These forms of TRT aren't the most convenient, but they're a good place to start; they can help you determine if higher testosterone is beneficial with less of a long-term commitment.

If you are diagnosed with testicular insufficiency—primary hypogonadism—then be aware that it may be possible to dose your TRT in a way that minimizes the impact on other hormones. The technique involves starting with a low dose and increasing slowly while monitoring LH. In primary hypogonadism your LH is expected to initially be either high in-range or above. As the dose of testosterone is increased, LH should decrease. The idea is to find the dose that puts LH around the middle of the normal range. In this way you avoid the possible problems that occur when the HPTA is entirely suppressed.

 

[CanceSux76]

It would be useful to have measurements of SHBG and LH. The latter would give an indication as to whether you do have testicular insufficiency. The former can be used to calculate a better estimate of free testosterone than that inaccurate direct test you had. In any case, you appear to be hypogonadal and probably would benefit from some form of testosterone therapy.

What's frequently underappreciated about TRT are the widespread effects on many other hormones, which sometimes create additional problems. One way to mitigate this issue is to use a short-acting form of testosterone, such as testosterone nasal gel or troches. These forms of TRT aren't the most convenient, but they're a good place to start; they can help you determine if higher testosterone is beneficial with less of a long-term commitment.

If you are diagnosed with testicular insufficiency—primary hypogonadism—then be aware that it may be possible to dose your TRT in a way that minimizes the impact on other hormones. The technique involves starting with a low dose and increasing slowly while monitoring LH. In primary hypogonadism your LH is expected to initially be either high in-range or above. As the dose of testosterone is increased, LH should decrease. The idea is to find the dose that puts LH around the middle of the normal range. In this way you avoid the possible problems that occur when the HPTA is entirely suppressed.

Thanks so much for this information. This gives me a starting point in my discussions with my doctor. I didn't realize there was a nasal option as well so that's good to know. I definitely have information post chemotherapy that doesn't help my issues so knowing that raising my tea can help in so many other areas is great.

 

[CanceSux76]

Low-T is strongly associated with obesity and both of these are linked to inflammation which is a hallmark of cancer and I believe a breading ground for cancer. I think we’ll find this to be true for women and breast cancer. Low hormones increases the diseases of aging.

Yeah my inflammation markers have been high in the past post chemo and I know that I have inflammation just because of some of the health issues I'm dealing with. So it's great to hear that raising my T should be able to help with this.