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New to TRT, lingering concerns
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<blockquote data-quote="Tad1979" data-source="post: 116168" data-attributes="member: 18964"><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Hi there,[/FONT][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot] I'm 38, chronic back pain and repeated serious respiratory issues for which I have been on prolonged prednisone treatments. I have two adopted kids and a spouse who has been on disability for years. As a former paramedic, I’ve done my best to remain active and fit despite my health issues - after all, who else is going to take car of my family? About a year and a half ago, I started having difficulties in the bedroom, periodic insomnia, fat gain (no matter what I did for exercise or diet), and occasional bouts of depression and anxiety. I did some research, and came to the conclusion that my symptoms could be caused by either low thyroid or low testosterone. I asked my primary doctor to check my levels (I was met with an exasperated "Doctor Google strikes again!") and my TSH came back 2.9 (well within range), and my total testosterone came back 257, free testosterone 37, and SBHG 24, and % free testosterone 1.4 - barely scraping by the low end of normal for the lab my doctor uses. Still, I was reassured I was probably just dealing with the physical effects of stress to to try to slow things down at home.[/FONT][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot] Move forward about 2 months ago - I still have not managed to lose any fat weight, despite being in the gym 3-4 times per week (my weight hasn't gone up though), and things are so bad in the bedroom that I hadn't reached orgasm in over a month. I'm experiencing hot flashes, and my family is describing me as "moody", "distant", and "irritable". I was having so much trouble falling asleep, that I was going on about 3-4 hours of sleep per week, and was in a constant fog. Since my doctor hadn't been particularly receptive, my other labs were without question in a healthy range at my last exam, and since I wasn't going to be able to see my primary doctor until September, I decided to stop into a local low T clinic. I figured if my testosterone had even the most remote chance of being the problem, they'd find/exploit it. And I was at a point I just couldn't keep living this way. My testosterone levels came back low across the board - total testosterone was only 128, (I forget the free testosterone number but it was low too. Estrogen was 11.4. My vitamin D was also low at 14.9. The one surprise was my TSH was slightly elevated at 4.9, though my T3 and T4 were well within normal levels.[/FONT][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot] I made the decision to start TRT. My thinking was that the year prior my TSH had been normal while my testosterone levels were either low or barely within normal, and some of the reading I’ve done suggested my TSH could settle down some once my testosterone levels back into a better range. Possibly faulty, wishful thinking on my part but we’ll see.[/FONT][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot] I’m now two weeks into treatment and the difference has been unexpectedly rapid. I’m sleeping soundly and restfully through the night now, and actually dreaming. I’ve reached orgasm during sex, though I feel silly still thinking of that as an accomplishment. I’m handling the kids so much better - they just aren’t able to push my buttons like before and I’m able to deal with their issues calmly and even with some good humor. It feels like a spark inside me has reignited and every movement no longer feels like it’s sucking out my soul. I feel more like myself than I have in years.[/FONT][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot] There are still a few concerns hovering over this.[/FONT][/FONT]</span></p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]my spouse hit the roof over the idea of sleep apnea concerns. I’ve been told I snore since high school, but my sleep has always been restful up until about six months ago, and my symptoms started well before that. I promised I would get a sleep study for the sake of my marriage, but what happens if it is determined I do have sleep apnea? I’ve read that treating sleep apnea can double testosterone levels, but that will still leave me on the low side of things.[/FONT]</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">[FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]the slightly elevated TSH. My next labs are on August 20th, and I guess if the TSH comes back elevated again I’ll be talking to my primary doctor.[/FONT]</li> </ul><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot] I guess where I stand right now is I feel like the TRT is doing good things for me, and I’m worried either my physician or my spouse is going to try to pressure me to stop the treatment when my inclination is to follow my gut. I mean, the TRT is helping, whereas if I agree to stop to treat sleep apnea or thyroid issues it “might” help but not enough.[/FONT][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[/FONT]</span></p><p><span style="color: #454545">[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot] Any thoughts or experiences from others would be welcome.[/FONT][/FONT]</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tad1979, post: 116168, member: 18964"] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="]Hi there,[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="] I'm 38, chronic back pain and repeated serious respiratory issues for which I have been on prolonged prednisone treatments. I have two adopted kids and a spouse who has been on disability for years. As a former paramedic, I’ve done my best to remain active and fit despite my health issues - after all, who else is going to take car of my family? About a year and a half ago, I started having difficulties in the bedroom, periodic insomnia, fat gain (no matter what I did for exercise or diet), and occasional bouts of depression and anxiety. I did some research, and came to the conclusion that my symptoms could be caused by either low thyroid or low testosterone. I asked my primary doctor to check my levels (I was met with an exasperated "Doctor Google strikes again!") and my TSH came back 2.9 (well within range), and my total testosterone came back 257, free testosterone 37, and SBHG 24, and % free testosterone 1.4 - barely scraping by the low end of normal for the lab my doctor uses. Still, I was reassured I was probably just dealing with the physical effects of stress to to try to slow things down at home.[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="][/FONT] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="] Move forward about 2 months ago - I still have not managed to lose any fat weight, despite being in the gym 3-4 times per week (my weight hasn't gone up though), and things are so bad in the bedroom that I hadn't reached orgasm in over a month. I'm experiencing hot flashes, and my family is describing me as "moody", "distant", and "irritable". I was having so much trouble falling asleep, that I was going on about 3-4 hours of sleep per week, and was in a constant fog. Since my doctor hadn't been particularly receptive, my other labs were without question in a healthy range at my last exam, and since I wasn't going to be able to see my primary doctor until September, I decided to stop into a local low T clinic. I figured if my testosterone had even the most remote chance of being the problem, they'd find/exploit it. And I was at a point I just couldn't keep living this way. My testosterone levels came back low across the board - total testosterone was only 128, (I forget the free testosterone number but it was low too. Estrogen was 11.4. My vitamin D was also low at 14.9. The one surprise was my TSH was slightly elevated at 4.9, though my T3 and T4 were well within normal levels.[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="][/FONT] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="] I made the decision to start TRT. My thinking was that the year prior my TSH had been normal while my testosterone levels were either low or barely within normal, and some of the reading I’ve done suggested my TSH could settle down some once my testosterone levels back into a better range. Possibly faulty, wishful thinking on my part but we’ll see.[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="][/FONT] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="] I’m now two weeks into treatment and the difference has been unexpectedly rapid. I’m sleeping soundly and restfully through the night now, and actually dreaming. I’ve reached orgasm during sex, though I feel silly still thinking of that as an accomplishment. I’m handling the kids so much better - they just aren’t able to push my buttons like before and I’m able to deal with their issues calmly and even with some good humor. It feels like a spark inside me has reignited and every movement no longer feels like it’s sucking out my soul. I feel more like myself than I have in years.[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="][/FONT] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="] There are still a few concerns hovering over this.[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR] [LIST] [*][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]my spouse hit the roof over the idea of sleep apnea concerns. I’ve been told I snore since high school, but my sleep has always been restful up until about six months ago, and my symptoms started well before that. I promised I would get a sleep study for the sake of my marriage, but what happens if it is determined I do have sleep apnea? I’ve read that treating sleep apnea can double testosterone levels, but that will still leave me on the low side of things.[/FONT] [*][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]the slightly elevated TSH. My next labs are on August 20th, and I guess if the TSH comes back elevated again I’ll be talking to my primary doctor.[/FONT] [/LIST] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="][/FONT] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="] I guess where I stand right now is I feel like the TRT is doing good things for me, and I’m worried either my physician or my spouse is going to try to pressure me to stop the treatment when my inclination is to follow my gut. I mean, the TRT is helping, whereas if I agree to stop to treat sleep apnea or thyroid issues it “might” help but not enough.[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="][/FONT] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#454545][FONT="][FONT="] Any thoughts or experiences from others would be welcome.[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
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New to TRT, lingering concerns
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