Tougher than I thought

[tooth]

So figuring this all out is tougher than I thought. My pcp was not very confidence inspiring and did not feel like my low t was an urgent issue. He advised I see an endocrinologist. It took me five months to get an appt with an endocrinologist, so I made the appointment, but went to a trt doc I found online. The trt group as a whole is great to deal with, but not very thorough. I finally had my appt with the endo today. She'd like an MRI, and some additional blood work to cover all the bases. I have no problem with that, but she definitely was not comfortable with my trt regimen. I didn't discuss it with her, but she certainly made it clear that she only prescribed testosterone gel, has never prescribed anostrozole or hcg. She also stressed that she did not feel trt should be continued long term due to the cardiovascular risks. I just nodded and went along with it. I was not there for her to treat me, just wanted to be sure there where no underlying reasons for my low t. I plan on following trough with the lab work and MRI. I know it's sort of common knowledge that most docs are clueless when it comes to trt, but it's frustrating none the less.

Sorry for the rant. I'm not sure what the point of this post is other than just needing to vent.

Thanks
Tooth

 

[Steve Williams]

It is good to have a place to vent where others will understand your perspective. Stay the course. Don't let them get you down.

 

[Sean Mosher]

What's the name of the TRT group you're now using??

 

[Vince Carter]

We've all been there...

 

[CoastWatcher]

Sadly, you're not alone. You knew that many doctors are clueless about TRT, but when you run into that attitude (as I did) it makes it all the more painful.

 

[ERO]

After you get done with her, call Defy Medical. Many of us use them and highly recommend. No monthly fees, no up-sell of expensive supplements - just great TRT care. I am not affiliated with them, but I use them and they are terrific.

 

[Vince]

tooth, Defy Medical is a great option, that's who I use and I do believe they are number one. You could also post where you live and someone may be able to help you find a good TRT doctor.

 

[CoastWatcher]

I do not use Defy's services, but had I not been able to obtain good, local medical care, I would have turned to them. I suggest you call or email them - they will answer any questions you have without trying to upsell you. Just have the information so you will understand there are solutions to your problem. All the best.

 

[tooth]

Thanks guys. I know I'm not alone with this, but there's no one other than my wife that I've opened up to about this. I think she's just happy with the sex.

 

[tooth]

So, I'm a glutton for punishment, but I want to do my due diligence. When I found out I had low t it took a while to get an appt w/ an endocrinologist. I had the one that I mentioned in the beginning of this thread, and one that my pcp had set up. I kept both just in case I was not comfortable with one of them. Well at the last visit the endo was singing the praises of the endo my pcp had set me up with. Apparently he's a big deal when it comes to endocrinologists. So, I saw him today. Nice guy, didn't lecture me like the last endo, but was still way off base with the consensus of this forum as far as treatment protocol. I'm scheduled for an MRI, bone density scan, and some additional blood work. I intend to have the testing done as the primary reason for seeing him was for proper diagnosis, but his tx protocol was not in the same ballpark as what I see as standard of care from the trt docs. The first endo only rx's gel, never an anti e, and never hcg. This doc refers to a urologist that inserts pellets, never an anti e, and never hcg. He was ok with my taking test injections as I have, where the previous endo made me feel like a junkie. They both rx'd blood work, the first endo's blood work was test, and ferritin, nothing else! The second edno's blood work included thyroid testing, and was much more thorough, but no estridiol, no lh, or fsh. It's all so frustrating. I have not felt this good in a decade, and I tried to make that point with both of these docs, but that seemed to be at the bottom of their priority list. Oddly enough it's at the top of the priority list for the trt group that I chose. My intentions are to be sure I don't have any underlying conditions causing my low t, and continue with my trt as I had planned. Once I feel I'm "dialed in", I plan on trying to drop the anostrozole, and possibly the hcg, but only with plenty of blood tests to be sure everything is in order. I'd like to be on as few meds as possible, but I certainly don't want to take a step back in how amazing I have been feeling the past two months.

Thanks again for letting me vent.

Tooth

 

[Vettester Chris]

Vent anytime!! Glad you joined!!

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Tooth

You are not alone in your frustration. Hopefully we can provide tips on how to get the care you need.

Someone asked me recently if I am not tired on doing this work educating men about their options. Every time I read emails like yours I am reminded that there is still a lot of work to do.

Please let us know about your tests. In my humble opinion, endocrinologists are the most frustrating physicians in this field. I would rather go to an urologist, general practitioner or anyone else. Most endos only get training on diabetes and thyroid.

 

[Re-Ride]

Consider skipping the Dexiscan ( bone density ). Your abdomen is not screaming for an x-ray bath. At best a Dex -might- make an MD feel better about rx for TRT. Only of use if he has an older one to compare. TRT and certain supplements support healthy bones so why not just pursue those no matter what a scan shows?

From experience I can tell you a Dex IS warranted where a pt is on continuous medication for something else and that med is known to cause bone loss. In this case the pt can be followed ( in theory ) and the offending pharmaceutical switched out. Good luck on that. As long as the pt continues to walk in the door he'll still be prescribed the bone-toxic med.

Say you get the Dex then are only prescribed Androgel or pellets. Ten years later you have another and there is now progressive bone loss documented. You will STILL be arguing with that endo. None of your doc's will pay any attention to the radio-graphs. That's assuming they bother to dig up the archived one anyway or you are not busy dealing with kidney tumors which took ten years to develop from the diagnostic x-ray bath(s).

[" I didn't discuss it with her, but she certainly made it clear that she only prescribed testosterone gel, has never prescribed anostrozole or hcg. She also stressed that she did not feel trt should be continued long term due to the cardiovascular risks."]

Interesting how the worst horror stories on here involve women practitioners. Any man imo who allows a woman to diagnose and prescribe for endocrine issues has a screw loose.

There is a simple fix for bad medicine: Require endos to have the same hormone levels they force upon their patients. Easily accomplished with mandatory Depo-Provera and other hormone disruptors. See how quickly they get up to speed on proper therapy.

Like Nelson said to me a few months back "RUN, as fast as you can!"

You know the score Tooth. Your health is your own responsibility. An MD at best is a consultant. If they don't see it that way use their fee for a nice pair of Nike's and RUN.

 

[Helboi]

Interesting how the worst horror stories on here involve women practitioners. Any man imo who allows a woman to diagnose and prescribe for endocrine issues has a screw loose.

Women and men can both obtain the same knowledge about TRT and treat appropriately, regardless of which genitals they posses. I've seen way more men than women docs who are completely clueless about TRT.

 

[CoastWatcher]

My physician, a woman, is knowledgeable and tenacious. I am fortunate to be her patient. Ignorance, in any field, is not limited to one gender.