New guy here. I don’t have any labs to post yet but will in the coming weeks/months now that I’ve found a PCP that’s willing to help me out.
I wish I had known about this forum then or I wouldn’t have put myself through the mess I was about to deal with.
Background: I was diagnosed with low T about 4 years ago. I didn’t request to be given any lab numbers or things of that nature (ignorance on my part). Without any explanation or any concern with trying to figure out why my T was low, the doctor decides to start me on testosterone patches. I went with this for about 3 months and they did absolutely nothing for me. I may have even felt worse at some points. My work schedule made it difficult for me to get to a doc for another couple months but when I finally did he decided to switch me to Every thing was good for about 4 months then I started noticing soreness/aches in my testicles, mood swings with all the terrible highs and low, and just feeling down right crappy after about 2 weeks of getting the shot.
I put up with this a few more months and then stopped because I couldn’t handle the side effects anymore. A few months later I decided to give it another try because I couldn’t handle the foggy, bottomed out feeling anymore, so I went back to the same doc and he decided to try 200 mg every 2 weeks. Everything seemed to be a little better but then the same things happened again, just slightly less severe. By this time, I had started browsing this forum from time to time and brought up hcg when the side effects started again.
My doc said he wasn’t familiar with it but said he would consult with an endocrinologist and get his opinion. Of course the endocrinologist said absolutely not and recommended I stop the test Cyp and start clomid. At that point I decided I was done with his treatment plan. I felt like he was just throwing crap at a wall to see what sticks. I took my last shot on Jan 2nd, so I’m completely bottomed out again.
Oddly enough my wife (bless her because I know she’s just as frustrated as I am) brought up my situation with her PCP today and she told my wife to make an appointment with her and she would find the cause of the low T, and if hcg and an aromatase inhibitor as well as anything else needs to be used then she would do what’s necessary. So I’m currently filling out some preliminary paper work and after that I can schedule a consult but I have a few questions…
1.) Has anyone had success with getting their insurance to cover hcg and something like arimidex for TRT? I have BCBS coverage in North Carolina. It’s an HDHP with an HSA.
2.) Did anyone have problems with depression, anxiety and sleep apnea that got better with TRT? I’m currently dealing with all of the above.
Again, I will be posting labs/updates in the coming weeks now that I’ve found a doctor that’s interested treating my well being instead of some lab number and will file with the insurance on top do that.
-age -25
-height - 6’3"
-waist - 38
-weight - 248 lbs
-describe body and facial hair - moderate hair on chest, arms, legs and back. Facial hair doesn’t grow very fast. Seems to take 2-3 days for an amount worth shaving to appear. Area around the cheek and chin (where guys typically have a goatee) barely comes in at all.
-describe where you carry fat and how changed - mostly around my gut.
-health conditions, symptoms [history] - developed high blood pressure within the last year. Acid reflux and irritable bowel that started in late 2007. Low T was formally diagnosed around summer of 2010. Sleep apnea diagnosed about 2 years ago (seemed to develop suddenly). Sex drive and energy are almost non existent. I feel fatigued and run down almost all the time.
-Rx and OTC drugs, any hair loss drugs or prostate drugs ever - Zofran 8 mg as needed, 20 mg lisinopril once daily, 40 mg Protonix once daily and vitamin D3 2000 IUs once daily. No hair loss prostate drugs.
-lab results with ranges - working on this part. Should be coming in the next few weeks.
-describe diet [some create substantial damage with starvation diets] - moderate fat & carbs, high protein. Adequate fruit and vegetable intake. Not the greatest, not the worst.
-describe training [some ruin there hormones by over training] - no weight training. Hell, I barely have the energy it exercise at all anymore.
-testes ache, ever, with a fever? - aches from time to time. No fever. Testes seem to hang tight more frequently and feel cold to the touch. They also shrank some while on injections.
-how have morning wood and nocturnal erections changed - injections helped some. I still get these infrequently even while on injections.