Hi everyone,
As the subject title says, I have been to three different doctors over the last year or so. These doctors were all at ‘wellness’ type centres and were also suggested by some compounding pharmacies that I rang. Each of them did blood tests had suggestions as to what was ‘wrong’ with me.
I am not totally sold on what any of them have suggested so far.
Firstly, the information requested in the “Advice for New Guys” sticky:
Age - 36 years
Height - 6’4"
Waist - 33"
Weight - 190lbs
Describe body and facial hair - My facial hair has only just ‘filled in’. I didn’t start shaving until I was about 20. Similarly, chest hair only started in my 20’s and there still isn’t that much there. Arms and legs have always had hair.
Describe where you carry fat and how changed - I have newer had trouble getting lean if I wanted. I think I carry proportionally more fat in my lower back/love handles and maybe in my legs.
Health conditions, symptoms [history]
These symptoms seems to have started maybe as long as 10 years ago but have gradually got worse to the point where they are now intolerable.
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Fatigue - I generally feel tired throughout the day and if I could I would just sit on the couch all day. When I wake up in the mornings I really struggle to get going, even though I average 8 hours of sleep a night. Often I will have to sit on the bed and ‘psych’ myself into getting up. I struggle with workouts but persist because if I didn’t work out when I felt down, I would never workout. I struggle to get through workouts and often even during the warm-ups am feeling tired. Years ago I used to be able to workout intensely for 1.5 hours but I have had to scale right back in the last few years.
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Cloudy mind - This is something I have mainly noticed in the last year or so but then again, I think my memory has been getting worse for a while. I find it really hard to concentrate, even when driving. I am really struggling at work. It feels like my mind is filled with bricks or something. I think most of the time I get by on auto pilot rather than really absorbing what people are saying etc.
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Anxiety - Maybe I have always had this and it is worse now as I have more stressful situations to deal with (eg. kids). It is at the point now where if something goes wrong, ie kids playing up or I am running late, I get so worked up that I can physically feel it. When this occurs I also get very angry/irritable.
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Loss of libido - I have no real desire to have sex. If it does get started, ie wife initiates it, then I am into it and everything is fine but I just don’t seem to desire it.
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Sensitivity to noise (and possibly light) - I’m not sure if this is related to the anxiety.
Rx and OTC drugs, any hair loss drugs or prostate drugs ever
Real dangers! see this http://propeciahelp.com/overvi…
I used Proscar on two separate occasions, each for maybe a period of a year. I would guess this was around 2002-2003 and 2008-2009.
I also used Accutane for acne for around six months in about 2004.
Lab results with ranges
I wasn’t able to get all tests from the different doctors I saw. Where available the results below are the most recent ones I have (taken 31/03/14). Otherwise, I have posted older results where the current doctor didn’t test for something.
Total T - 16 nmol/L (10.0-33.0)
LH - 4 U/L (3-20)
FSH - 7 U/L (3-20)
E2 - 60pmol/L (<150)
DHEAS - 2100 ug/L (800-5700)
SHBG - 39 nmol/L (10-70) (taken 1 month ago)
Free T - 263 pmol/L (260-740) (taken 1 month ago)
TSH - 1.4 mU/L (0.4-4.0)
free T4 - 12 pmol/L (10-20) (done 6 months ago)
free T3 - 4.0 pmol/L (2.8-6.8) (done six months ago)
rT3 - 382 pmol/L (140-540) (was 503 6 months ago)
Saliva Cortisol (all done 6 months ago)
morning - 19.7 nmol/L (6-42)
midday - 10.4 (2-11)
afternoon - 7.6 (2-11)
evening - 3.0 (1-8)
Saliva morning DHEAS - 29.9 nmol/L (5-30)
DHEAS/AM Cortisol - 1.52 (0.2-0.6)
Serum Cortisol
8am fasting - 400 nmol/L (220-720)
4pm - 70 nmol/L (110-360)
Iron Studies
Iron 19 umol/L (10-33)
TIBC 46 umol/L (45-70)
Saturation 42 % (16-50)
Ferritin 517 ug/L (20-320) (this has been high for the last year)
Haemochromatosis - negative
FBC
All within range, although Neuts was previously low (can post values if necessary)
Urine Iodine - 35ug/L (WHO classification - moderate deficiency)
Sodium 140 nmol/L (135-145)
Potassium 4.1 nmol/L (3.5-5.5)
Chloride 106 nmol/L (95-110)
Bicarb 26 nmol/L (20-32)
Anion Gap 8 nmol/L (5-15)
Ca (corr) 2.32 nmol/L (2.10-2.55)
Phosphate 1.2 nmol/L
Urea 7.6 nmol/L (3.0-8.0)
Uric acid 0.33 nmol/L (0.2-0.5)
Creatinine 98 umol/L (60-110)
eGFR 85 (>59)
Fasting Glucose 5.1 mmol/L (3.6-6.0)
Total Protein 80g/L (66-83)
Albumin 49 g/L (39-50)
Globulin 31 g/L (20-39)
Bilirubin 19 umol/L (4-20)
Alk Phos 77 U/L (35-110)
AST 24 U/L (10-40)
ALT 30 U/L (5-40)
Gamma GT 10 U/L (5-50)
LDH 159 U/L (120-250)
Cholesterol 3.4 mmol/L (3.9-5.5) (has always been slightly below range)
Triglycerides 0.4mmol/L (<1.5)
HDL 1.12 mmol/L (>1.0)
LDL 1.39 mmol/L (<2.0)
Vit D3 70 nmol/L (50-300) (this is from a year ago but couldn’t find more recent ones which were higher)
Mercury 20 nmol/L (0-60)
Describe diet [some create substantial damage with starvation diets]
Have lost weight over the last year after ‘bulking up’ for a year or so. Not a restrictive die though. I have always been able to lose weight with little effort. All I have to do is not force feed myself and I lose weight these days. Carbs and protein in the am and protein and fats in the evening. A variety of fats including red meat, nuts, avos, coconut oil, olive oil, fish oil.
Describe training [some ruin there hormones by over training]
Typical bodybuilding split until recently where I have been doing an upper/lower split 4 days/week.
Testes ache, ever, with a fever?
Never
How have morning wood and nocturnal erections changed
Don’t get them anymore, except when I really need to go to the toilet (I think it is the body’s natural defence while sleeping).
In terms of what the three doctors thought:
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The first doctor was concerned about the high Ferritin. He tested for haemochromoatosis which was negative. He then referred me to a haematologist who didn’t really find anything except Cytomegalovirus (CMV). The doctor was excited that he had found my problem. I decided to go somewhere else.
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The second doctor did the SHBG and free T and found the free T was low. He said I should take zinc. He was also concerned with my mercury result and wanted to try and lower that with a product called ‘Chelex’. Since I had already been taking 50mg of Zinc a day I wasn’t very impressed with this outcome.
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I just saw this doctor recently. This is the doctor that the majority of the above results come from. Finally a doctor who tested E2, LH, FHS and rT3. Although he doesn’t believe in free T (which is annoying considering my previous low result). He also tested DHEAS.
Doctor 3 was concerned about iodine and the low afternoon cortisol. He also said my T and DHEAS could be higher. He has prescribed Lugol’s Iodine (6.25mg increasing to 12.5 increasing to 18.75), DHEA (15mg/day), Andrenotone (3 tablets/day) due to the low afternoon cortisol and a Magnesium supplement.
I find it strange that Iodine came back low from the urine test as after measuring body temperatures last year (usually around 96.5 in the morning) I used Iodoral at 12.5mg increasing to 18.75mg/day for about two months. Morning temperatures never really got above 96.9 (evening temps were around 97.8 at the most but were often just over 97). Does the urine iodine test have any merit?
I have just started taking the stuff that doctor 3 prescribed. I am still concerned about the low free T though which this doctor did not test.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.