Hi T Nation,
I have stumbled across this resource while googling Testosterone related issues and from what I have read so far I believe I may have found the right place to begin my quest to get healthy. I am filling out this new topic as I read through all the stickies. I am sure by the end I will have many questions and hopefully enough information provided to you readers to get moving in the right direction.
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Age 31
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6’ 1 inch
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40 inch
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250 Pounds
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I grow allot of body and facial hair, My Hair on top of my head is thinning though.
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I carry body fat around my waist primarily. I have gained around 25 pounds in the last year primarily due to a poor diet and lack of activity. 2 years ago my employment was keeping me so busy I stopped working out. I was in the army before that and was in good shape. It has always been a struggle for me to stay in shape even with a decent diet and heavy exercise daily. I made an employment change this year and am ready to start a new healthy lifestyle. I have almost zero motivation to do this even though I can see the health problems it is causing.
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As for health conditions.
- I have gained allot of weight and feel like crap. I am lazy and know it. i will man up and change this.
- Minor Ed in the past around 25. Lasted 1 year on and off.
- I was diagnosed with hemochromatosis, A blood disorder that causes my body to absorb and hold allot of Iron. I donate blood every 3 months to keep my Iron levels low. This is enough to keep my organs from being over saturated from Iron.
4)Memory is BAD
- Health History. From the age of 20 I have not felt “Right”. Very low sex drive, No energy, Poor sleep, difficult to get in good shape and kinda irritable. I joined the infantry at 19 and worked out vigorously every day. I was in good shape but not like the other guys doing the same things I was doing. I was eating healthy at the time as well. I visited a Dr when I was 20 and asked for a testosterone test as a fellow co worker mentioned that may be the problem. I was tested and landed at 310 ng/dl. I was told I am within the normal range so I went about my business thinking my coworker was crazy. Fast forward to when I am 27. I go to the Dr and tell him I am struggling with the same symptoms as mentioned earlier. He checks my Test level and it comes back at 300 ng/dl. Yup still normal so it must be something else.
Now at this time I am older and wiser so I ask him why it is in the low range of normal. He says that this is commonly the case and I should not be concerned. Once again I walk away with no resolution. Now I am 31. Same problems as before however now I am seeing other things that may or may not be related. I am grouchier then before with less sex drive and motivation. My balls are smaller than before (Ok this one may just be me over thinking this issue but my sac is generally very tight)and I am gaining weight much faster then before (Could be age)So I go back to my Dr and ask for every blood test they can do. They get the results and my Ferritin levels are off the charts, Iron is high and Test is at 279 ng/dl. They do genetics testing and diagnose me with hemochromatosis. Good thing too, I may have died from liver cancer or organ failure from this as it is RARELY diagnosed before death.
So something good has come of this keeping things positive. Dr still says Testosterone is close to normal. Yeah, Close. So here I am seeking your advice. I will continue with more hopefully useful info below.
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Currently on Nexium for heartburn (Know the cause and getting the operation to fix this soon) Nasonex for allergies (Specialist thinks stomace problem causing heartburn may also be causing the sensitivity to allergens).
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Lab results - All testing done in Canada (I just moved to the US)I have no idea what most of these are so I will post them all to make sure I do not miss something you may need.
14 June 2013 11AM (Fasted 15.5 hours)
Hemoglobin__________155 g/L____Range 137 - 180
Hematocrit_________0.46 L/L__________0.40 - 0.54
RBC_________________5.0 10E12/L______4.5 - 6.0
MCV__________________92 fL___________82 - 100
MCHC________________339 g/L__________320 - 360
RDW________________12.6 %____________11 - 16
Platelet Count______209 10E9/L_______150 - 400
WBC_________________6.1 10E9/L_______4 - 11
Neutrophils_________2.8 10E9/L_______2 - 8
Lymphocytes_________2.8 10E9/L_______07 - 3.5
Monocytes___________0.4 10E9/L_______0 - 1
Eosinophils_________0.2 10E9/L_______0 - 0.7
Basophils_____________0 10E9/L_______0 - 0.2
Creatine Serum_______83 umol/L_______50 - 120
Sodium______________138 mmol/L_______133 - 145
Potassium___________3.9 mmol/L_______3.3 - 5.1
Chloride____________104 mmol/L_______98 - 111
CO2 Content__________25 mmol/L_______21 - 31
ALT__________________20 U/L__________1 - 60
Ferritin____________872 ug/L_________30 - 400 (I am High)
Cholesterol________4.55 mmol/L_______3.8 - 5.2
Triglycerides______3.58 mmol/L_______0.6 - 2.3 (I am High)
HDLCholesterol_____0.74 mmol/L_______>= .91 (I am Low)
Total HDL Ratio____6.1
LDL Calculated_____2.81 mmol/L_______2 - 3.4
Albumin______________43 g/L__________33 - 48
Alkaline Phosphate___57 U/L__________30 - 130
Calcium____________2.33 mmol/L_______2.1 - 2.55
GGT__________________28 U/L__________11 - 63
Glucose Fasting_____4.4 mmol/L_______3.3 - 6.0
Iron_________________33 umol/L_______12 - 31 (I am High)
TIBC_________________47 umol/L_______40 - 77
Transferrin Sat_____0.7______________.2 - 0.55 (I am High)
Magnesium__________0.78 mmol/L_______0.65 - 1.05
PSA Total___________0.3 ug/L_________0 - 2.5
Urea________________3.6 mmol/L_______3 - 7.5
Free T4____________15.4 pmol/L_______10 - 25
AST__________________41 U/L__________8 - 40 (I am High)
B12_________________313 pmol/L_______155 - 700
Testosterone________9.7 nmol/L_______8 - 29 (This is 279 ng/dl) I think I am low
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone___1.94 mIU/L_____Range 0.2 - 6
Estimated GFR_______109 mL/Min/1.73m
If you need more lab results or other test’s let me know and I will have them done.
- My diet is currently poor and by poor meaning I eat 3 healthy meals and allot of junk in between.
- I am just starting working out in the morning’s 3 day’s per week for 1 hour. Mostly cardio and core.
- Testes and tight but do not hurt ever.
- Morning wood infrequently.
Questions at this point.
Edit My answer in quotes I did some more reading this morning and realized these questions were premature
Should I request more blood-work? “yes” If so what specifically?“Working on the list. i will post to confirm I get it right.
Should I ask for TRT or is it to early at this point? *Not yet”
Any comments you have would be great. I have about 4 more stickies to read tomorrow on Estradiol - Lab Work, Blood Testing and Symptoms - and Thyroid Basics
I am going to end my post here but will pick it up again tomorrow when My brain is refreshed. Too much info for one night.