I just turned 42 in October.
I do 1 hour of fasted cardio in the morning 3 days a week. Do a few basic lifts 2 times a week, though this isn’t a focus for me and I rarely make any progress. I train Martial Arts 4 nights a week, I’ve been training for over 20 years. So having a deep gas tank is very important to me, having big muscles isn’t very important to me.
So anyways, I did 2 cycles of RPN Havoc/Epistane in 2011-2012, just before it was banned. I was amazed at the results and ability to recover. I did PCT well, but pretty much lost everything I gained within a few months. I’m pretty sure my testosterone was crushed after, as I had no energy and was sore all the time. I should have never messed with it.
I had blood work done for free at my gym in 2014 and my testosterone was around 450. I figured that was fine, so I didn’t pursue TRT.
In 2016, I started feeling extremely fatigued, I wasn’t able to recover from my workouts, my weight was creeping up with no change in my diet, and I was always in a shitty mood.
I had blood work done again and it came back:
Testosterone Total: 254
Estradiol: 6.7
Calc Free Test: 4.81
Free Test: 1.9
In general, I have no patience for most doctors. I didn’t want to get the run-around trying to get this sorted out. I made an appointment for an anti aging clinic and was able to get an appointment the next day. I gave the doctor my lab results and told him my medical history. He wanted to check a few more things like my red blood cell count, vitamin D, and my PSA levels. The new lab work confirmed that my test is low, my red blood cell count is fine, and my prostate is healthy. My estrogen is low, the doc said that might be the cause for my body/joint soreness.
The anti aging clinic does not take insurance, the lab work is covered, the prescriptions are covered, but the appointments to see the doctor are not. The cost for the first 1 hour meeting was $500, then $250 a month after that. It is somewhat expensive, but it is worth it if I can stop feeling like shit all the time. I have the money, so it was a no brainer for me.
After reviewing all of my lab results, the doc said I qualified for TRT. We discussed the protocol options and decided on starting with just testosterone. Then see where my estrogen is after a month. I don’t want kids, so no HCG.
He suggested 200mg of testosterone cypionate, split into two injections a week. 100mg Sunday morning and 100mg Wednesday evening.
On October 27th, he gave me 200mg of testosterone cypionate, which I injected into my upper thigh in office. Within 2 days, I felt much better physically. But I was bloated as hell. My weight jumped from 220lbs to 230lbs in a week. I started getting anxiety while driving in traffic and could feel my heart pounding at the slightest aggravation. I emailed the doctor and he said that my estrogen likely jumped up with the increased test. He said that it is not unexpected, my estrogen was low to start. He said to try to wait a week and see if it balanced out on its own. I had a bit of gynecomastia on one side when I was 19 years old. I had it cut out when I was in the Military. I started feeling tingling and itching under that nipple.
A week later I was 232lbs with no diet change, and still had the anxiety while driving, but nothing I could not control. The doctor sent me a script for arimidex, 1mg twice a week. He told me to take the arimidex at the same time as the injections. The arimidex seemed to fix the anxiety, itchy nipple and some of the bloat. My weight dropped to 226lbs. But the join pain returned.
I had my first follow up appointment last week. The lab work showed my estrogen was <.5, basically undetectable. My testosterone was 948. My red blood cell count was unchanged. The doc suggested I cut the arimiex down to .5mg twice a week and keep the test the same at 100 mg twice a week. He suggested I take the arimidex 36 hours after my test injection to sync up the absorption timing.
My heart rate while doing cardio at the gym (20 minutes stair mill, 20 elliptical, 20 minutes walking at 20 degrees incline ) is about 10 bpm faster than before starting TRT. Possibly due to the added bodyweight? My lifts have gone up significantly. ie, my incline bench press was always at 185lbs for 5x5. The last set being a fricken struggle. Now I can do 205lbs for 5x5 fairly easy.
This is what my measurements were before trt and now.
October 27th, started TRT
200mg/wk of Testosterone Cypionate
Height 6ft
Weight 220lbs
Neck 17
Shoulders 50
Chest 46.5
Left bi 15.5
Right bi 15.5
Left forearm 12.25
Right forearm 12.5
Stomach 42
Waist 40
Left thigh 24.5
Right thigh 25.5
Left calf 16
Right calf 15.75
December 1, 2016
200mg/wk of Testosterone Cypionate
1mg/wk Arimidex
Height 6ft
Weight 226lbs
Neck 17
Shoulders 51.5
Chest 46
Left bi 16.25
Right bi 16.25
Left forearm 12.75
Right forearm 13
Stomach 40
Waist 39
Left thigh 26
Right thigh 26
Left calf 16
Right calf 15.75