Hey guys, first time poster here and I’ve been very impressed with this sub-forum for awhile. I’m 33 years old and have been lifting for around 16 years. I weigh around 215 lbs @ ~15% bodyfat $ ~34" waist. I’m italian and have always had a decent amount of body hair, but it seems of late that it does not grow as quickly and coarse as it used to. I can grow a full beard quite easily, but I feel that my beard is growing slower lately as well. I don’t carry much fat, but I’d say it’s mostly in my midsection and butt. I also feel that my testicles are somewhat smaller than they used to be. I rarely get morning wood anymore and very rarely to a wake up with a hard on. I’d say my sex drive has decreased the past year as well.
I just started taking Vitamin D3, Vitamin K2, and fish oils recently. I was near deficient in Vitamin D, but that number came up quickly with the above supplementation. I just take allergy meds occasionally. I do use Nizoral “ketoconazole” shampoo once a week. But, I’ve used that on and off for a long time. I work odd hours and my diet isn’t the greatest. Lots of fast food, sugars and protein. I try to stick to water, but occasionally drink pop.
I focus more on powerlifting, but like to maintain an aesthetic physique too. I follow a 5/3/1 routine for the past few years: 4 days a week. My 1RM’s are as follows: Squat: ~600 (Single Ply Wraps + Belt), Deadlift: 550, & Bench 370.
For around the past year, I’ve noticed my energy levels and just general motivation have decreased. Thanks to caffeine and the occasional combo w/ ephedra, I’ve been able to stick to my training routine and actually gain on it. It should be noted that a somewhat recent LGD-4033 cycle contributed slightly to some of my recent strength gains, but I had been gaining strenght before then as well. I did a proper pct w/ clomid and am around 3 months past my PCT. I recalled seeing numerous people online complain of lethargy while on LGD, but I didn’t seem to notice a difference.
Around 3 weeks ago, I finally had a routine checkup with my doctor and actually had my first physical in about 10 years. The doctor did a routine prostate exam and thought that my prostate seemed large for my age. I told my doctor how I had been feeling and requested bloodwork. The results of my 2/25/16 bloodwork:
Total T: 355 ng/dl (Range 348 - 1197)
Free T: 8.4 pg/ml (8.7 - 25.1)
Unfortunately, the Dr. did not order up E2 or SHGB in those tests. I was actually somewhat shocked to hear the numbers, because I always felt like I used to have high testosterone. The last time I actually had it checked was around 7 years ago and I think it was in the 800 range. Anyway, I decided to get my bloodwork drawn again around 2 weeks later. I had to talk the Dr. into checking my E2, SHGB, and Prostate Specific Androgen (PSA) levels. I told the Dr. that I saw some research that indicated high estrogen could cause the prostate to enlarge. The results from my latest bloodwork results were given to me over the phone earlier today:
Total T: 252 ng/dl
Free T: 5.6
PSA : 0
E2: 174 !!
SHGB: 28.7
LH and FSH: Within normal limits (I’ll get the results mailed to me)
Holy shit!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone post bloodwork with an estrogen level that high. I definitely could be wrong, but fuck that’s high! So, I have a horrible T to E ratio and it’s no wonder that I feel like shit. My question is though – how the fuck did I gain strength the past year with these numbers? I could understand the LGD helping, but that only put on around 30-40 lbs on my big lifts tops.
I told the nurse that I wanted a followup appointment in a week and she said the Dr. would discuss putting me on TRT. Obviously I’m going to request Arimidex, Hcg, and Test Injections; hopefully get a good starting dose of Test Cyp. I’m just worried that my Dr. doesn’t know what she’s doing and will try to put me on creams and other BS first. Ideally, I’d like to be able to pin myself every 3.5 days, but realize that’ll probably be a tough sell at first.
I just can’t wrap my head around those number and just want some feedback from some of you vets on here about these numbers. Has anyone ever had estrogen levels this high? If so, how did you feel? I’ve read posts around the web with numbers better than mine and some of these guys have felt borderline suicidal. I don’t feel great by any means, but I don’t feel like my life is over or anything. I looked up the symptoms of high estrogen and I feel like I have every symptom. I just can’t wait to see how I will feel on TRT, considering I’m apparently used to the brain fog I have now.
EDIT: E2 WAS NOT 174, LAB LADY MESSED UP AND THAT WAS THE RESULT OF E1 (ESTRONE). UNK. WHAT MY E2 LEVELS ARE.