Hey guys,
I read through some of the stickies but wanted to bounce some of my results and current treatment options I’m having done right now and make sure i’m not missing something. Hopefully this is concise enough.
Age - 31
Height - 5’9"
Weight - 187 lbs
Waist Size - 34-35"
Body & Facial Hair - Have normal hairiness and a full beard.
Testes Ache or Hurt - No.
Mood - Slight depression but not terrible.
Libido - Normal.
No body temperature issues - I’ll do the thermometer testing when I get back off of the rig.
No brittle nails or skin issues.
When my problems started, I had been on Finasteride for hair loss at 1mg daily for almost 9 months. I quit taking this 2 years ago and did not see any changes when coming off of it (for better or worse).
Symptoms: Started in 2014 with me gaining weight from 160 lbs to 185 lbs (pretty much all fat and I’m 5’9’').
Noticed I was having a lot of trouble getting up in the mornings to go to work - even after sleeping all night. I started to lose my drive to get up off the couch and now I’ll sit at home a lot of my days off from work and watch a ton of TV. I get a lot more tired early in the evenings and do not stay out very late any more. Hangovers are a complete nightmare. Libido is reasonable and performance is normal - not changes in that. Do not feel like I have a serious problem building muscle while lifting.
Lab Results History: I started getting blood work thinking something was off back in 2015 and everything came up “normal” the entire time and everyone just said I was getting older (I am now 31). Finally this year they said I have low testosterone and referred me to a urologist who confirmed with blood work. Now to the numbers with tests (in chronological order):
9/2/2015:
Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Ab: 10 / Ref (0-34)
ThyroGlobulin Ab: <1.0 / Ref (0.0 - 0.9)
TSH: 2.360 / Ref (0.450-4.500)
Cortisol: 16.1 / Ref (2.3 - 19.4)
Serum Testosterone: 366 / Ref (348 - 1,197)
Free Testosterone (Direct): 19.1 / Ref (9.3-26.5)
Vitamin D was flagged as low - started 50,000 IU weekly for 6 weeks
Note these measurements were when I was lifting and doing cardio 5-6 times a week and at 172 lbs (~17% body fat).
4/4/2016:
TSH: 3.761 / Ref (0.550 - 4.780)
8/18/2016:
Serum Testosterone: 368 / Ref (348-1,197)
Free Testosterone: 7.95 / Ref (5 - 21)
TSH: 2.87 / Ref (0.450 - 4.500)
T4 Free (Direct): 1.14 / Ref (0.82 - 1.77)
5/31/2017:
Serum Testosterone: 247 / Ref (240 - 871)
TSH: 1.164 / Ref (0.450 - 4.500)
T3 Free: 2.7 / Ref (2.3 - 4.2)
T4 Free: 1.21 / Ref (0.8 - 1.79)
T4: 7.4 / Ref (4.5 - 10.9)
ThyroPeroxidase Ab: 17 / Ref ( <35)
ThryoGlobolun Ab: <20 / Ref ( <40)
6/28/2017:
Serum Testosterone: 279 / Ref ( 348 - 1,197)
Estradiol: 24 / Ref (7.6 - 42.6)
Prolactin: 7.7 / Ref (4.0 - 15.2)
Varicocele confirmed with ultrasound and some shrinkage of the left testicle - flagged as abnormal small on the left side and normal on the right.
Right now, I have started 25 mg clomid EOD and have completed my second week. I gained 10 lbs of pure fat and haven’t noticed any differences yet - i’ll be going back for blood work in two more weeks. I am scheduled to have a varicocelectomy next month when I get off of work to try and take care of that. The studies I have read said that on average men with lower testosterone that had the varicocelectomy had their total testosterone increase by 178 points on average.
I do know that I am missing FH/LSH (found this website only last week) and not sure why they weren’t ordered by my doc before starting the clomid.
Do any of you have any additional insights into the symptoms I’m seeing coincide with the blood work or does it look very likely low testosterone could be the sole contributor here?
Thanks very much in advance.