My continuing journey

Update:

Nothing too major, but things seem to be getting slightly better. Since increasing my Aromatase inhibitor (AI) to .5 mg twice a week, things are starting to move towards the better side of things. For one, my libido seems to be picking up and I don't seem as nervouse, anxious or depressed. It doesn't feel like the world is going to crash down on me even though my life/stressors are exactly the same as before. Secondly, my girl did say this weekend that my erection seemed much fuller and she does not know that I started an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) as I wanted a somehwat objective opinion on changes in my mood and other factors. There has been no change in my water retention or energy at the gym, but that make take some time.

All-in-all, I have definitely improved over the past two weeks of increasing my Aromatase inhibitor (AI), but I'm not sure when or if I should increase my dose to see if I continue to see positive changes. Any thoughts always appreciated.
 
Megatron,

Thanks for touching base. Things have been a test of patience. My T is nice and stable and I have settled into a T shot once a week as I have found that I don't have any ups and downs waiting two extra days and the shots E3D or E5D were getting old quick. The problem still lies in Estrogen. I haven't had a new blood test recently because I can definitely tell when my E is high, low or perfect. The problem seems to be that my E elevates at weird times. So for the past two weeks, I've noticed that I need to take a .5 mg Aromatase inhibitor (AI) the day of my T shot, the day after and on day 4 or 5 based on how I am feeling. Trying to take it EOD or on some set schedule does not seem to work. Every day I wake up and by lunch I can tell if I need to take an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) or wait another day or so. I'm not sure why my E is so out of whack and rollercoasters so much, but I'm learning to work with it. The biggest lesson that I've learned is that I have to be mentally strong on bad days and realize that I can't expect everyday to feel great like some of the other users on this site. Some members have mentioned that they feel like they are 18 again, but I havent had that luck. Yes, I feel much better than I did before, but I think my new normal has to be slightly less than what I had anticipated.

Also, the ED has been resolved and my BP is still high. The doc put me on everyday Cialis, to help with BP as well and that has done the trick along with a BP medicine. Also, my drive has definietly taken a huge leap up and for that I am happy. Another plus, my gains in the gym have been effortless and my stomach area has really lost some fat. The only probelm is that my weight went up 20 pounds and decided to hang around my wasit, legs and face. So I got a good midsection and a bloated lower half and upper half. I feel like I look like a funhouse mirror.

Not sure about next steps as I contemplate other forms of T or new supplements, but I would hate to lose the better feelings that I have gained. In all honesty, I would say that I was a 2 out of 10 before testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and now I would say that I am a 7 out of 10. It would be nice to get to an 8.5 or 9 out of ten, but I might be getting a little greedy.

Thoughts?
 
I am glad to hear that you are feeling better and starting to get things dialed in. Keep listening to what your body is telling you. Hopefully time will level things off even more for you and help you get to that 8 or 9. After being in the dumps though, you have to admit that even feeling like a 7 is pretty awesome! Keep it up.
 
Out of the tunnel!!!!

Megatron28 said:
I am glad to hear that you are feeling better and starting to get things dialed in. Keep listening to what your body is telling you. Hopefully time will level things off even more for you and help you get to that 8 or 9. After being in the dumps though, you have to admit that even feeling like a 7 is pretty awesome! Keep it up.
Click to expand...

Megatron....it's always great to see your questions and perspective. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey. So, I've reall been doing some major research to get me over the hump. To really get the most out of this whole process, you really need to do some major research on the front end and on the back end. What I mean by that is when starting this process, it takes a really long time to find the solution and to find the best protocol for each individual. Then, you start to feel so much better that you may decide to stop looking at your protocol and habits. If you do, you stopped too early. Really paying attention to my body, my moods, my energy and pairing that with great help like Steroidology has helped me to push to an "8 out of 10" at this time. I think to get any higher may require ADD medication, as my research and a recent doctor visit indicated, but that is not something I want to try. Being on BP medication, everyday Cialis, T-cyp and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) is enough for me right now.

To my point of getting to an "8out of 10" it required a lot of daily work, logs and research. So I found that the day of, the day after and sometimes the second day after are some of my worst T spikes. Things get much better for two-three days and then its time for my Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) shot. The day of my Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) shot and the day after, My E skyrockets! I take an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) in the morning and at night those two days and it helps exponentially. So it works out to 6 Aromatase inhibitor (AI) pills per week, which is not what I was expecting, but that seems to keep everything in order. Honestly, when I get a small ache in the center of my chest from anxiety, and no its not my heart as that has been checked throughly, I know that my E is up. I'm certain of this because, if left untreated, these are the days that I'm convinced I'm getting fired, my girl is cheating on me and that I'm going to die of some horrible disease in the next few months. Its almost laughable that I lived almost ten years ike this before getting treated and it was all because of Low-T and High-E. Its awesome to know that I'm not insane or wired wrong. I wonder how many of these crazy people that go shooting up schools and other innocents might have hormone issues and not just brain problems.

Anyways, back to the point. Please don't give up when you think its just never going to work. The dose every week allows me to feel just good enough as not to worry that I'm taking too much and helps me stay energetic, working out, muscle gains and helping with belly fat. Libido still needs some work, but all these things will come in time as I get more healthy, lose weight, feel better about myself, have less stress and learn to deal with my anxieties and ADD. I honestly just try to enjoy everyday as it comes now because at least I don't feel lie death anymore. I have come out of the tunnel. I feel for those poor souls that havent found the answer or are still struggling to dial it in......Good luck and please feel free to contact me at anytime for help.
 
Just finished reading this whole thread and I have to say miller98b, you described what I have been going through this last week and I thought I was a freak of nature or something. I don't mean this in a bad way, but I'm glad someone else has gone through this. Although I'm on the front end, I just started by treatment last week and it didn't work, it seems I have to go through the same journey you have. After reading this, this has made me much more optimistic that I can get my treatment locked in and start feeling like a man again.
 
miller98b said:
Morning Wood! So, I woke up to the fact that I tried to roll over and felt like a log rolling downhill with a branch still attached. It was really nice to see my old MW and I hope its a good trend. The only problem I have noticed besides some arm acne, is that I have become increasingly agitated lately. Things just seem to get under my skin so easily the past two days and I know its due to the medications. Not sure if that is a side effect of the T or the E?

Also, never got an answer to one of my most pressing questions. If my TT was 49, TF was 1.1 and E was 13.1, given that T is contextually or comparatively very high compared to the T's, does that mean that when my T's go really high that my E will continue to stay above them? I know bloodwork will tell, but wasn't sure if anyone has any experiene with the comparative movement of all three hormones together.
Click to expand...

about the body acne, odd thing I've stumbled upon, is an 'old timey' soap with the main ingredient being pine tar (grandpa's brand is the version I bought) - if you can handle the smell it might help. (it smells like a campfire or forest fire - it goes away after about an hour). It seems to have helped dry up my spots.
 
tiredguy said:
about the body acne, odd thing I've stumbled upon, is an 'old timey' soap with the main ingredient being pine tar (grandpa's brand is the version I bought) - if you can handle the smell it might help. (it smells like a campfire or forest fire - it goes away after about an hour). It seems to have helped dry up my spots.
Click to expand...

Talking about acne, just this past week I came across info on a shampoo called Nizoral, suppose to help fight hair loss from DHT and BBs have found it works for acne. There's a video on youtube about it. Walmart carries it.
 
THE-DET-OAK said:
Thats awesome your feeling good man.

Not everyone needs an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) but eventually everyone needs HCG as long as they are not estro prone from it. After a while the suppression shuts down the boys so much that when you go its like a cough and dust comes out, needless to say it is not nearly as satisfying. HCG can bring back sensitivity that is lost. Most of the guys I know that have been around 20 years say HCG is the best hormone since testosterone, I do agree.

If it ain't broke don't fix it, but things are constantly changing with my regimen over the years. It would be nice if it was like everyone says and once you find it things will always be the same, it takes constant adjustment to keep things going smoothly, and to stay happy.
Click to expand...

The Det Oak, I am facing a testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) situation, so I could use your help. I had done may cycles in the past with no problem. However, I doubled the amount of Test and Deca I was taking per week to 600mg Test and 600mg Deca. I now know that this was a bad choice. I have had a consult with Dr. Scally and was able to continue the protocol. I had my Test level bloodwork back and it was 194. However, Scally and other people I spoke with said that this was not enough time for SERMs to work, so I am waiting until my 3rd week of SERMs only, instead of 2 weeks, to see what the problem is. If it is not a Test level of 350 plus, I will go on TRT.

My real question is that I want to maintain testicular function, if I go the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) route. Scally suggested that I did HCG with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to maintain testicular function. How much HCG should I use per week, if my tests indicate TRT?
 
Last edited:
HCG is fairly expensive in a pharmacy. Testosterone is not, and my insurance will cover the test but maybe not the HCG. So, I am trying to take the lowest amount of HCG possible to maintain function, if I ever want to get off TRT.
 
NativeTX said:
HCG is fairly expensive in a pharmacy. Testosterone is not, and my insurance will cover the test but maybe not the HCG. So, I am trying to take the lowest amount of HCG possible to maintain function, if I ever want to get off TRT.
Click to expand...

HCG is not that expensive from safemeds4all.
Could try 250iu of HCG 2 or 3 times per week.
 
MIller98B Thank you for sharing your journey thru this hell. I had my wife read your whole story & she asked if I was Miller98B because I have been down this road for 6 months now. If you are still visiting this page please update me on how you are coming along? Wishing you the best brother!
 
Great reading Miller... thanks for sharing your story and the ups and downs you've been going through...
I do believe I'm starting down the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) road shortly... like you, I'll be researching everything studiously...
Thanks again! :)
 
NativeTX said:
HCG is fairly expensive in a pharmacy. Testosterone is not, and my insurance will cover the test but maybe not the HCG. So, I am trying to take the lowest amount of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) possible to maintain function, if I ever want to get off TRT.
Click to expand...

10,000 iu's is between $90-$100.
I'm unsure of what 5,000iu vials cost. I assume about half of that.

If you're okay with ordering without a prescription and possibly not receiving pharmaceutical grade and/or bogus products, you can order online.
 
@ws2006 I do agree with you! Sounds like a good testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) clinic protocol to me too. But yes, you do have to know the background of the doctor, and that he / she knows exactly this field. A lot of docs don;t know what they are talkin about. Happened to me once and I don;t even know if he is an eligible doctor anymore or not! Made me gain weight a lot coz of his meds
 
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