Ouch...

[zeebster (imported)]

I'm sure glad everyone has stayed up to date with info as I had hoped to make a trip by car from Idaho to Michigan and have wondered how I can make the trip back after being castrated. Can any one relate to travel problems?

Oh man, I wouldn't suggest you try that trip via car. If you watch what you're doing and buy the tickets far enough in advance, the airlines are not that much more than what gas and extra lodging along the way would cost. I did Utah to Michigan and even the airliner was difficult on the return trip. Between when I had to checkout of the hotel at noon, my flight was supposed to leave Detroit at 4PM local but it was an hour late. The stop over in Denver was only supposed to be an hour, but when the plane showed up and the crew got off, there was no replacement crew. That took another hour an a half. I didn't dare take any of the pain meds on the way back as I had to drive home from the airport, about 20 miles. All in all about 12 hours from leaving the hotel to my home and possibly the worst day of my life at that age.....

[Jared_in_UT (imported)]

...possibly the worst day of my life.....

I had about the same experience with my trip home. I'm surprised I even made it with the pain I was in - and I was taking the Lortab! I too had considered driving it with my wife so she could be there to take care of me. But having gone through what i did on the trip home on a plane, there is no way I would have tolerated it.

[Jared_in_UT (imported)]

Well, the orchiectomy honeymoon is officially over.

I thought I'd dodged the hot flashes by being on Androcur for so long prior to surgery, but the past month or so has seen a pretty dramatic increase. I'm probably having 10-20 per day currently, ranging from a brief sweat to a full on wet sweat head to toe. I'm not getting the flushing skin, just sweaty and hot.

I've also noticed a pretty significant brain fog of late. I tend to walk into a room and forget why, or fire up a web browser and not remember what I was going to do.

I still haven't had a bone density scan, and plan to schedule one on a few weeks. In the mean time, I've got an appointment with my uro to discuss TRT. I'm going to stick with a really low dose of whatever we decide is the best option and go from there. I was pretty happy with how I felt on Androcur, but this is getting a little more rough each month.

I'll report back in a couple weeks with an update.

[Losethem (imported)]

I hope you can set yourself on a low dose of HRT that will prevent or minimize the hot flashes, but not make you a horny toad again.

Good luck.

[Hopeful1 (imported)]

Well I'm only two weeks in and I've started the hot flashes. It seems the major ones are at night but I did have a pretty good (bad) one yesterday just before church started. One of my friends noticed me fanning myself with the church bulletin and was laughing at me when I silently mouthed "hot flash." Hopefully I'll start HRT with estrogen and maybe progesterone next week.

[daifu-orchid (imported)]

I seem to remember the flashes started a little later and gradually went away. Not really a problem after a couple of months. By then it was all all in all beginning to feel very good. Cheer up!

[bttr6089 (imported)]

Have things improved with the HRT?

[msucleoscar (imported)]

Hi Jared, I wonder since you said you have to be on HRT due to the hot flash and so on. What is the dose are you on? Did the hot flash go away after started HRT?

Thanks.

[daifu-orchid (imported)]

Have things improved with the HRT?

Minimal T is all that's needed to send the flashes away... But after a while, they go away anyway.

[Jared_in_UT (imported)]

I suppose I'm overdue to update this...

I'm currently using generic Androgel 1% at a rate of 1/2 dose (half a 5 ml packet) every other day. So I'm using it at 1/4 the recommended dose. To be honest, I frequently skip more than one day between my half-doses, so I'm really at less than a quarter dose.

If I stay at a quarter dose for a couple weeks the hot flashes mostly go away and non-spontaneous erections improve. If I get lazy with the dosage, things start to get worse again.

At my dose, I'm building up quite a supply of Androgel. Anybody have some good tips on making it last way beyond the expiration date? This stuff is EXPENSIVE!! It's well over $600/month for the generic stuff. I want to stock up this year while my insurance maximum is all paid up, then live off my supply next year if possible. I'll probably switch to injections down the road, but I hate needles with a passion and the gel costs me nothing until the end of the year.

I still have not done a bone scan. I did get my T levels tested a while back but have not seen the results. I've got a follow up with my urologist in about a month so I'll get to see where I'm at then. Really I don't care much what they are. What matters in the end is how I feel.