plix (imported) wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:30 pm I did look into insurance through school. It would cost me seven hundred something for the year. Not bad. And they can't deny me because it is a group plan. But they can and do exclude pre-existings for the 6 month period allowed by law. The policy starts on August 10, meaning I could get no coverage for visits, labs, meds, or anything else related to my T problems until February 10. The policy would be half over by then. Kind of worthless.
I could go to any lab. I just figured out using some prices that $1000 is probably going to be around what I pay at any lab for the 15 uncommon and expensive tests that are necessary for TRT.
That doctor's fee is not unreasonable for a first consultation. It's actually lower than I was expecting.
I would not want to go around to random doctors I know nothing about and risk giving them cash and discovering they cannot help me. I am only looking at well-known and respected TRT doctors who a good percentage of TRT patients go to.
I did read that information, and I don't see anything wrong with it. I just wonder what sort of difference it would really make. I have seen from many sources now that TRT is quite different from natural T, and that for some people it just does not work. After a year of playing with it using three different methods (patches, shots, gel) and many different dosing regimens one would begin to wonder if I am one of those people for whom it is just not going to work.
It might just be me, but 15 uncommon tests seem a little extreme. What are these tests and what are they for. I don't think that I get any uncommon tests. My lab work usually runs less than $400. Do you have some other condition we don't know about that causes so much concern. This balancing hormones isn't rocket science. It's not all that tough to get it right, unless you have some other condition that effects things. There are thousands of eunuchs on TRT that have been on it for a long time and it works for them. If you haven't, you might want to shop around, there are quite a few hormone therapy clinics in S.Calif. I was comparing the conciliation fee to what Dr. Alter charged which was $250. Some of those doctors in OC are a bit high I think. I had some surgery done in Irvine and just the surgery center bill was $12,000 for a 2 hr. surgery. That was 5 times the cost of the surgery center Dr. Alter uses in Beverly Hills.
You say that you have tried most of the different delivery systems of testosterone. According to my Doctor the best is the shots. How long did you give your shot regime a chance to work. I also still think that you haven't tried the right shot regime yet or for long enough to recover from the other things you've done. There is an implant that they can do also that lasts several months, but I don't know how that rates. Yes, there is a chance that TRT won't work for you, but that is fairly rare.
But you have to get your dose right. You have to watch out for high E2 
and you have to work at it to get yourself this way... I can vouch that it IS worth it! Life for me went from just stinking to 1000x better once I got on a healthy dose. Some of it is relaying your feelings to the MD some of it is the MD knowing what to do. Don't give up!