gandalf (imported) wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 6:22 pm I am on 20mg daily of Fortesta. That is what my prescription calls for. I feel fine with using just one does (10 mg) daily. My last blood test a week and an half ago showed my T level to be 357 which my doctor was pleased with. I started skipping Sat and Sun doses and after the second week, on Sunday I found myself having

a little balance problem. Since i suffer from BPV (benign positional Vertigo. So I will go back to 10 mg daily and see if that happens again. I am thinking of using the trt only six days a week and see if the BPV acts up again.

TopManFL (imported) wrote: Thu May 28, 2020 6:13 am Hey @Supranatural,

Sounds great. Ask the doctor to check thyroid homes (TSH, T4, T3). For most doctors, TSH is the "gold standard" for thyroid hormones. However, the amount of T4 and T3 in your blood is also a good indicator. T4 and T3 are made by the thyroid. TSH is made by the pituitary gland.

Speaking of the pituitary gland. A full sweep of all the hormones the pituitary gland both makes and stores would be a great idea. It is not one of the normal blood tests ordered by a primary care doctor. So, ask for it.

Adrenal hormones should also be checked. Again, most primary care doctors don't order this test.

I agree with you that it is almost certain to be low testosterone that is causing your problems but, I'm not a doctor.

DO THIS! REALLY DO THIS!

Write down your questions on a piece of paper. Use a normal size notebook page. Write about five one-sentence questions. I write my question using a sharpie.

Put the paper on the exam table and sit in one of the chairs not on the exam table. If they ask you to sit on the exam table, put the paper next to you.

Trust me, the doctor will be very happy. It's quick, to the point and you won't lose your nerve to ask certain questions. Also, some people come in with a paper on it with 50 questions and 500 sheets they've printed off the Internet. The doctor will never have time to go through all of that.

The reason I started writing down my top five questions was that even if I had not lost my nerve to ask sensitive questions, the doctor kept interrupting me. Later, I found an article that said the average amount of time it takes for a doctor to interrupt a patient is 15 seconds. With the questions on the paper, the doctor likes it because he can just read it and not have to listen to some long drawn out explanation.

When I had thyroid cancer and had my thyroid removed, I had about 8 questions for the surgeon. We'd never met and he walked in the room, saw the paper, picked it up and answered every question in about 2 minutes. That gave us about 18 minutes for him to do all the talking. He was not paying me for my opinion, I was paying him for his. So, giving him free rein to let me know what he thought was great.

Your health is very important, be your own advocate. If that is a problem, bring a friend or family member with you. Seriously, I've been in the room with family and I'm the one that made sure my family members' issues were addressed. Why it's more difficult for myself, I dunno.

TopManFL (imported) wrote: Thu May 28, 2020 6:21 am One more thing regarding testosterone. With a GoodRx Coupon, I can get generic Androgel for about $40 for a 60 pump bottle.

https://www.perrigorx.com/product.aspx?ID=1515&let=T

At first, my pharmacist had a hard time finding the generic pump. Then, I gave him the link above and they had it for me in two days. The cost is a fraction of the name brand which was at around $600 per 60 pump bottle.

Chesleyt (imported) wrote: Thu May 28, 2020 5:42 pm I'm going through the same thing as you are and after many blood tests an endoscopy of my upper GI track and test for blood in the stool they have found out that my t 4 th was off the chart in the negative, my red blood count is low and I have bad anemia. The endocrinologist assistant increased my levothyroxine and I am seeking the GP Tuesday to address the anemia. My testosterone levels are total 6ng/dl free testosterone 0.1 ng/do and it all.was from my thyroid. I'm taking low dose estrogen because I have osteopenia and my level is 96 pg/ml I use a cream on the internet it's on Amazon it's bio est 5.0 and it's just over $31 with tax and shipping. I've been using it for 2 months and still have the eunuch calm and I don't feel effeminate at all. It's a low dose that a friend of mine uses that goes to Dr Powers in Michigan. My friend had his prostate removed and was on chemical castration for 4 years. After less then a year off chemical castration his PSA started to climb so he was castrated and started low dose estrogen and feels great with all kinds of energy and improved quality of life.