A massive bacterial infection that lasted a long time and took a high dose of antibiotics to clear up invaded my prostate and testes. I went from super large VERY painful nuts to now much smaller and hard painless nuts. In fact they are completely insensitive now; I can squeeze them in my hands and it is as if they were foreign objects - no feeling or pain at all. My penis has shrunk and no matter what I do I can not get an erection. I also am having feelings of confusion and indecision that are not common for me.

My Dr. he says loss of testosterone production following this type of infection is not common but it does happen and that I am left with 3 options; do nothing which will have some negative health consequences, take a testosterone gel, or take shots as there is no pill. There is no tumor or other reason that (right now) requires surgical removal of one or both teste(s). Not much info on the internet on this subject until I found this web site.

Actually, even though I am gay, I would rather be neutral (neither gay or straight) so my situation so far is a blessing in disguise. It's a lot strange not being able to get an erection or have sexual urges but not bad either. But then again I don't want long lasting health problems.

Since I am now covered by my parent's health insurance until age 26 the cost of gel is not a problem, but eventually could become a financial problem for me. I have tried it and it is yucky, smells awful, and I would prefer to just not start something that I can't or won't do in the future and instead just let nature do what it will with me, at least for now, and see how that goes.

So, for now, the questions of the day are:

*If you have been without testosterone for more than say 2 years what have your experiences (consequences) been?

*Just how long can one go doing nothing without permanent medical damage that would not be correctable by starting treatment at some point in the future?

My Dr. would not speculate on this (either because he doesn't know or would not make any kind of risky committment). It seems osteporosis is the greatest problem, which can be treated also, but with other costly drugs.

At your age, osteoporosis is a very long term issue. Even if you don't take hormones at all, you most likely won't develop osteoporosis before you are 50 or so. Even then, it also depends on your general health, your nutrition and your genetics (do your parents or grandparents have osteoporosis?).

Some research has shown that 1/10th of the normal dose of estrogen is sufficient for women to avoid hormone deficiency related osteoporosis. My guess is that a similar dose of testosterone should be sufficient as well.

So you probably have more freedom to choose than you may think.

There is a tendency towards depression in people without sex hormones, so watch yourself for this. A total lack of male hormones will also lead to some feminisation which you may or may not like. Your skin and fatty tissues will probably change, you may even grow some breasts, body hair may cease to grow (to some degree), beard and baldness won't develop further.

You may just feel more energetic and sexual with some testosterone, and it's your choice how much you take, trust your feelings.

Finding YOUR right dosage is easiest with gel. Androtop gel is neither sticky nor does it smell (just a bit from the alcohol, but that evaporates very quickly). A compounding pharamcy in Germany produces their own gel, that's fine too, and relatively cheap. Maybe you find something similar in your country.

What does your doctor say about your nuts? It may be safer to have them removed in the long run. What do you think?

Airin_TS (imported) wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2010 11:15 am At your age, osteoporosis is a very long term issue. Even if you don't take hormones at all, you most likely won't develop osteoporosis before you are 50 or so. Even then, it also depends on your general health, your nutrition and your genetics (do your parents or grandparents have osteoporosis?).

Just so you know, this isn't necessarily true. In fact, it seems that the younger you are (especially if you are under 30, as bone density increases until that point), the more likely you are to have troubles with bone density.

That's even with exercise, and calcium supplements.

(As a note, I was castrated at 24, and developed osteoporosis before I hit 30. So this is anything but a 'very long term issue'.)

what kind of gel are you using, mine does not smell at all?

@ TheOtherSide

Sorry to hear that. Didn't you take any hormones at all?

I just wonder how the castrati could survive.

I have been castrated at age 24 as well (SRS), but I have taken quite a variety of hormones since, albeit at very low dosages most of the time. I am 50 years old now and don't know of any ill effects.

I have met many transsexuals, but most take their regular hormone regimens. So I guess there is actually very little known about these matters.

I still believe, though, that rather low doses of either sex hormones should suffice to avoid osteoporosis. So, an individual should have quite a range of options after castration. Even a mixture of very low doses of both estrogens and testosterone might be a reasonable choice.

I have just recently had my hormone regimen tested by a kinesiologist. That's a good way to ask the body what it needs. The results were very much in line with what I felt was right for me (1/8 of the standard male testosterone dosage). And some homoeopathy.

Airin

Airin_TS (imported) wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2010 2:31 pm @ TheOtherSide

Sorry to hear that. Didn't you take any hormones at all?

I just wonder how the castrati could survive.

I have been castrated at age 24 as well (SRS), but I have taken quite a variety of hormones since, albeit at very low dosages most of the time. I am 50 years old now and don't know of any ill effects.

I have met many transsexuals, but most take their regular hormone regimens. So I guess there is actually very little known about these matters.

I still believe, though, that rather low doses of either sex hormones should suffice to avoid osteoporosis. So, an individual should have quite a range of options after castration. Even a mixture of very low doses of both estrogens and testosterone might be a reasonable choice.

I have just recently had my hormone regimen tested by a kinesiologist. That's a good way to ask the body what it needs. The results were very much in line with what I felt was right for me (1/8 of the standard male testosterone dosage). And some homoeopathy.

Airin

Actually, quite bit is known about hormones and osteoporosis, and it isn't good news. No hormones tends to equal a very high risk, regardless of age. It doesn't matter which you get - estrogen or testosterone - just so you get some, or deal with the risks. Many people here will use about 2.5 grams daily of 1% Androgel (or equivalent product) for a low dose. Some do 2.5 every other day; some do other variations.

Androgel and equivalents tend to be very expensive; a compounding pharmacy is usually much cheaper. Long range, if financial issues are paramount, injectable testosterone is usually more manageable for cost. The T pills are worthless and hard on the liver.

For some more general discusion about castration and effects, read here:

http://www.eunuch.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=10168

You can also read our FAQ, though it isn't very informative. We are working on upgrading it.

I sent a copy of the original post and one of DeadNutz’ public profile to my research college, Richard Wassersug, who is both a professor of medicine and a prostate cancer eunuch. His reply is

I believe there are several transdermal testosterone products on the market. If DeadNutz doesn't like the smell of one, he can look into a product with an alternative solvent. I think he should explore going back on low dose testosterone to not only protect his bones, but also his energy level and lean muscle mass. It should help fight off the mental fog he alludes to in his email.

He is free to contact me directly, if he wants to talk over the pros and cons.

I am sending both Richard’s telephone number and my own to DeadNutz in a Private Message.

.

Well....... most impressive. I went to an orchitis group on Yahoo and it appeared to be more dead than my balls. A lot of input to digest here.

So far, there is no reason or indication that my testes need to be removed.

I have no problem with inability to feel sexually aroused or relieved. In fact, now that I have had the ill-fortune opportunity to experience what it is like, I would not want to go back to my former "normal" state.

Cost of gel not an issue now. The icky smelly daily routine is unpleasant and the application schedule and rules to observe are a challenge.

No, I absolutely do not want to develop any feminine characteristics. I have no desire to be castrated or appear to be any different than I am now. (beyond normal aging of course).

Well, it sounds as if there may be good reason to start on a small, or "maintenance" dose. Dr. prescribed the 2.5g 1% as mentioned above. But then I was not comfortable telling him about how I enjoy being asexual as that might open up a can or worms.

So, I suppose I will start a routine of 1/2 a tube a day and see how that goes. Dr. said to come back in 3 months for another blood test to monitor testosterone level. As long as I can dodge the bullets of feminization, depression, osteporosis that would be a good thing. I definitely don't care for the confusion and indecision that I am experiencing, which I guess is being affected by my sudden decline in testosterone. And my energy level and interest in things I like is way down. Getting that back to normal would be preferred.

I had no idea I would hit "paydirt" so to speak, when I wandered into this web site............I thought it would be way off base for me.....well, I guess in some ways it is way off base for me, but it is certainly an interesting learning experience. I tried researching cancer sites to find info from men who had castration due to cancer but did not find much in that direction.

I doubt I will ever want to have my balls removed, and don't know if it will be medically necessary some day, but should that occur, for me at least, I guess I have a little in common with the group here as I definitely feel that the loss will be theirs, not mine.

DeadNutz

I was in a situation very similar to yours. My testes were shrunken, very hard and totally numb. They had been that way for some time and my regular PCP doctor discovered them during a routine physical. An ultrasound got me an appointment with a urologist for another ultrasound and a testosterone test. My T level was not quite down to castrate level but was only about 1/3 of what the minimum should be. After a surgical biopsy, the diagnosis was that they were "atrophied and infarcted". Sounds very similar, doesn't it? My urologist suggested that they be removed after giving some time to see if they would recover. They weren't causing any immediate problems but who knows in the long run and my insurance would cover it all- who knows with Obummer care and going on Medicare in a couple years. So I was castrated. But there really is little difference in having 2 balls that don't work or having none save for appearance, is there? A bone density scan some time after the surgery saw me just getting into osteopina, the precursor to osteoporosis. My urologist then recommended either estrogen or testosterone and plenty of calcium daily. I was amused as he really didn't push one hormone over the other and left the choice up to me. My T level at that time was under castration level- about half of what is was previously. My energy level was off and my strength had decreased as well plus my skin was very dry and itchy so I agreed to try some testosterone. He put me on the gel so I had pretty much complete control of my dosage. He gave me a prescription for plenty and we tried a number of different dosages and got T tests and my feedback on each. Obviously measuring T when on a replacement is not as exact as they would believe. There most certainly is a time element from when the gel is applied and when the blood is drawn to measure the T level. It generates more useful info to do it consistently. Anyway, I found I was most happy with a level that was nearly identical to my initial test when all this started- well below nornal but about twice what castration level was considered. I am currently taking 1/2 a tube of Testim every other day, sometimes every third day. I shower in the evening before bed and apply it then. It does take some time to dry mostly but never gets to the point of being absolutely dry. I don't mind the scent and my wife likes it. My doctor was very adaptable to letting me find my comfort level. Maybe he just figured I was a hands-on patient and going to do it my way anyway. I never developed any feminine physical characteristics save for my penis shrinking and now wearing panties. Another bone density test after taking 1600mg of calcium daily 6 or 7 months showed me back into the normal range there as well. I am pleased being fairly asexual now but also getting most of my strength and energy back. Best wishes for you...

The German version of the gel doesn't smell so bad; it's called 'Testocur' and smells somewhat like alcohol which quickly evaporates. Importation to the US might be hairy.