Just like Rocky Bilbao I am staging a come back. Although hopefully mine won’t be followed by a load of crap sequels. Anyone following me on this journey may be confused by the direction of my blog.

Because I have been suffering from low testosterone and high prolactin and hypothyroidism. I need to logically address all of these issues. As far as I’m aware I should address these in the order of their pecking order. For example as far as I can work out the only one of the above hormones that can affect the others is the thyroid. So I’m currently addressing this problem with my prescribed 100mcg Levothyroxine. Now that my TSH is recently below 1 (currently 0.81 range <6) and  T3 of 4.9 range 3.5-6.5  and a T4 of 15  range 9 to 24.

My Testosterone levels are shown below in this chart:

my lab results

As you can see I still have a long way ahead of me till I get my testosterone levels up to where they should be. But I was pretty amazed with my 13.4 result. After all, that’s the highest recorded result for me EVEN WHILE I WAS ON TRT!!

That point alone makes me realize that I was not getting the correct follow ups while on T.  Ok for Testogel certainly. But for Sustanon I never got any follow up bloods done for nearly 5 months!!! Crazy right?  That last (and first reading) that you see for Sustanon 250 was the result of bloods drawn 5 days before the end of my 3 weeks shot.  So if my testosterone level was this low at 10.3 for 5 days before the shot was supposed to have ran out, it just goes to show what an absolute rollercoaster ride my bodies hormone system has been on!

It’s just far too easy for doctors to think that one dose fits all. Ludicrous in fact, how can the delicate balance of hormones not be massively affected by these constant highs and lows of serum testosterone..? Not to mention any E2 that has been built up due to the conversion/aromitization from high levels of Testosterone.

Please let this be a reality check for any guys out there who may be looking at getting on TRT. ALWAYS, ALWAYS make sure that your Doctor is going to do the right amount of follow ups. If they don’t they are doing you and more importantly your health a major disservice.

3 months after stopping Testosterone is it still Low T? How I intend to increase using exercise and weight training.

So I’ve just gone past the 12 weeks after stopping hormone replacement therapy and I have gotta admit to you. It’s been tough. Don’t get me wrong here it’s not been an ‘all-out 24-7 assault. It’s been more of a constant grind with the occasional high point. But mainly a potent mix of feeling like shit and as the young girl Newt said in ‘Aliens’- ” They mostly come at night, mostly”. That’s right folks I usually really feel at my very worst in the evening/night time. Trying to unwind has become bloody difficult especially when I’m trying to remain calm and stress free. I really think that I’m going to have to look into possible problems with my adrenals and cortisol levels.

Personally, to increase my Testosterone I have just gone out a bought a multigym that’s taken me a weekend to build in my garage. It’s nothing fancy but will enable me to work out the majority of the upper body muscle groups. Bench Press, Lateral pull downs and buttlerfly press and also a leg press.  These machines are not the necessarily the best way for me to tone and hone my slob like mass. BUT this will help me establish a pattern of exercise.

I am using the multigym every 2nd or 3rd day. To be honest, I’m really enjoying working out again. Nothing major as with such Low T levels my recovery is taking quite a while but I’m definitely seeing strength improvement and a small increase in muscle size. So I think I’m gradually getting there!  Now I know it’s not the same a doing squats and deadlifts etc. They are the most efficient way to increase T, but I struggle with exercise at the moment and I wouldn’t feel comfortable in a gym environment just yet. Dizzy spells, trouble getting my breath back and a racing heart beat are not too compatible with gymnasium insurance policies. I’d feel like I was on some gym instructors “dead pool” list with them just waiting for it to happen of their premises!

As well as weight training I’m alternating with various yoga routines. My wifes Barbara Curries Yoga DVD is my current training mate.  She is great at yoga but the “Don’t forget to breath” comments can become slightly tiresome after a while.  I’m going to try and include some cardio when I start to see a general improvement with my body tolerating exercise better but one step at a time donkey!

The third workout I do is press-ups, situps, general weight training with a pair of dumbells.

I’m taking these supplements to increase my Low T Levels naturally.

Supplements are also key to increasing testosterone. I’ve started taking a capsule of codliver oil in the morning. A Wellman “Conception” supplement with my evening meal should help get my levels of zinc, magnesium, vit D and the B vitamins to a better level.

Not that I’m aiming to improve my fertility, but I reckon that this supplement may go some way into maximising what little testosterone I currently have and may help improve my levels further. I have also been taking an extra vit D3 1000iu supplement considering all of the advice about us all being low on vit D.

I’m going to carry on staying off the TRT for at least another 3 months and re-evaluate just how I’m doing then. If I need to get back onto TRT then I will do so, but it will only be after having tried everything I can to try and get my HPTA back to some kind of normality.

I’ve just had some more bloods taken so I will keep you upto date when I get the results.  Got a feeling the T will be low, I got about 3 hrs sleep if that the night before the blood test. Wish me luck! I could do with some good news!

If you are lucky enough to live in a country such as Germany or the U.S you will be viewed as Hypo if your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is over 3.

The symptoms of subclinical Hypothyroidism are the same as being Hypothyroid, why should you be judged just on a TSH number?

The UK however is still living in the dark ages , the NHS is very unlikely to offer you treatment of any kind unless your TSH is 10 or over. You may be lucky and find a sympathetic GP or Endocrinologist who may treat the symptoms.  You may be unfortunate and just be diagnosed from your TSH level and FT4 This is doing you a great disservice and at the very least you should go into your GP’s and insist upon getting the TSH, Free T4, Free T3, Thyroid antibodies to check for Hashimotos also. Family history is also important to bring to the attention of your Doctor.

ALSO make sure that you personally either record your levels i.e the physical numbers and make sure that you get the ranges too. You should be entitled to this data and most doctors surgeries should be happy to give you a printout of your results if you ask them. Don’t feel that you are putting them out by asking. YOU are ENTITLED to YOUR information!

Now just because some ‘dragon in a frock’ aka ‘the gatekeeper’ or more commonly the Doctor’s receptionist sitting behind the doctors reception desk has some kind of superior complex simply brought about by ‘having an association to a Doctor’ and looks down her nose at you for daring to slightly increase her workload by asking for a printout.

YOU have to take charge of your own health care, I can assure you here and now fellow proles that should the receptionist’s own family have a need to see a doctor- They are going to get an appointment as quick as a flash. Always keep a copy of your bloods that way you will always be able to spot a trend in your bloodwork.

The various symptoms that I have experienced while being “subclinically Hypothyroid” are not a bloody garden of roses, regardless of what my Doctor thought..

Subclinical Hypothyroidism symptoms are the same as for your bogstandard Hypothyroid, for me personally? Well I have been suffering from Dizzy spells, Low heart rate at around 60 (but I’m currently no athlete) heart palpitations, missed beats,Fatigue and  dry flaky skin, slightly swollen face, big dark circles and bags under my eyes.  Not forgetting that the outer third of my eyebrows have vanished and I now look slightly weird if I don’t trim the remaining eyebrows that bit shorter.  The worst symptoms for me are the most noticeable which are  the struggling to catch my breath even after just a slight exertion.

Also the strange dizziness that always seemed to coincide with stuffy sinuses most noticeably the same kind of sensation you get when taking off in an aeroplane. I think that there is definitely some kind of connection between being hypothyroid and having sinus/ ear problems. If any one you also suffer the same symptoms please let me know.  As I take Cabergoline to keep down my high prolactin I find that the blocked ears gets even worse after taking the cabergoline dose. But please comment on this post if you are having similar issues! Also if you have found any kind of way to alleviate it I would be grateful for the share.

If you are diagnosed with subclinical Hypothyroidism, don’t panic- there are things that you can do to improve your lot. Most importantly, read, read and read some more. I’m not kidding you. One of the best places that will help you make sense of what you are going through is STTM I really cannot recommend this site highly enough. Tons of really helpful interesting articles that will help you make sense of being Hypothyroid.

If you are not getting the treatment you need do not be afraid to look for another Doctor.

You have to understand that most GP’s and certainly alot of Endocrinologists (not all I hasten to add) know an awful lot more about diabetes than they do about the Thyroid and especially how to treat it effectively. You will find that most GP’s will just treat the numbers and not the patient. If you are suffering at the hands of your GP do not be afraid to find another doctor that is more accommodating.

I guess the real issue is whether you are classed as subclinical Hypothyroid or not. It’s a moot point after all you must be suffering the symptoms of being Hypothyroid so really what is the difference? A number in a TSH test that is not the gold standard it’s supposed to be. Perhaps if doctors went back and actually listened to patients and symptoms then we wouldn’t be in this awful mess. Heavens forbid being a man a getting Hypothyroid, just because it’s more common amongst women doesn’t mean that men cannot get it. At one point I was actually told by a GP that I couldn’t possibly be Hypothyroid purely on her experience that men just don’t get it! Would love to hear about some of your own similar experiences with poor doctors.

So technically I am going through a premature “andropause” i.e: the male equivalent of the female menopause. But I prefer the term “manopause” as it just seems – well, just a little bit more descriptive.

Hot flashes are common in the manopause apparently, low testosterone has caused me a whole lot of hurt. I feel like I’m almost 40 going on 95.

Men too can have hot flashes..

So .. What causes Hot Flashes in men ?

Ok, hot flashes can be caused by Low T, an overactive thyroid (Hyperthyroid), Hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar) and blood pressure that is too low. Don’t be alarmed, they are not the end of the world. But you should see a Doctor just to rule out anything more serious and to help put your mind at ease. It seems that it’s mainly changes in hormones levels, in particularly hormone imbalances that bring out these hot flashes. They can occur at any time of the day and often just come out of nowhere. They commonly occur at night and are also called the “night sweats”.

what is a Hot Flash?

Hot flashes are usually a combination of the following signs and symptoms:

• Sudden onset of feeling too hot normally in the upper body but can be an all over sensation of heat in the face, neck, arms, torso, and sometimes the whole body.
• Heart Palpitations, rapid, irregular or missing heart beats often accompanied by anxiety.
• Flushing, Basically getting a ‘big red face on’ maybe even noticing  a sensation of ears burning.(the same as when you can feel the wife discussing your latest ‘man toy’ purchase with her pals.
• Sweating getting your sweat on ranging from a light ‘dab on’  to the full on ‘gary glitter in a playground.’
• Cold chills /shivers  can follow hot flashes, the same experience you may have when your wife ‘chances upon’ your late night browsing history.
• Poor Sleep  can be caused by hot flashes or alternatively known as the night sweats. Testosterone levels are determined by our circadian rythm and may be at its lowest at night time. Our testosterone levels are normally at their highest in the morning upon waking – this is the reason for the ‘morning salute’ that greets us if we are lucky!
• Other Symptoms of Hot Flushes: Dizzy,Nausea, Headaches and feelings of overwhelming anxiety.

What’s the best way for men to deal with hot flashes?

Turn down your heating : My wife just loves to have the house’ subtropical’ having the thermostat cranked up to the ‘ impending global warming’ setting. She doesn’t appreciate that, “hey love it’s mid-winter why do you think that you should be able to walk around the house in just a T shirt with impunity from old jack frost outside?”

Maybe it’s my miserly ways coming into play but perhaps just by turning the heating down a little and wearing a sweater instead will make my hot flashes more bearable. Too much warmth in a room is a classic trigger for a hot flash.

TRY and avoid Stress: Stress and anxiety is another one of the main triggers of hot flashes. If you can, try and nip things in the bud. If you know that something is likely to put you under stress either try and avoid it or use other methods to manage that stress better. Now I’m not saying that’s a good excuse to finally get in a that young thai au pair to deal with the children. But, working out what is likely to put you into that stress condition. Also keep in mind that although a small amount of stress can be a great motivator. It also can affect the healing process and certainly slow down any recovery. I personally feel that stress has slowed down my own recovery from having low testosterone.

Alcohol, rich foods and smoking : This should be obvious, after all anything that we enjoy in abundance tends to be bad for us. Even small amounts of alcohol can set off hot flashes, but do try and not let this condition ruin our lives. Just be sensible and know your limits man.

Spicy food, curries, kebabs and alot of high fat/calorie  takeouts can set off a hot flash. Be sensible what you eat and try and keep things healthy and balanced.

When I find a hot flush coming on I personally like to head outside into the cooler air and just sit down and try and let things pass. Deep breathing techniques often help. Anything that seems to lower my heart rate and calm the heart palpitations help my hot flashes to pass.  I have had them last for only a minute through to a full flown hour long odyssey. That one was a real bitch

Hyperthyroidism induced Hot flashes

Recently while increasing my thyroxine dosage for being hypothyroid I have experienced more Hot flashes through the dose increase. This is not very pleasant at all. But I guess anyone of you guys out there that’s also Hypothyroid and reading this will understand just what I mean, getting a slow and steady increase in Thyroxine is essential, but at some point in finding our ideal dose of T4 (or maybe even T3 if you are on armour).

We will end up experiencing the palpitations and hot flashes that come from turning slightly hyperthyroid. Normally following up with regular blood tests at the doctors looking at the TSH and T3 and T4 blood serum levels to try and work out exactly where we are.

I’m still trying to keep a cool head and I’m sure that the hot flashes will eventually pass when my testosterone and thyroid hormones balance out somewhere near to where they should be ideally. But just try and stay cool, man up and let the hot flash pass.

Treating my Hypothyroidism has not been easy, getting actual treatment was difficult enough as it is. I cannot believe just how reticent my doctor was to even consider the fact that I may be Hypo. She said  “Nope, men don’t get thyroid problems.” and  “Your TSH of 6.7 is only just outside the normal range of <6, you can’t possibly be underactive”  While she admitted that I was technically classed as ‘subclinical Hypothyroid’ she certainly would not even consider any treatment until my TSH reached the magical arbitrary figure of 10.

Treating my Low Thyroid has fixed my Low T and my Testosterone level is now in the ‘Normal’ range at last!

Since being diagnosed with:  Empty Sella Syndrome, Secondary Hypogonadism and High Prolactin, oh silly me lets not forget Subclinical Hypothyroidism!

Could this be the light at the end of the tunnel?

(Try saying those really quickly when you have had a drink or two! ) I’ve thought all along that since the sudden onset of my illness they must all be related. Well YES Sherlock, all of them have the pituitary gland in common.

I think my Doctors thought that because my thyroid T4 is low – low but still in the normal range. and my TSH is over 6 they didn’t need to do anything. It was only when I asked my Endo to trial Levothyroxine to see if it would lower my high prolactin levels (this was done after finding a report link here to ‘does thyroxine lower prolactin‘ . I thought that yes I certainly have some thyroid issues. BUT I think that maybe I have put down too many symptoms to being Low T and NOT Hypothyroid, but when you look closer alot of the symptoms are very similar.

Brain Fog is one of the most annoying symptoms that both these conditions share. I can walk into my kitchen and I find myself actually muttering to myself like an old man. Actually asking myself out loud “so what did I come in here for!”. Worse still I have actually forgotten to collect my youngest child from nursery! Thankfully I had only ‘forgot’ her for about an hour. Terrible I know, but the staff at the nursery weren’t sure either if she was to stay late. So I called the nursery and told them of my error and they laughed thankfully.

But anyway I’m digressing again aren’t I ? As since being on TRT I hadn’t improved much. I still felt like a bag of shite and I wasn’t happy that my Prolactin was still high and I wasn’t getting any treatment for my thyroid, after all despite the fact that my doctor’s ‘didn’t think’ there was a problem with my thyroid I just had to ask them to trial some thyroxine. My thinking was that if I trialled Levo then it would ‘rule out’ thyroid issues and that would mean then I too would stop nagging my Endo- which I’m sure was the reason he agreed to the trial. I started out on 50 mcg then went to 75 and now currently at 100mcg and awaiting further blood tests.

Thanks to Levothyroxine treating my Hypothyroidism my Testosterone has increased by over 50% in less than 5 weeks.

My total T was 6.3  just 10 days after stopping TRT  and another 5 weeks later my Testosterone is now classed as ‘normal’ at 13.4. That’s the first time my testosterone has been in the normal range since getting ill.  The normal range is 11-36.

So although it’s really early days for me on my road to recovery I have taken some heart in knowing that by stopping TRT I have managed to raise my own natural testosterone back into the normal range. Even though it’s low normal, I hope to get up to around 23-26 which is where it should be given my age.

Why the ‘normal’ testosterone range may not be so normal..

So please don’t get me wrong here though, my testosterone may now be in the ‘normal’ range. But for my age it is definitely far from normal.
So according to that chart I should be between (on average) between 84 to 85 years old!! The problem with all normal ranges especially when these ranges are applicable to all ages and those people that make up the sample could well have a low reading thus skewing the results even further!! we can clearly see that this is not right.
When you go to the doctors always ask for a printed copy. Don’t just accept the doctor saying your results are normal- ask them what the range is and work out roughly where you should be in that range. Don’t take shoddy service from your healthcare provider.

Just to confirm, I am not fully fixed yet.. But it does indeed look like Hypothyroidism is indeed responsible for my Low Testosterone levels and I will continue to try and increase them. If you have any tips or are also going through this I would love to hear from you. Let’s get out of this Hypothyroid low Testosterone trap together comrades!

Are there are communities of groups for men with low testosterone? – I hear you ask, well the answer to this is obviously yes, yes there are. But the problems that arise are that most of these communities are small individual guys who have set up there own web-ring to help support other men going through the nightmare of suffering from low T.

There are forums out there that you can join that will certainly help answer alot of your questions but it does seem that we are fragmented across the wide reaches of the internet and depending upon the reason for your being low T.

Men can suffer from low testosterone for many reasons, this is not a scientific all encompassing list. Just what I have found while trawling around the web.

Friendly forums and communities for men with Low T or Hypogonadism (Now this group hug caught your attention)

The Different causes of Low Testosterone

Bodybuilding or weight training and the resulting side effects of using steroids.

Men who have suffered a condition like Testicular Cancer who may suffer from low t due to the removal of a testicle or both.

Guys who have low T caused by a head injury or some other trauma to the pituitary/hypothalamus.

Lifestyle induced, prescription or non prescription drug induced, finasteride etc or just idiopathic (unknown reason) i.e sods law..

Now all we need to do is try and find the right support group to help right?

I am not looking at promoting or helping guys find communities which will help them ‘get juiced’ on ridiculously high amounts of testosterone as there certainly are some very dubious forums with these kind of intentions and I recommend these are best avoided.

Don’t get me wrong guys, I know and understand that when you are low t and you have an ineffective doctor who just doesn’t have a bloody clue then you are pretty much willing to try anything to get better. Been there and done that. In fact, I have spent the last year researching my condition, trying to get answers, blood tests and basically bullying my doctors to help get me better. I would suggest banging your head against a brick wall is infinitely more productive and probably more satisfying!

Many of your treatment options will be fully dependent upon where you live. If you are in the UK then be ready for getting a below par level of care. For example the T range is from 11-36. If you are a fit young male at 18 a blood test that came back with a total T of 11 would return a ‘normal’ result and a doctor would not even CONSIDER looking any further. But please keep in mind that T levels deteriorate gradually with age. This 18 year old should be above 30.  Anyone around the 11 to 15 region are most likely over 60 years old!!  So when you go to your doctors ALWAYS take a hard copy of the results including the range. I’m just trying to say DO NOT ACCEPT a  ‘NORMAL’  as being such. We are all different and the medical community should take this into consideration.

I decided to start this blog about my experience of going through low T because I just wasn’t your typical burnt out body builder who’s been looking for infinite gains and just waking up to the fact that perhaps they have gone too far. All the while getting tired of the merry go round of HCG, Testosterone shots and possibly aromatisation inhibitors. In fact I used to weight train lightly in my early twenties but I never took supps or steroids.

These bodybuilders will suggest various PCT’s (Post cyle Therapy). Remember, these guys experiment with many different fertility drugs in an effort to restart their own HPTA after doing a cyle of steroids. Some with more success than others. Lots of different factors will come into play, such as length of cyles, combinations of T, use of HCG etc. These protocols may certainly help if you have access to these drugs and getting the blood work done. Don’t get me wrong I am not knocking what they do, they are innovators and I guess help the cause for the rest of us.. Hopefully knowledge gained from these guys will go into possible future treatments for the rest of us low T guys.

Get the right advice by all means but please don’t start taking drugs and supplements without the support of your Doctor. When you go back needing help or bloods done they will not thank you for it!

BUT, if like me, you are in the UK, or just not ready to start taking various drugs recommended on an internet forum. Then you may have some tough decisions to make.  Perhaps Health tourism if you have the money and are willing to travel to the US ? If not then I suggest do your own research, take a balanced view. Find the right supplements i.e vitamins etc that your body may be low in such as Zinc, Vit D, Iron, Fish oils etc. Get the rest you need, Try not to stress and try and keep up exercise – whatever you can do to stay healthy. It will all help.

What other forums are communities are there for Low Testosterone or Hypogonadism

Here are some of the sites that I can recommend you check out:

UK based:

The Testosterone Deficiency Centre

A fantastic resource to help guys with Low T in the UK,  check out the copy of the latest NHS guidelines for T levels check out their forums (new but hopefully will grow)

Thyroid Disease Forum

A friendly UK based community for those who have Thyroid problems (often the underlying cause of Low T)

No More Panic

If you are suffering from anxiety and palpitations get support from others going through exactly the same thing.

UK Muscle Forum TRT section

I have found this to be a friendly community that is not full of the ‘bro’ speak you may find elsewhere, helpful and supportive of guys trying to restart their HPTA

USA Based

MESO Think Steroids Forum

An open community with some more ‘helpful than others’ members. Pro steroid/HRT community. Forum frequented by Dr Michael Scally a US specialist in male hormones. A community that does not suffer fools gladly!! Be warned! Do your research and give full labs/ranges when/if posting.

MuscleChat room- All things Male Forum

A friendlier community that offers help, support and advice from its members. Also has a resident male hormone specialist offering advice in the forums Dr John Crisler.

Stop The Thyroid Madness

A very well written and helpful site aimed at ‘re-educating the medical community’  and helping the reader understand their Thyroid and it’s treatment.  Highly recommended.

 Lastly I’m going to mention some other guys that I have came across who have their own blogs. You may be interested in reading and following.

Life with Low T

Follow  lifewithlowT as he battles against this condition certainly an interesting blog and I hope he does indeed recover.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Follow another young average joe trying to fix his low T. Having tried restarting he’s having a period of trying to get TRT right. I wish you the best of luck luck with getting the balance right and hope that you start to feel better.

This list is by no means exhaustive. Please comment if you feel that you have a Low T or Hypogonadism site that may be of help.

Living with low testosterone is certainly no fun, don’t believe anyone who thinks that supplementing their own T is the proverbial ‘dog’s danglies’ it’s not! FACT. If you have a medical condition that has caused your own testosterone to diminish to old grandfather time’s T Levels, then hell yeah, maybe you should be on TRT.

I stopped taking Testogel 6 weeks ago, and in this rather short period of time. I’ve suffered from panic attacks and anxiety that has been unbelievable. Feeling like  my body is just going to stop dead in it’s tracks and break down quicker than an Alfa Romeo that’s just ran out of it’s dealership warranty.

My Children being affected by my Low Testosterone moods.

Blessed with having my own beautiful children occasionally I have to admit like a ‘bad dad’ that at times I really struggle with them, feeling that I lose my patience too easily with them, I try to be the best dad I can but end up wracked with guilt that I shouldn’t have ‘snapped’ or that ‘they are just kids’ don’t take it out on them. So I do try and make a real effort to keep my temper in check. I have occasionally had temper outbursts and immediately regretted using bad language around them. I don’t use bad language normally and I don’t like my kids to hear me use those words.

What I’m saying I guess is that I find my own children really test my patience at times, this is really noticeable while my testosterone levels are low.  Finding that my own behaviour is erratic and not what is ‘normally me’, I guess I could describe my actions as bipolar. Not in the medical sense. But I find myself one minute on the edge of being angry and anxious and the next I’m upset with my having been angry and I try and compensate.

How my Low T affects my marriage and how being married to a Low T guy must be tough.

Next I have to apologise to my wife, of course she won’t ever read this.. Well, not as I know anyway. But I reckon by putting it in print here it goes some way to making amends for my erratic moodswings and it should help balance my universal store of Karma.

I know that when you say “I do” and “till death, do us part”. I wonder how many of us actually stand by these maxims. I would like to think that I do live by these ideals. I’m not religious and you will never catch me setting fire to a publishing house because of a few cartoon sketches. But I’m more a humanist than anything else and I live by the 10 commandments just because they are pretty decent standards to live by.

So when I married my beautiful wife I was sure that on that fantastic day nothing could ever damage our relationship. Even some 14 years later I still love my wife and find her as sexy as the day we met. BUT, I find that with my becoming a bit of a ‘neurotic’ and always feeling anxious and every couple of hours emitting a statement like “love, I don’t feel well” or ” my hands ache”, or ” I feel dizzy” must go some way to dampening her desire for me! As my wife used to be in the caring profession. I find that ‘caring’ is the very last thing I would describe her as.

I understand that she doesn’t want to mother me or forever be allaying my latest ‘Withnail and I” style ‘fear’. But I would like to think that I would afford her more leeway if ever the situation was reversed. I need ‘positivity’ and I feel that she is just bored now of my moaning and groaning and is just putting up with me for the sake of our kids.

Advice for the woman having to deal with a husband or partner with low T

But please girls if you are reading this because you your Husband or partner is suffering from Low T, please don’t pander to their anxiety but also just as importantly. Understand that it’s not pleasant for us having to put up with the constant worry of anxiety. You may have to live with it (us) 20% of your waking life.  We have to deal with it 100% of the time and it really does become draining. Not even sleep comes easily to us because of this testosterone deficiency!

I don’t want to be a burden to my wife or family. Hell, I would rather just disappear one day than have them gradually lose their love for me because of my ‘manliness’ being steadily eroded by this awful nasty condition of Low Testosterone. I was brought up in an age where men were supposed to be men. Foolishly or not we were expected to always be cool, disciplined, fair and decent to our loved ones. Not some ‘needy’,'emotionally retarded’ selfish individual that is always going on about ‘me’, low t and how it’s ruined my life. Shit, it’s not cancer is it? I should be grateful and that makes me feel even worse!

Here’s a poem by William Butler Yeats written about love. I guess I’m just trying to say tread gently as you tread on my dreams.

He wishes for the cloths of heaven

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

I am trying to come back from this awful Low Testosterone thing and I WILL come back from it stronger than ever. When I do.. I will give my all to my family, our relationships and  attend to what’s really important in our short lives.

Sorry for not giving you guys a break down of my symptoms and how I am actually feeling now at the six weeks point.  (guess I just got carried away eh lol) .I am still feeling muscle and joint pain. My fingers and knuckle joints have been getting worse. I’ve also had some pretty bloody severe panic attacks over the last week at nighttime. Normally around the time that I take my dose of Cabergoline.  That stuff sure helpd but it has some horrible bloody side effects.

But that’s six weeks almost done. Hoping to see some improvement in bloods for my Low Testosterone and LH,FSH blood tests that should be coming through soon.

It hasn’t been easy guys. Living with Low Testosterone for the last 4 weeks really has not been a picnic. If I could get back in my time and change my lifestyle way back before all of this started I would without hesitation. I have been dragged back to those dark days of joint aches and muscle fatigue that only low T seem to inflict upon us.

Anyway I am still in the game, this last month has been a struggle that’s for sure. The temptation to dive into my stockpiled reserves of  Testogel was at times almost too much. I stood my ground and just tried to stay positive about stopping TRT and used positive thoughts about eventually one day not needing TRT. Strangely enough at times I feel almost normal, I guess these times are when I have become preoccupied in something else and my mind wonders away from the poor ‘Woe is me’ mindset that I can settle into from time to time.

Evening time always used to be my favourite time of the day, a time to relax with the family and forget about the grind of work and all of it’s niggles. It’s just difficult to relax when you start getting the racing heart, the missed heart beats and the dizzy feeling strikes. Now I feel at my best in the mornings (Not straight away you understand..lol) After I have had a cup of Tea and breakfast and a shower. I now shave my face about once a week and probably have about 4-5mm in beard growth in 7 days.  Certainly not as quick as I remember!

Probably the speed of beard growth is as good as any blood test to ascertain Testosteone levels. It may not be overly scientific but it seems to work for me.  Not that this will prevent me from harrasing the over zealous staff that work as receptionists at my GP surgery!

Not wishing to share too much information with you here, But if you are reading this, you too are probably considering stopping or have stopped TRT and this could be quite significant info for some. Well my balls have started to hang alot lower, pretty much like they did in the ‘good old days’  They are still definitely smaller too, but I think we may be seeing some improvements on that front.

Testicle aches and pains have kind of diminished, not sure if this is a good or bad thing?  Perhaps after they have just been forced out of retirement they have now just suffered a massive coronary after being exposed to their  new epic work load ? Let’s hope not for my sake eh lol.

My sleep patterns haven’t changed dramatically I still get up probably one or two nights throughout the week not feeling too great. Cabergoline is the culprit I think.. This Dopamine agonist drug really makes me feel dehydrated and plays havoc with my sinuses but it is definitely a necessary evil when it comes to restoring my HPTA.

So, How do I feel after being off Testosterone for 4 weeks?

I was absolutely petrified at the prospect of changing the status quo of things. My Testosterone therapy had not been going as I had hoped that it would and I figured that the only way things would change would be if I forced the changes.

Stopping TRT is a huge decision to make, it will impact all aspects of our lives. From the way we play with our children, socialise with family and friends, confidence, sexual ability and libido.  We aren’t stopping taking Testosterone for the fun of it and I recommend that you too think long and hard about why you are doing this first.

After all, why would you go through all of the pain and discomfort of stopping TRT if you are not willing to go the whole distance?  It reminds me of when I gave up smoking cigarettes.  I was always really pleased with myself after stopping. BUT the problems soon started to arise after a few weeks have passed. It’s easy to slip back into old habits after all. I have given up remembering all of those times that I gave up smoking only to crumble. I once started smoking after bring off for 8 months!

You can just the imagine the disappointment that comes from failing after 8 months. I was really gutted.  I apply the same principles to stopping Testosterone. I would be devasted if I broke and went back onto Testogel just to relieve the temporary pain.

I understand that if this restart doesn’t work out for me then I KNOW that I will need to get back onto taking replacement testosterone. But god willing it will only be when I am good and ready to accept the fact that I gave my body long enough to recover and that it just didn’t happen.

Hanging tough when things don’t go your way

When I have one of my’ the green hulk’ angry moments, it’s amazing at just how quickly I can blow my Temper. From zero to angry in 3 seconds flat. It sounds amusing but it can be about the most petty of things. Just WOE betide anyone that cuts me up while I’m driving!!

Road rage has nothing on me. Most importantly I know that this is ALL down to having Low Testosterone. Most people seem to think that it’s steroids that cause “roid rage” etc. Big hulking body builders roaming around with shnooks the size of hamsters getting all angry.

This is not necessarily the case. Only when excessive ‘Supraphysiological doses of Testosterone will cause Angry Man Syndrome, certainly not the ‘therapeutic’ amount that we take to restore our blood serum levels to what they should be.

I found that while I was actually on TRT I felt calmer than when I was Low T. Don’t get me wrong my levels on TRT were never really optimal. So when my levels went a bit haywire. That’s when I would start to lose my rag and throw my teddies out of the pram with people.

Low Testosterone and dealing with your wife and Children

Things are most likely not all champagne and roses,most likely you have been put off having sex and the intimacy has just taken a back seat. Preferring to sleep on the couch rather than engage in hide the salami. It’s not her fault, it’s yours. You will probably blame pressure at work or your ever expanding waistline. Chances are it’s Low Testosterone that’s cockblocking you!

Yep, You wouldn’t even know it, well at least not in the early days of being Low T. So your libido has crashed and things are kinda rough for you sexually. I was taken away for a romantic weekend and at the crucial moment. Not only could I not get a ‘shot off’ I couldn’t get it up. It would just not get really hard like it used to. We had to call it off.  I was so embarrassed. For over 12 years of marriage I had never failed to ‘get a shot off’ – one shot one kill. ALWAYS.  I had never NOT finished the job. I just didn’t know what to do, where to go from here.

Dealing with your Children and trying not to get angry at them.

Remember, It’s nobodies fault. Children naturally push the boundaries of behaviour. They don’t “Understand” that the way they behave can really send you into a tirade. It’s just what kids do! They don’t do it deliberately to annoy you, They love you as their Daddy and it can all get a little intense when you start taking out anger and bad moods on your family.

Tips to help deal with your Anger,

• Ask your partner to keep an eye on the kids and to intervene when things get too heated and she can see you getting uptight.
• Count to 10 before you open your mouth to tell them off. Think about what is a fair reaction and react proportionally.
• Bear in mind that it is you with a hormonal imbalance that has the issues, not your Children!
• Tell your children that you get angry more easily and that you love them just as you always have, that it’s not their fault.
• Try and spend more time with them so that you form a closer bond to help deal with the bad days.
• Give them a hug and kiss at bedtime. Often this alone has stopped me from doing something stupid on my ‘dark days’.

Remember that Anger problems will soon pass once you get your Hormones in Balance. Don’t beat yourself up over this.

Ok, I know the title is a bit dramatic, but behind all the drama. I do wonder whether my body can survive without Testosterone? For over the last 10 months or so I have been taking Testosterone Replacement therapy for Low Testosterone Levels. Either in the form of a shot of Sustanon 250 or during the latter part of TRT I was taking Androgel (Testogel in the UK).

Now that I have reached Day 5:

“Without any form of Testosterone I guess my body is the same as any car that suddenly loses power and displays the yellow ‘check engine light’ . This usually means the car has gone into limp home mode. That’s how I feel without Testosterone.”

This is my statement about how I currently feel. I know that my body is surviving on adrenals that are probably not the best at coping with more symptoms of Low T an with me being Hypothyroid lazy thyroid is also getting in on the act and throwing it’s spanner in the works!

I believe that the human body is one well functioning machine where everything is all in tune and working to a rythm. When something starts missing a beat or doesn’t quite perform as it should the whole  ‘orchestra’ starts to mess up. Other parts of the endocrine system try and compensate and they in turn start to come under extra stress. This is why I think my thyroid has become underactive. It was probably ok just doing it’s day to day thing. But as soon as it needs to do a whole lot more it just cannot seem to be bothered anymore.

I had Low Testosterone results even while I was on TRT so why bother?

It sounds a little contrite, but it’s true, why bother going through TRT and having to cope with the rollercoaster ride of steroids causing high E2 and Low T. I know that because of the blood tests I had done during Testosterone Replacement I either wasn’t getting enough Testosterone added OR my body just wanted to convert it to E2 (estradiol).

So not only did I cope with very low T before being diagnosed and just wondering what on earth was wrong with me. I also had to cope with having Low T while I was on Testosterone Replacement. Lastly I now have to deal with this possibly at it’s worst because I am trying to restart my HPTA from a standing start with very little forward momentum.

I have been suffering for the last week without Testosterone, but it’s a case of maintaining a positive mental attitude. If I don’t hang in there and just wait and see how my body is going to react to stopping TRT.

The hardest thing for me is laying in bed, my muscles and bones feel like they are aching, I cannot sleep as my heartbeat is all over the place and I keep thinking ‘ why don’t I just put myself out of this misery and dab on the Testogel I have left over’.

Then in the cold light of day when I’m awake I am grateful that I managed to hang in there for another day. Giving my HPTA and testicles a chance to start working how they should be. It’s sure not going to be easy and I am having alot more lows than highs right now. But I reckon every day I hang on in there, I may be a day closer to finally feeling better and getting off of TRT.

Do I need to use a PCT to get off Testosterone replacement? It seems common practice in the US, but Cold Turkey is just the ticket in the UK.

It’s always going to be difficult to know whether you are making the right decision especially when you see that other countries have very different drug administrations laws about which drugs can be used for certain medical conditions. You would think that Americans are biologically different from the rest of humanity. Or maybe this is due to private health insurance and depending upon the cover you have , so varies the level of treatment?

Just because the UK doesn’t agree necessarily that these drugs are required to restart a shutdown HPTA system. IF they are proven to help more than  ‘just doing nothing’ and it’s all really just down to just the ‘cost’ factor. I should be given that choice if I wish to pay for that treatment. So I am at a crossroads right now, trying to get my HPTA restarted and I am just going cold turkey off the Testosterone and just hoping that my body picks up on this and starts to work. Meanwhile it could take up to a year for this to happen and in the meantime I’m having to deal with Low T and all of its nasty side effects.

Been getting Dizzy Spells while stopping TRT. I have had dizziness since being Diagnosed with Low Testosterone.

Feeling Dizzy with Low Testosterone

This is something that I should really have mentioned sooner. In the early days before any diagnosis. It was often the dizzy spells that alarmed me most. When looking up side effects of Low T, dizziness appears to be one of those things that blights most of us. For some guys with Low T, more serious dizzy spells occur and this is likely to be one of the worst symptoms that affect us.

I also have a sensation of blocked ears alot of the time especially when I get this whole dizziness come on. I had bad sinus problems at the time all of my problems started up and I will never really know if that somehow damaged my pituitary gland.

But I do know now that either I have some kind of long running middle ear infection OR it’s just associated with Low T and there just hasn’t been any real CONCLUSIVE evidence to nail it down as such. But it really does seem very strange that alot of us suffer from being Dizzy while we are suffering from having a Low Testosterone count.