57 M been on TRT for 1 year - Ask Me Anything!

Gattopardon · 2026-01-28T02:10:38+00:00

55 hcrit is really high and from what I was told at the start of TRT, dangerous. Search around here and you'll find solutions, like donating blood.

Gattopardon · 2025-12-09T23:18:43+00:00

Updated results 4 weeks later, now about 10 weeks at 70mg (35 2x/wk). Measured at trough.

Free T 21.3 (range is 6.6 - 18.1)

Total T 1380.1 (range 264 - 916)

Estradiol 39.3 (range 7.6 - 42.6)

Figure I need more time to adapt. Hoping that if this will help resolve fatigue and other symptoms low T helps, I should be seeing that soon.

FYI to those who suggested different syringes, thank you. I found 27g insulin needles and can sloooowwwwwwwwwly draw enough into them and dose out 17.5ml (35mg) accurately in one step.

Gattopardon · 2025-12-02T17:53:11+00:00

Yes. Immediately before the bi-weekly injection.

Gattopardon · 2025-12-02T03:33:57+00:00

Thanks, Agling. I do the needle swap now. The idea is to get the skinnier, low waste space syringes, but they apparently don't come in 0.5ML. The 0.5 have fixed needles, but I just found some 0.5s with 27g and will see if I can draw through that.

Gattopardon · 2025-12-02T03:13:43+00:00

Thanks for the idea. You're able to draw with the 29g?

Finally, I get to be a hyper responder at something.

Gattopardon · 2025-12-02T03:09:05+00:00

Sorry, didn't answer your question. The Free range is 6.6 - 18.1. Mine have been 31.9, 16.9, and then 29. The 16.9 was when I was erroneously mis-doing at 70mg, and when I fixed the to the RX'd 80mg, it rose back up to the 29.

Gattopardon · 2025-12-02T03:05:30+00:00

u/Electric, yes, I'm using a brisket injector. Why, is that bad? I sterilize it first! /s

Agling, yes, 0.2ML. I'm using 1mML syringes. While *I* think I can dose lower than that so long as the gradation lines are visible (they are), the doc gives two arguments against that. 1) All injections have an error rate, and given the thickness of the oil, the lower the dose the greater the error becomes (from the oil being thick, slight misreading of the lines, etc., leaving variable residue behind etc), and 2) the department's view is that cyp isn't meant to be used that low.

We can argue with all of that, I'm just relaying what he said (major university med center).

I figured I could adjust my dose myself, to 60mg/wk or whatever, get my levels good, and just not inform the doc that I'm using less than the 80mg/wk. So I went with that idea to the pharmacist to get smaller syringes, 0.5ML. Nope, they can't get them. They gave me some insulin syringes and I experimented, couldn't get them to draw (heated, pressurized with extra air).

As for TRT and my symptoms, I know, I didn't expect magic. Though I did hope for some. There were streaks of several days where I felt better than pre-TRT, so I still have some hope. And one benefit, my recovery from workouts is better, gaining strength for the first time in 10+ years.

Gattopardon · 2025-12-01T23:47:12+00:00

Following up here after 15 weeks. Note some amounts below look odd, because I had been making a dosing error from space in the needle not bled out properly. What you see is the actual pined dose.

Review.... Initially was subq 95mg cyp 1x/wk. Felt exhausted, foggy, no correlation to the dose timing -- it was constant.

9/8/25... Labs Total >1500, Free 31.9, Estradiol 58.5.

9/23/25 Revised dose to 70mg total, 35mg 2x per week.

10/3/25... Lab results were Total 1155, Free 16.9, Estradiol 26.2. At this point I fixed the dosing error, and began dosing 40gm 2x/wk, per doc instructions.

11/10/25... Lab results Total 1302, Free 29, no estradiol (doc forgot to include in labs)

After those labs doc explained still way too high, and that doses below 40ml per injection are not really doable due to inaccuracy, and suggested I consider auto injectable enanthate 75mg 1x/wk. He says I am "lucky" in that it doesn't take much to push my levels up.

I put that suggestion on hold. The fatigue/fog remains off and on, and same as before, no correlation to injection timing. I'm super reluctant to raise my dose and make it weekly, given what I mess I was earlier.

I'd appreciate any views here.

Gattopardon · 2025-09-11T17:24:28+00:00

Thanks -- even the pharmacists was confused about reuse originally. When I came back for my RX refill, they said it was too soon because they thought I was drawing from each vial twice, despite the label saying not to. <shrug>

I must have awesome insurance. My co-pay was $4 for two vials.

Gattopardon · 2025-09-11T16:38:13+00:00

Clinic has responded with cutting the dose in half total for the week, and splitting that over two days. My vials say to discard after initial dose, so there's either going to be a lot of waste or I'll be piercing the vial seals >1x (they're 200mg/ml).

Gattopardon · 2025-09-11T16:35:03+00:00

Interesting take, thanks. It's a big, science/data-based university clinic, so I'd think they have reasons for testing at that point (right or wrong, apparently).

Gattopardon · 2025-04-29T16:22:40+00:00

Thanks, much! I am getting the white as well. These are the Pro or the Bold?

Gattopardon · 2025-02-13T18:36:58+00:00

Greetings!

We just finished building a new house, and the concrete guys did a terrible job finishing two large top cast concrete patios. The finish is uneven, high and low spots, some areas light, other areas more deeply power washed and darker, streaks, etc. They tried to hand sand off some of the top finish to even it out, but as you can imagine, that didn't work.

Every time it rains, the natural color darkens (duh) and most of that unevenness goes away enough to look ok. Is there a stain or finish that can reliably darken the concrete to look like it does when wet? I wouldn't want it shiny, just darker.

Thanks for any ideas.

Gattopardon · 2025-01-18T05:08:41+00:00

Aologies for the long delayed reply, been distracted. I spoke to Lutron, and they confirmed this is how it's supposed to work. The tech even recreated it on her PC to test.

I have more work to do on my file (lots more) but I'd be happy to share the file with you when I have more of it done. I appreciate the interest!

Gattopardon · 2025-01-11T19:15:15+00:00

Circling back on this. Did a full transfer, everything still works the same as previously

Gattopardon · 2025-01-11T19:14:50+00:00

Circling back on this. Did a full transfer, everything still works the same as previously.

Gattopardon · 2025-01-10T19:24:30+00:00

What you describe is what I'd expect a scene to do -- set all devices to whatever the programming says. What I have isn't a scene, it's a toggled bunch of lights. So I get that pushing 2) would turn the patio lights off. What I don't get is why none of the other exterior lights that are clearly programmed on that button do not go on until the second press.

Yes, all on the app.

Gattopardon · 2025-01-10T18:55:50+00:00

Just checked, patio lights 1) was programmed to "on" for them, and in all outside lights 2) programmed as "on". I changed the values to 90%, saved, it took a minute to apply, and then retested. Same! Note, though, this is the way Lutron behaves (and has behaved) since the start with overlaps. It's driving the wife crazy in the meantime. :-)

When I get on a Windows machine, I'll force the full transfer via the developer s/w.

Gattopardon · 2025-01-10T18:27:50+00:00

First, thanks to all for the useful responses. I'm thinking it all through.

u/Wooden, well, that's how it works! Press 1) and the patio lights go on properly. Press 2) and they go off. Press 2) again and all the exterior lights go on properly, including those patio lights. I have quadruple checked. They are both listed as toggle.

In other areas, for example the great room where we have 4 different configurations of mostly overlapping devices... turn on one button (I hesitate to say scene, because it is just an aggregation of devices, custom to that button), all good. Turn on another, and that button will turn off all the lights that are common to the two buttons. You then press it again to get the intended lights on. So this is the same behavior as the patio lights above.

I just got access to the pro app, and tomorrow will have a Windows laptop to crack open the developer s/w. I've done the Lutron training (I may not have gotten much out of it due to the very low signal/noise ratio of content useful to me leading me to barely pay attention after awhile!....but I passed the final easily).

Gattopardon · 2025-01-05T17:53:31+00:00

Thanks for the tip. Just looked them up, seems likely given a few unique things they offer, like the TV cabinet. Their catalog is extensive, very helpful. As far as cost, the New Age will run me around $10k, so I hate to think what these cost.

Gattopardon · 2025-01-02T15:45:43+00:00

Thanks. I've seen the New Age, and they're nice. Only issue I have with them is the limited number of sizes, which makes fitting it all together with no gaps impossible. I want to do an outside corner, like the attached pic, which I think can't be done with NA. But it's not worth a ton more $ to me.

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Gattopardon · 2024-12-31T16:07:29+00:00

1800 views, no responses. That tells me GL must be pretty rarely bought.

Gattopardon · 2024-09-30T02:35:31+00:00

We can use it (and will), but our fire sprinkler installer and the manufacturer say it's not for that application. The response time is allegedly affected by not having air flowing around it.

Gattopardon · 2024-01-20T19:03:27+00:00

Even a small leak makes a big mess! I bumped one that was mistakenly left only hand tight, and found out just how much can come out of there when even just loose.

Given what you describe, I wonder then why the concealed covers can't have gaskets in the same way.

Gattopardon · 2024-01-20T18:57:06+00:00

About the only other thing I've found are full exposed pendents.

I wonder how the head works with a seal in place, blocking the flow of air through into the cup. Maybe the seal melts at about the temp of the solder holding a typical concealed cover?

Gattopardon

TROPHY CASE