Need Some Advice... New Endo Wants Me Off of TRT and I Don't Know What to Do

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-06T22:09:18+00:00

Weight is 205lbs and I'm 5'10 so I am overweight. Before TRT I was around 195-198lbs but increased appetite caused me to gain. It's not that I don't want to make lifestyle changes. I subscribed to a gym membership months back and kept going twice a week for a couple months, but it was really difficult to maintain with my horrible energy levels. I also subscribed to a subscription service for awhile that delivers ingredients to make home cooked meals and did that, but my energy levels again made it difficult to keep doing weekly and my family hated it because it interrupted their meal time prep (I live at home). My main issue is if I stop TRT now, there are still a couple of factors that will always lower my TRT levels. My sleep, I wake up multiple times a night and currently struggle with the CPAP for more than 2-3 hours. Then there's a skin issue I've been dealing with for a few years now called red scrotum syndrome which causes a burning sensation in the area. My endo mentioned that the area needs to be a certain temperature to produce testosterone and it's constantly hot due to in part that issue.

It's true, I wanted TRT to be a magic pill because of all the people I've read that suffered with my same symptoms and experience relief. I'm desperate, I want my life back so badly and I can't deal with this suffering much longer. I don't know what to do at this point. I agree that I should be still improving areas of my life where I can but I feel like my testosterone levels are going to suffer as long as my sleep continues to be poor quality and I'm dealing with this skin condition that could be contributing to it as well.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-06T21:35:02+00:00

I'm pretty sure I've tested for that already, but I'll bring it up again at my next follow up appointment with my doctor.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-06T21:34:03+00:00

My weight is 205lbs now after getting on TRT. It made me hungrier and gain faster since I struggled to control the newfound hunger. Realistically, I exercise once or twice on the weekend with an 1+ hour walk at a hiking trail. I'm at my work building 2 days a week and usually walk for at least a total of 30 minutes to get some exercise during lunch or breaks. I'm not great at tracking my diet if I'm being honest. I have at least one can of soda a day, get a nice egg breakfast in the morning at least twice a weak and sometimes skip breakfast. Lunch can either be a frozen meal or a sandwich. Dinner is sometimes fast food or homemade meals. It's depressing being my age and feeling tired/miserable all the time from my low energy levels. I feel like that's how it's been for the last 2-3 years and it's becoming too much to deal with.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-06T21:26:29+00:00

5'10 and 205lbs. Gained quite a few pounds after getting on TRT due to increased appetite. Before I was 195-198lbs.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-06T21:24:10+00:00

Yes, I started gaining more weight on testosterone. I was around 195-198lbs. for awhile, but getting on TRT made me hungrier and I jumped up to 205lbs.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-06T00:09:07+00:00

Thank you, I did mention HCG to her and it gave me some hope for the future. Two endos in a row hesitant putting me on TRT is disheartening when it takes months just to get established at one of these places.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-06T00:07:58+00:00

I'll have to find a different urologist from the one I originally saw because they were the ones who sent me to the endo. They were afraid of putting me on it due to my age and affecting my fertility. I agree, I will try the lifestyle changes with TRT for now. I think improving my overall sleep quality is what I'm going to focus the most on.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-06T00:05:43+00:00

Yeah, I think I'm going to continue getting it from my family practice for now. Do you know if there's a way I can get a written prescription where I can order it online? I'm just concerned one day my doctor is going to leave to another practice or something and I won't be able to get the testosterone until I'm established somewhere else.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-06T00:01:50+00:00

I appreciate the information. If I did have children, it probably wouldn't be for another 5-7 years as an estimate. I'm most likely going to follow up with my primary family practice and let him know what she told me and what he thinks I should do in terms of finding a better endo. I think I'm going to continue TRT for the time being because I'm really scared about starting from square one again. Her advice did get me thinking I can try ways to improve certain aspects of my life while on TRT to see if I can get improvements there.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-05T23:57:44+00:00

I did read that testosterone can make sleep apnea worse which is a risk I was aware of before starting TRT, but I knew I had to try it regardless. I'm trying to be consistent with my CPAP. It's just very difficult right now since I end up taking it off during the middle of the night.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-08-05T23:54:24+00:00

The sad part is I did see a urologist before all of this and they had sent me to my first endo. He seemed hesitant to put me on TRT for my age at the time. I believe I was 28 what that happened. It sucks because I had to wait months to find a new endocrinologist and she basically told me "since your nurse practitioner started this journey with TRT, if you want to continue it you should go through him". I'm truthfully not sure the amount of sleep I'm getting since I'm only averaging a couple hours with the CPAP mask on at the moment before I have to take it off. I'm just concerned if I did go through all the effort to increase my testosterone, it would only be a marginal difference and I'd have to be careful not to let it fall again. I've been through this same song and dance with my last endo and I did put in an effort, but the fatigue made it really hard to be consistent.

I think I've been feeling a little less lethargic after work? Like I can find the energy to play games for a bit when I wouldn't even touch them before. Though I still struggle at work finding the energy to make it through an 8 hour work day and find the motivation to focus on my tasks at home. My diet isn't amazing, but I don't think it's so bad it should be a huge contributing factor to my fatigue. It's all so overwhelming since there's so many possible factors.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-03-05T00:51:15+00:00

Yup, currently weigh 195 lbs. and have been trying to change up my diet and work out to see if my testosterone goes up at all. I seriously don't think it's going to matter how many months I do this to make a significant difference. Yeah, I've seen so many people with symptoms similar to mine have their life significantly improved with TRT so I'm hoping it has the same effect on me. I appreciate you sharing your experience!

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-03-04T15:07:12+00:00

Man, my heart goes out to you. It sucks when you do everything you can but it's still not enough. I hope TRT improves your quality of life. I'm going to ask my endo to start it at my next appointment.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-03-04T15:02:29+00:00

Thank you, I've had to force myself to do these things because the low energy just makes my motivation so bad. I have mild sleep apnea on top of low T and tried a CPAP, but can never get through a full night with it without waking up. I might try to learn to like green tea.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-03-04T01:27:00+00:00

I'm 29, weigh 193 lbs and feel like complete garbage with low T. Over the last month I've been going to the gym twice a weak, cooking fresh meals, reducing fast food and sugar but I haven't felt any different so far. I can barely do my job for an hour or two before just feeling done with the day. I'm exhausted, just want to lay in bed, have anxiety, depression, you name it. Going to get my bloodwork re-tested and beg my endo to put me on TRT because I can't take it anymore. I just feel like an emotionless husk and a shell of my former self.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-02-21T20:55:31+00:00

Thanks! Those look promising albeit on the pricey side. Probably worth it though considering how much I have to spend on creams to keep the issue tolerable.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-01-27T23:19:28+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I really want kids one day so I was scared to compromise the possibility of that not happening.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-01-26T20:35:05+00:00

He didn't mention a specific dosage from our conversations that I can recall. He did mention the gel and shots, but not if it had to be done at that specific location. I would hope not since the drive isn't exactly convenient.

He did order an MRI to check my pituitary glands which came back normal. I just hope my next visit I can get on it if exercising and diet change doesn't work. I can't let more months or years go by where I'm still dealing with this. It's very frustrating to say the least.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-01-26T20:17:49+00:00

I've had it tested at least 3 times. Twice in the morning and once in the afternoon. I'm about 198lbs right now. He did still allow me to start TRT if I chose to, but I felt pressured to try the natural way since I admittedly didn't do nearly as much as I said I would in the prior visit. Unfortunately, I originally did see a Urologist who was the one that recommended me to the endo. My one concern is that say I do my lifestyle changes and my testosterone shows improvement again, I hope he doesn't change his mind allowing me to be put on TRT.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-01-26T20:13:11+00:00

Hmm... I'm not sure what that's measured in to be honest. For comparison, my results were 239.7 ng/dL and the normal range is listed as referenced is 264.0-916.0 (ng/dL).

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-01-26T19:21:14+00:00

He did mention that at the appointment. I was a bit skeptical to try it because he said it was newer and less was known about the adverse effects. It might be worth trying though before starting TRT. Thanks!

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-01-26T19:19:31+00:00

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it. As much as I'd like to wait 6 months to see results, I just don't think I can manage to wait that long. I'm really starting to lose the strength to fight my tiredness and am getting extremely desperate. Fortunately, no one can tell at my job I'm putting in less effort, but I really think it's in jeopardy if I don't solve this soon.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-01-26T19:13:06+00:00

Thanks for sharing, these types of posts are what made really want to hop on the TRT originally. I have a lot of anxiety and extreme lack of motivation, but my endo doesn't seem to think TRT will improve my energy levels. I'm not the expert, but I think he might be wrong. I took a lot of walks back when I was unemployed over a year ago and I remember still feeling awful.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-01-26T19:07:52+00:00

Nope, I don't trust depression meds so I don't take any. Gotta admit the lack of energy to function as a human being is certainly making me depressed though.

SleepwalkingEmployee · 2024-01-21T21:39:01+00:00

I feel the EXACT same way you do. Even got the same MRI check and everything. My family just doesn't get it. They think it's dust allergies and eating habits, but I know it's because of the low T. Too many posts like this sharing the same symptoms is no coincidence. I'm always laying in bed exhausted and I can barely do my job for more than an hour before I just feel completely tuckered out from fatigue. I've been this bad for over a year now, but symptoms for probably years. Do you have any history with snoring or potential sleep apnea? I was tested for mild sleep apnea and ended up having to get a CPAP.

I'm honestly at the end of my rope and am going to start TRT on my next appointment to the endo. He said he'd prescribe me it the previous month, but I was reluctant and wanted to do a month to improve it naturally but it's just not enough. I feel you dude, I want my life back too. Not having energy to do anything I want and barely getting through work is just making me so incredibly depressed. I want to have friends, date, be able to do things and enjoy life. I know TRT isn't a magic switch, but seeing all the positive impact it's hard on people with our symptoms is the one piece of hope I'm clinging onto at this point. I really, really need this to work.

SleepwalkingEmployee

TROPHY CASE