appt to see endo (meaning?) exper. replies

[drob73]

I only have a couple of posts. My history is in those 2 or 3 posts. Couple cycles. Pct after last 1 very well. Last cycle ended almost 9 mo. ago. 32 years old. before last cycle I had not done 1 in 2-3 yrs. Libido sucks, deal with irritability, confusion, body fat increaSE, etc. etc.
go to my dr. tot. test. is like 370.------ I read up after 1st visit. ask for free test.---- Free test is actually low. shows up out of range. .91 less than the rang which is 1.0 -- 3.0. whatever that is. PRESCRIBED ANDRODERM 2.5. WOW. (i mean that sarcastically) It did very little for me. o.k. the whole time it's like he and his nurses are constantly telling me my levels are fine or "just a little low". Ins. denies my andro.. Dr tests my LH and FSH.

Now I am more worried because they call today and say I need to see an endo in Lexington. My LH results were low but they did not say how low.
SO. Guys who know. What could this possibly mean??? Couild there be something serious with my pit. gland or hypothalamus??? Could my dr. be doing something like this to just throw me off on someone else???
He has not been very helpful thru this. Very slow to act. I'm thinking he still thinks I am drug seeking or trying to play him.

At what point do you get referred to en endo?? Does it mean SERIOUS??
i HAVE HEARD SOME SAY CANCER OR TUMOR, BUT PSA SHOWED UP O.K.

iM STRESSED. SORRY. DO NOT KNOW WHAT LOW LH LEVELS DO TO BODY OR WHAT CAUSES THEM. HELP.

[Teabagger]

Your MD is referring you to an endo because either 1, he doesn't know what to do and doesn't care to learn, or 2, his practice limits what he can treat. At any rate no big deal. You are fine. The endo will take a history, alot of blood, and order an MRI of your pituitary to check for a growth/tumor on your pituitary gland. There rarely is, and it is even more rare the tumor is malignant. Don't sweat it. If there is a tumor they remove it by going up through your nostrils...no shit...you're under general anasthesia but they don't cut your head open.

You said andorderm 2.5, did you mean androgel 2.5? Anyway that is not even a theaputic dose. They only make them in 2.5 so an MD can prescribe 7.5mg of test. You have a 5 and a 2.5. So no you wouldn't feel any different on 2.5mg. Thats bs, and he thinks you're playing him most likely as I think about it. I understand what you're going through and it is frustrating. I went to MD, had bloodwork, he sent me to a Uro where I had more blood work, and he sent me to an endo for more blood work and an MRI, then back to my Uro where he prescribed Androgel 10mg. I am going on 2 weeks now and feel better but not great. I may have to go to self injections of cyp every 5 days if this doesn't work.

Get copies of the results of all your tests and if the endo does want to treat you, shop around for an MD who will. HRT is not a mainstream treatment protocal for men yet and the patient has to be well informed and damned persistent. Good luck man........keep us posted.

[drob73]

THANKS FOR REPLY. i HAVE ALL COPIES OF ALL REPORTS. lIKE I SAID FREE TEST LEVELS ARE BELOW RANGE AND TOTAL TEST IS DAMN CLOSE TO LOW. wHEN i RECOMMEND HE TEST MY FREE TEST LEVELS i THINK HE THOUGHT i WAS TOO INFORMED. i BELIEVE THEY DO NOT WANT YOU TO BE INFORMED ABOUT YOUR BODY AND HOW IT WORKS. tHEY DONT WANT YOU TO HAVE A F....ING CLUE, ACTUALLY.
i JUST GOT A LITTLE WORRIED. AT FIRST i THOUGHT THE 2.5 MG PATCH WAS TO GET ME TO LEAVE( i WAS INSISTENT). bUT NOW i WONDER WHATS UP. hAVE A GOOD DAY. iTS WORK TIME FOR ME.

[kaorialfred]

Your MD is referring you to an endo because either 1, he doesn't know what to do and doesn't care to learn, or 2, his practice limits what he can treat

Teabagger is right on this one. Most Dr. are like this. I would always get a second opinion from an endocrin. They do more hormone work than MD. Plus if its a good endo with a lot of experince your better off. Insurance wise you will have to make sure your blood work is covered. Some Endo run every test in the book and then some to determine what's going on.
good luck.

[ThrottleKing]

My last Dr referred me to an Endo because I asked a lot of Endo type questions and I had the symptoms you mentioned in your post.

I doubt you have a pituitary cancer because your current Endo would order an MRI just so his butt was covered. From what the Endo told me they can pretty much narrow down pituitary problems with the massive amounts of blood work they order. Basically I think he's passing you off to a more experianced Endo.

[drob73]

the dr i am seeing now is a gen practitioner. He is not an endo..
Do you think I should tell him of my past use of hormones, since they were unprescribed???
Or will he be able to find that out anyway????

[zaggahamma]

you got more out of your MD than I did....normal practice to refer to a Endo...you're going down the right path and reading here....you'll learn a lot here and know what to ask for when you see your Endo...and also remember that you only had one blood test done....they can be up and down....make sure you repeat those symptoms to your Endo...worried about your insurance not p/u the bill....HRT can be a little high...they're prob deny cause you're in range...you're next blood work could even be a little under 300 where I think the insurance will p/u the tab....Best of luck...You've take the most important step already

[Teabagger]

Telling the endo about past cycles is kind of an iffy thing. You are at the age now where your natty test levels will begin to decline anyway. I usually suggest to be completely honest with your MD so he can better treat you, although your last cycle and pct has been some time ago. If you look buffed, he may suspect previous aas use and if he asks, don't lie. He will probably be cautious thinking you may be trying to play him for some legal juice. In describing your symptoms to him hit harder on the non-muscle aspect of low test, eg: depression, increase of body fat around the middle, fatigue, lack of concentration, irritability, lack of interest in sex, mild ED. Tell him you do not want the patch, over the long term that is a real hassle. Go for the gel, or better yet, self injections. He will probably want you to try the gel first for 3 to 6 months, then another blood test, then re-evalutate treatment delivery methods. Keep your chin up bro...it may be a long frustrating road but well worth it in the end...don't give up. Keep us posted.

[ThrottleKing]

Yeah, I agree; don't tell the Endo about past usage. That will be a red flag for the Dr and in most cases he'll probably not want to be involved with a prior gear user. He may even think you're just trying to score gear.

Don't get me wrong there are understanding Dr's out there, but I wouldn't drop that bomb on the first visit.

I was lucky my insurance covered my testosterone, but if you have to buy it it isn't that much from the pharmacy. Worry about the insurance covering the actual tests, those are what's expensive.