Finally I have Blood Work

[clarkster]

Hey Guys- Insurance finally agreed for me to run BW. Here are the results. I welcome any and all suggestions.
The TRT protocol run for months before this BW was 120mg. Test Cyp weekly (60mg. 2X week) injected SQ and 250ius. HCG M-W-F and no AI.
Total Reference Range
Free Test 12.3 5.0-40.0
Total Test 452 291-739
IGF 199 52-238
LH 0.17L 1.2-8.6
FSH 0.22L 1.27-19.25
Estradiol 24 20-75
Prolactin 7.82 2.64-13.13
PSA 0.86 0-4.00
Cortisol 7.2 No Reference given
WBC 4.4L 4.8-10.8
Lymphocytes 19.1L 20.5-51.1
Mid Cells 6.6 1.7-9.3
Polys 74.3H 35-71
RBC 5.58 4.20-6.10
HGB 17.9 14.0-18.0
HCT 52.6H 42.-52
MCV 94.4 80-100
MCH 32.2H 27-31
MCHC 34.1 32-36
RDW 12.3 11.5-14.5
PLATELETS 173 130-400
SODIUM 141 133-145
POTASSIUM 4.9 3.3-5.1
CHLORIDE 106 96-108
C02 22 22-29
GLUCOSE 87 74-106
BUN 24.7H 6-20
CREATININE 1.20H 0.67-1.17
BUN/CREA RATIO 20.6 9-28
eGFR 65.8 >60
CALCIUM 9 8.6-10.2
ALBUMIN 4.2 3.5-5.2
ALK PHOSPHATASE 52 40-129
AST 43H 0-40
ALT 33 4-41
TOTAL BILIRUBIN 1 0-1.2
TOTAL PROTEIN 6.40 6.4-8.3
GLOBULIN 2.20 2.0-5.0
A/G 1.9 1.1-2.5
VITAMIN D 46.3 30-100
CHOLESTEROL 134 <200
TRIGLYCERIDES 123 0-150
DIRECT LDL 88 <100
HDL CHOLESTEROL 32L >40
CHOL/HDL RATIO 4.19 5.60
TSH 1.49 0.34-5.60
T4, FREE 0.90 0.54-1.24
T3, FREE 2.34L 2.50-3.90

Thanks again for any input.

[jasondd1]

Im not an expert but would think about bumping up the test to 80 mg twice week or more. And maybe go to IM instead of sub q. Sub q may not work for you. My pharmacist told me most people don't start converting test to e2 until they get over 600. If I'm going to go through the trouble of hrt I would want at least 700-800 total test. Pros if I told him wrong feel free to correct me.

[Joseph956]

I think the e2 conversion depends on the person.. and this is something I'd like to research on more myself because I'm a heavy set guy and because of that I feel that my e2 is more unstable and is more prone to rise than normal,

didn't mean to hijack, just throwing my 2 cents in.

[kelkel]

Clarky we pm'd about this. Switch to IM twice per week like we discussed. Jason's on target with SQ not seeming to work for all people. You definitely want your test higher and that range used btw, is old. Normal is more like 348-1197 or so going from memory.

PSA is awesome
Time to give blood plus start drinking more water
No worries with AST, etc. Just working out can/will elevate them and they can range a good bit in a day. It's just a snapshot of that moment.
LH/FSH were a waste of time as you're shut down.
I assume you're taking D3. Take more.
Estradiol nice. Keep an eye on this. If your T rises as expected so will your E.
Next time grab shbg and dhea-s. Speaking of which, are you supplementing with Preg/DHEA?

@ Joseph. Yes, the aromatase enzyme lives in the skin and the more you have (basically) the more conversion is apt to occur. The leaner you become the less of a need for AI's.

Aromatase inhibitors in men: effects and therapeutic options

[clarkster]

I switched to IM about a month ago, so I will have new BW in about another month and can compare SQ vs. IM with BW. Not taking Preg/DHEA yet, but will.
Holy crap, I'm shut down? What should I be doing for this?

[HRTstudent]

I switched to IM about a month ago, so I will have new BW in about another month and can compare SQ vs. IM with BW. Not taking Preg/DHEA yet, but will.
Holy crap, I'm shut down? What should I be doing for this?

you have shut down your HPTA because you are injecting testosterone. there is nothing you can do about that except for stopping the testotsterone. it's completely to be expected.

fsh and lh tell your body to produce more testosterone but your brain is saying "we have plenty of testosterone" so we don't need more!

that's an interesting range on your T. where did you get blood drawn from? despite the fact that your number "appears" low, you are exactly mid-range, which is good.

[clarkster]

So, being on TRT it's expected to be shut down? What do you mean by interesting range exactly? BW was done at my Dr.'s office.

[kelkel]

What I said and what HRT is saying is that when on injected (exogenous) testosterone your own production shuts down as it's not needed. It's why we encourage the use of HCG with TRT. It an LH analogue meaning it mimics it's function and keeps your HPTA working to an extent. The range comments by both of us refer to it being an older and lower scale. A more modern range is as I stated in my first post.

[clarkster]

OK. Thanks for pointing that out. I was under the impression that with HCG you don't go into shutdown. My bad. Now I get it. When I read that my first thought was my HCG was fake. I learn from all of you daily.
As, always thanks for everyone's input. In about a month I should have new BW done and then I can know for sure how my body responds to injecting SQ vs. IM.

[HRTstudent]

OK. Thanks for pointing that out. I was under the impression that with HCG you don't go into shutdown. My bad. Now I get it. When I read that my first thought was my HCG was fake. I learn from all of you daily.
As, always thanks for everyone's input. In about a month I should have new BW done and then I can know for sure how my body responds to injecting SQ vs. IM.

the HCG bypasses your brain and tells part of your testes to start working again. the HCG will not increase your LH or FSH numbers. you won't need to test your LH and FSH until you decide to come off of testosterone replacement and HCG entirely (if that ever happens).

if you got your drugs from a reputable pharmacy with a valid prescription then you never need to worry about your prescriptions being fake. I don't recommend otherwise.

[kelkel]

^^^ Yep. It bypasses the feedback mechanism.

And my testies and everything near them never listened to my brain anyway!

[Trific]

I think your thyroid needs help, your free T3 is low.

Study up at:

stopthethyroidmadness.com

[bass]

^^^ Yep. It bypasses the feedback mechanism.

And my testies and everything near them never listened to my brain anyway!

Ain't that the truth! LMAO! Good one. Kel.