I need to make things right again...

[Resilience]

Hi everybody,

I'm new to this forum as you may already know and discovered this site through another website which I will keep private to myself.

I will start with my personal stats as of now: 24 years old, 184cm or 6'0, 82kg, waist 32inches, born in Australia: European background. In my teenage years I was very overweight approx 100kg, waist was 38inches, and did not have much muscle or strength to compensate for the weight - unfortunately I remember being pear-shape as a teenager when overweight.

In the past 9 months I have had symptoms of low-t which I have been ignoring, however some of the symptoms are becoming overwhelming and literally intervening with my relations with people and life-style in general.


The main problems I feel are becoming an issue
1. Increased body fat (25%+)
2. Loss of strength
3. Pear-shape body-fat storage - fat on hips, quads and glutes
4. Testicular atrophy at times (even when warm) - flaccid size is not the same anymore
5. Cannot build or maintain muscle regardless of various workouts
6. Lack of concentration, at times problems forming speech,
7. Persistent diarrhea and soft-stool
8. Low mood, no motivation, poor sleep
9. Body image issue since 2013 - feeling skinny fat and storing fat on quads, hips, ass is not fun
10. Lacking emotion: find it difficult to care for certain things e.g. achieving goals, striving for success etc.

The ones listed in red are causing me stress and do not know how to remedy the issue

None of my family members have noticed or mentioned anything, however my girlfriend has mentioned a few of the issues listed e.g. 1, 2, 3, 6, 8

I am looking for advice from members who may have presented the same issues and symptoms - I would like advice on how to approach this problem. I do not want to react and jump into something without knowing all of the consequences - I am trying to remain proactive so any advice from members would be appreciated.

Also I should note that I have a good diet consisting of lean meats, vegetables, complex carbs, fruits - I do also have the occasional soft-drink.


James

[kelkel]

Hi James and welcome to the forum. Many things can cause your issues unfortunately. Have you had full blood work recently? If not, it's where you have to start. Otherwise we are throwing darts and guessing. Take a look in the Finding A Doc sticky thread at the top of this forum for an example. When you get the blood work done, hopefully via a competent doc who understands hormones, post it here for evaluation by the members. There are many astute guys here, including some physicians.

Questions?

How old are you James?
Are you on any daily meds such as pain killers, anti-depressants, etc.

What you present does in fact sound like low testosterone and with your higher BF% high estrogen. It's normal as males age for their test to drop and for their E to rise. Lifestyle, diet and many other factors all play into this, including potential pathologies / varicoceles, etc. Combine low T and high E and you have a virtual symphony of problems that can arise. TRT can be a lifesaver but it's only something you do when it's needed. Find the root cause, don't band aid the problem.

Get the blood work done asap. Others will chime in as well.

Again, welcome James.

[BallSak]

^^^^^what kel said. Have you had any head injuries?

[Resilience]

Thanks Kelkel - I am 24 years old and not on any medications. I did take Zinc during my university semester to improve concentration, however have now discontinued use.

I do store alot of fat on my hips, quads and backside as mentioned which seems to be a estrogen related (very agitating) - I do avoid estrogens e.g. soy, plastics, preservatives. In addition, my diet is overall pretty good - I eat high quality meals and do avoid take-out food.

I am going to look at the sticky's and try to find a doctor in Sydney, Australia to get bloodwork done. I have heard that doctors generally disregard low-t issues - 'in your head' type docs, however this is only from forum experience I have never witnessed this personally.

I have found online a list of things to test to evaluate endocrine levels efficiently, the list is as follows:
Could one clarify if these are the correct things to test - If so, how would I convince my doctor to test them.

Total Testosterone
Free Testosterone
3 Alpha Androstenediol Glucuronide
DHT
Estradiol (E2)
Prolactin
LH
FSH
ACTH
TSH
T3
T4
Vitamin D
Cortisol
Liver tests

Thanks alot
James

[Resilience]

Hi BallSak,
I have had no recent head injuries, however I did have one in 2008 on a worksite a wooden plank which weighed approximately 25kg fell on my head vertically (yes funny I know) I recovered overnight and did not have any major problems or any of the symptoms I have now. Im assuming head injury affects the hypothalamus - would the onset of symptoms take 3-4 years though? Something for me to think about...

Im going to try to find a doctor in Sydney

[kelkel]

Thanks Kelkel - I am 24 years old and not on any medications. I did take Zinc during my university semester to improve concentration, however have now discontinued use.

I do store alot of fat on my hips, quads and backside as mentioned which seems to be a estrogen related (very agitating) - I do avoid estrogens e.g. soy, plastics, preservatives. In addition, my diet is overall pretty good - I eat high quality meals and do avoid take-out food.

I am going to look at the sticky's and try to find a doctor in Sydney, Australia to get bloodwork done. I have heard that doctors generally disregard low-t issues - 'in your head' type docs, however this is only from forum experience I have never witnessed this personally.

I have found online a list of things to test to evaluate endocrine levels efficiently, the list is as follows:
Could one clarify if these are the correct things to test - If so, how would I convince my doctor to test them.

Total Testosterone
Free Testosterone
3 Alpha Androstenediol Glucuronide
DHT
Estradiol (E2)
Prolactin
LH
FSH
ACTH
TSH
T3
T4
Vitamin D
Cortisol
Liver tests

Thanks alot
James

The list in the link I mentioned is much more thorough. Use it and be sure you obtain a sensitive E2 assay. It's step one in getting you straightened out and should point you in the proper direction.

[BallSak]

Hi BallSak,
I have had no recent head injuries, however I did have one in 2008 on a worksite a wooden plank which weighed approximately 25kg fell on my head vertically (yes funny I know) I recovered overnight and did not have any major problems or any of the symptoms I have now. Im assuming head injury affects the hypothalamus - would the onset of symptoms take 3-4 years though? Something for me to think about...

Im going to try to find a doctor in Sydney

Yes it can take a few years before symptoms show and they will gradually get worse and worse. I know from experience. Mine gradually showed up after a few years and really socked in 5 years after my head injury. A friend of mine had symptoms show after about 10 years, after he retired from the NFL.

Head injuries should not be taken lightly.

[Resilience]

BallSak, thanks for the info - I will take this into consideration when approaching a doctor.

I have read the sticky made by Kelkel for finding a doc and it is directed to individuals who live in the states. I live in Sydney Australia - is there any known practitioners in Sydney? - AUS is behind in everything..

[kelkel]

I was referring you to the link for the list of BW.

[Resilience]

Kelkel, I thought that was the correct one because it listed all the things to test.

Could you kindly please copy the link into this thread just for good measure - at the same time I will be looking for it. I have gone through all of them but still confused as to which one it is.

I am new to this, please disregard my ignorance

[Resilience]

I went through all the links at the top of the page and was unable to locate the required bloodwork

[kelkel]

No worries, here you go. Takes a little time to learn to navigate everything here!

http://forums.steroid.com/hormone-re...physician.html