New to TRT and Have Decisions to Make (w/Bloodwork).

[TakeTwo]

Angel: thanks. And I agree it's worth investigating. I just wish this was better understood by the medical community at large so I didn't have to keep digging in my own pockets for testing.

[Baxter35]

Angel: thanks. And I agree it's worth investigating. I just wish this was better understood by the medical community at large so I didn't have to keep digging in my own pockets for testing.

I guess I didn't notice your questions regarding thyroid the first time I read through this. I can also chime in with some personal experience. There is definitely a very common correlation between hypothyroid and low T. It doesn't mean you are hypo..but it makes it a very relevant test before starting treatment. When I was getting tests done before starting TRT, my thyroid functions were still within normal ranges but only barely. At the time, the decision was made not to treat thyroid yet and re-check in 6 months. I started TRT, started feeling a ton better, and went in for thyroid tests 6 months later expecting everything to come back great since I didn't feel that I ever had any classic hypothyroid symptoms. Nope, my TSH was above 10 and free T3/T4 were both less than 1. Would treating my undiagnosed hypo have helped my low T prior to starting treatment? My endo doesn't think so, but I'll never know for sure. My only point is that you can be hypothyroid without many symptoms, and again, it commonly goes with low T. And also, treating low T alone will not improve you thyroid if there is an issue, so you need to at least know where you thyroid counts are. For now, I'm only being treated with Synthroid(T4) for my hypo, and we'll re-check everything in a couple more months to see if I respond properly to T4 alone or if I need to supplement T3 as well. I don't see why your doctor would have a problem with running a full thyroid panel. It is a very common problem and especially for someone with Low T diagnoses. Have you asked to know for sure if they will order a fresh round of thyroid tests?

[TakeTwo]

I don't see why your doctor would have a problem with running a full thyroid panel. It is a very common problem and especially for someone with Low T diagnoses. Have you asked to know for sure if they will order a fresh round of thyroid tests?

Yes, though I did put in an email request via a patient portal as one hlast hail-mary before paying for it myself. His assertion was that there was no benefit to checking free T3/T4 because he had no reason to believe I was hypothyroid, and that other panels would be out of range if I were. (He called my cortisol/DHEA "normal.") Looking at the clinical notes from the visit, he did diagnose me with "pituitary disorders anterior part other." So---okay, then.

Honestly, I've "argued" with doctors for so long for a myriad of reasons that I've lost patience. He admitted HPTA/hormones were "poorly understood," which is at least an acknowledgment that it's a complex issue. Ultimately, it's just practicing medicine in the most literal sense of the word.

My intentions at this point are to get Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, prolactin, genetic clotting markers (Factor V Leiden, Factors VIII and XI) and possibly a re-test of my free and total T to confirm the DX before starting T. I also have my adrenals to deal with, which appear to be a hot mess.