Finally Starting TRT - 8 Months Post Operation

It's been a real journey in terms of how I feel. There have been ups and downs for sure and I know I am very blessed to have what I have, even if I am not optimal at this moment. There is nothing wrong with trying to feel and be better, to optimise ones health not just for the body but also the mind.

I was fortunate enough to have my appointment with my endocrinologist moved up a couple of weeks and the appointment went well. My doctor was concerned with my low Testosterone and enlightened me that some of the heart drugs I am taking can also affect Testosterone production making it low. This was news to me! I am not sure if this was a big contributor but it is worth mentioning...

As my Testosterone has been fluctuating between 1 and 1.2 nmol/L I have been put on a TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) to get me to a target range of 20 nmol/L which will hopefully allow me to feel a lot better and get my life back.

I am not looking for huge muscle gains from the TRT as a level like this is right about in the middle of what is natural and normal. Rather I just want to feel good and have more motivation and energy so I can do the work it takes to achieve the fitness level I aspire to.

So here we are at the beginning of my TRT! in this video I talk  more about the specifics and also show you what I am looking at these days, could be a lot worse for sure but hoping to make some improvements over time...

 

Going Off TRT - Is it a Good Idea

One question I get asked a lot about TRT is about getting off of TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy), So when someone is asking me if they should stop taking TRT. My usual answer is why did they get on it in the first place. if it was because they had low Testosterone and/or symptoms of low Testosterone, then would coming off be such a good idea? What are the chances that all of a sudden their Testosterone levels would go back to normal healthy ranges when they did not have good overall Testosterone levels before going on TRT?

Of course there are other reasons people go on Testosterone and going off may be a good idea for them for health reasons depending on how long they have been on and how much they may or may not have abusing Testosterone.

In this Video I discuss this topic in some detail and answer the question about if going off TRT is a good idea or not.

 

7 Months Post Operation - Short Term TRT

Here we are just over 7 month post Open Heart Valve replacement back in January of this year. If you have been following my journey then you will know I am doing pretty good overall considering I almost died. My Testosterone levels on the other hand are almost non existent as I have been completely off of TRT since early January. My last bloodwork results came in at 1 nmol/L which is lower than some women.

In my last video I talked about hoping on a quick round of Testosterone to get some of my life back as I was really struggling in many areas but my main concern is how that will affect my upcoming bloodwork right before seeing an endocrinologist. My plan was to get on something fast acting that is in my system in and out quickly so I can come off of it about two weeks before and hopefully not affect my bloodwork too much but it will no matter what.

In this video I talk about all of this and go into more detail about what I am doing and how it has affected me.

 

6 Plus Months Post TRT - Current Testosterone Levels

It's now been over 6 months since my last Testosterone injection back in early January of this year and if you have been watching my channel you already know I had to go down this road because of my Heart issue. As it turns out not dying is more important than aesthetics! My Testosterone has been slowly going down for a while now and it does not look like it will recover any time soon or even at all as this month is my lowest Testosterone level result since I went cold turkey (About the same as a woman's now).

I was in the 4-6 nmol/L and should have been in the 8-28 range to be within normal levels. I am now even lower and I can feel it in some ways but in other ways I think my body has gotten a bit use to the lower Testosterone.

I spell it all out in the video but to summarize... Sex drive sucks, mental cognition has gotten a bit better, maybe, motivation and outlook on life is about the same, body aches are still bad, ability to add muscle has actually improved but so has my workout frequency and intensity.

Next week I have a doctor consult and will be going over my results, my last consult about a month ago we talked about doing one more test to see what my bloodwork shows in terms of Testosterone and if it is not improving then we both agreed perhaps looking at TRT would be a good option. I will let you know how that all goes.

Ultimately I want to do what is best for my health and what also gives me quality of life.

 

TRT Update 5 Months Off TRT - Not Feeling So Good

In this TRT Update 5 Months Off TRT Video, I go over some of the key areas that I feel are regulated a lot by Testosterone or the lack thereof and how this is effecting me at my current Testosterone level.

Testosterone Levels - Currently 4.7 nmol (should be 8-28). Getting an update in about a week.

Weight and Strength - Lost another 5 pounds, now down 30 pounds, 175 pounds from 205. Trying to keep any remaining muscle is very difficult, I am not really making any progress anymore, just trying to keep what I have right now, workouts are hard.

Base Energy - Overall I generally have energy throughout the day.

Brain Fog - I am finding it very hard to remember short term stuff, it just disappears from my mind. Regular daily activities require a lot more concentration or I find myself getting off track and not even remembering what I am doing. I struggle to find names and words at times. 

Motivation - I have to force myself to go to the gym or even do activities other than walking.

Mood - I am not in a very good state right now. I feel kind of lost and low on ambition.

Recovery - Sore after every workout for several days.

Body Aches - Most of the time I am sore, getting up in the morning, after sitting down for even a short period to time.

Libido - Non Existent, I just don’t even think about it much. The only OK thing is that some of my heart medication acts as a vasodilator which is kind of the same as what Viagra does in terms of increasing blood flow. So my hardware still works but getting things started is a bit tuff as I am just not in the mood most of the time.