Guest guest Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Next Tuesday I have my first visit with an endo. I hope he's a good one. I'm curious about what to expect on the first visit. Will it be an interview and a blood draw then send me out the door? I see many endos don't want to test E2, but it seems like something I should request/demand, if anything just to get a baseline. I assume he'll test LH, FSH and testosterone. Is there anything else I should insist to test? This HCG test Shippen suggests sounds like it can't go wrong. Would an endo do this on a first visit given previous indicators and symptoms of low T (results below)? Being that I'm only 26, fertility is an issue and I consider TRT one of the last options. Though by all means I'll choose to adopt if it means I won't be a sexually deviated sociopath. On a sidenote, I see on pg.19 of the Testosterone Syndrome that sweating is listed as a symptom. I'm curious how predominate this symptom is. I sweat often and profusely when others are fine (and I'm by no means overweight). Sorry for all the Q's. I'm kind of nervous about all this. It seems like this is the solution to 90% of my problems (I'm assuming testosterone won't help me out of debt). Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 > Next Tuesday I have my first visit with an endo. I hope he's a good > one. I'm curious about what to expect on the first visit. Will it > be an interview and a blood draw then send me out the door? > Hope for the best but don't expect too much from the first visit or you may be let down. Much will depend on the endocrinologist. Realize that many have practices largely based on treating diabetes and may have few or no hypogonadal male patients. Many of us wind up seeing several docs before finding someone willing and able to treat the condition. Expect a medical history, consultation, possibly a blood draw or an appointment for a blood draw. You may also get a dismissive wave of the hand and a diagnosis of depression and a referral for psychiatric care but that's usually on the 2nd visit where you discuss your low " normal " labs. > I see many endos don't want to test E2, but it seems like something > I should request/demand, if anything just to get a baseline. Yes. >I > assume he'll test LH, FSH and testosterone. Is there anything else > I should insist to test? > I would add prolactin to the list. Possibly bio-available (or " free and weakly bound " ) testosterone which I prefer to free t levels. > This HCG test Shippen suggests sounds like it can't go wrong. Would > an endo do this on a first visit given previous indicators and > symptoms of low T (results below)? You'll be doing good to get an endocrinologist comfortable treating hypo with hcg with any protocol. I think most will want to see low testosterone levels (possibly on repeat testing) to discern whether or not you are hypo in the first place before considering additional diagnostic procedures. > Being that I'm only 26, > fertility is an issue and I consider TRT one of the last options. > Though by all means I'll choose to adopt if it means I won't be a > sexually deviated sociopath. > Assuming that you have secondary hypogonadism, I see no particular reason not to use hcg as your treatment but you may have to hunt around to find someone willing to provide this treatment. It isn't necessarily impossible to discontinue trt and switch to hcg/hmg when fertility is desired. I've know people to do this after years of replacement therapy but you can ask the doc about long-term implications of therapy. Those who fail to regain fertility may not have been fertile when they started their treatment. > On a sidenote, I see on pg.19 of the Testosterone Syndrome that > sweating is listed as a symptom. I'm curious how predominate this > symptom is. I sweat often and profusely when others are fine (and > I'm by no means overweight). > This describes me as well but trt has not changed it. > Sorry for all the Q's. I'm kind of nervous about all this. It > seems like this is the solution to 90% of my problems (I'm assuming > testosterone won't help me out of debt). > Symptoms are often non-specific. It can be difficult to predict who is going to respond and how well they'll respond. A clinical trial of some kind of therapy seems the simplest way to find out. Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Banking some sperm might be a good idea for you. Brad > Next Tuesday I have my first visit with an endo. I hope he's a good > one. I'm curious about what to expect on the first visit. Will it > be an interview and a blood draw then send me out the door? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 , I had " hot flashes " for years before being diagnosed. They have been greatly reduced since being on T. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Back in 1995 and 96 I used to get hot flashes too. I remembered the years because it was when I got my green card. Flaco > , > > I had " hot flashes " for years before being diagnosed. They have been > greatly reduced since being on T. > > Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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