Guest guest Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 > > Hi, I am new to this group and was looking for some info to help me > cope. My hubby of 26 yrs was diagnosed with low t levels a few months > ago.He is 44. The problem I have, is that he has had a complete change > is personality that has me puzzled. He went from being outgoing and > warm to self absorbed and isolating himself even from family. Is this > normal? Its like living with another person.He is on androgel which > has to be monitored because his father had prostrate cancer that has > come back in other organs over the last 10 years but the dr. says he > really needs to stay on the gel. Just wondering if I could get some > feedback that might give me some insight on what is going on. > Thanks,Kim > I can speak from personal experience that having low T changes a man's personality. Until I was treated with replacement doses of T, I was irritable, depressed, anxious, fatigued, and withdrawn. This was me since age 13. Now I am positive and even tempered. If your man is still feeling negative, either the Androgel is not raising his T levels high enough or he is converting the T to estrogen. That is not a sexist statement BTW. Transdermal T can be turned into estrogen. I gather this has not been tested for or treated. Some doctors, Bless them, are willing to prescribe T, however they are not up on managing it completely. Read Dr Crisler's papers on TRT, they are a wealth of information. Take Care, Rey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Hi and Welcome did you come from WebMD. Yes he will feel like this until his levels come up they need to be in the upper 1/3 of his labs range for a young man for both Free and Total Testosterone. Also he needs to have his Estrasiol " E2 " checked if this is high and I feel it is he will feel out of it and be withdrawn some call it brain fog. Also high E2 will keep his libido down and can cause ED. As for keeping an eye on cancer we all have to do this on T meds. of TRT. First he needs to get his T levels up and his E2 down then his body will start to repair the damage done by having low T for so long. In less then 4 months you will have your man back. We have a links section here at the home page on the left side full of links to info on low T learn as much as you can about this because most Dr.'s only know what the durg reps tell them. A good read is at www.allthingsmale.com at the bottom of the sit read TRT: A Recipe for Success and the HCG update. I went on this treatment 14 months ago and after 22 yrs. of being T meds I now feel my best at 62 yrs of age. Phil howabout_that <howabout_that@...> wrote: Hi, I am new to this group and was looking for some info to help me cope. My hubby of 26 yrs was diagnosed with low t levels a few months ago.He is 44. The problem I have, is that he has had a complete change is personality that has me puzzled. He went from being outgoing and warm to self absorbed and isolating himself even from family. Is this normal? Its like living with another person.He is on androgel which has to be monitored because his father had prostrate cancer that has come back in other organs over the last 10 years but the dr. says he really needs to stay on the gel. Just wondering if I could get some feedback that might give me some insight on what is going on. Thanks,Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Hey Kim - welcome to the group Your hubby may be going through some mid-life issues compounded by the fact that he may not feel like much of man anymore. The symptoms of hypogonadism can really deflate the male ego. Also he is have to deal with the worry that he might be in line to get prostate cancer. I would suggest you encourage him to get on this board and spend some time reading the archives and educating himself. There are numerous studies (referenced here) that says T treatment is not associated with prostate cancer. It can cause pre-existing cancers to grow however. Has he been checked out for this? What is his libido like? Does he have ED issues. Most of us are dealing with these and have overcame them. It does take time and effort but there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. He should also become familiar with the various options for TRT and try them till he finds what works. Get him to read some of the responses - just knowing you are not alone helps as well. I am 47 and started having problems at approximately the same age. It took me a year to get straightened out but life is good again and well worth the effort. Good Luck and keep us posted - Arkansas howabout_that <howabout_that@...> wrote: Hi, I am new to this group and was looking for some info to help me cope. My hubby of 26 yrs was diagnosed with low t levels a few months ago.He is 44. The problem I have, is that he has had a complete change is personality that has me puzzled. He went from being outgoing and warm to self absorbed and isolating himself even from family. Is this normal? Its like living with another person.He is on androgel which has to be monitored because his father had prostrate cancer that has come back in other organs over the last 10 years but the dr. says he really needs to stay on the gel. Just wondering if I could get some feedback that might give me some insight on what is going on. Thanks,Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Hi Dan, Thanks for your reply. He has been checked for cancer. They want to check him every 3 months but even with insurance we were charged over 800. for the last go round so he refused to go that often. I am doing alot of reading so I appreciate groups like these and responses like yours that I can read. I tried to talk to his dr. but the cure for alot of his emotional problems is for him to go on zoloft and my hubby flat refuses to take it. I am beginning to think after reading the posts we need to find another dr. that has a little more experience. My hubby really likes this dr. so I haven't pushed it too much for him to get another. Maybe I should say he likes this one more than flat refusing to go to a dr. period. I will continue to read the posts and you guys will never know how much insight is needed for the mate. I was told by his dr. to just be patience but you know thats wears off fast. Trying to see how HE feels helps me to feel better and I can see it is going to be important for him to feel that way. Thanks again,Kim Dan Meatheany <dmeatheany@...> wrote: Hey Kim - welcome to the group Your hubby may be going through some mid-life issues compounded by the fact that he may not feel like much of man anymore. The symptoms of hypogonadism can really deflate the male ego. Also he is have to deal with the worry that he might be in line to get prostate cancer. I would suggest you encourage him to get on this board and spend some time reading the archives and educating himself. There are numerous studies (referenced here) that says T treatment is not associated with prostate cancer. It can cause pre-existing cancers to grow however. Has he been checked out for this? What is his libido like? Does he have ED issues. Most of us are dealing with these and have overcame them. It does take time and effort but there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. He should also become familiar with the various options for TRT and try them till he finds what works. Get him to read some of the responses - just knowing you are not alone helps as well. I am 47 and started having problems at approximately the same age. It took me a year to get straightened out but life is good again and well worth the effort. Good Luck and keep us posted - Arkansas howabout_that <howabout_that@...> wrote: Hi, I am new to this group and was looking for some info to help me cope. My hubby of 26 yrs was diagnosed with low t levels a few months ago.He is 44. The problem I have, is that he has had a complete change is personality that has me puzzled. He went from being outgoing and warm to self absorbed and isolating himself even from family. Is this normal? Its like living with another person.He is on androgel which has to be monitored because his father had prostrate cancer that has come back in other organs over the last 10 years but the dr. says he really needs to stay on the gel. Just wondering if I could get some feedback that might give me some insight on what is going on. Thanks,Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 Your Welcome Kim Let me throw this in also - hypo kills a man's aggressiveness also, you just don't want to do anything about it, just keep the status quo. Sometimes its just easier to not have sex than deal with the negative side affects (weak erections, no erections, do desire). From a spouse standpoint, you have to think is it me (he no longer cares) but in reality that is the farthest thing from the truth. I absolutely hated disappointing my wife and got where I would avoid intimacy just so I wouldn't be a disappointment " again " . This is a tough thing for a guy to get over. It took a caring and very patient wife who helped me through it to get back on track. Joining this group and her insisting I go to the Doc and do something about it got me off my butt and I feel great now. I really think he needs to be the one reading these - is he opposed to that? Arkansas kim melton <howabout_that@...> wrote: Hi Dan, Thanks for your reply. He has been checked for cancer. They want to check him every 3 months but even with insurance we were charged over 800. for the last go round so he refused to go that often. I am doing alot of reading so I appreciate groups like these and responses like yours that I can read. I tried to talk to his dr. but the cure for alot of his emotional problems is for him to go on zoloft and my hubby flat refuses to take it. I am beginning to think after reading the posts we need to find another dr. that has a little more experience. My hubby really likes this dr. so I haven't pushed it too much for him to get another. Maybe I should say he likes this one more than flat refusing to go to a dr. period. I will continue to read the posts and you guys will never know how much insight is needed for the mate. I was told by his dr. to just be patience but you know thats wears off fast. Trying to see how HE feels helps me to feel better and I can see it is going to be important for him to feel that way. Thanks again,Kim Dan Meatheany <dmeatheany@...> wrote: Hey Kim - welcome to the group Your hubby may be going through some mid-life issues compounded by the fact that he may not feel like much of man anymore. The symptoms of hypogonadism can really deflate the male ego. Also he is have to deal with the worry that he might be in line to get prostate cancer. I would suggest you encourage him to get on this board and spend some time reading the archives and educating himself. There are numerous studies (referenced here) that says T treatment is not associated with prostate cancer. It can cause pre-existing cancers to grow however. Has he been checked out for this? What is his libido like? Does he have ED issues. Most of us are dealing with these and have overcame them. It does take time and effort but there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. He should also become familiar with the various options for TRT and try them till he finds what works. Get him to read some of the responses - just knowing you are not alone helps as well. I am 47 and started having problems at approximately the same age. It took me a year to get straightened out but life is good again and well worth the effort. Good Luck and keep us posted - Arkansas howabout_that <howabout_that@...> wrote: Hi, I am new to this group and was looking for some info to help me cope. My hubby of 26 yrs was diagnosed with low t levels a few months ago.He is 44. The problem I have, is that he has had a complete change is personality that has me puzzled. He went from being outgoing and warm to self absorbed and isolating himself even from family. Is this normal? Its like living with another person.He is on androgel which has to be monitored because his father had prostrate cancer that has come back in other organs over the last 10 years but the dr. says he really needs to stay on the gel. Just wondering if I could get some feedback that might give me some insight on what is going on. Thanks,Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 > > For Rey... > > You said your low T caused you to feel depressed and anxious. May I ask...1) did you experience panic attacks when it was low? and 2) how long did it take (once your T levels normalized) to stop feeling depressed and anxious? I did not ever experience a full on panic attack. I noticed changes in my mood the second week after starting, but it was not until I had been on for at least 2 months before I thought I was at my best. I did a loading dose of 250 mg and 125 mg per week thereafter. Rey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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