Who is living their best life?

[Mito Man]

This explains the hand-sawing logs thing

[V8Granite]

14 is what I was aiming for and I’m now at 20, in Jan I was 3.5. I want to drop it a little but will stay on this regime for a full 6 months and see where it settles.

The NHS is hopeless for this so I went private. The NHS wanted 6 months between tests, 3.5 was within a working range so deemed ok. I think you need a doctor who doesn’t just use a hymn sheet as it’s not seen as a big issue for many people.

Dave!

[V8Granite]

This explains the hand-sawing logs thing

It’s good to feel great again

I expect to drop 2 or 3 stone before the end of summer.

Dave!

[Gavster]

14 is what I was aiming for and I’m now at 20, in Jan I was 3.5. I want to drop it a little but will stay on this regime for a full 6 months and see where it settles.

The NHS is hopeless for this so I went private. The NHS wanted 6 months between tests, 3.5 was within a working range so deemed ok. I think you need a doctor who doesn’t just use a hymn sheet as it’s not seen as a big issue for many people.

Dave!

Okay that does sound like you were very low, no wonder you feel like a new man!

[dinny_g]

I've long since suspected my testosterone is low so I think it's time for some tests. I've found I cry at the drop of a hat these days which may have nothing to do with it but I've a lot of the other tell tale signs.

The last time I felt like this was in my mid 30's when my other half bought Multi Vitamins with added Evening Primrose oil I first suspected something was up when I lost a game of Rock Paper Scissors and had to watch Titanic and was baling my eyes out at the end.

I was slowly transitioning into a women proving that once again, I'm ahead of my times.

[V8Granite]

It was brain fog, struggling to deal with loads of things going on at once, weight gain, lack of strength, terrible recovery times after exercise. Never any emotional stuff really.

It’s always linked with Libido but mine never changed, so I assumed all was well. 3 years of testing wasted trying to figure out what’s wrong.

I did get a sensitive left nipple though.

Dave!

[dinny_g]

It was brain fog, struggling to deal with loads of things going on at once, weight gain, lack of strength, terrible recovery times after exercise.

I have all of those...

Plus the tears...

[jamcg]

It was brain fog, struggling to deal with loads of things going on at once, weight gain, lack of strength, terrible recovery times after exercise. Never any emotional stuff really.

It’s always linked with Libido but mine never changed, so I assumed all was well. 3 years of testing wasted trying to figure out what’s wrong.

I did get a sensitive left nipple though.

Dave!

I’ve got all of what you said. I’ve tried all sorts to loose weight without much success so might have to give docs a buzz next week

[Nefarious]

Just a word on the low testosterone thing. They don't always test for *free* testosterone (i.e. what's actually available to be used).

I had a private blood test a couple of years ago which revealed that although my testosterone levels were at the upper end of average, my SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) was also very high, which meant that my free testosterone was right at the bottom of the average range. I've taken a boron supplement ever since and a subsequent blood test said everything was quite happily in range (not that I ever really had any major symptoms, other than maybe a bit of fatigue).

If you're struggling with weight gain and general sluggishness, it's also worth getting your thyroxine levels checked. Again, a private test is probably a good idea, because as standard the NHS only test for T4 and TSH, and not T3 (or is it the other way round??), and the three things all work together.

[V8Granite]

Agree with the above. If you want a blood test done for T levels then use a clinic who solely do that. I chose Optimale and the back-up has been brilliant.

Also do a proper blood sample, the finger prick ones are not hugely accurate. I took 2 over 2 months after trying a lot of different things to boost levels and generally they add very tiny amounts if you are genuinely low.

Privately it’s 130 a month in total for syringes, T, doctor back-up by email etc and once you have a few years doing things right you can manage yourself for around half that.

Dave!