Have you checked all the other
testosterone binding protiens like Albumin and whatever other ones there may be? I assume all your other tests, such as liver panel, kidney function, CBC and such, are all okay. If your total
test is high and your FT is low then that extra
Testosterone has to be somewhere or it wouldn't show up in the total T values. You just have to figure out where it's bound.
As far as I understand it, once T is converted to E2 it is no longer part of the total or free T lab values. So controlling E2 is only going to raise your total T but not affect how it is bound or processed in the body. Controlling
E2 might raise your Free T if your other protiens are in balance but if you have very high Albumin, or any other
test binding protien, levels then this can drive down your Free T even if your total T is high. IMO it doesn't seem like your problem is with
Testosterone metabolites like E2 or
DHT. I'd look into other proteins.
You may want to get your labs done by a different lab as well. When I first tested my Testosterone the lab I used showed my T levels as being low normal. Upon a retest at a different lab (a regional lab in Utah – ARUP) my levels were less than 1/3 the lower ref. range value. When I asked the first lab what may have happened they said that they were having problems with their equipment and had since stopped doing Testosterone in-house. Perhaps your lab has a problem they don’t know about.
Plus, if you are currently taking Gels make sure they don’t draw from the same place you apply the gel. I don’t think you’d do that but it’s just something to think about.