What should I do (blood test question)

[meatwadII]

im 21 years old
5'10"
170 lbs - pretty high bodyfat, very low muscle mass despite my obssesion to pack it on.

Ive never done steroids, but i did do a 4 week cycle of m1t (methylated 1-testosterone) about 1 year ago. I did follow it up with 4 weeks of clomid, nolva, tribulus, and milk thistle though.

I just got my total test results back yesterday: 331 ("normal" was 200-900 i believe). I thought I was getting free & total test done, but there was a miscommunication between myself and the doctor. With a 331 total test, which is "normal", should i schedule a free test as well seeing as thats the more important test anyway.

Even though my results are "normal", at 21 years old, shouldnt they be higher, seeing as i am, or should be at my peak right now.

Im 100% convinced that i have low test or a simliar condition. Ive been trying to put on muscle for the past 3 years, eating 6-7 meals a day, hitting the gym 3 times a week, with basically no change in my body other than a large amount of fat gain. I dont even go out and and party anymore because alcohol kills your test levels temporarily, and thats the last thing you want when your a skinny kid trying to put on muscle, i just stay home and eat my 6-7 meals a day....but i dont even look like i work out, i just look like a skinny kid with a huge fat gut. Its ridiculous. Depression is an issue, as is not being motivated for anything.

I think im going to have a problem with my doctor though. Im a college student, and ive been going to the student health center on campus for this stuff, and she is convinced i dont have low testosterone simply because my penis has developed completely and i dont really have erection problems (most of the time i can get hard as a rock, sometimes i can only get about 80% hard). She tried to talk me out of even getting the test done. She told me "so what are you gonna do if you do have low test, we cant do anything, were not going to prescribe you testosterone injections" which kind of confused me, because wouldnt that be like an emergeny room telling someone with a broken arm "what do you expect me to do, im not going to put your arm in a cast for you."? Can i simply have my tests done here and get proper HRT from another source, im kinda lost.

oh and my diet is on point. I get about 350g protein, 260g carbs, 100g fat. I eat egg yolks, olive oil, flax seed oil, peanuts, fish oil caps....all of which are supposed to keep your test levels up, so lack of a good diet isnt an issue.

[earthdog]

You may be a candidate for TRT, but you need more labwork. However this doctor isn't going to do anything for you, no matter what. Time to find a new doc.

[meatwadII]

so what labwork specifically....free test?

[earthdog]

Yes, that plus others. See The Labs I Run above.

[mranak]

Free testosterone is the most important. Good luck getting your physician to run the full list of labs.

If you just had the total testosterone test done recently, then the lab might still have enough of your blood to do a free testosterone test on it.

[meatwadII]

ok i saw a list of about 20 tests. Do I need all of them? My student insurance covered the "total" blood test i just got, but i cant imagine them covering all those...and out of pocket those tests would be, i assume, thousands of dollars.

what is the bare minimum test(s) that i need, besides the free testosterone test, that a doctor would need to be able to say "this is whats wrong with you, heres a prescription for whatever".

[meatwadII]

bump

[coz]

Those are the list of recommended tests, which well help ascertain what is causing you problems.

However, you may be able to get away with the following, to verify if you are suffering from hypogondism;

Total Testosterone
Bioavailable Testosterone (sometimes called “Free and Loosely Bound”)
Free Testosterone (if Bio T is not available)
Estradiol (specify by the “Extraction Method” or “Ultra-Sensitive”)
LH
FSH
Thyroid Panel (TSH, FT3, FT4) - optional (incase prob is thyroid related)

[love_en]

I am 12 years older than you, but I recently experienced how insensitive physicians can be regarding hypogonadism. To make a long story short, I was denied treatment simply because all of my tests fell a few points within the reference range. I suffer from muscle wasting, joint pain, fatigue, and loss of sexual function. The endo told me, "you cannot be hypogonadal, your body hair is normal for a man." So sue me, all of my uncles and my father are hairy.

You need to find a practitioner who treats hypogonadal men. In my case, I am all the way in Hawaii, paradise, but very few doctors in this state and no one like Swale. I am forced to inject myself with test enanthate once a week. This is my 5th week on TRT and I know for certain, the endo who told me my testosterone levels are normal is full of ****.

I wasted a good part of my life suffering in silence. A skinny guy with a big stomach, we are twins. I regret not doing as you are doing to get to the bottom of this while you are still young. Normal Total T levels for someone your age is near 500 or above. I accepted my condition all of my life and waited until it made me too sick to get out of bed. I am still single, missed out on all of the fun of adolescence. I probably was hypogonadal all of my life.

The body is amazing in how it makes adjustments and compensates for shortages. That is probably how you are not suffering from severe sexual dysfunction. What little T you have is going there. What is a total mystery to me is how labs come up with those reference ranges and how doctors interpret them. I challenged one of my doctors on that point. I asked him what kind of total T levels are found in a man who has a good sex life and is naturally muscular(no extreme diets or workouts). I did not get a straight answer. Got a lot of dissembling about ranges and variations. If I had to guess, it would not be your 331 or my 388ng/dl.

[meatwadII]

alright, cool, thanks guys.

also, another reason that leads me to believe that i have low test or something related is the fact that im not a hairy person, and I couldnt grow a beard or mustache if i tried. Although, i dont want to be a hairy person, so maybe this is a good thing.

so lets say i get the tests that coz listed done at my college health center...where my insurance should hopefully cover it...what do i do with the results? Do I have to find someone else in my area..an HRT specialist? Im totally lost.

[coz]

Originally Posted by meatwadII

alright, cool, thanks guys.

also, another reason that leads me to believe that i have low test or something related is the fact that im not a hairy person, and I couldnt grow a beard or mustache if i tried. Although, i dont want to be a hairy person, so maybe this is a good thing.

so lets say i get the tests that coz listed done at my college health center...where my insurance should hopefully cover it...what do i do with the results? Do I have to find someone else in my area..an HRT specialist? Im totally lost.

You can post the results up here for an interpretation. However you will need a practitioner - doctor, endocrinologist etc that is competent in treating TRT to verify & prescribe you any medication - if the results indicate the need.

[mranak]

Student pricing on labs is usually quite resonable, unlike the lab's list prices for the general public. But I can't say for certain.

Get a Free Testosterone test done and go from there. LH and FSH are so inconsistent that I believe their value is limited. It would be nice to get an estradiol test done as well, but you need the most specific estradiol assay (many physicians/lab techs don't know the difference) and this test might be more problematic with coverage/pricing.

[LiquidGib]

Originally Posted by love_en

I wasted a good part of my life suffering in silence. A skinny guy with a big stomach, we are twins.

sorry bro, triplets
I'm you's guys' long lost brother

Originally Posted by meatwadII

alright, cool, thanks guys.

also, another reason that leads me to believe that i have low test or something related is the fact that im not a hairy person, and I couldnt grow a beard or mustache if i tried. Although, i dont want to be a hairy person, so maybe this is a good thing.

so lets say i get the tests that coz listed done at my college health center...where my insurance should hopefully cover it...what do i do with the results? Do I have to find someone else in my area..an HRT specialist? Im totally lost.

You should be looking for a good HRT doctor or a doctor who is willing to work with SWALE. While looking though, try to get some blood tests done so that when you do go to the doctor you will have these tests to show that you have been having the problems for some time.

[meatwadII]

Originally Posted by LiquidGib

You should be looking for a good HRT doctor or a doctor who is willing to work with SWALE. While looking though, try to get some blood tests done so that when you do go to the doctor you will have these tests to show that you have been having the problems for some time.

I know swale is the HRT authority around here, but if i found a competent HRT doctor locally, how would swale fit into the picture? Dont you have to fly to meet with him in order for him to help you? For a 21 y/o college student that just isnt pheasible.

[mranak]

Originally Posted by meatwadII

I know swale is the HRT authority around here, but if i found a competent HRT doctor locally, how would swale fit into the picture? Dont you have to fly to meet with him in order for him to help you? For a 21 y/o college student that just isnt pheasible.

Print out SWALE's paper and learn it. Then find a physician that is willing to prescribe you the TRT protocol that you want.