How soon will lab test. result be accurate? (need answer tonight)

[infoseeker]

OK, to make a long story short, my husband (he'll be reading this but didn't feel like posting right now) is on Testim because Androgel was determined not to be doing much. His urologist wants to get a testosterone lab result and then decide whether to move forward to injections. Please don't (at this juncture) suggest all manner of other tests because just testosterone level is on the slip, so the question pertains to just that for right now. Considering the fact that his last test (after starting Androgel but before switching to Byetta) was only270, up from his pre-treatment 200, it doesn't seem like all other hormone levels are of utmost importance just yet, anyway.)

Complication: he ran out of Testim and had to go back to Androgel for a week (so he wouldn't be applying nothing) and then restarted the Testim Tuesday evening. Again, no time to go into whether this is appropriate, but he's split his 10 mg. per day into an AM and a PM application (partly because 10 mg. is a lot to apply.)

The question has to do with whether it's been enough time if he goes to the lab tomorrow early AM (Friday). He could wait till next week, after the holiday, when he'd have a solid week of Tesim under his belt, so to speak, but he'd have to take time off work. So as of now he's used it Tuesday night, Wed. AM and PM, Thurs. AM and PM, and today which is Friday AM and PM. That's 3 and a half days.

Last question: Would it be better to apply it and run straight to the lab or wait till he gets home? HIs thinking is that it might be elevated enough by the very recent application that his dr. will think, "Oh yay, I see it's 350" (or whatever) when it would be better to show just how low he is with no application done for 12 hours. He will let the dr. know either way, but any opinion is welcome.

To be fair, his last blood draw showing 270 reflecting two months on Androgel was at 9:30 AM and was approx. 12 hours after last application (he was applying it at night only at that point.)

THANKS for any opinions. By the way, he notices no improvement or difference between the Androgel and the Testim, which is pretty much no improvement at all.

[JustOne]

He should wait 2 weeks before getting labs done.

He NEEDS to get Estradiol checked, if E2 is a problem simply raising dosage will only make it worse.

[pmgamer18]

He needs to be on the Testim 2 weeks then try and test at 9:30am just 12 hrs after his last application like the last test so everything is the same.

Originally Posted by infoseeker

OK, to make a long story short, my husband (he'll be reading this but didn't feel like posting right now) is on Testim because Androgel was determined not to be doing much. His urologist wants to get a testosterone lab result and then decide whether to move forward to injections. Please don't (at this juncture) suggest all manner of other tests because just testosterone level is on the slip, so the question pertains to just that for right now. Considering the fact that his last test (after starting Androgel but before switching to Byetta) was only270, up from his pre-treatment 200, it doesn't seem like all other hormone levels are of utmost importance just yet, anyway.)

Complication: he ran out of Testim and had to go back to Androgel for a week (so he wouldn't be applying nothing) and then restarted the Testim Tuesday evening. Again, no time to go into whether this is appropriate, but he's split his 10 mg. per day into an AM and a PM application (partly because 10 mg. is a lot to apply.)

The question has to do with whether it's been enough time if he goes to the lab tomorrow early AM (Friday). He could wait till next week, after the holiday, when he'd have a solid week of Tesim under his belt, so to speak, but he'd have to take time off work. So as of now he's used it Tuesday night, Wed. AM and PM, Thurs. AM and PM, and today which is Friday AM and PM. That's 3 and a half days.

Last question: Would it be better to apply it and run straight to the lab or wait till he gets home? HIs thinking is that it might be elevated enough by the very recent application that his dr. will think, "Oh yay, I see it's 350" (or whatever) when it would be better to show just how low he is with no application done for 12 hours. He will let the dr. know either way, but any opinion is welcome.

To be fair, his last blood draw showing 270 reflecting two months on Androgel was at 9:30 AM and was approx. 12 hours after last application (he was applying it at night only at that point.)

THANKS for any opinions. By the way, he notices no improvement or difference between the Androgel and the Testim, which is pretty much no improvement at all.

[infoseeker]

All right; thanks. I thought I had read that it only took a few days or a week to raise t. levels as much as they're going to be raised via gel, but I was sort of fuzzy, that's why I asked. He was out driving and that's why he didn't post, but back home now.

He realizes everything else needs to be tested eventually, but I guess since the t. level is so low, it makes sense to start from there. Plus, aren't there some symptoms that go along with high E (aside from just fat distribution, which is belly fat, but no different than the average sort-of-fat guy out there.) By the way, he figured out that his remaining belly fat (he's lost some fat all over, so the Androgel/Testim hasn't done absolutely nothing) is all intrabdominal, meaning that on top of tensed muscles, he cannot pinch much at all - it's all under the muscle, between organs (it's typically a mix of both, I assume, for most fat bellies, and as I understand it, the internal fat is the most metabolically active. Just an additional tidbit there.)

He doesn't have the most egregious of high E symptoms that I've seen mentioned here, so I doubt it's out of line any more than you'd expect it for the average case of man with low T.

[pmgamer18]

If he can have sex without any problems and does not feel hot or is sweating a lot then get his T levels up and worry about Estradiol later when he is leveled and stable.

[JustOne]

Everyone is diffrent, but the brain can not tell the diffrence between E2 and T, a male can use Androcur(testosterone blocker) and Estradiol(estrogen) in combination and still have a sex drive, as long as some testosterone is present ie: 50mg/dl.

E2 could be low enough to not cause any symptoms, yet too much testosterone is converting thus keeping testosterone levels low with estrogen highish, so the only way is to lower Estradiol to a more acceptable level.


My theory is that T and E2 isnt just about ratio, but also having both lowish or both highish cause the biggest problems. eg: E2 80mg/dl and T at 800mg/dl or E2 at 10mg/dl and T at 400mg/dl.

Another theory is when putting exogenious testosterone in your body your levels will be like this

Pre Application T 400ng/dl E2: 25ng/dl
AM Post Application: T 600ng/dl E2 35ng/dl
PM: T 300ng/dl E2: 40ng/dl = poor ratio at PM due to exogenious T.

[infoseeker]

hmm... interesting stuff to mull over. Well, low libido and some erectile problems are the whole problem - I mean, other than blood sugar abnormalities, that's what drove him in to see the doctor, and with the T. level being so low, it's the obvious culprit to be attacked, for now.

But once he does get into it, he has no problems with sex, no problems with ability to or length of time to finish, no abnormality about um... volume, more than adequate in that department (not sure if the latter has to do with anything) and no nipple symptoms or abnormal growth there, never seen that (and I've seen it in others so I know what it looks like), and no sweating or heat problems at all.

If anything, he sweats less and does not feel as hot as before, when he weighed more (even 10 or 15 lbs. can sometimes make a difference. High blood sugar might contribute to night sweating, too, but that's controlled now and he's a lot more comfortable.)

Oh yeah, the dr. did order a PSA which was not done before, just to cover bases. Poor guy had to have the prostate exam from the g.p. and then the urologist, although he tried both times with "if it's all the same to you, I'd rather skip it" and both times, it was "I think we'd better check it out" but thankfully, no problems at all.

[pmgamer18]

indoseeker he is lucky to have you when I got sick and could not work it was a big strain are marriage. Dr.'s told me after a lot tests I am suffering from Major Depression and after 5 yrs. of this crap and me not getting better. The dam Dr. told my wife and work I like being Depressed and don't want to get better. At the time Prozac came out and I was on this for 2 weeks and could not void right and got a bad bladder infection. I went to a Uro. this Dr. asked me all kinds of Questions and before even doing a blood test told me I am not depressed but have low testosterone. In 4 weeks I was back to work and my wife and my self will never be like we were to many bad words and things said by her that I will never get over. Don't let this get between you guys. Your great and tell him I said he is lucky to have you.

Originally Posted by infoseeker

hmm... interesting stuff to mull over. Well, low libido and some erectile problems are the whole problem - I mean, other than blood sugar abnormalities, that's what drove him in to see the doctor, and with the T. level being so low, it's the obvious culprit to be attacked, for now.

But once he does get into it, he has no problems with sex, no problems with ability to or length of time to finish, no abnormality about um... volume, more than adequate in that department (not sure if the latter has to do with anything) and no nipple symptoms or abnormal growth there, never seen that (and I've seen it in others so I know what it looks like), and no sweating or heat problems at all.

If anything, he sweats less and does not feel as hot as before, when he weighed more (even 10 or 15 lbs. can sometimes make a difference. High blood sugar might contribute to night sweating, too, but that's controlled now and he's a lot more comfortable.)

Oh yeah, the dr. did order a PSA which was not done before, just to cover bases. Poor guy had to have the prostate exam from the g.p. and then the urologist, although he tried both times with "if it's all the same to you, I'd rather skip it" and both times, it was "I think we'd better check it out" but thankfully, no problems at all.

[infoseeker]

Aw, thank you. You could ask him, though - I have not always been so nice. The reason is that when a guy only appears to want to have sex with you 3x in one month, or worse yet, once per month or less, it is almost impossible not to take it personally, to feel old, ugly, unsexy, washed-up, unappealing, revolting, etc. even thought he he is nice, affectionate, free with constant complimentes, and EVEN WHEN there is a medical explanation. It helps, but there are times when the instictive reaction "THIS GUY JUST DOES NOT LIKE ME" takes over. And a woman can only take so much rejection without getting angry, tearful, resentful, etc. Especially when I get the feeling the 3x per month or 6x per month are mostly to keep me from freaking out. He would argue that's not true, but at least he's honest enough to say now there is a huge libido problem. I think at first he denied it a little bit which only made me feel worse.

Yes, I realize we're very lucky that we have half-decent doctors, too. I've read the stories of others. We've narrowly escaped getting the slip - for example, his g.p. at first was not especially concerned about the 200 t. level till he did a double-take, comparing it to a chart, (and then labeled it "very low") and the urologist also started up with, "but it's gone up to 270, that's some progress." Everyone has to be their own advocate because doctors are probably all too happy to leave it alone if the patient is not concerned. I am guessing that recognizing and treating abnormal sex hormone levels is a relatively new field... after all, how long ago was it that no one really knew what was going on in the hormone profiles of either men or women and any adverse events were just written off as "age-related" or of unknown cause? It sounds like you narrowly escaped that "who knows, and what can we do about it anyway" mode of diagnosis and treatment.

He's going to go to the lab next week at lunchtime and the dr. will have to take the 1PM test time into consideration. He wants to push for injections and it sounds like that's what the dr. is pretty much set on doing anyway, barring some great improvement which we're bettting will not be seen.

[pmgamer18]

Once he gets on the right program and gets leveled and stable you will see a new man and be telling him to leave you alone go get a girl friend. I am now 63 leveled and stable and can have sex everyday so my wife says leave me alone go get a girl friend. :-).