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Not sure about quicker as it has to be sent to a lab.

The jury is out depending on who you talk to but it appears blood is more accurate. Regular doctors say blood. The homeopathic go for saliva. I agree anything in the 200's is low but I feel great.

My regular doctor said if I did saliva it would probably be in the middle to upper range. So then if you think about it who is really right ??

When you felt bad did you get the foggy head and feel alittle dizzy at times? And just a general not feeling normal?
I guess what symptoms did you have?

Malibu, thanks for posting back results. You actually did better than I did on Androgel. I only got to total T of 195. If you have any questions about pursuing another approach, feel free to ask. It is kind of a head trip to deal with self injection. I never figured to be in this position either, but it does take the question out of what actually ends up in our system.

Malibu, what symptoms did you have before you starting feeling well?

tlewis...

Symptoms were fatigue that didn't go away with good sleep. Sleep studies (3 of them) showed the proper percentages of levels of sleep ie stage 1, stage 2, REM etc. CPAP definitely solved one problem but didn't help the fatigue like they thought it would. Brain fog was there plus forgetfulness also. After awhile you just get used to it sad to say.

SleepRider...

Here are the official numbers from my tests. Would have posted them earlier but a bout of the flu wasn't helping matters.

Testosterone Total: 272 up from 232 (250-1100 ng/dL)
Albumin: 4.4 same before and after (3.6 -5.1 g/dL)
Free Testosterone: 40.3 up from 36.1 (46.0-224.0 pg/mL) L
Sex Binding Globulin: 27 up from 25 (22-77 nmol/L)
Testosterone, Bioavailable: 81.1 up from 71.1 (110.0-575.0 ng/dL)L

As you can see it appears I'm really lacking in the numbers department yet I feel good. And using the max dose of 10 percent micronized testosterone in a cream base

So it appears I'm just living on the edge of good and could feel better.

Did they figure you had an absorption problem on the cream/jell?

If anyone else has experiences with creams/jells versus shots please chime in

Also...did the weekly shot give you a weird feeling on initial injection and then kind of wear off or was it an even feeling the entire time?

One reason I picked the cream is that it was a daily thing and not to expensive and if I had any weird reactions to it I would be kind of back to normal in 24 hours. I travel allot for work and would hate to go far, far away and feel weird because of a shot for an entire week or more

Thanks! Great to be having this discussion!

Malibu, I started off lower than you and didn't get close with Androgel 1.62. My initial test shocked my regular doctor at 176 ng/DL. A followup ordered by the urologist was 192. After a month on Androgel it was still only 195. Script was for 1 cc testosterone cypionate 200mg/cc every two weeks. I got that changed to 1/2 cc weekly. Resulted in Total T of 880 ng/Dl so I cut back to 70 mg/wk and that is right abut 660.

I think if I had been close to 300, at my age (60), I probably would not have complained or noticed. Obviously I crashed through that barrier some time ago, and it took until this year to ask WTF is going on?

You are on the low end of normal...I am totally off the chart. Lots of things can contribute to low concentrations with gels and lotions, and most guys will become exogenous on supplements anyway. FWIW since you don't absorb, if you want to get over 300 and approach normal range you'll need injections or implants. Not a big deal, just don't over-do it.

Sleeprider,
I'm currently taking 4 pumps of 1.62 Androgen. I've never had any issues with the plumbing even with T at 232. I have about 3 more weeks to see if levels come up and if not I guess shots are next. Do you know if the shots make you feel better like fairly quickly?

Sleeprider,

I see in a previous post your Red Blood Cell count ended up being elevated and was wondering if dropping it back to 70mg/wk lowered that number assuming you have been retested recently.

Sometimes I wonder if I should just leave things status quo or should try the shot and see if the bigger numbers make me feel a ton better. It's such a subjective area. I just find it hard to believe that I feel that much better with only raising my numbers 40 points and nearer to the bottom end of the scale.

I also wonder where all the max dose 10 percent cream is going? The doctor says it goes straight through the skin quickly so either I have an absorption problem or it's disappearing somewhere inside my body...lol

Worst case is I can go back to the cream if needed.

As Tlewis asked, did you find the shot to be a quick recovery to normal? I'm assuming it was an amazing difference....

Last question....did actually putting the numbers back in the mid range of normal affect your AHI? Mine wasn't really a good test in the end being my T levels didn't really change drastically

Thanks!

Where are injections occur on the body? I was told in the muscle but where?

Go to You Tube and search for testosterone injections and several videos will come up. Always something on You Tube!!

It appears the most common places are in the butt muscles or on top of the leg. Of course follow your doctors recommendations...

Probably alittle painful. But if it works then that might be only option if this gel doesn't work. I mentioned pellets to my endo but she wasn't to up on that option, maybe its not that proven yet.
I'm curious to how quickly the shots will work and make me feel better?

First, the T-levels for me were immediately noticeable. My initial prescription was 2-cc IM biweekly. Well, that first shot put me on a high energy rush after 12 hours that felt pretty amazing, but I was babbling, pacing and kind of knew that wasn't sustainable. Approaching the next injection two weeks later, I was in a noticeable trough, so I got the prescription changed to biweekly to even things out. Now, i don't notice any up or down in physical or mental state other than what I'd consider normal. I have higher energy levels, but it all seems pretty much just normal now.

I use a 1.5 inch 25 gauge needle and self-inject in the side of the thigh, and I draw the injection from the file with a separate 18 ga needle. This avoids dulling or bending the fine injection needle. I told you it's a head trip, but there is no pain and no blood. The small needle does make the injection slow, but there is no sensation of burning or pressure, so the oil-based T-cypionate is well tolerated. I don't jab the needle in, it still surprises me how easily that fine thin needle glide in with no real sensation of pain. The latest CBC was normal range for hemocrit and hemoglobin, so cutting dose worked, or I just tolerate the material better. Still at my age, I don't need to be in the upper 800 levels for T, and being in the 600s feels just fine. The high hemoglobin count was associated with a higher than normal blood pressure for me, and that has dropped back as well.

I saw the Youtube videos and I can only say, if something can go wrong, it probably will when making a video. It's a whole lot less dramatic for me.

Androgel was completely ineffective for me, but beyond that it is extraordinarily expensive. $400 per month for a small pump tube of goo (twice that for the 4-pump guy) can't be justified, even if your insurance is footing the bill. I would have gone the compounding pharmacy route, but lack of absorption precluded that. I don't like the ideal of external topical treatments because I don't want to spread this to my wife, or worry about it around children. Once a week, completely internal and I can forget about it.

For those of you with Low T, consider getting your Vit D level checked. The latest research in endocrinology publications indicates that there may be a link between low Vit D and low T.

Yea I take Vit-D Supp. Is was on the lower side of the range before.

Paralel wrote: a link between low Vit D and low T.

and probably some other letters as well.