Just Shoot Me

It’s been about 10 weeks since I started testosterone replacement therapy. I know this because I have a collection of used syringes I have no idea what to do with.

A little background for anyone who hasn’t been keeping up with my sporadic posts: I was diagnosed with hypogonadism (chuckle) after my last physical. My doctor prescribed a gel I would smear on my chest every morning, but my insurance wouldn’t cover the gel, and it was close to $500 a month. After a bit of back and forth I got a scrip for intramuscular injections. That means every month I get two little vials of spooge and four syringes with big-ass needles. The pharmacist was surprised they hadn’t prescribed smaller needles.

Normally, they use larger gauge needles to draw, and smaller to inject. For intance, they may have an 18 gauge to draw up the viscus spooge but a 23 gauge to inject so it does less damage to the muscle.

My urologist explained they prescribe 21-gauge needles for both. The idea is, they don’t want you to have to spend much time injecting, since there’s a better chance of bending or breaking the needle off, the longer it takes.

They point out, no pun intended, that 21 gauge isn’t that different than 23. At least on paper. I had gotten accustomed to 23 gauge and, while no two-inch needle in your quad is comfortable, it wasn’t bad. Since going to the 21 gauge I feel like a need a running start to penetrate my skin. The smaller needle slipped in easily but the larger stretches the skin before it enters. I do admit the medicine comes out much faster, but it’s more painful.

Couple that with the two times I hit nerves that caused my quads to seize and I’m starting to look less forward to my weekly, “poker” night.

Aside from the administration of the stuff, there have been some improvements:

The price got better.

I paid $55 the first month for the meds and syringes. I figured if it worked, I would find a way to pay for it. After I had my six-week blood test, and the results were encouraging, my insurance agreed to pay for it. So now it’s $8 a month. Considerably better.

So, down to the meat of it. Is it working?

First, remember why I had hope for this. I expected my weight would stabilize and start to come down, since unexplained weight gain is a symptom of hypogonadism (chuckle). I gained 10 pounds the first three weeks. Looking online at TRT user groups, and talking to guys at the gym who used/use this stuff, that is to be expected. Almost no way around it. Carbs cause your body to retain water, which makes your muscles look bigger, but your belly will bloat. One way to combat this is to reduce your carb macro from 40% to 25% and increase your protein. But even that may not help those first few weeks.

After a time, my weight stabilized at the higher number. If I stick with low carbs and exercise as I have, it will come off slowly. That is the first thing I noticed. Before, I could have enormous fluctuations in my weight with little or no logical reason. I could, and this is not an exaggeration, gain five pounds overnight after undereating and doing more cardio. I could also drop three pounds on a rest day with a big cheat meal. That could go either way, so there was no way of telling how my body would react.

Now, it’s a bit more reasonable. If I eat too much, my weight goes up a little. If I’m good, it goes down a little. That’s why I feel more confident about the lower carb macros working over time.

The other reason people do this is for energy. That has been subtle also. When I focus on my strength training I find I can lift more weight and do higher reps and not be as physically exhausted. My best workouts used to leave me shaking. Now I push a little harder and I’m less shaky.

I also need fewer naps. I can nap pretty much any day, but a weekend where I’ve gone running or did extra HIIT training I could nap two to three hours. Now I can feel rested after 30 or 45 minutes.

Physical results.

Not so much, but it may be that my muscles are dwarfed by my belly. I’m not seeing the pump I expected, but I’ve not been that active this Summer. I have had guests and events and injuries keep me from the gym, and the excuse fairy makes nightly visits to my house. I do expect the gains to return and gut to recede with more work. I may not get as big as I was in the shoulders, but if I can get some definition and decent proportion from my routine workouts I’m ok with that.

Side effects.

One of the tests the doctor gave be was an hgb test. The hemoglobin levels can increase with added testosterone. I didn’t know this until I went to the Red Cross to donate platelets two days after an injection. My levels were high enough (17.8) for them to have to confirm that therapeutic phlebotomy (think, bleeding. Leeches and stuff) wasn’t required.

Higher hemoglobin means my blood is more viscus or sticky. This means my heart must work harder to push the blood through my veins. It’s also part of the reason we see former athletes who used steroids dying younger than that should.

My levels were not high enough to worry anyone, but periodic blood donations and staying hydrated is a good idea.

So, what to do with the syringes?

When I had a wife and horses, we used to give intramuscular shots to the horses on a regular basis and kept a sharps container for the used needles. My wife worked at a hospital, so swapping the bucket was easy enough.

The doctor’s office recommends I use an old bleach bottle with “Syringes” marked clearly on the side. It wasn’t clear if I should throw the bottle out or bring it to the hospital for disposal. I’m not concerned about anyone getting stuck, since I’m clean, but if someone got hold of my DNA and started cloning me… I’m not sure I can handle that kind of competition. I’m certain their blogs would have more readers, at the very least.

I’m sure I’m worried over nothing.