u/Lord_Fridge03

Hi all

Following on from my previous post here - https://www.reddit.com/r/UKTRT/s/Lkmb2BC14Y I have just had the results back from the enhanced blood tests from Manual/Voy. I went with them because there was a clinic just down the road from me and they offered a 30% discount. If I go forward with any treatment, I'll look elsewhere due to feedback from others about their average at best service.

I've not posted every result if it was in the "normal range". My Red Blood Cell Count came in at 4.23, which is just inside their "low" range as well.

To recap from from original post. I have all the usual low T symptoms. My energy levels are rock bottom at the moment. And tasks that I was completing 1-2 years ago now seem like a struggle.

Whilst my total T and Free T are both low, I am worried about my hematocrit, haemoglobin and RBC levels. From doing a bit of reading, these can also contribute to low energy, fatigue, dizziness etc in the form of anaemia. I have been taking iron tablets for the last 2-3 months thinking this may be the case. My diet is healthy and well balanced and I regularly eat foods with good sources of iron.
Am I right in saying that TRT also helps to increase these figures as well as Testosterone levels? Which is why people often have to give blood whilst on TRT? So potentially TRT could really help me on both fronts?

Keen to hear your thoughts.

Thanks all

Hi all

A bit about me. 38yo male. Fit and healthy. Good protein intake, eat a well balanced diet. Mixture of aerobic and resistance training 3-4 times a week.
Life has been stressful in the last 2 years, as I've become pretty much a full time carer for a family member alongside my job. I'm a firefighter so a good mix of activity and drinking tea! My sleep at home is generally pretty good. 7 hours every night. At work, that is a different story so I do try and catch up with my sleep debt if we have a particularly bad night shift.
Don't smoke. Have the occasional beer at the weekend. I take magnesium and ashwagandha before bed to try and help with both sleep and lower my cortisol levels. I think maybe they may have helped a bit.

But last few years, I've been feeling less and less able....It's the only way I can describe it. What wasn't an effort before, now is. My lifting in the gym has stalled. My energy on dog walks or runs just seems to drain so much quicker than before. I get up with a brain fog even after 7 hours sleep. Basically just feels like my energy levels have dropped through the floor. No matter how much I train, eat well I can't seem to shift the remnants of my belly fat and my weight just doesn't shift.

I did put it down to getting towards my 40s....but then I thought surely this can't be what's left? I've still got hopefully more than half my life to live. But especially the next 25 years I don't want to be feeling like this.

So I did a finger prick test via and got the attached results back. From what I've read, these aren't hugely low but are starting to fall out of the normal ranges. The high SHBG looks like it could be an issue, making my free test lower. But from what I've read, outside of the lifestyle changes I already do, there isn't much of a way to lower it?

I guess, the next step is to choose a clinic and get a full test done. But I am concerned about going onto a medication potentially for the rest of my life. Yes it's a cost but £100 a month or so would be a small price to pay to feel myself again I suppose. I don't want my 40s to be a decade of regret. But I am worried about the dependency of it.

So any thoughts would be appreciated. And also, I'd be keen to hear how making the leap changed your life for the better or worse.

Thank you!

Achievement unlocked

Learner plates and an impressive 19k on the clock. According to how many left, only 146 on the roads! (Probably a good thing)

Hi all

Got some weird stuff going on that I’ve never had before! Looking for some advice and perhaps reassurance as well.

Background:

Im a pretty fit, healthy male. 38yo. Never smoked. Rarely drink. Healthy balanced diet. Always had pretty good oral health.

Issue:

Never had a problem with mouth ulcers before. Only very rarely when biting tongue/cheek etc accidentally.

About a month ago, I noticed 2 ulcers forming on the underneath of my tongue. They kinda looked more like lesions than a traditional ulcer. They persisted for a week or so then almost disappeared. Then they came back, with a little more. Then subsided again and have now come back again but seemingly much bigger. They are painful but not unbearable. More uncomfortable as I can always feel them.

I’ve just started some benzydamine hydrochloride mouthwash to see if that helps.

I’m going to book a dentist appointment but the first one I can make/available is 3 weeks. I could book an emergency one for end of this week but it doesn’t strike me at the moment as an emergency.

But I am worried because I’ve never had this before and have no idea what this is. I have been under a fair bit a stress the past few months. But nothing I’d consider unmanageable.

Thanks for your thoughts