u/dsschmidt

This is to follow up on a question I asked last week. Bottom line: I’m 64, after two tests (but with different methods for free testosterone) it’s looking like I’m at least at the very low end of normal for free T and possibly in clear deficit. (long story on the test methods which I will spare you). I’ve done another blood draw this morning so should have a clearer picture in a week SHBG is not elevated, and total T was low end of normal with both tests but still jn the range. (I’ll put all the numbers below)

But I also have sleep apnea, which had been well controlled with intense aerobic training but has come back the past few months. Mild, but enough so that I wake up feeling pretty wiped out some mornings. So it’s possible that’s the cause and I need to work that through, which I’m doing with a sleep doctor. And I have an endocrinology consult in November, and hoping to find something sooner.

But here’s the thing. I’m in the process of starting a new career out of both financial necessity and interest. But finances are just bad, looking down the road, I own my (small) house, but have precisely zero for retirement— and will be paying off new school loans as well. So I need to get to a point where I’m working at a higher level than now and honestly, I probably will need to sustain that for a decade at least. Since testosterone declines steadily with age, and especially so for free testosterone, I’m increasingly inclined to go with TRT unless things improve markedly in the next couple of months. And even if things do improve, keeping it as an option as I move forward.

I really don’t like the idea of losing my own production of the stuff or of having to take another drug on a regular basis. But given the situation, my reservations are fading fast. Thoughts?

Lab Results

Total T 361 ng/dl
Free T 36.3 pg/ml (equilibrium dialysis/mass spec)
* blood drawn at noon

Total. 339
Free. 28.8 (immunoassay)
SHBG 53
Albumin 4.7
* early morning

**. Also, total T was 550 in 2022.

I’m 64 and my total testosterone is 360, free testosterone is 36.3. So still normal but at the very low end The only previous test I have is from 2022 and it was only total testosterone, which was around 550.

I had it checked because I’ve had intermittent fatigue recently, pretty severe at times…Which could be chronic Lyme disease (currently on doxy) or something else. Libido has been kind of low for a while, which I was attributing to both aging and currently a lack of partner. Now I’m not so sure.

My doctor has said it’s not enough for him to prescribe, but he’s happy to refer to an endocrinologist. I kind of dislike the idea of taking testosterone supplement, partly because I would then have to take it forever. I also have zero interest in the whole machismo testosterone thing. However! I’m in the process of starting up a new career and have to admit it’s a lot harder than I expected, partly because I just have less drive and endurance than I used to. So I need to be able to sustain a pretty high level of performance for the next 5 to 10 years and sure could use some extra. Juice.

I should add that I eat red meat at least a couple of times a week and have been weight training regularly… I think those are the two main things to support testosterone. I have been having a fair amount of stress in the past year, so I suppose that could be bringing it down.

Any thoughts on all that?

I’m already doing 4 x 4 once a week. High intensity aerobics is really key to minimizing my sleep apnea. A couple of years ago it pretty much cured it, and that was confirmed by a sleep study. I’m just getting back to being more regular about that after being kind of lax over the winter. It’s a little early to tell, but I think it’s not working quite as well as it did a few years ago… I’m 64 and suspect that overtime the apnea may be getting worse.

I’ve thought of doing 4 x 4 twice a week, but between some ankle trouble and the level of effort it takes… I dunno. But I do a daily 10 minute bike ride to coffee most mornings, and have been pushing it hard for a segment with no stoplights on the way home, which comes to about four minutes. I assume doing that several days a week will be helpful, but wonder if anyone here has a good read on it. I suppose another way to ask that would be whether doing the 4 4-minute sessions all in sequence is all that important.

And yes, I know this may be splitting hairs, but sleep apnea really sucks and I spent 18 months trying to get used to a CPAP which just didn’t work for me. Thankfully, the apnea is fairly mild, although… Again, I think it may be getting worse.

I tried it for a while a couple of years ago for two or three months but don’t think I was committed enough to notice much difference. But I’m considering it again. I’m 64 and starting on a new career, which takes a ton of work, and I gotta say in the last year I’ve been feeling my age, despite being in pretty good shape overall for 64.

My baseline, which, of course I don’t always reach, is to do resistance training, which I work hard at, two or three times a week, and then to do aerobic exercise most other days… I try to do serious 4 x 4 once a week but not as consistently as I’d like. I have heard some people say that once they’ve gotten serious about zone two training, they notice increased energy, I assume from metabolic efficiency. That would be pretty great for me, but time is also tight, plus I have more fun with exercise if I’m more spontaneous about it than a strict training protocol.

To be clear, this really is not about athletic performance, and I’ve generally become a big believer in just getting out and doing things I like rather than adhering to a strict protocol. But the career switch is a financial necessity and I need to make sure I do everything I can to continue ramping things up. Is this even worth trying in my situation or would it be grasping at metabolic straws.?