[Magdalen] I have really low testosterone!

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

I was returning home from a music workshop when I had spontaneous fracture
of the spine. That is how I discovered that I had osteoporosis. I was
treated at the regional bone center at Helen hayes Hospital in Haverstraw,
NY, and they were very excited about my case, since young guys do not
generally present with this ailment.

Finally, my treating physician, who at that time was also president of the
Osteoporosis Foundation of America, and knew something, gently suggested
that while my testosterone was in the normal range, it was so low as almost
to be borderline, and he suggested some replacement therapy. Not a picnic,
but no big thing.  Injections in the tummy with an insulin needle, which
one sometimes actually feels. I heard from another physician later on that
the new therapy consisted of a patch. She was a very nice lady, but she
began to giggle when she attempted to explain to me where exactly they put
the patch.

I don't know if that was a solution, but they got my bone mass up to the
osteopenia level. And I have not broken anything since then either, which
is always a good thing!

My beloved spouse told me, years (decades?) after the fact that whenever I
gave myself a shot, I was quite ornery for a while.

And here I thought it was just a natural thing....



James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy

On Mon, Oct 3, 2016 at 8:08 PM, Scott Knitter <scottknitter at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Any advice on whether this is worth treating? Is this TMI?
>
> My therapist suggested I ask my doctor about having my testosterone
> level tested and shared with me the many problems such low levels can
> cause, including a couple of things we've talked about in sessions.
>
> My labwork on that came back today, and it's very low. My doctor sent
> me a secure email asking whether I was interested in testosterone
> replacement (regular injections and supporting meds every three days
> for six weeks, which boosts the level successively higher each time
> until it's where we want it to be).
>
> Of course, this can produce side effects and costs money. It hasn't
> been an actual problem until now; sort of something I didn't think I
> needed or wanted. There are good reasons to do it and not to do it.
>
> Anywho...I'm leaning toward letting it ride until money and healthcare
> benefits are better (we've entered the "donut hole" where we pay down
> the deductible). Things are tight, budgetwise, right now.
>
> --
> Scott R. Knitter
> Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA
>