HRT 2 Months Still TIRED/Fat

[castrated]

I posted a longer history of my background in a post a few months back. Basically been now close to four years of hell…started when I was 31, was a competitive athlete in phenominal shape my entire life…had a botched surgery which led to lots of infections, lots of anti biotics, corrective surgeries that didnt work, a few years of crappy workers comp doctors putting me on every pain med, muscle relaxer, anti biotic, etc, all while telling me I might have cancer, chrons, or some other mysterious disease….then I finally got to Hopkins and Cleveland Clinic and they told me I didnt have any disease, that the doctors were not connecting the internal infections with all the upper resp infections, and were giving me too many medications and conflicting medications that made me sick…at the same time doctors were throwing out the term “Adrenal Fatigue” from all the stress of the workers comp nightmare, being in the process of medical retirement from job I loved, and stress of going from someone who trained 7 days a week and sometimes twice daily, high energy jobs, etc, to being sick and in pain for 3 years.

Now got the retirement, tripled my bodyfat in 3 years, lost all my energy, cognitive function, depressed, etc….in the past few months have been doing well working with neurofeedback, meditation, relaxation response work, and transitioning to not doing the job I loved…got off all psych medications except the lowest dose Wellbutrin there is. Also have been on Testosterone, GH, HCG, Thyroid, B12 Methy injectable, GHB, and tons of supplements for a few months now. I havent dropped any bodyfat (its all in my gut and love handles which I never had in my life), and still am tired as heck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will admit there is progress, minor progress in energy, mood, focus and memory. However I was thinking that being on all these hormones, that Id start dropping some weight or bodyfat, and regaining some of my cognitive function at a faster rate.

My cortisol is still low the bloodwork showed a few weeks ago…should I be on cortisol? If so and I had an explanation for why I think my doctor would be open minded about it. Also, I am STILL continuing to get cold/flu issues that last for weeks and weeks…its more infrequent than before, but still I got an upper resp infection and it takes a month to get rid of it!! How long does it take for my immune system to bounce back? How long does it take on HRT for my body to start allowing me to drop bodyfat and get back to being somewhat normal where I was my entire life?

Are there any supplements, injectable vitmains, nutritional IVs, or hormones I should be on? I finally got an integrative doctor to be willing to take the BS workers comp insurance, and he is very open minded…so if I found out other things to do or try Im sure he would give it a go.

If I do have “adrenal fatigue” and 3 years of physical and emotional hell beat me up pretty good, how long does it take to turn the ship around? As far as workouts, Ive read not to push it with AD, so how do I go about dropping the fat? I want to start up MMA and yoga incorporated into my weekly schedule after the NY, but I still want to keep lifting 3-4 days a week too because I need to get some muscle mass back for sure. I cant stand this being soft with a big ass beer gut and love handles.

Im begging for any help, advice, suggestions, etc…Im medically retired but dont want life to be over at 35. I spend my days going to neurofeedback, physical therapy, chiro, and the gym…but my brain fog and energy levels still stink. I want to get healthy enough to study for the GREs and apply to some PhD programs next year so I can start a second career. With these energy levels, still getting low level infections, colds, flu, and this way less than optimal brain function, no chance in hell I could hang in graduate school right now.

Ill paste below my original labs from a few months ago. They have been like this for about 2 years since I started getting tested for the stuff. The only difference is that now my Test levels are higher since Im on HRT, IGF-1 is a tiny bit higher but not much even with being on .8mg day of GH, and my thyroid levels have not gone up much even with being on 4 grains of Armor Thyroid a day.

Fasting Blood Labs:
Testosterone
TT 313
% Free 2.17
Testosterone Free 68.0

T4 Free 1.1 ng/dL

T3 Free 325 pg/dL

TSH 1.53 mIU/L

Cortisol 8.4 mcg/dL

DHEA 591 mcg/dL

Estradiol (E2) 71
Ferritin 429 ng/mL

Vitamin B12 388 pg/mL

Vitamin A

Vitamin D 22 ng/mL

Insulin (fasting)

Glucose (fasting) 90 mg/dL

These would be very helpful.[/quote]

IGF-1 156 ng/mL

NueroScience Saliva/Urine Results:
Cortisol
8am 5.0 ng/mL
Noon 2.2 ng/mL
6pm 3.4 ng/mL
11pm 1.5 ng/mL

DHEA 618.3 pg/mL

Epinephrine 4.8 ug/gCR (says low, range should be 8-11 day, 3-6 night)
Norepinephrine 27.6 (says low, should be morning 35-45 night 15-25)
Dopamine 270.3 (says elevated, ranges should be day 125-175 night 80-120)
DOPAC 584.3 (says low, range should be 900-1250 and 600-900)
Serotonin 125.7 says optimal, although the blood level Serontonin was so low didnt register
5-HIAA 1,541.2 (says low, should be 2500-5000)
Glycine 1,044.7 says optimal
Taurine 66.7 (says low should be 150-550 and 100-250)
GABA 2.6 says Optimal
Glutamate 21.1 says optimal
PEA 75.8 (says elevated should be 30-70 and 21-50)
Histamine 25.3 (says elevated should be 10-20 and 5-15)
Creatinine 151.1 (in range)

[MetalMX]

So the surgery triggered all this. What did you get operated on?

I would go off everything and do bloods then.

Hows your diet? You need a good quality comprehensive multi-vitamin to support you nutritionally and no other supplements which could possibly be making things worse. Also a decent intake of good fats from the total fats in your diet including nuts, avocados, hemp seed oil, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil. These fats build cell membranes and make hormones.

You didn’t post reference ranges. So i cannot comment on your hormone levels till you do.

If your cortisol is low 4 grains of armour is likely making it low and making you feel like crap crushing your cortisol into the ground main issue. Good Thyroid/adrenal levels will improve T and GH levels. You likely don’t need GH, GH signaling improves when other hormones improve, and it can cause insulin resistance as well.

What are your main symptoms top 10 or so. Be more specific besides just fatigue describe the fatigue etc…

Do you have digestive issues/disturbances?

[castrated]

Thank you for the response. I am in a hurry so will get the ranges later, but answer other questions for now.

Originally I had a minor rectal fissure, which was supposed to be “no big deal” and “simple surgery” where I would be 100% in 6 weeks…immediately after the surgery I was having spasms from my butt all the way up into my intestines…I was leaking blood and stool out my rear, and seeing stars literally from the pain. I lived on the floor for 2 weeks and crawled on my hands and knees to the tub multiple times a day to take damn near boiling water baths to try to calm the spasms…I kept calling the doctor’s office saying something was wrong, and they just prescribed more pain meds. Two weeks later on the post op appointment, the doctor said “oh no, this isnt good, its infected, your bleeding, the surgery didnt take”….and long story short I ended up with two more fistula surgeries and cleaning/cutting out infections, and years later when I finally got to Hopkins and Cleveland Clinic, my internal spinchter had been cut, which they said could explain the spasms…and I think some nerves were cut too. During the time starting right after the first surgery, I had tons of GI issues, couldnt digest anything, and had what Id describe was food poisoning like sickness all the time, flus, colds, bad upper resp infections…and for most things different doctors didnt think they were connected at all and would just give me difference anti biotics for every different sickness I had.

I also had a bicep detach at the distal head last Feb, which was freakish since I hadnt been training for 3 years, and I wasnt doing anything strenuous when it happened…so that was another surgery. Besides the frequent illness, little cuts didnt heal fast, Id sprain ankles walking, things hurt for days…

The blood results I posted are when I was not on anything, and I have labs from the two previous years when I was not on anything either.

I eat primarily chicken and beef, fruits and veggies, protein shakes with fiber. I take a multi, anti oxidants, essential fatty acids, neurotransmitter support supplements, BCAAs, DHEA 75mg day, Pregnenolone 150mg day,Vit D, B complex, etc.

I had major GI disturbances for the 3 years….if there is anything that the HRT has done I can tell for sure, its cleared up those digestive issues! I thought Id drop bodyfat and gain muscle back, but I found it a welcomed surprise that it stablized my digestive issues. It also has hoped my focus and concentration a little. And for a long long time I used to wake up in severe pain in my muscles and joints, like I played a football game or something, that has slowly improved and I dont wake up feeling like I got my ass beat with a bat anymore.

I will give a detailed explanation of the mental and physical fatigue after my appointments today…gotta get to physical therapy for pelvic floor, then neurofeedback, then the chiro.

@MetalMX 2360 wrote:

So the surgery triggered all this. What did you get operated on?

I would go off everything and do bloods then.

Hows your diet? You need a good quality comprehensive multi-vitamin to support you nutritionally and no other supplements which could possibly be making things worse. Also a decent intake of good fats from the total fats in your diet including nuts, avocados, hemp seed oil, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil. These fats build cell membranes and make hormones.

You didn’t post reference ranges. So i cannot comment on your hormone levels till you do.

If your cortisol is low 4 grains of armour is likely making it low and making you feel like crap crushing your cortisol into the ground main issue. Good Thyroid/adrenal levels will improve T and GH levels. You likely don’t need GH, GH signaling improves when other hormones improve, and it can cause insulin resistance as well.

What are your main symptoms top 10 or so. Be more specific besides just fatigue describe the fatigue etc…

Do you have digestive issues/disturbances?

[hardasnails1973]

Looks like you got some methylaytion issues going on and healing the intestinal tract would be one of my priimary focus. I would try to identify what imbalances exist with in the gut. You definitely have low cortisol from all the trama both mental and physically you have been through. So that would be primary function as well as identify intestinal imbalances that may be feeding the adrenal issues as well. This is a multi layered problem that will take time and some brain work. If taurine is low then you have down regulated CBS pathways which NAC will help to rebalance. Again one needs to look at the multiplicity of varible going on.

[castrated]

Fatigue that no matter how clean you eat, how much sleep you get, and relaxation response activities you do daily, you still do not feel like you have your mojo. You tire out easily even if you are doing activities you love with people you love. Your mental focus is for crap, short term memory is horrible, brain fog, cannot multi task, have to write lists down or you will forget what you have to do that day. Sore and aching joints and muscles (even though its getting better, used to be way worse), cramps/spasms, and easily sprain things that end up nagging for days or weeks. Muscle weakness at times, at times seems like lack of coordination too. This is not emotional or depression that is causing this kind of fatigue, I have already been down that road. Now Im mentally in a much different direction, and even if Im excited to go to the gym I get there and really have to drag through a workout when I normally love it and feel energized during and after workouts (comparing now to when I was healthy). I do not feel refreshed after workouts but more like totally zapped. I can go to church which used to be a source or strength and energy, and even if Im into it I find myself being distracted from trying to concentrate on whats going on, and getting fatigued mentally from having to consciously pay attention, and make it about a half hour sometimes and wish I was laying down somewhere closing my eyes. I can be out with friends enjoying myself, an hour or two into it I hit a wall unexpectedly and feel like I need to get home ASAP and lay down.

I am super hydrated, eating super clean, on tons of supplements…it is not any of those things…I am doing neurofeedback with meditation twice weekly with guidance, and daily on my own doing meditation or relaxing walks.

To try to put this in perspective, I worked two full time jobs my entire adult life not because I had to, because I loved them. Bosses joked I ran on adrenaline, testosterone, and caffeine because people knew I barely slept and worked two jobs, along with volunteer work, and still worked out once or twice a day, and was always positive, chipper, leading things, mediating things, on the ball and the go to man. Amongst that I could still read 2-3 books a week without even trying, it just happened naturally. I didnt “try” to do anything on the jobs, or in my free time reading ,praying, meditating, reflecting, researching, etc….its just how I operate and who I am. I led a college athletic ministry and organized and taught all of that, I taught at a police academy, coached college athletes, was on a SWAT team, always sharp and passionate about everything. Never had an energy or focus problem. Now its a chore to just get through the day with remembering what appointments I have and trying to do the best I can at them without getting too tired or losing focus. Before I could work a 12 hour patrol shift in a high crime area, after that serve warrants with SWAT for 5 hours, go home sleep 3 hours, head to the college to coach and train with football or basketball players, still squatting and olympic lifting just as much as Division One athletes in their prime, and go straight into another 12 hour shift….not skip a beat, not be tired, be totally energized and excited….I took about a day a week off from both to do peaceful and reflective things, recharge my battery, but always was productive and happy.

Any supplements or testing anyone thinks I should do please let me know, and where I might find info on it to talk to my doctor about it. Also any supplements I should be on or not, and for sure the cortisol/cortef thing I will talk to my doctor about after the holidays because I do not feel a thing from the thyroid. Everyone else I know who has gotten on thyroid says it snaps their energy and focus right back within days or a week…I cant even tell Im on anything different it doesnt do a thing to me. The Test and GH seems to be working as some things are getting slowly better, but not to the extent others on HRT rave about the immediate and short response benefits and changes. Im two months or more and not feeling a huge difference, and definetly not burning bodyfat or putting on muscle.

[castrated]

The one major symptom that is driving me crazy besides energy and cognitive function, is severe bodyfat gain and its all in the midsection. Ive never had a “gut” and love handles in my entire life. From 17 to 31 years old I ranged in the 220-245 range at 10% bodyfat, lean and muscular mesomorph. The times I was near 245 took insane effort, 6 meals a day, protein shakes every 2 hours, 6k calories a day, and training very heavy…yet even then I was lean at 245. Now Im 260, nearly 30% bodyfat, all of it being my midsection. I cant fit in any of my clothes anymore, however most people think I look lighter not heavier. They think I look lighter probably becauase my neck, traps, arms, shoulders, etc are not as muscular as they used to be. No one guesses Im 260 if it comes up and most are shocked. So whatever it is cortisol high for a long period, now cortisol low, this midsection bodyfat drives me insane. Ive been working out for 4 months now, eating clean, and HRT for about 2 months I think it is, without any visible change in bodyfat nor the scale weight.

Now if I were to go balls to the wall interval training, and lift hard, and jump back into MMA (pretending I would even have the energy), maybe I would burn fat but with my supposed adrenal fatigue I didnt think it was healthy to do high intensity training.

[MetalMX]

Well you must be having insulin imbalances. In regards to HRT GH replacement for example can cause insulin resistance in some cases. Testosterone actually improves insulin resistance.

How many calories are you eating per day?

So you need to look at why and the core of the issue. Mostly Hormones, The Liver (Methylation) and i would change your diet to low carbohydrate to prevent stimulating insulin release as much as possible to see if that improves weight loss.

It would also severe you well do to a Glucose/Insulin Tolerance Test.

That is all i can think of at the moment.

[castrated]

Thank you very much! If anything else comes to mind please share I really appreciate it!

[hardasnails1973]

i was thinking of insulin dysregulation as well from weight gain, and thyroid resistance from being understress for so long. The practioner might have to push the envelope a bit on the thyroid medication since clincal the ranges in this case may not apply. One can take all the supplements but if they absorbing or getting metabolized due to hidden metabolic issues such as low thyroid (euthyroid) from stress. Your levels may need to be above the range to feel good since you have been out of commision for so long and alot of celllular damage needs to be repaired.

[castrated]

When I get back from holidays will be seeing the doctor…am going to talk about trying Cortef since cortisol is low, and 4 grains of Armor I dont even feel…I can tell no difference from being on thyroid or off…

Also going to ask about the supplements you all listed, and injectable Vit C and Glutithione.

Any other suggestions on supplements please let me know. If i get them through doctor it is covered 100% by insurance, so I am willing to down any supplements that might even give me a slight benefit.

Also, any particular sample diet plans? I mean the simpler the better…I dont care if it tastes good or not, just whatever is the easiest to prepare!!

Chicken, Beef, yams, berries, nuts?

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