[Cappa]

@Geno 2621 wrote:

Hey Cappa, I noticed you are seeing “your own GP” and some type of “outside consultation” person/therapist or ??? I’d like to help you if possible by giving you a little bit of advice from a guy who at last count has sought medical care from approximately 26 Doctors (after looking through my own medical records file at home to confirm), I have kept s copy of just about every medical document that I could get my hands on from all the various doctor visits I gave had over since 1992, and just like you, I STRUGGLED & SUFFERED along the way all of those years of receiving THE BASIC MINIMUM OF MEDICAL CARE (The Band-Aid) treatment is what I call it, but even though I don’t know much about your own medical conditions, past, or current, I would like to give you some very true and solid advice about seeking “The BETTER CARE AND TREATMENT” from the medical system that is available to you and which may be within your ability to seek out a more “Accurate” treatment plan that may help you to get out of that deep, dark , hole that you somehow found yourself in, and what sounds like to me that YOU WANT OUT OF RIGHT NOW !! and/or as soon as possible! Right ? Well, for one thing, you are lucky to have found Dr. Mariano’s Definitivemind website ! I have learned a lot about my own health from this site and like I mentioned in my recent reply to you, I am fortunate enough to live 30 minutes away from Dr. M’s office. Cappa, you might want to look into seeking medical care from medical “SPECIALIST’S” who are disciplined in the area’s of the
various medical conditions that your “GP” simply CANNOT help you with and whom is NOT trained or able to help you with. I don’t want to sound rude or sarcastic, but to put it simply for you (and others who may be reading this and who may not already know)……”If you have
a toothache/cavity for example, you wouldn’t go see a Chiropractor or a Dermatologist for your tooth problem would you? Or if your vision was deteriorating or blurry, you would go see an Eye Doctor and NOT a Podiatrist (foot Doctor) right?? I had to learn on my own by researching everything I could about MY OWN MEDICAL symptoms, diagnosis,medications, types of treatments, what works and what does not, etc…, and it was not easy for me because just like you “I was too miserable to think and read and I could not even get out of bed on most days !” for many years !! I even subscribed to professional medical journals that normally ONLY DOCTOR’S could get, or you had to at least be a “Medical Student” at a University with some Medical Journal companies. I made myself “A medical student of MY OWN HEALTH” which in turn helped me over the years to be able to communicate and understand many of the complex Medical Language so that I could go into a Doctor’s office and HELP MYSELF by helping the Doctor to help me MORE THAN HE/She WOULD HELP PATIENT’S that may appear to the Physician NOT TO REALLY CARE ABOUT TRULY IMPROVING ONE’S Health & life. Doctor’s can tell which patient’s will comply with the Doctor’s treatment and/or “Take the prescribed medication AS PRESCRIBED” or NOT. You also mentioned that “You are your own worst enemy” ???? I can relate to that also. When I was feeling at my worst and was losing hope on finding the proper medical treatment that I needed etc. I was too TIRED AND DEPRESSED to truly care about life and I felt so hopeless that “Nobody cares to want to help me ” and all of that negative crap took over my mind (Major Depression) and I did not eat healthy, could not sleep well, (or I slept all day long alot) and the only thing I was good at was “BEING SICK SND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED”
Well Cappa, I am somehow wired from a good upbringing and Good Family Structure in y life, and up until 1995 when I lost my career as a Peace Officer after becoming ill with Major Depression over the loss of my son, then loosing a very high paying career job soon afterwards, my life and my health went downhill from there. Like I said before, I can relate to some of your views on how “life sucks” etc… But as I was trying to say earlier, I must be wired a certain way because no matter what crap has happened bad in my life, and my health, I have something inside me that has always made me believe that I could keep my head above water, and NOT DROWN!! Try your best to keep your head above water and with the very little energy you have left in you, try to educate yourself more about your health and don’t rely only on your “GP” to heal you. Stop being your own worst enemy and if you drink,smoke, or do illegal drugs, YOU MUST QUIT !! I used to self medicate with Beer, drinking with my so called friends while trying to “Ease the pain” of my life problems, but I found sobriety and I have been clean and sober for more than 6 years now !
Since I met Dr. Mariano 7 months ago, his Awesome medical mind and talent along with MY OWN Personal medical treatment plan has IMPROVED my life by around 70% !!!
I no longer feel like “The walking dead person” that I felt 7 months ago !!!! He has a few more treatments to give me in conjunction with the various treatments he has me on now, and I am so much happier and hopefull about getting my health and my life back in order, after way too many years of “Getting Nowhere” with the many other Doctors and many various prescription medications that were “Thrown at me” so to speak, over the past 15 years or so. Hang in there Cappa ! It will get better !:D

The consultant with whom I’m working with at the moment is very knowledgeable on these matters. My GP is very good in some areas of medicine but doesn’t seem to have an extensive knowledge in the areas that apply to my current issues, although he is flexible and seems willing to go along with the various blood tests, etc. So there is a bit of a gap.. In an ideal world I could travel across the border and see someone face to face in a more comprehensive way. But given the available options, this seems like the best way to go. I hope the issues will improve or resolve. That would be great.

[Cappa]

@wapf fan 2618 wrote:

and he is seeing more than one doctor. That doesn’t work. He is piecing together his treatment from doctors with different ideas. And he is NOT getting better. I think one of his biggest problems is trust. He doesn’t completely trust what any one doctor says. Cappa, you gotta trust someone.

Yes.

Geno wrote:

( and I understand why—- It’s probably because it is too tiring and exhausting to write or type, and/or the energy it takes out of you to even talk about your medical problems most likely fatigues you and makes you feel CRAPPY about yourself and all that negative stuff, right ?)

Yes.

I will just have to trust in the current process (outside consultations in concert with my GP). Always concerned about people missing things, never being able to tell the whole story or list off all of the factors that may be involved in creating this mess, etc. In many ways I’m my own worst enemy. But then it’s important to analyze these things from all angles in order to come to a clear understanding of what might really be going on.

It’s a really hard and strange position to be in. Wish it were just over already.

[Cappa]

@wapf fan 2609 wrote:

It does really suck. Our bodies were originally created to be healthy and robust and our minds to be clear and happy. So when you find someone you can really trust, if you haven’t already, then give it your all and follow directions to the “t”. The right person can get you well. I wish you the best.

No one can ever keep track of all of the factors involved. There is never enough time to get into every single little detail, and even if I could I’ll always think that there will be something left that I may have missed. I can never let my guard down, I will never be satisfied with the process or with myself for that matter and there will never be an end to this hell.

I hate to say it, but it’s the truth. Or at least it’s all I know. Maybe my perspective is limited by how I experience reality, which in turn is limited by the various issues. That’s possible. But as long as this is all that I know, that possibility just seems so foreign and distant.

[Cappa]

Hi Dr. M,

Thank you for this post. Very useful.

Quick question. Do you think that it’s useful to test histamine and homocysteine for patients with mood and anxiety problems?

[Cappa]

@damitchell2222 2570 wrote:

Right now I am currently on 200mg of test cyp a week and some Super Miraforte (with Chrysin) to control my estrogen. I am then seeing a phyciatrist separate from this and he is in the process of changing around my antidepressents. I am currently on 30mg of Cymbalta (being tapered off) 150mg of Welbutrin (being tapered off) and 15 mg of Zyprexa (being tapered off). He has put me on 100mg of Lamotragine in the morning and 100mg of Lamotragine in the evening which he plans on keeping me on. I wish I had a doc who was a psychiatrist and a endocrinologist all in the one. That would be amazing. I suffer from depression and anxiety and am a 31 year old Phys-ed and Math teacher. Dr. Mariano does it sound like my physiatrist and endo are doing the right things for me?

Hard to say with the information given. But probably not. If I had to bet, I would say no, and that your case could be handled better. Does your psychiatrist review your labs and test for things or is it just run of the mill poly-pharmacy palliative treatment?

[Cappa]

@wapf fan 2606 wrote:

“If you want to explore further into your potential issue I am available for consulting for your health needs and willl try to get you some other areas to look into. I have several people that are from canada that i have been dealing with in past years Chip douglas been one of them and finally after 3 years (if he would had listening to the suggestion then) he would have been on his way to recovery. Now after 3 years he is 80% better and his relationship was probably saved.

Email:
matrixhealthandwellness@gmail.com
contact me for info”

Did you follow up on this? Cappa, I know what you mean when people expect you to just cheer up already. That’s impossible when you are sick. But I feel certain that there is help for you. You have to find the right person. That’s what this forum is about. People and a doctor who actually know what they are doing and really do care. It’s been a long road for me but I know I will get better. I finally have answers as to what is wrong with me. And I don’t blame myself anymore. Please keep trying. There are answers for you too.

I should not give details about the consultations (in respect of the process), but yes I have proceeded with this.

Thank you for your words. Even in the moments that I am hopeful there is no calm; plagued by hyper-vigilant obsession, anxiety and physical/mental/psychological exhaustion. So there are no good times. It’s like being a living dead man. Really sucks.

OK, [/pity-party].

But seriously, it really sucks.

[Cappa]

@hardasnails1973 2430 wrote:

Cappa,
If you want to explore further into your potential issue I am available for consulting for your health needs and willl try to get you some other areas to look into. I have several people that are from canada that i have been dealing with in past years Chip douglas been one of them and finally after 3 years (if he would had listening to the suggestion then) he would have been on his way to recovery. Now after 3 years he is 80% better and his relationship was probably saved.

Email:
matrixhealthandwellness@gmail.com
contact me for info

Oh, cool. I’ll send you an email soon. Thanks.

[Cappa]

@dano 2412 wrote:

Anyone who might know:

With the shortage of HCG, I was wondering if it can be frozen. For example, I know with certain peptides like PT-141, one can reconstitute the powder upon receiving it, pre-fill the syringes, and then freeze them, which allows them to be stored for up to one year.

Could one do the same with HCG?

This may be of some assistance.

http://www.steroidology.com/forum/490557-post10.html wrote:

this is what i was told :

Go to your local homecare and surgical store and find an IV bag of Lactated Ringer’s Solution. This is what they infuse into you for a nutrient IV; it’s pH balanced and buffered, it’s got a great mix of ions to stabilize various protein structures (not why they’re included in the first place, but it works out well for our purposes), and it’s all around a good choice for peptide hormone rehydration for the purpose of storage.

Dissolve your hCG in Lactated Ringer’s, then aliquot it into some slin pins (at whatever dosage you want to take). Pre-load ALL of your expected dosages into these slin pins. Pull back the plunger from the pin to make sure the liquid will have room to expand, and put all of the pins in the freezer (about -20°C is what a standard freezer holds at if not opened too much). When you need to take a shot, put the pin you need to use in the fridge to thaw… if taking a multi-day course of hCG, it works nicely… take out 1 pin on day 0, shoot that pin on day 1 and at the same time put 1 pin in the fridge for day 2, shoot one pin on day 2, put one in the fridge for day 3… etc.

If you try to freeze hCG in bacteriostatic water, it might not make it… but the comfortable mix of ions, sugars, and the buffered pH of Lactated Ringer’s makes it a lot easier on the peptide hormone to store at 4°C or to freeze and thaw. That said, avoid repeated freeze/thaw cycles when using hCG from storage.

[Cappa]

*tight, not right.

Anxiety has been pretty bad recently. I should be going for that next blood test within a few weeks, although I don’t have a lot of stuff that I should be testing on the requisition. My primary physician doesn’t know how to deal with this, and the cognitive behavioral therapy that I’m getting right now is only helping a little bit. Not going back on meds after what happened the last time (I don’t want a cocktail, especially due to the complexity of the situation), and I never even got great efficacy from them anyways. I guess I’ll just continue on with this and see what happens.

I’ve been mainly talking to myself in this thread… lol, I must be feeling pretty desperate.

[Cappa]

@hardasnails1973 2380 wrote:

i suspect thyroid problems which can lead into methylation issues or vice versa.
I do not see vitamin D levels on your check list.
Untill all the data comes in one can only speculate that its thyroid and adrenals imbalance.
Obviously you over in europe not in the USA so you may seek a health professional over there.

I know. I should get my vitamin D checked. What else should I check, aside from what’s listed above (“on order”)? I’m not knowledgeable enough to know where to go from here (all of this is rather new to me) and my family doctor seems rather clueless on how to deal with any of this (“Well you know, hormones fluctuate. We can do testosterone if you want.”). I live in Toronto. Do you know a good doctor (accessible to me either in Canada or across the border in the U.S.) who might be able to help me with this? Money is tight right now, but this might be good to know in case I’m able to find a way to work that out.

What do you think I should do at this point? Thanks.

[Cappa]

@hardasnails1973 2380 wrote:

i suspect thyroid problems which can lead into methylation issues or vice versa.
I do not see vitamin D levels on your check list.
Untill all the data comes in one can only speculate that its thyroid and adrenals imbalance.
Obviously you over in europe not in the USA so you may seek a health professional over there.

I know. I should get my vitamin D checked. What else should I check, aside from what’s listed above (“on order”)? I’m not knowledgeable enough to know where to go from here (all of this is rather new to me) and my family doctor seems rather clueless on how to deal with any of this (“Well you know, hormones fluctuate. We can do testosterone if you want.”). I live in Toronto. Do you know a good doctor (accessible to me either in Canada or across the border in the U.S.) who might be able to help me with this? Money is right right now, but this might be good to know in case I’m able to find a way to work that out.

What do you think I should do at this point? Thanks.

[Cappa]

@hardasnails1973 2380 wrote:

i suspect thyroid problems which can lead into methylation issues or vice versa.
I do not see vitamin D levels on your check list.
Untill all the data comes in one can only speculate that its thyroid and adrenals imbalance.
Obviously you over in europe not in the USA so you may seek a health professional over there.

Hey, thanks. I’m in Canada actually. I initially suspected there might be thyroid problems, but aren’t these values okay? From the December 9 lab posted above:

sTSH: 1.79 mIU/L (0.35 – 5.00)
T4 Free: 17 pmol/L (10 – 20)
Free T3: 4.9 pmol/L (2.6 – 5.7)

Thanks.

[Cappa]

The test below was taken when I was in the hospital earlier this year (after being depressed in the aftermath of the Effexor-induced mania). They had just put me on Anafranil (which was discontinued shortly after this due to it also inducing mania). In fact, I think I just took the one dose. I also hadn’t slept well the night before and hadn’t been sleeping well in general (sleep still isn’t great, but better now than before).

---

Tested on February 1, 2009:

Free Testosterone: 35 pmol/L (32 – 92)
TSH: 3.0 mU/L (0.30 – 4.2)

AST: 24 U/L (10 – 34)
ALT: 27 U/L (10 – 44)

---

Currently on order:

Free Testosterone
Testosterone
Bioavailable Testosterone
LH
FSH
SHBG
Sensitive Estradiol
Fasting AM Cortisol
Prolactin
TSH
Free T4
Free T3

[Cappa]

I have labs results.

These are the two more recent labs. Another one from earlier this year is to follow in the next post. I’d appreciate any help in interpreting this. I’ve posted on another forum as well and the feedback I got over there was that HRT is probably indicated. I want to know what has caused this.

---

Tested on July 13, 2009:

Testosterone: 8.5 nmol/L (8.0 – 38.0)
Bioavailable Testosterone: 3.8 nM (2.7 – 19.2)
Prolactin: 11 ug/L (male: < 18)
sTSH: 2.58 mIU/L (0.35 – 5.00)
DHEAS: 10.4 umol/L (5.73 – 13.4)

Of note:
ALT: 37 U/L (< 46)
HDL: 1.82 mmol/L (male: >= 1.00)
LDL: 1.16 mmol/L
TC/HDL-C RATIO: 1.8

It gives these ranges under “Risk Categories and Treatment Targets”:

High risk (10-year CAD risk >-20%):
Primary target: LDL-C <2.00 mmol/L
Secondary target: TC/HDL-C <4.0

Moderate risk (10-year CAD risk 10% – 19%):
Treat when: LDL-C >=3.50 mmol/L or TC/HDL-C >=5.0

Low risk (10-year CAD risk <10%):
Treat when: LDL-C >=5.00 mmol/L or TC/HDL-C >=6.0

---

Tested on December 9, 2009:

Testosterone: 16.8 nmol/L (8.0 – 38.0)
Free Testosterone: 20.1 pmol/L (31.0 – 94.0)
LH: 2 IU/L (1 – 9)
FSH: 2 IU/L (1 – 12)
sTSH: 1.79 mIU/L (0.35 – 5.00)
T4 Free: 17 pmol/L (10 – 20)
Free T3: 4.9 pmol/L (2.6 – 5.7)
Estradiol (regular, non-sensitive): 104 pmol/L (adult male: < 161 pmol / L)

I fasted from midnight and blood was drawn at about 12:30 PM, so this doesn’t qualify as AM cortisol, but:

ACTH: 4.0 pmol/L (A.M. Fasting: < 10.0 pmol/L)
Cortisol Fasting: 359 nmol/L (170 – 540)

---

In between the first and second lab, I started going back to the gym (weights and some HIIT) and I started taking some supplements (ZMA, Vitamin D3, B vitamins, EPA/DHA, multi, etc.) I have since discontinued the multi and b-vitamins and added high dose calcium/magnesium.. although I doubt this is relevant.

[Cappa]

Is there anybody out there? 🙁

[Author]

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