Testosterone Advice

[Chris'Mom]

My son had his left testicle removed last March...and it will be almost a year since diagnosis and he is healthy and for that we are thankful, but lately he is complaining about anxiety, sounds down, broke up with girlfriend, and his face has some ance he never had before. I think I read a post that mentioned that as a possible side effect of low testosterone. Also, he mentioned his hair on his body his less .....my question, should I request from our GP that he be seen by an endocrinologist and will a blood test tell all. I worry that TC is rare, and will this doctor be knowledgeable about testosterone issues....I will print some info I have seen here from Nick, and take it with me so I am able to talk knowledgeably with DR. ...some opinions please....Mary Ellen

[Fish]

Hi Mary Ellen:

Your GP should certainly be willing to order a Testosterone level blood test. That would be a good place to start. I can tell you that before my TC diagnosis, I was very laid back and afterward, I became a chronic worrier, not just about my health, but about everything. Finally after my second case of TC, my wife convinced me to see a shrink. Some counseling and anti-anxiety meds have really helped. Chronic anxiety can be crippling and my doc told me it can also lead to depression. My doctor also said that many cancer patients she sees have post-traumatic stress syndrome. Just some thoughts if Chris' hormones levels turn out to be OK. Definitely for me, surviving cancer physically was only half the battle.

Best wishes to you and Chris.

Jim

[Chris'Mom]

Thanks....Chris is set up to see an endocrinologist next week and blood work is being done tomorrow...so at least we could rule that out....Mary Ellen

[huckchef]

mary ellen this could be all just a result of low testosterone. alot of the things you describe your son as having are definitly some characteristics of having low testosterone levels. i think his urologist would be better to see for this istead of your gp but also an endocrinologist would be the best result. i went to an endo yesterday for the first time and nothing was done but change my testosterone from injection to a gel. he will do blood work later but a simple testosterone test will tell alot. if it turns out its low you and he will see drastic changes in behavior. best of luck and i'm thankful he is doing better with everything else, brian!

[Chris'Mom]

Thanks Brian....glad to hear you are doing well...I can't wait to see what the blood test shows...Mary Ellen

[rightone]

well it definitely sounds to me like he is suffering from some sort of anxiety. It is a very hard thing for a young man to gothrough. Es pecially losing his girlfriend. I know that can be tough on a young man. Add the stress of cancer and losing a testicle to that and you have some major issues brewing up. I think you would be wise to heed the advice previously posted.
I know when I lost my testicle and went through TC it was very rough. without my wife I would have been lost. I still was very depressed afterwords and almost ruined myt marriage due to my insanity. I was a real ***. the culprit, low testosterone. I wa sreally paranoid. I thought and knew I was going crazy but couldn't control it. I would read into things that people said and didn't take anything at face value. I always thought there was somje underlying message behind everything. Like I said I was going crazy. A simple blood test by my new oncologist showed I had a deficiency of test. My new doc prescribed lexapro and the androderm patch. almost over night I wa sbetter and became my old laid back self again. It is amazing I feel like a new person. I wish you and you son the best of luck. It is good toknow that you are looking out for him. this is just the begining . Kudos to you for being such a good mother and being proactive.

[Chris'Mom]

Thanks so much for encouragement...Chris is now on Lexapro also....so he is on the right path so far....and I am so anxious to get these tests...I have never met this endo...so I hope he is supportive....I am going in with my research on Testostereone issues like I did on TC Cancer...so I am informed.....thanks for help...Mary Ellen

[nickohs]

Hi Mary Ellen,

You happen to share names with my late mother. Her family called her Nelly, which didn't go down too well

You may find your research takes you beyond the endo's knowledge. I hope not, but you may, so be prepared to ask for the correct tests.
If you go to my site you will find a link to "Ask the doctor" which I hope you will find useful.

It's important to get these tests in order to elminate a coincidental Pituitary issue.


Good luck!!!

best wishes,

Nick

[Chris'Mom]

Thanks Nick....how nice to share names...my aunt was Nellie....my GP has now sent us over to Chris oncologist for the tests?! He was always so supportive that I don't mind this...we'll see...thanks for help...Mary Ellen

[LindaM]

MaryEllen , my son Danny is 22 and his symtoms sound alot like your son's. He suffers from mood swings and he has never regained the weight he lost after the I/O in april 05. He and his girlfriend break up at least once a month . His personality has changed , he is always tired and he does not look happy.I spoke to Dr sheinfeld's nurse about this in Oct and they tested his testosterone levels along with his routine bloodwork. At Sloan, normal testosterone range is 262ng/dl - 1593ng/dl. Danny's level was 578ng/dl. They said of course that Danny's level was in the normal range. My thoughts were that a 22 year old male should be more toward the middle of those two numbers which should have put him in the 900 range. I've spoken to the urologist about this and no one has any definitive answers. He needs somekind of help but I don't know where to get it. He goes for his 10 month check-up tomorrow at Sloan and so far that part of it is going well ( fingers crossed). Any info on these testosterone issues and any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Linda

[amorgan74]

Ms. Linda, See if you can find out whether or not his testerone was checked at the beginning of treatment. We didn't know what Wesley's was so when we realized there was a problem we didn't know what normal was to compare his current levels to. They were really low, 256 if I remember right which was just barely within the "normal" range. He's 34 and that definitely is not normal for a young man. I think part of what makes HRT so hard is that it's a range and everybody's different. There's no magic one number to reach. I don't guess it wouldn't hurt to try it and see if his attitude and feelings change. Hope they help you with this at Sloan or at least recommend whichever dr he may need to see. April

[Chris'Mom]

I agree Linda, Danny's numbers should be higher...we are trying to find out if the hospital where Chris had his initial left orchiectomy did bloodwork regarding testosterone before the surgery...I doubt it though...you would think the urologist who did surgery would have done that..we were in such a fog then we didn't know what to ask......just wanted the cancer out....then we could compare...just because they are in the normal range doesn't mean it was there normal...it could have been way higher in the range...so...we also meet next thursday for Chris' check up with Dr. Sheinfeld and by then I will have bloodwork hopefully....take care...Mary Ellen

[Chris'Mom]

One more thing, it ended up that the oncologist who treated Chris for his chemo here in town called in the bloodwork...I am just nervous if all the right tests were called in...when I called the lab , they said he has an order for a testosterone test....will that test show all......we are still trying to get info from the hospital regarding bloodword before orchiectomy, does anyone know if that is standard to do bloodwork re: testosterone before that surgery? Thanks for all the help...one more thing, will the oncologist be able to read the blood work and give advice, or should we keep appt. with endo...thanks...Mary Ellen

[amorgan74]

I completely bypassed the oncologist when I knew Wesley needed to have his levels checked. His doctor(urolog) was the one who did the I/O and talked with us indepth about the surgery and what could happen with the body after the surgery and was just really detailed about everything that was happening as a result of the cancer. He is managing Wesley's HRT and we see him every few months right now to kind of monitor it. This doctor seemed to be more concerned about HRT and has been very helpful in trying to get Wesley back to feeling better. Dr D did forward his notes to the oncologist and they documented in the their file the info from him to make sure everybody was on the same page. It's good that you are taking an active role in this because the side effects from low T can have long lasting issues and a lot of men seem to be reluctant to talk about this when it appears that there may be a problem. At least I know how it was with Wesley and if it weren't for me getting him to the office and telling the urologist what he was experiencing then I doubt he would have done this on his own. April

[LindaM]

Danny's testosterone levels were not checked before his I/O . His surgery was done 2 days after the urologist got the sonogram results. I had not seen this site yet and I was unprepared . Sooooooo we have nothing to base his test results on. Sheinfeld does not appear to be concerned. I know this whole thing bothers Danny alot. He's not really afraid of the surveillance and the possibility of chemo if there is a reoccurance. He seems to be dwelling on the what if my sperm is no good or what if I get it on the other side. It really has had an effect on his relationship with his girlfriend. If she is not with him all the time he either becomes sad or angry. He has become shall we say, very needy. The doctors don't seem to understand that young unmarried men seem to have a harder time coping with all of this. I would like to have his sperm checked and banked. Anyone with any info on this in and around the nyc or nj area, I would appreciate it. We live on Staten Island. Danny goes for his 10 month x-ray and bloodwork tomorrow. I always get a little nutso the day before.