Testosterone after 2nd I/O question.

[a12curlyq]

Hello Everyone,
My boyfriend is a testicular cancer survivor, and he just had his second I/O done on Tuesday night. The urologist told us that we would begin talking about testosterone replacement in a month at his post-op. appointment. Is this normal? Can his body go without testosterone for a month and still function properly? He is 20; I don't know if that makes a difference.

Also, could any of you give any information on what method of testosterone replacement is the "best." I think that he is leaning toward the patch because of the convenience.

Any help from those of you who have had testicular cancer twice or who have some information about testosterone replacement would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

[Pete]

I can't give you any technical info, however I can tell you going without it, has similar symptoms to Menopause. I'm having issues with low levels now and it's very unpleasant. He might get really moody and extremely tired. The good thing is it's all fixable.
I had been using Testim gel, however, it looks as if I'll be getting a shot every couple of weeks. The doc. said it's the best way in his opinion.

[Michael112]

Thats a very stupid decision to make, TRT should be given before the procedure not weeks after.

[Fed]

Thats a very stupid decision to make, TRT should be given before the procedure not weeks after.

What is your argument supporting this assessment?

[a12curlyq]

Update

I emailed Nick O'hara Smith, and he got back to me very promptly. I was very appreciative and very impressed. He told me that we should start the testosterone therapy as soon as possible.

We are now a week out from surgery, and he still has not started the testosterone. He is back at school (about an hour from home) and we are trying to get everything figured out.

We asked our family doctor when he thought that we should start the testosterone therapy. He said that he didn't want to give advise that was different than what a specialist said, but he told us that he would call and speak to the urologist about why he was waiting to start the therapy. He said that after he got all of the details he might be able to refer us to an endocrinologist, depending on what the urologists reasonings are.

He recovered from his surgery very well, and he is able to walk to all of his classes (miles) without a problem. He seems to be having a lot of headaches and is pretty sleepy lately. I wonder if this is because of the lack of testosterone.

[joev]

I just stumbled upon this site today. Great site! I used to spend alot of time on the TCRC site but have been out of the loop for a while. I had my first IO in 1998 and my second in 2001. Seminoma both times, radiation in 1998 and survelliance for my second time around. I have been using androgel for six years now.

Discussing hormone replacement should have been done BEFORE his second IO NOT one month later. After my first IO in 1998 none of my doctors even suggested checking my T levels. The three years between my IO's were the worst years of my life. Little did I know that my T levels were dropping steadily as my remaining testicle was failing. It was only after I started hormone replacement that I knew my my T level was very low. Low testosterone is a place I never want to see again. I felt weak, depressed, mood swings and a general feeling of malaise.

After my second IO my doctor made me wait about 1 week before starting androgel but it was discussed before the surgery and everything was laid out beforehand. In my opinion waiting a month is absurd. I felt a huge difference in just a couple of days of starting hormone replacement. Now it is just another part of daily life for me. If I were you I would push his doctor to start the therapy NOW or find another doctor.

Good luck and best wishes-Joe