(I am) Starting testosterone replacement therapy

The road ahead of you, that you created will be full of pot holes. Yes, please keep us all informed especially the Gleason scores you had.

After my 44 radiation treatments and 4 months of Lupron I was diagnosed as hypogonadal and started TRT 15 months after treatment. It eliminated my severe and painful side effects in 5 days and after 3 months of testosterone my PSA is still fine, and my bloodwork is much improved.

@ecurb Please tell me what pothole(s) that you think I have created, and we can have a discussion that may enlighten yourself, and others also.

Here is my self administered injection kit. 1cc weekly single dose vial, which I am to use 1/2cc. A syringe with a small needle. Large needle that I swap with the small needle to puncture the vial top, draw 1/2cc, and then swap to the small needle. Pinch the belly fat and self inject, after an alcohol swab. This is way easier than I anticipated.

Hey there, will you be doing PSA checks as well, along with your T levels?
Had you been suffering severe SE’s from ADT? Let’s face it, prolonged testosterone levels in the low double digits simply cannot be good, right? It’s a bitch having to walk the tightrope of how much is good for you vs how much is good for PCa cells.
Your oncologist must feel that your cancer has been fully arrested, otherwise he/she would not be giving you the go ahead. Best of luck and please let us know how things go.
Phil

You mentioned that your “firmagon….ended….in May 2026” and that your “last blood draw in October” had your testosterone level at 18.
> what was your PSA at that last blood draw?

@brianjarvis Good morning! I need to clarify that first post, but can’t seem to find the EDIT function. Last dose of Firmagon was in Feb 2026. Decision made in May to discontinue. So at the 7 month post last shot blood draw in late September, psa undetectable using ultra sensitive psa test. Previous testosterone levels also undetectable. I had an 18 at the September draw. I consult with an oncologist out of my COE that treated me. He actually told me that four shots Firmagon would get me the majority of any ADT treatment benefits. There is Diminishing benefit going beyond that regarding cancer suppression. He also told me that four shots Firmagon would yield 8 months of “being on adt”. And he nailed that assessment perfectly. I took 5 shots, and it has been a full 11 months for me. I was small quantity Gleason 8 and my COE just wanted to use the standard playbook. With my list of other risk factors, I JUST SAID NO.

@heavyphil Phil, you understand the risk/benefit pretty well. My COE monitors psa and testosterone every six months post radiation. That does not fit well with the oncologist that did Active Surveillance on me for 15 years. He uses a monitoring of every 3 months first year, every 4 months second year after radiation treatments . He also uses ultra sensitive psa test exclusively. So far psa undetectable.

My side effects were not overwhelming. And I do heavy exercise of nearly two hours twice a week to combat that. Otis the unknown side effects that really trouble me. I have diagnosed cardiovascular disease, diagnosed osteoporosis, and a mother and grandmother that died of dementia. Those are all risks associated with ADT treatment. My COE oncologist did not seem to care much about my med history outside of treating my PC. So I made the decision using best knowledge that I have and denied further ADT. At 74 years of age, seems reasonable to me.

@pesquallie I am pleased to know you are in a much better place now. 😀👍

@oldgreenpaint

I am doing the same dosage, but my urologist says that every 2 weeks is sufficient for me. I am hypogonadal and started with a testosterone level of 111, 12 months after 4 months of Lupron and 44 radiation treatments. I have been doing this for 3 months and my testosterone is now normal as is PSA. All my horrible Lupron side effects went away within 5 days of TRT.