Posts by Susan Lee5

I ran into this guy in the endocrinology waiting room recently. He was 23, just like you, dealing with the same testosterone issues, though his situation was a bit more complicated—he was also fighting thyroid problems and insulin resistance on top of everything else. From what I gathered, his doctor had him on Numido once every three months, and that seemed to do the trick. As far as anyone knows, the exact reason why certain hormones stop producing isn't even fully understood; essentially, the pituitary gland just stops pulling its weight, so you have to rely on hormone replacement therapy. If you’re looking for a deeper dive or a second opinion, you might want to check out specialists like Dr. Vizner at a clinic like Mayo Clinic or maybe a major university hospital like Johns Hopkins. They specialize in pituitary issues and might be able to give you some clearer answers. But honestly? You’ll likely end up right back where you started: getting testosterone replacement and moving on with your life.

Best,

That’s great news. I'm genuinely happy for him. I've been keeping an eye on this thread, and I truly wish him nothing but health and the best of luck—honestly, the same goes for everyone else here too.

Has anyone seen VedranST lately?

I've had my cortisol and ACTH checked three times now, and they were always sitting right in the middle—cortisol at 300 (ref 100 - 536) and ACTH at 5.6 (ref 1.6 - 13.9). Now, my levels have suddenly spiked right up to the upper limit. I'm not sure what to make of it. I'll just redo the tests in a month and see how things look; it'll probably turn out to be a false alarm. As usual.

I need some help here. I’m a 29-year-old woman, 167 cm, 80 kg. Dealing with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's. Today my thyroid labs came back looking perfect—TSH at 1.3, FT4 at 15, and my antibodies are actually trending down. The issue is that my cortisol and ACTH levels are elevated, sitting right at the upper limit. I’ve been dealing with symptoms: constant sweating, muscle wasting—it feels like my muscles are just vanishing—heart palpitations, acne, and panic attacks. About eight months ago, an MRI of my pituitary gland showed a suspicious microadenoma. Up until then, my hormones were completely normal.

Now I’m spiraling a bit over this high ACTH and cortisol. Is it possible that the microadenoma has become active and started messing with those hormone levels?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

Much appreciated!

I’d love to get a doctor's take on this if anyone has a moment.

I'm 28, dealing with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto, currently on 75mcg of Synthroid. My endocrinologist sent me for some blood work—specifically CK, LDH, and calcium—because I've been feeling this strange muscle weakness and general "flabbiness." On the bright side, my TSH is sitting at 1.7, so the dosage seems spot on and my thyroid is finally stabilizing. The results came back, and while my CK is normal, my LDH is slightly elevated at 258 (ref up to 241), and my calcium is up at 2.70 (ref 2.14 - 2.53). The lab supervisor mentioned the LDH increase was negligible and could just be related to the thyroid issues, but it's the calcium that's actually keeping me up at night. I know I need to check my parathyroid hormone levels next. I've been reading various things online, ranging from it being a fluke due to dehydration the day before to much more serious concerns like carcinoma. In the past two years, my doctor had me check my calcium a few times due to the thyroid issues, and it was always perfectly fine—around 2.26 and then 2.33 over the course of a year. Now, suddenly, it jumps to 2.70. It's outside the reference range, and I'm honestly pretty worried. Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Susan Lee5

Based on your blood work, it looks pretty clearly like you're dealing with some kind of inflammatory virus. Since your CRP is elevated (it should be under 5, but yours is at 13), your ESR is up (should be 10, yours is 30), and your white cell count is sitting just above the normal range—plus you've got a fever—there’s definitely an inflammation going on somewhere. Whether it's in the lungs or elsewhere, I can't say. Regardless, you really should get a follow-up CBC, check your CRP and ESR again, and probably redo that chest X-ray just to be safe. Also, make sure to follow up with a neurologist per the ER doctor's recommendation. That’s just my humble advice from one amateur hypochondriac to another. :-)

Good luck!

Rachel Garcia said:I’d strongly suggest checking in with your OB-GYN first. It could definitely be tied to those existing gynecological issues you mentioned, though it isn't a certainty. 🙂

Rachel Garcia, thanks so much for getting back to me. I think it’s safe to assume these are just side effects from the medication. Really appreciate the help.

Hi there,

I think I need to join this club. Here’s my situation: due to an E. coli bladder infection and constant urinary retention, I’ve been straining constantly just to go. This has been happening since early October. I’ve been on Urovaxom for about a month now. While cleaning up on Jan 29th, I noticed a small lump near my anus and what looks like a tear in the mucosal lining. The lump is about the size of a pea; it isn't blue and doesn't actually hurt. There hasn't been any blood in my stool or on the paper, just the sensation of chafed skin around the area, plus that little bump. It burns constantly. At the same time—about a month into the Urovaxom—I started experiencing some bloody vaginal discharge. When I checked myself, I could feel tender spots inside as if there were small abrasions. Are we looking at hemorrhoids here, or could this be a side effect from the Urovaxom?

Thanks for any insight.

Zachary Castillo7 said:You can't argue like that—just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean it's useless.
Tylenol doesn't touch my pain, but I wouldn't dream of saying the drug is bad just because it helps millions of other people and has proven clinical efficacy.
Everyone back in California used fig milk for warts, but I've never heard of anyone using it to treat Condyl.
Podophyllin is completely natural, just like fig milk, regardless of what you think. Meanwhile, PlivaSept is a fully synthetic preparation (chlorhexidine is pure, man-made synthetics).
I'm sorry it didn't work for you, but that doesn't mean it won't work for others. It's an official medication, not some dietary supplement.
Isn't podophyllin prescribed as a compounded medication?😕 😕

Fair point, but I was just so disappointed when they didn't help me, and then I discovered fig milk and PlivaSept and—lo and behold! So, I just wanted to suggest to her that there are other alternatives besides Condyl and Podophyllin which, in my experience, were more effective. Perhaps if it worked for me, it might work for her too.

Fig milk is one of those old-school home remedies my grandmother used to swear by when I was five; I actually used it to clear a wart off my hand back then. As far as clinical trials go, I don't really feel the need for lab results proving fig efficacy. I spent an entire year applying Condyl, throwing a small fortune down the drain—not that I regret the experience, but there were zero results. Then, I tried a combination of fig and PlivaSept just once, and I haven't had a single Condyl in FOUR MONTHS! So, there's your verdict on "effective" Condyl and podophyllin. It’s all just chemistry and wasted effort.

You have to pick up Condyl on your own with a basic prescription; it’ll run you about $83. If you go the Podofill way through a pharmacy, expect to pay closer to $25 once you factor in the doctor's note. Honestly, if you're dealing with skin warts, fig milk is actually more effective than any of that—it's stronger and entirely natural. For mucosal issues, just try applying a tiny bit of PlivaSept, but be careful with it. It's better, more efficient, and cheaper than both Podofill and Condyl!!!!!

There’s already a thread dedicated to CIN I, II, III, and HPV where you can find plenty of detailed explanations and discussions on the topic. By the way, living with HPV is absolutely miserable—it's a real struggle. But honestly, it does pass. You go through hell for a while, but after about one or two years, you usually test negative. I just cleared it myself recently, so take that as a little bit of hope. Good luck!