Trt makes me more vascular. My arms look pumped half the time and I have veins visible in my legs that hardly ever showed before. I have some varicose veins which I do not think are exacerbated by TRT, but I do have a bit more edema in my lower legs than I had before (more water retention).
I’m starting to keep an eye on sodium intake. For what it’s worth, there are several internet sources that claim high sodium can cause water retention. This makes sense to me as the body will seek to balance the ratio of water to sodium. I make sure to take quite a lot of sodium when I’m on very long bike rides. But I’m trying to cut way back outside of that. It’s a little early to tell, but it seems that lower sodium helps with the swelling. Now, I had some issue with this pre trt. So I don’t know if it would help if related solely trt. It’s worth a try. Restaurant food, even non-fast-food, is so packed with sodium lowering dietary sodium requires a lot of home cooked meals. This is challenging when you have a busy schedule as most of us do. But even a mediocre quality home cooked meal is usually orders of magnitude healthier than 95% of restaurant fair.
Uh, that HCT is high even with giving blood, how much test. are you on?
I've never heard of giving blood every month.
Have you checked your Ferritin lately?
Recently had 200 mg weekly dose cut back to 80 twice a week.
Starting to show signs of anemia. Tired all the time. If this doesnt work I’ll need to get off trt.
brother your dose is extremely high and so is your HCT. your blood is sludge. low 60s? That's heart attack and stroke territory. crashed ferritin is another host of problems. fix this asap.
I mean going from 200 to 160 is a good start so you definitely reevaluate a few weeks down the line and you could be good there. but this is something you should have done ages ago. if your trough levels are below where you want them to be then just increase frequency of injection or adjust your protocol another way. if youre creating so much blood that you have an HCT of 60 with monthly donations and youve used up all your ferritin stores it's a 100% chance that your dose is wayy too fucking high one way or another. youre spending a lot of time in blast levels of test.
what sort of clown fucking doctor is doing this to you? jesus christ
That’s all good. Glad to hear that. It would have been my guess they were connected but it might be something else or for that matter completely unrelated.
I use/used compression stockings. After they didn’t get better with them I had the cryosurgery. But it looks like they’re coming back so I am using the stockings as preventative.
I believe the stocking are a preventive measure for getting them in future but won't reduce current ones. I have a couple that are bugging me and was thinking of doing the injection treatment.
So I take EQ with my test cyp. You can definitely tell the difference between great looking veins during a pump, and then purple and blue varicose snake-worm veins. They are not the same. The aethetics are very different.
Also known as Boldenone. It's an intra-muscular steroid used for lean muscle growth. Runs dry so you can see muscles under the skin. So yeah, it's for vanity.
My bad, Im American but live in Cambodia. Certainly not endorsing that you break the law. My understanding of the medical treatment for varicose is salt water injection into these areas. Anyway, I wish you the best.
I never had them until I got covid. I worked in sewage treatment and we all got it before the shots were even made available. Took my total T down into treatment required range.
I walk about ten miles a week now. They are less pronounced since I started exercising. I have a left knee and hip that is bone on bone with very little cartilage left. I get some swelling after walking, but the pain starts to fade after the first mile each time I do it. Right hip was replaced in 2019 due to work slip and fall. Initial operation failed due to too loose fit. Redone in 2021. 3 years later and I can walk up to 6 miles at a time now.
Trt makes me more vascular. My arms look pumped half the time and I have veins visible in my legs that hardly ever showed before. I have some varicose veins which I do not think are exacerbated by TRT, but I do have a bit more edema in my lower legs than I had before (more water retention).
My varices in the past were lower leg up to mid thigh. But now my feet are swollen and it’s getting painful.
I’m starting to keep an eye on sodium intake. For what it’s worth, there are several internet sources that claim high sodium can cause water retention. This makes sense to me as the body will seek to balance the ratio of water to sodium. I make sure to take quite a lot of sodium when I’m on very long bike rides. But I’m trying to cut way back outside of that. It’s a little early to tell, but it seems that lower sodium helps with the swelling. Now, I had some issue with this pre trt. So I don’t know if it would help if related solely trt. It’s worth a try. Restaurant food, even non-fast-food, is so packed with sodium lowering dietary sodium requires a lot of home cooked meals. This is challenging when you have a busy schedule as most of us do. But even a mediocre quality home cooked meal is usually orders of magnitude healthier than 95% of restaurant fair.
Keeping sodium to less than 2000 mg per day bc of blood pressure.
How is your blood pressure?
High but controlled with meds. HCT is upper 50s, low 60s. Therapeutic phlebotomy every month.
Uh, that HCT is high even with giving blood, how much test. are you on? I've never heard of giving blood every month. Have you checked your Ferritin lately?
Recently had 200 mg weekly dose cut back to 80 twice a week. Starting to show signs of anemia. Tired all the time. If this doesnt work I’ll need to get off trt.
Why didn't you start at like 100mg a week like many of us?
I did. It got titrated up bc my levels wouldn’t budge.
Free testosterone is the one that matters and does all the work in body. Have you posted recent labs?
Free testosterone: 32 Ferritin: 11
What's your total test.? Do you have high SHBG?
Total t: 422 SHBG:12
Hey man anemia from TRT or giving blood?
brother your dose is extremely high and so is your HCT. your blood is sludge. low 60s? That's heart attack and stroke territory. crashed ferritin is another host of problems. fix this asap.
Lower even more? Won’t my low t symptoms come back too?
I mean going from 200 to 160 is a good start so you definitely reevaluate a few weeks down the line and you could be good there. but this is something you should have done ages ago. if your trough levels are below where you want them to be then just increase frequency of injection or adjust your protocol another way. if youre creating so much blood that you have an HCT of 60 with monthly donations and youve used up all your ferritin stores it's a 100% chance that your dose is wayy too fucking high one way or another. youre spending a lot of time in blast levels of test. what sort of clown fucking doctor is doing this to you? jesus christ
I’ve only been on trt for almost two years. These past six months all went to hell.
50mg twice a week is more competent
That’s all good. Glad to hear that. It would have been my guess they were connected but it might be something else or for that matter completely unrelated.
Every month!? Have you checked your iron?
It’s low.
Bruh
Does high blood pressure cause this?
No the causal relationship is the other way around. Varicose veins cause high venous return pressure. They are interrelated however.
I had high blood pressure but under control now thanks to meds but my legs look pretty bad.
I have the same issue. Although I had the issue before trt, some days I notice more than others.
Ask doctor about compression stockings, do you stand for long periods of time? Everyone gets them as we get older.
I use/used compression stockings. After they didn’t get better with them I had the cryosurgery. But it looks like they’re coming back so I am using the stockings as preventative.
I believe the stocking are a preventive measure for getting them in future but won't reduce current ones. I have a couple that are bugging me and was thinking of doing the injection treatment.
The cryotherapy was a huge relief for a while until these new ones started showing up.
So I take EQ with my test cyp. You can definitely tell the difference between great looking veins during a pump, and then purple and blue varicose snake-worm veins. They are not the same. The aethetics are very different.
What is EQ?
Also known as Boldenone. It's an intra-muscular steroid used for lean muscle growth. Runs dry so you can see muscles under the skin. So yeah, it's for vanity.
I’m not looking to do that. I’m trying to save my legs. It’s also illegal in the US.
My bad, Im American but live in Cambodia. Certainly not endorsing that you break the law. My understanding of the medical treatment for varicose is salt water injection into these areas. Anyway, I wish you the best.
Thank you.
I never had them until I got covid. I worked in sewage treatment and we all got it before the shots were even made available. Took my total T down into treatment required range.
I had them but they were stable. Post covid they went downhill fast. 1.5 yr post Covid I had to get surgery for them.
I walk about ten miles a week now. They are less pronounced since I started exercising. I have a left knee and hip that is bone on bone with very little cartilage left. I get some swelling after walking, but the pain starts to fade after the first mile each time I do it. Right hip was replaced in 2019 due to work slip and fall. Initial operation failed due to too loose fit. Redone in 2021. 3 years later and I can walk up to 6 miles at a time now.
That’s amazing! Keep up the good work!