Hello,
Thought I'd chime in on this subject by giving a hisory of my better half and testosterone use.
In 1995 Paul was diagnosed and treated successfully for a stage 2 testicular cancer, including the removal of the affected testicle. His T levels were still normal at that time, even after he had been nuked from kidney to the proximal thigh.
1997, a suspected new cancer on the unaffected testicle was ruled out via an open biopsy which after taking 7 sections, left it disfunctional. His T level dropped to a miserable 190ish leaving him acutely hypogonadal for a very long time. He was highly symptomatic. We were both afraid the surgeons prediction that testosterone therapy would "cause" PCA, so he suffered. To say Paul was miserable doesn't begin to paint an accurate picture. I'm sure many of you can relate.
2004..Swim had had enough of this terribly sad and miserable man who was once so full of ambition and life. I made
him an appointment with his urologist and dragged him there! A baseline PSA was 2.7 if I remember right but, he was given Androderm patches and asked to recheck his PSA in 2 months..which he did. It rose from 2.7 to 4.1; a sharp increase. At 48 that couldn't be good! The Testosterone almost immediately improved his physical and mental state
and poof, gone again! The patches were immediately stopped. His PSA level dropped to 3.8 by the time a biopsy confirmed a Gleason 3+3 PCA. Note to self...he developed PCA anyway so nearly a decade of he** was rather moote.
2005, surgery to remove the pesky PCA went amazingly well and without too many left over affects. ED was going to be a problem mainly due to the amount of pelvic radiation he had already endured. We can live with the change and do continue to live with what has become a normal routine of managing ED. What Paul could not live with and refused to live, with was low T. 5 months after surgery he gave the Uro a choice...to work with him or, Paul, intended to use testosterone on his own anyway! That is how much better he felt. He needed that quality of life and knew the risks involved. It was his choice and a well thought out decision. At that point he began using Androgel then switched to injections 2007ish.
2012, a clean bill of health and all zeros so far! He sees the lab folks twice a year for a PSA and blood work with the added bonus of a chest x-ray anually. I've mentioned before that testosterone has been both a burden and a blessing in that he does need it; it hurt him not to have it in his body and...it hurt him to have it. Needing it also meant he was tested 2 years sooner for PCA thus, providing the oportunity for earlier detection and a probable cure. For those that do not believe adding testosterone to an exsisting cancer doesn't fuel it...wrong, it will. For those who question whether a man with a Gleason 3+3, who has been successfully treated can use hormone replacment, it is possible :>)
Swimom