Pyroclasm's Cycle Suggestion and Cycle Log

Pyro those results are fine for 6 weeks after PCT bro. Yes your test looks low for your age but for 6 weeks post PCT it is normal and to be expected. FSH also to be expected. Prolactin will also come right as your hormones balance out. IGF1 looks great. HGH test is pointless because levels go up and down throughout the day. Your haemoglobin being low would not be from steroids. That is usually diet related or from when your immune system is under strain which might be what it is since your lymphocytes are borderline high.

As you know would know iron deficiency is the main dietary cause for low haemoglobin so that is easy to supplement and vitamin c to help absorption along with supplemending B12 and folic acid. High cortisol is common post cycle after being in an anabolic state for so long. Its just part of homeostasis. But also can be a sign of overtraining, lack of enough rest or not enough calories. Were you on keto when you did the bloods? There is evidence of keto raising cortisol.

Anyway nothing major is wrong with those results. I wouldn't worry too much but that cortisol has me intrigued.

Appreciate the input MA your analysis is that of an expert. +1 Regarding the cortisol, I have had three prior tests each about 6 months apart and all of them yield these same results. FML The test was done first thing in the morning. This is an important indicator as I struggle very much to properly wake up. Normally it takes me two hours to have a proper conversation and about 6 hours for me to be myself again. I was not on keto before the tests. I was focussed on keeping everything 100% equal to my normal routine. According to the Doc the Haemoglobin is low yes, but you have to take all the other hormones that work with it into account and therefore she said my general blood count and differential blood count is perfectly fine.

I am very concerned with the HGH levels, test levels and obviously cortisol levels. For someone my age, who eats the way I do, trains the way I do, and has all these vitamin shots and vitamin supps it does not make sense. But if you say the HGH and test levels are fine then I feel much better about it.

Q: Is a higher range IGF-1 level better or worse than one on the lower side of the range?

Your HGH levels are great. A blood test to check HGH levels are pointless like I said, because HGH levels fluctuate a lot throughout the day. 3 different tests on the same day will all give very different results. Your IGF1 is what you look at to determine HGH function. It is impossible to have good IGF1 levels and a HGH deficiency.

You want your IGF1 levels in the higher range rather than lower.

It's normal for test levels to take a while to stabilise after PCT. PCT obviously speeds up the recovery process a lot but it still takes time to get levels back up to where they were. Without PCT your test would be much lower now. What is misleading is when guys get bloodwork done 3 weeks after PCT and test levels seem back to normal, because they are still 'artificially' elevated from the clomid/nolva. But then test levels will still drop for a while before coming back to normal. Your test might be a bit low for 7 weeks post PCT but nothing out of the ordinary.

I'd be concerned if your cortisol levels keep testing around your latest results. It would be very hard to build muscle. With cortisol that high a keto diet might not be the best idea until you figure out why it's so high. Depleting your body of carbs also raises cortisol. Insulin has a powerful effect on lowering cortisol and without carbs you lose out on those big insulin spikes.

Here is the feedback from my doc in South Africa. MA I would like your opinion on what he says please. All other opinions also welcome. Kinda freaked the fuck out now! Fuck this week honestly!

Al jou bloede pas in by iemand wat eksogene testosteroon spuit.
Jou prolaktien en kortisol is op.
Jou vry test en tiroied is af. ( die tsh wat verhoog is wys op tiroeid onderdrukking )
Jy is besig om jou lh/fsh as uit te wis.
Jy gaan boobs kry van daai verhoogde prolaktien asook kopsere

Wat my egter die meeste pla : hoekom is jou HB so lag.
Ek dink jou beenmurg is besig om affekteer te word ! ( of jy bloei erens )

Add: If it okay with you MA I would like to send your comment to my doc for him to assess.

Please bear in mind that he knows my previous test results as well. If I could remember them I would post them but I don't.

Doesn't your GP know you use steroids ?

Yes Oupa dit was sy nog sy eerste lyn gewees: "Vir iemand wat eksogene testosteroon spuit"

Get a 2nd opinion from a medical expert, even a 3rd if the first 2 report differs even slightly. But if the first 2 opinions boils down to the same results, stop using gear for a few years, redo bloods and then decide if its worth it to go @ it again....

Aii Pyro, chillax it's not as bad as you think. I've got a lot going on right now, but I'll try and give a detailed post before bed or latest in the morning.

Oupa wrote: Get a 2nd opinion from a medical expert, even a 3rd if the first 2 report differs even slightly. But if the first 2 opinions boils down to the same results, stop using gear for a few years, redo bloods and then decide if its worth it to go @ it again....

Thanx Oupa. See the thing is every opinion I get is completely different. My doc in Germany (good woman bless her soul) was of the opinion there is nothing wrong at all. Then I saw MA's comments and tbh I agree with him and what he says 100%. But then my doctor in SA who is a damn fine GP says otherwise and this dude knows me from childhood. But I think I am not gonna make any conclusions or get upset until we have a final conclusion and a way going forward.

@MA: Appreciate the effort brother.

Pyro bro I'll give it to you straight. There is nothing alarming about your testosterone, lh, fsh levels since you had spent probably just over half of the previous year on steroids when you did that blood test. You started your 2nd cycle with only a 1 month break after PCT after being on for around 18/19 weeks --> Bad idea. Different story if you're a competing bodybuilder. Those total/free test levels will come right.

Your prolactin is a bit high but you are definitely not going to grow boobs with it at that level. It's impossible to pin point the exact reason now for certain, but it is not uncommon to have elevated prolactin for months after doing a 19nor cycle if a dopamine agonist like dostinex/parlodel is not used to control prolactin. Your doc pointed out your thyroid function, and another is is that having low T3 will also raise prolactin. High cortisol levels inhibit the conversion of T4 to T3 (and screw with general thyroid function so that could be a factor there.

When using deca/npp not everyone has problems with elevated prolactin but if you do and then you don't use a dopamine agonist, you could go into PCT with very high prolactin which dramatically reduces the effectiveness of the PCT. Possibly even making it almost useless. Prolactin fires up a negative feedback loop in your HTPA, preventing the production of LH and FSH. This is why I always say to use cabaser with Deca/NPP even if you don't have gyno symptoms.

Cortisol is high when coming off steroids, but I am surprised that it is still that high so long after your cycle. I don't know why it would be so high, but the more intense/heavy you train, the more cortisol your body produces. Like I said before you could have been overtraining for the amount of calories you were taking in and sleep you were getting, and it is also easier to overtrain when you have low testosterone because recovery time is slower. You can take phosphatidylserine and cissus to lower the cortisol. Would help, but better to be sure of the cause rather than just treat the symptom.

You really don't need to be so freaked, but just be aware. Get more tests done in 2 months time and lets see how things are then. In future give it the necessary time off between cycles. Doing nolva/clomid is an option to boost LH/FSH & testosterone, but to get the clearest picture of what's going for your piece of mind it might also be best to give it some time and then retest.

Muscleaddict wrote:
You really don't need to be so freaked, but just be aware. Get more tests done in 2 months time and lets see how things are then. In future give it the necessary time off between cycles. Doing nolva/clomid is an option to boost LH/FSH & testosterone, but to get the clearest picture of what's going for your piece of mind it might also be best to give it some time and then retest.

^^ This is good advice.

Thanx MA! Email sent to the doc and we will see what he has to say. I am still very worried about the Cortisol levels and Haemoglobin levels but I am feeling much better about the whole thing and not gonna stress anymore. Really appreciate it brother and thank you! Have some karma! +1

Pyro, didn't you run two cycles very close together? If so could this not be the reason for you tests?

Yes that's right bro! Ran a 14 week Test-En/EQ cycle, did PCT 2, then a month later 8 weeks of Test-Prop/NPP/Anavar. Full Doctari PCT and HCG during cycle.

Got the GP to send me to an Endocrinologist and it's all free.

Details Result Units
General Blood Count

All good, except:

Calcium


Differential Blood Count

CHOL (Cholesterine I think?)
HDL (Cholesterol)
LDL (Cholesterol)
LDL/HDL -Quotie
Creatinine
Gamma-GT

 

Hormone Profile

FSH LH
Prolactin
TSH Basal
Cortisol 1 Mornings: 62 – 194
Nights: 23 – 119

Free Testosterone 18y/o to 39y/o: 8,8 - 27

Thoughts:

Very happy about my cholesterol. The last time I tested it it was so high I had to use statins to get it down. The new lab uses some very strange reference ranges (the doc does too)- very different to the old lab. Almost all measurements are also in other units. I strongly doubt their results on the Cortisol. Pretty sure the doc has no clue about sports performance.

What the hell are those numbers for your free testosterone? Can't decipher it. Your thyroid is not a happy camper. You should stick with the same lab when doing follow up bloods because testing methods vary and it's hard to do an accurate comparison.

Japjap agree with using the smae lab but I had no say in the matter. The first ones were done with the GP and I had to pay for them, then the second ones were done with the Endo and was free. The free test levels is 0,103 and the reference range is 0,067 - 0,174. Don´t have the units. You can extrapolate to get it between the ranges you prefer using.

I got prescribed L-Thyroxine 50mcg by the Endo. This has me stumped!

It must be some German secret service measurement units because never seen a free test range given with those kind of numbers.

Since thyroxine replacement is usually a long term commitment like HRT you should learn as much as possible about your thyroid situation and alternative solutions before going on hormone replacement imo. Odd that the doc would prescribe that without doing a free T3 and T4 test considering that a few months ago your TSH was 4.

Like I said the dude is an idiot. Where I stay Endo's are as rare as common sense so will have to search again. What do you suggest I do in the meanwhile about my thyroid? No idea why it´s getting worse though. Should I take the Thyroxine for now?

When I extrapolate the Free Test measurement I get:

Old: 10,8 Ref: 8,8 - 27
New: 14,8 Ref: Same

What symptoms of hypothyroidism do you have? Sorry I can't help you much with advice for your thyroid, but it is odd that it got worse since the last test which was still borderline ok. If it was fine 3 months ago then it maybe be fine again or better if you try natural rememedies. Do some research. I can't help with specifics but thyroxine should be your last option. Maybe you have an iodine deficiency or theres something in your diet you can change.

That´s why I was stumped about the Thyroxine- TRT should be your last option and this dude sees two tests 6 weeks apart and immediately on the TRT. Also for the test if it is too low all he wants to do is put me on Test injections.

Hopefully someone can chime in on the Thyroid problem.

Thanx for your help MA. +1

Any time bud. Hope you get it sorted.