Hey Guys:
It's been a really busy month. Potential job change, studying for some professional certifications, work on the house, etc. The good news is that I've been able to keep up and for the most part, I feel motivated and focused when needed. Libido is still in the trash.
I saw Dr Mariano in person yesterday and we went over some things:
1. He still believes that my 'root' problem is one of adrenal disfunction. I tend to agree based on the fact that Armour Thyroid makes me feel significantly worse if I don't take Medrol. Long term, he wants me off the Medrol, so we are taking a more aggressive nutritional approach to restoring the adrenals. I am happy with his "fix your adrenals" not "give them a crutch" approach.
2. He gave me the green light to use Dermacrine Sustain instead of Nolvadex, but left it up to me. Life is busy right now and although my current regimen has serious flaws, I am able to manage everything that is going on.
3. He gave me the option of going back on TRT and using Arimidex to keep E2 down. We've come to the conclusion (as several of you have) that I am VERY sensitive to E2. I have a really low threshold...anything above about 25 or so seems to get me into trouble. He believes high E2 and worsening of adrenal fatigue is what de-railed the Test + HCG protocol.
4. He does not believe that it is adrenal fatigue that is making me dizzy while on Test + HCG. My blood pressure does not drop when standing. Instead, he believes that I have some sort of reaction to the carrier. I tend to agree with this since I do not get dizzy on Nolvadex or anything that raises LH. I also do not recall getting dizzy on Androgel. If I go back on TRT (and I certainly do not want to), I will probably pursure daily Androgel + daily HCG. It's a protocol of Dr Crisler's that I know works well if you can stand the daily injections.
He wants me on the following:
1. Cod Liver Oil (for Vitamin A)
2. Quality Vitamin E (to reduce toxicity of Vitamin A)
3. Iodoral
4. Selenium
5. Chromium
6. Magnesium
7. Vitamin C
8. Vitamin B complex
He is happy with my current dosing of Armour since my body temp is generally stable between 98-98.4 (armpit). My Free T3 is at the top of the range right now, so we'll see.
Sonny