Varicocele Sufferers - How is everyone doing?

[Megazoid]

I wanted to startup a seperate thread to find out how everyone is doing with regards to varicoceles. I know my previous varicocele threads brought allot of new guy's to light and wanted to find out the status on everyone.

Is anyone on full TRT now and NOT getting ED anymore (or has a high libido again)? Has anyone got testicular size back using HCG? How many people are hypothyroid now due to varicocele (a common problem after varicocele)?

Keep me updated guy's, i am keen to get a proper website put together for us in the next few weeks.

 

[LeanGuy]

It has been three months since my embolization. It seems to only be partially gone, unfortunately. I recovered some testicle size and testosterone using clomid 12.5mg/day for 2 months. My current test level is mid 700's. I am due for another test in July, that will be the final verdict to see if I can hold the high level without HCG/TRT.

 

[Remington]

How long you need to have a varicocele to affect the thyroid permanently?

 

[brian82]

I had embolisation also in Dec and initially all seemed good with the veins feeling deflated but unfortunately as the months have past it has returned just as it was before. I went back to the doctor who has arranged for me to see the consultant to get the operation done. I did try clomid for a while and see a small improvement (mood etc) but I think that until I get the varicocele fixed progress will be slow.

B

 

[beckerj]

I had my Micro-Surgery on Dec.14 2007 -

After three months of healing time my T level was only at 293 (241-827)

My TSH is .935

SHBG is 18 (13-71)

This is the results prior to my Starting Androgel on April 4, 2008

I started at 4 pumps and experienced the WOW Effect after the first week or so then the crash soon after ....

I self medicated up to 6 pumps a day and was doing very well I would say and then found my self getting to "RANDY" and dropped back to 4 pumps after a 4 day skip altogether .... I have been at the 4 pumps a day for the past 5 days and so far feeling fine .... Not as "RANDY", but being excited is easier than it was before Androgel ....

Prior to the drop to 4 pumps a day I was having MANY random erections and my sexual toughts were very vivid .... I am having pretty regular morning wood and the anxiety of making love is not as persistent as it was ....

I can say that my ED issues are all but gone .... My head is much better .... I have random thoughts, good vivd dreams, energy level is up, I notice I am gaining some of my muscle back, without really trying, My over all atitude is AWESOME !

Androgel ROCKS !

I may boost my dose again to 5 pumps a day and see if that levels me off a bit ....

 

[brian82]

Does that mean you are dependent on Androgel now?

What happens when you stop?

What about HCG or Clomid to kick start T levels?

 

[LeanGuy]

I had my Micro-Surgery on Dec.14 2007 -

After three months of healing time my T level was only at 293 (241-827)

My TSH is .935

SHBG is 18 (13-71)

This is the results prior to my Starting Androgel on April 4, 2008

I started at 4 pumps and experienced the WOW Effect after the first week or so then the crash soon after ....

I self medicated up to 6 pumps a day and was doing very well I would say and then found my self getting to "RANDY" and dropped back to 4 pumps after a 4 day skip altogether .... I have been at the 4 pumps a day for the past 5 days and so far feeling fine .... Not as "RANDY", but being excited is easier than it was before Androgel ....

Prior to the drop to 4 pumps a day I was having MANY random erections and my sexual toughts were very vivid .... I am having pretty regular morning wood and the anxiety of making love is not as persistent as it was ....

I can say that my ED issues are all but gone .... My head is much better .... I have random thoughts, good vivd dreams, energy level is up, I notice I am gaining some of my muscle back, without really trying, My over all atitude is AWESOME !

Androgel ROCKS !

I may boost my dose again to 5 pumps a day and see if that levels me off a bit ....

Hey bro, glad to hear you're doing better! Has your varicocele returned, or is it gone now? I am thinking micro-surgery may have been a better choice, since a few of us here have had it return after embolization.

 

[beckerj]

Thanks LeanGuy -

Well I did have 20 veins ligated on my Left .... Dr. said that it was impressive .... When i went back for my follow up he said it is about 75% gone .... I have not had any return that I am currently aware of .... I still have phantom pain from time to time .... i think it is mainly due to the caffine that I drink on occasion .... Like I was just on vacation and did not really have a lot of caffine free coke ..... So i drank more than I wanted ....
I will advise all that need surgery to get the Micro-Surgery ....
As for the Androgel and Brian's question ....

Yeah i am dependent on Androgel from now on ....

Unfortunately i am experiencing the withdrawls right now .... I am at the tail end of my script and Walgreens won't refill it until it has been 29 days .... So I have been skipping doses for the past week and a half and i am feeling it .... Not pretty right now .... Not horrible but not like i have been feeling ....

If this is what your guys that get injections go through at the end of the month .... I feel your pain ....

As for the HCG i am going to ask the Dr when i see him at the first of the month .... And Ask for som leeway onthe script .....

I did try nolva for a week before going on Androgel ... mostly cause i did not think the Dr would give me the androgel .... I did it on a M-W-Th schedule .... I did feel a bit better ....

My guess is the varicocele messed with my thyroid as well as my TSH number is .935 .... Within normal range, but not very high-normal .... But the Endo said all is well .... He said that about my T level too ... and the Urologist seems to think different ....

So .... I really wish there was more info about this thing out here for the general public to know more about ....

 

[LeanGuy]

My guess is the varicocele messed with my thyroid as well as my TSH number is .935 .... Within normal range, but not very high-normal ....

Have you ever tested free T3/T4?

 

[beckerj]

Yeah ... They were normal .... Well within normal range .....

 

[Vidal Baboon]

Hi fellas. Just got back from the Urologist and he is setting up an embolization for me for the varicocele on left testicle. I have had it for at least 15 years [I'm 32]. I have always had fairly regular ED and have been convinced my T levels were low for years as I have pretty much always felt as if im running on half a tank! I have all the symptoms of low T ,ED, cold extremities [including the penis at times!] occasional mild depression, anxiety, sweats, lethargy, low sex drive, muscle/joint ache, body fat that is practically impossible to shift unless I drop calories dramatically even then i always have some around my lower abs, fairly poor returns from lots of gym work etc..

A few months back I had some saliva hormone tests done which gave me a morning T level of 55pg/ml, DHEA of 130pg/ml, oestradiol of 2.1 pg/ml and cortisol levels between 0.1 and 1.1 ng/ml.

I then had a eureka moment and googled "can varicocele cause low testosterone" which led me here. That in turn led me to the Dr's where as suggested i claimed I was in significant pain [I'm not it just aches slightly sometimes..] to get it sorted in the hope of fixing lefty to try to raise my T levels.


This and the previous larger Varicocele thread are sanity saving threads even if the surgery does'nt fix my T levels!! Thanks!!!!

 

[MkUltra]

hey everyone, got my laparoscopic varicocelectomy (what a mouthful) last friday. Everything is healing up nicely. It was on my left testicle and has completely diminished already.

I have noticed a sharp increase in libido this last week, very unusual. This suprises me since I came off my androgel last week before the surgery. So far Im very happy with how its going. I was planning on taking clomid after this, but Im starting to think I may not need it, i'll keep you guys posted.

 

[Vidal Baboon]

Boys, so is the consensus that embolization is not the best option? I'm due to have mine embolized when the NHS pull their fingers out and sort me out an appointment but I think I could probably change to having the varicolectomy instead?

Opinions please?

 

[MkUltra]

I got the varicocelectomy and I can say that it fixed it within two days of the surgery. I have heard that the embolization can take months before it shrinks.

The varicocelectomy is not invasive at all three tiny incisions, no big deal

Doctor told me 5% of reoccurence and 3% possibility of hydrocele=93% chance success

 

[beckerj]

I am 36 and had the surgery because of the chances of recovery without HRT and I am now 6 months hout and 3 months on HRT .... My T was not moved .... I beleive age is the most important factor .... youger = better chance of not needing HRT after procedure ....

 

[darkblue1]

I am 36 and had the surgery because of the chances of recovery without HRT and I am now 6 months hout and 3 months on HRT .... My T was not moved .... I beleive age is the most important factor .... youger = better chance of not needing HRT after procedure ....

beckerj,

Did you have your bloodwoork after 3 months on Androgel

 

[beckerj]

I am going to get that done on the 20th and should have the results for my follow up appt on the 26th .... I will be gettin them done at LabCorp ....

E2 will be included ....

I then have an appointment I have been waiting for, for 3 months with another Endo that is supposed to be pretty good .... I'll have labs for him that are fresh .... I am hoping he will either add in HCG or tell me that HCG will be all I need .... The Androgel has done wonders for me, but I am not keen on being on it forever .... But if I have to, I have to ....

 

[edwards]

hey guys. I have this! I first noticed it after my first steroid cycle when I was 16. My right testicle is much much smaller than my left, about the size of a raisin. I have veins all over it. I went to the urologist with my mother (arg!) when I was 16 and refused to masterbate into a cup so I haven't had it checked since.

I'll have to go back now. I'm 30. Maybe there is something that can be done.

Thanks for posting. It helped me alot!

 

[beckerj]

I am very concerned as it is on the right side .... Make sure you press the Dr.

 

[edwards]

incidentally, did you see a urologist to have the surgery?

 

[beckerj]

Yes .... The second one was concerned as I am about what you said about yours and sent me for an MRI and CAT scan .... Came back clear for me .... I remember something said about if it appears on the right instead of the left ....

 

[edwards]

Hmm, I'll have to get it checked out right away then.

 

[darkblue1]

Yes .... The second one was concerned as I am about what you said about yours and sent me for an MRI and CAT scan .... Came back clear for me .... I remember something said about if it appears on the right instead of the left ....

beckerj,

After using androgel, how are your testes? Are they same in size before using androgel or changed in size. How about firmness?

 

[beckerj]

No .... I have lost some size .... Not very dramatic from an observational point of view, and they are not as firm ....

I can't wait to see the new Endo at the end of the month ....

 

[LeanGuy]

No .... I have lost some size .... Not very dramatic from an observational point of view, and they are not as firm ....

I can't wait to see the new Endo at the end of the month ....

You gonna ask for HCG?

 

[beckerj]

You know it buddy .... Not sure but i think the E2 is creeping up now .... past two days I have been on an emotional roller coaster ....

 

[beckerj]

MKUltra - How's it going ?

 

[MkUltra]

I have not had any pain at all and I would say the veins are 90% gone two weeks post op.

Libido was up up up the first week, but has since leveled off, I have yet to get blood work. The incisions on my abdomen are still healing as well.

 

[beckerj]

Good .... Sounds like my results as well .... Although I had a 75% reduction .... I still have varicocele 25% in my left and 100% reduction in my right ....

First week to two weeks I also had a spike in libido .... Then it leveled off and dropped ....

How old are ya ?

 

[MkUltra]

im 22. Im hoping for it to come back if I just stay off of everything for awhile. I was only on androgel for 3 months before the surgery and have not continued it afterward.

The weird thing was as my right testicle got smaller from the androgel the left one (the one with the varicocele) stayed the same, maybe even got a little larger. My theory is that it had backed up hormones that were all released quickly in the first week, so it was like a jump start.

Since stopping the androgel I havent felt like crap yet, so I think my levels may be getting more stable, however T is definately not as high as when on androgel. I will get blood work in the near future to confirm .

 

[beckerj]

Well being 22 I think will help .... I am 36 .... I was hoping against hope that it would come back for me as well .... The studies for the surgery and the kick back of T were done with younger guys .... So you do have that going for you ....

Might right testicle is also smaller and the left one is not seeming to get smaller .... I have been on the Androgel for 2 1/2 months with 2 weeks off as I ran out .... I was fine till I ran out .... Then I went to hell .... I am slowly coming back, but it is a hard road ....

So how was your ED if you had it while on the Androgel and when did you see an improvement .... I know you are younger than me, but want to get your input ....

I had my blood drawn today according to allthingsmale follow up testing .... Should know that by this coming Friday .... I am so interested in seeing what my numbers are .... I think my E2 has spiked .... And I am hoping that is the cause of my ED ....

 

[MkUltra]

i was on androgel 10g every day. Libido was strong, erections were strong. Right after the surgery I had really frequent erections, right now not so much, but I have a lot of other stress (work) factors right now, so its hard to judge. Also, my girlfriend is out of town.

From March 07 to March 08 I rarely had a solid erection, after I started the androgel, every girl I saw I got an erection, it was almost too much honestly.

I started taking letrozole last week .25 mg everyday to keep the rebound in check, I am estrogen prone, and tend to gain weight in my chest (puffy nips, pseudogyno) and stomach easily even though I only weigh 180 (Im 6') and 10% bf.

Have you tried clomid or HCG to help?

 

[beckerj]

My Doc started me at 4 pumps a day and after 2 weeks crashed and I upped the dose to 6 .... Felt great actually .... Positive, random erections, and morning wood .... Ran out of the stuff and was off it for two weeks .... I am now at day 23 back at 6 pumps and not feeling the same .... Afraid of upping the dose as I don't want to run out ....
Tried to perform last night and anxiety grabbed me and woudn't let go .... If I do it myself or get it going first it seems okay ....
I have nolvadex and thinking maybe I should try it .... There again though afraid of messing things up .... I went to have labs drawn today and hoping they come back good ....

 

[MkUltra]

from what Ive heard (im not a doctor) but nolva is very selective with estrogen blocking, mainly to the breasts. Clomid can stimulate LH and block estrogen throughout the body increasing testosterone. Im in a believer in less is more, when Ive taken it in the past I took 50mg for a couple days and then dropped it down to 25mg.

If you did a slow enough taper down you could have a pretty smooth transition and may be able to keep ur levels up after coming off.

Have u tried high dosing tribulus? When I take over 1000mg at a time it really helps with the libido/ED. I dont think it does much for T, but it helped with sex. Ive heard good things about fenugreek but I haven't tried it yet.

 

[Vidal Baboon]

Getting my embolization done on tues the 2nd of july. Was going to change it and have the varicocelectomy but I got the appointment in the meantime and figure I'll go with the embolization as I would have to wait a lot longer for the varicocelectomy.
I WANT A DECENT LIBIDO IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK!!!!!!!! :aargh:

Will keep you all posted on here and will look to get some bloodwork done too.

 

[Remington]

It has been 4 weeks since my surgery and nothing's changed - still no libido and no spontaneous erections. I think the varicocele got a little bit smaller but i'm not sure. Is that normal ? Should i wait more .... the doctor told me to go for a check up after 2 months but i'm loosing hope that i would get to how i was before.....

 

[beckerj]

Okay how old are you remington ?

It was three months out my Doc wanted me back for a follow up ultrasound ....

I am 36 .... I am now on HRT .... 6 pumps a day .... Still need V for sex ... take 100MG .... A lot of that is nerve and confidence ... have a failure and it just rolls forward ....

I can say this ... you need wellbutrin .... or at least I did ... it made all the difference in the world ... but remember it is not in your head .... It is real .... it is a medical condition that is not recognized by the medical community .... Maybe after enough of us get to the Docs they will talk in meetings and conventions about their patients like us and take us seriously .... Of course maybe i am in a dream world .... but i HOPE ....

Also .... If you have to go to HRT it is not the worse thing that could happen .... My dad dropped dead of a Heart attack at 36 .... I am now 36 and if HRT is my price, I'll take it ....

And after you have been on HRT for a little bit you will feel more like you used to ....

 

[beckerj]

from what Ive heard (im not a doctor) but nolva is very selective with estrogen blocking, mainly to the breasts. Clomid can stimulate LH and block estrogen throughout the body increasing testosterone. Im in a believer in less is more, when Ive taken it in the past I took 50mg for a couple days and then dropped it down to 25mg.

If you did a slow enough taper down you could have a pretty smooth transition and may be able to keep ur levels up after coming off.

Have u tried high dosing tribulus? When I take over 1000mg at a time it really helps with the libido/ED. I dont think it does much for T, but it helped with sex. Ive heard good things about fenugreek but I haven't tried it yet.

I am hoping the new Endo will have a clue with HRT and set me up on the right course, which i hope includes HCG .... but we will have to wait and see .... I also can't wait to get my labs back to see where I am .... I think I need to have my dose of T upped again .... I did an extra two pumps yesterday and seem a bit more confident ....

 

[darkblue1]

I am hoping the new Endo will have a clue with HRT and set me up on the right course, which i hope includes HCG .... but we will have to wait and see .... I also can't wait to get my labs back to see where I am .... I think I need to have my dose of T upped again .... I did an extra two pumps yesterday and seem a bit more confident ....

Beckerj,

I have bilateral varicoceles. I don't have erection problems.The problem is i have strong erections and can't release easily. I am not on V and I am on depo-test for 1.5 month. I don't have fatigue anymore.But I do have cloudy vision sometimes in the day and constant headaches. My only conern and worry is the size of testes. How small will they become If I will be on depo-Test for life.They are already small because of sudden varicoceles. I don't understand why doctors don't think about sudden varicoceles or sudden shrinkage of testicles.
When i was not on Depo-Test I didnt have good erections. Now i have very good erections, That means erections are dependent on testosterone.Doctors unless you are planning for kids, you need go for HCG, otherwise they are not prescribing it. But they dont understand that we need to take care of our testes (its not becos of fertility issue)
Sometimes when varicoceles happen suddenly, nerve that relates to random erections become weak, so we dont get random erections.This is my assumption. I feel pretty bad and sad that at this age I have to be on HRT.

 

[Remington]

I'm 20 and i have never been on any hormones. I got the varicocele about 2 months ago so i don't think it had the time to lower my testosterone but it's somehow messing up other hormones because my problems are only sexual. It's really weird - how can i have ED and premature ejaculation (really premature!!) at the same time?

 

[darkblue1]

I'm 20 and i have never been on any hormones. I got the varicocele about 2 months ago so i don't think it had the time to lower my testosterone but it's somehow messing up other hormones because my problems are only sexual. It's really weird - how can i have ED and premature ejaculation (really premature!!) at the same time?

Even thugh its two months, your testosterone may become low. I had premature ejaculation and no good erections as soon as I got varicoceles. i could not understand why all of a sudden I had premature ejacuation, when checked for testosterone levels , then I knew its becos of low levels.

 

[JanSz]

Even thugh its two months, your testosterone may become low. I had premature ejaculation and no good erections as soon as I got varicoceles. i could not understand why all of a sudden I had premature ejacuation, when checked for testosterone levels , then I knew its becos of low levels.

I think 80% of ED and ejaculation problems is within proper levels of
E2
Prolactin
DHT
and Testosterone

probably in that order.

the worst part in that is E2
for about 9 months, close to a year, I was able to stay within a range with E2.
Suddendly, something changed, back to chassing wild gose again.

 

[Varicocelesux]

Just signedup, what a great thread this is! I have a question, I was curious if there is a relationship between varicocele and hairloss? I am 20yrs old and my hairline is starting to recede. I believe that my testosterone is low and DHT is high. Is that possible? Im experiencing pretty much everything you guys talked about. Weak erections, low libido, although I do get morning wood. Also, I took HGH when I was 13 till 15yrs old because I had growth hormone deficiency. Im pretty sure I got the varicocele as soon as I stopped taking it. I have a grade 3 varicocele btw and I am planning on doing the microscopic surgery asap. Also last yr I had an ultrasound but they never gave me the results, they just said it was fine. Now that Im planning on actually doing the surgery I got a copy of it and it says it appears I have testicular Microlithiasis. Wtf how did they not tell me this b4. I am getting another sonogram next week and hopefully its nothing serious.

 

[Vidal Baboon]

Just got the results from some bloods I had done last week[Blood taken at 10AM].

My free Testosterone is 17.6NM/L and the range they used is 9.2 NM/L-27.8 NM/L.
[I read that to convert international units [nm/l] into ng/dl that they use in the US you divide the US units by 28.84 or conversely multiply the international units by the same]

So multiplying my result by 28.84 I get 507 ng/dl?


I am told then that my free T is well within range so now I am really confused as I appear to have a textbook case of low T as I have all the symptoms and a large Varicocele on my left testicle?

Getting prolactin,LH,SHBG tested too this week hopefully as my girlfriend knows someone in the lab. Not able to get E2 or DHT tested.

Any thoughts on my test results and the usefullness or not of getting LH,Prolactin,SHBG tested?

Having my embolization on Wednesday 2nd July.

Any help/advice as always gratefully appreciated.

 

[beckerj]

I woudl want to get LH, FSH and a PSA prior to the operation ....

Why did you go with the embolization ?

Micro Surgery, from what I have read is the better option with less recurrence and less % of morbidty .... Of course it is what I had done and I am a little bias .... SMILE

Prolactin and SHBG are kinda a waste in my opinion ....

The one thing I think we forget is that Testosterone is not the only hormone to be concerned with .... The symptoms could be related to other hormones that are out of wack because of the varicocele .... Most of us have Low T when we have varicocele, but I have seen posts from some like you that have symptoms of Low T and have decent T numbers .... I think the varicocele causes more than just Low T ....

 

[Vidal Baboon]

I woudl want to get LH, FSH and a PSA prior to the operation ....

Why did you go with the embolization ?

Micro Surgery, from what I have read is the better option with less recurrence and less % of morbidty .... Of course it is what I had done and I am a little bias .... SMILE

Prolactin and SHBG are kinda a waste in my opinion ....

The one thing I think we forget is that Testosterone is not the only hormone to be concerned with .... The symptoms could be related to other hormones that are out of wack because of the varicocele .... Most of us have Low T when we have varicocele, but I have seen posts from some like you that have symptoms of Low T and have decent T numbers .... I think the varicocele causes more than just Low T ....

Went with the embolization as was advised to by my urologist and the appointment was available a lot sooner than the micro surgery. I figured I would get the embo done and see how the varicocele shrinks.

Figured prolactin would be useful as high levels can sometimes cause low T type symptoms? Also as its produced by the pituitary I wanted it checked as my brother had Acromegaly [benign tumour on his pituitary which caused massive levels of growth hormone and resulted in a lot of health problems for him] thought maybe I may have a pituitary issue?

Overall though along with the SHBG test [because its available] I just wanted to get the fullest picture possible really as the more I learn about this subject the more I see its a pretty complicated area:blink:

I'll make enquiries re the FSH and PSA tests. Why do you think they would be usefull?

 

[MkUltra]

how many of you guys have gyno or puffy nipples? I have read some evidence of a link between the two, although my doctor thinks otherwise.

I just have puffy nipples that wont go away. How long does it take for the HPTA take to be considered "settled" into its ways??

 

[beckerj]

Figured prolactin would be useful as high levels can sometimes cause low T type symptoms?
I'll make enquiries re the FSH and PSA tests. Why do you think they would be usefull?

TRUE Good Call - JAN would be able to weigh in on this one better than I ....

The PSA will be helpful if you need to go on to TRT and the FSH would be helpful to know how the boys are working if you want children in the future .... If they are working now, and you have the labs to show, a DR may be more willing to try HCG for you in order to conceive ....

 

[beckerj]

Okay guys .... Here's a question ....

How many of us that have had Varicocele or bilateral varicocele have high blood pressure now ?

Mine is running 154/83 ....

Viagra works sometimes and sometimes not .... I know it could all be in my head, so I have an appt. with a head doc, but I am wondering if the HBP could be to blame .... OF course I am only 1 month in on the Androgel at 6 pumps a day .... From what I have read it takes a while for everything to settle in to where it needs to be ....

Maybe some of the "Old Timers" can chime in on how long it took for everything to come full circle .... I know everyone is different, but having some tidea of time would be GREAT !

 

[beckerj]

NUDGE ....

Anyone ????