Should I Just Trust My Endo?

[Alyssa M.]

Alyssa M. are you sure your not an endo~^^ That was an incredible reply I am impressed.

Thank you for the compliment, but I'm definitely not a medical doctor or expert of any other sort! I have done a little searching with Google (really, not very much), and also tried to read carefully what people have said in this thread. I really hope nobody makes the mistake of substituting posts from strangers on message boards with real medical expertise.

I'm posting here only to reassure MissAshley that neither what she is experiencing physically nor her doctor's methods seem out of line compared with what I have experienced myself or heard from others.

[Melody Maia]

Going in for blood work Friday. That is also the day I double my dose. Appointment with Dr. Smith two weeks later to go over results. I will keep you posted.

[regan]

Most docs are not going to throw multiple meds at you right off the bat.  If you have a bad reaction, they're not going to know which medication you're reacting to until they stop all of them and start them over one at a time and see how you do.  So why risk it in the first place?

Transition is an ocean, you can either cross it in a speedboat or an oceanliner, its your choice.

[MasterAsh]

Thank you for the compliment, but I'm definitely not a medical doctor or expert of any other sort! I have done a little searching with Google (really, not very much), and also tried to read carefully what people have said in this thread. I really hope nobody makes the mistake of substituting posts from strangers on message boards with real medical expertise.

I'm posting here only to reassure MissAshley that neither what she is experiencing physically nor her doctor's methods seem out of line compared with what I have experienced myself or heard from others.

Your reassurance is very much appreciated, Alyssa.

I've been resisting the temptation since I posted last to abandon Dr. Smith and just go back to my regimen. I want to see his treatment through not out of stubbornness but out of self-discipline. I want to make every effort to allow this to work for me so that if it doesn't I can part with him on pleasant terms and appear as responsible and level-headed as my therapist's letter says I am.

I'm looking forward to your results, Melody. I'm very curious to see how they look compared to my starting test and my one month test next week. Hee hee. . .I'm right on your heels.

[Melody Maia]

They told me that if I call tomorrow (Wednesday) after 4 that they would give me my test results.  So, hopefully I will be posting that tomorrow. However, I will say that I doubled my dose as prescribed this past Friday and this evening my boobs are KILLING me! I take that as a good sign. 

[Melody Maia]

Ok, called for results and not good. My T level went up! Or as Dr. Smith said "Your testosterone is not being suppressed." Well duh! My first test had me at 269 and the one this past Friday had me at 446. His nurse passed on his recommendation to double the dose, which I had already been instructed to do this past Friday as well. Now, the only sign of encouragement I have had is that my boobs have ached with the occasional shooting pain since about Tuesday. Those pains are not "in my head" like any other effects I speculated I might be having in the first 30 days. I am scheduled to see Dr. Smith next Friday and I will have some questions!

[marissak]

He does this because of the drug's potency and feels antiandrogens, or at least Spironolactane, aren't worth the effort when such a powerfully potent estrogen is introduced into the body.

I do not know about the effects of ethinyl estradiol. My post is not about this type of estradiol, but rather about your endo's approach.

I think your endo's approach may work, but it depends on your needs (if you want quick breast development, this may not be the right approach for you), your health, your patience, and various other factors. It would be best to discuss with your endo about his rationale and ask how he expects your progress in the next few months. Being on the same page and having the same expectations is important.

[MasterAsh]

Ok, called for results and not good. My T level went up! Or as Dr. Smith said "Your testosterone is not being suppressed." Well duh! My first test had me at 269 and the one this past Friday had me at 446. His nurse passed on his recommendation to double the dose, which I had already been instructed to do this past Friday as well. Now, the only sign of encouragement I have had is that my boobs have ached with the occasional shooting pain since about Tuesday. Those pains are not "in my head" like any other effects I speculated I might be having in the first 30 days. I am scheduled to see Dr. Smith next Friday and I will have some questions!

That's not very encouraging, but it is mostly consistent with what I'm experiencing. Most of my weight distribution has reverted now, which is very distressing since I'd gradually gained weight the four months I self-medicated so now I have a belly I didn't have before I even started. The pores on my face started enlarging, with oiliness more than what I had while self-medicating but less than before I started. My breasts aren't tender and my nipples aren't overly sensitive, but what tissue that had developed before seems to be very slowly growing.

My depression, persistent negative emotion, and distress are starting to ease since I hit the .05 mg x2 mark, but my body's slow backslide is grating on me. Still, there's not too much longer before I get reevaluated, and if it doesn't work out then I'll go with someone else. The most important thing for me right now is to realize that ultimately all I've permanently lost is time, and even then only a few months. As long as I remember that, I'll be okay.

I think your endo's approach may work, but it depends on your needs (if you want quick breast development, this may not be the right approach for you), your health, your patience, and various other factors. It would be best to discuss with your endo about his rationale and ask how he expects your progress in the next few months. Being on the same page and having the same expectations is important.

I'm not looking for anything quick. I just became bothered when what I viewed as a step forward, medically supervised HRT, became a step back for my mind and body. The only thing I want quickly is an end to this backslide, and I'll be fine if it takes as long as four months or so to get back to where I was. Quick note, too: I stopped taking any element of my original regimen a week-and-a-half into this new regimen. I've taken only ethinyl estradiol for about five weeks.