Restless and sleepless nights. Debilitating brain fog. No motivation to do anything, whether it was spending time with my kids and playing outside, hanging out with the boys, going to the gym or even getting out of bed to go to work. Passing out on the couch as soon as I got the chance. It was painful to just drag myself along. After seeing my primary care doctor, they ordered a few tests and said everything was normal. Little did I know, the range for “normal” is so wide, those with symptoms of low testosterone often go unnoticed. I started to change my diet and tried to get into a better health routine, but nothing was working. I just felt like there was something more that was wrong. That’s when I found Dr. Shah.
I was working a double in June and a new issue of NJ Cops Magazine was in the break room at my department. I picked it up and was reading about the Police Unity Tour and all the great things those guys do on the ride down to D.C. I said to myself, “I could never do it.” I didn’t think too much about it and moved on and kept on reading. Then, I stumbled upon Dr. Shah’s article later in the issue. I read about a guy’s path to getting ready for the Unity Tour and how he was feeling in general. The more I read, the more I realized that this sounded like I could actually have low testosterone. While Joe was training more heavily for a long bike ride, he was describing exactly how I was feeling in other ways – gassed, hitting a wall and not able to lose weight. But I started to doubt myself. How could I, a guy in his mid-30s, have low testosterone?
It took me a few days, but I reached out to Dr. Shah’s office. I couldn’t shake the feeling when I said to myself “I could never do it” and then seeing the article about a fellow LEO who was feeling like me. Sure, he was training for a long bike ride, but I was struggling with functioning in daily life! After I reached out to their office, they contacted me to schedule a quick consultation to understand a little bit more about me. I spoke with Dr. Glenn; their Clinic Director and he walked me through the TRT protocol and what my options were if I wound up being a candidate. Their office sent me for a huge blood panel. It was obvious they wanted to know everything. I felt like someone finally wanted to get to the bottom of my issues. After my blood tests were in, I met with Dr. Shah through a video call. It was clear I had a few things out of balance. Not only were my testosterone levels low, but my estrogen levels were high (that explains the manboobs). The panel looked at my DHEA and DHT levels, along with hematocrit and hemoglobin. They also checked my kidney, liver, thyroid, and prostate function. It was clear if there was something there, they were finding it…and they did.
Dr. Shah put me on a customized program where I self-injected twice a week. Needles kind of gross me out, but thankfully my wife can handle them, so she actually did them for me. After a few times, I realized it wasn’t too bad and started self-administering (yes, I know you’re laughing at me). No, the results weren’t overnight, but I can say, they were definitely worth the wait. After about three or four weeks, my head started to clear first and a few weeks later, my energy was much better, and my sleep was improving. My wife also said she was happy I stopped passing out on the couch. I guess that’s a positive, right?
It’s been about two months since I started my program, and I am really happy with the results so far. While it’s only the beginning, I’m even more excited about the next few months where I hope to see weight loss and improvements in the gym. As much as I was afraid to think or even admit I had low t, I’m happy I educated myself and found a great practitioner to help me improve my health. I haven’t felt this great in years!
For more information, contact Lisa at info@advancedantiaging.com or call 973-998-7770.