Update 18/7/11
So, the battle continues. I’ve been busy the past month…
Condition: stable. Still low sex drive, penile shrinkage, ED etc. Sometimes my penis looks so thin when it’s flaccid that it’s scarey. My semen varies: it’s definately better than it was 6-8 months ago. Despite this im currently about to enter a relationship (if i decide to give it a go: i do like the single life!!).
I know you guys are interested in how guys like us “cope” in such situations so here’s my story. I’ve been with her the past few months, i put sex off 2 weeks ago because i knew i wasn’t “prepared” (excessive drink the night before and i had masturbated a few times already that day (at about 60% stiffness). Also, no cialis. This Friday i was well prepared. I’ve been cycling cialis (E2D to E3D’s) and levita on demand. I took a cialis on Friday afternoon. We had sex Friday evening (decent, i’d say about 70 maybe 75% of my former self…enough for her not to realise a problem, although i did take a break because i felt i was losing my stimulation…she just counted it as a “round”). That night we went again, this time i popped a levita an hour prior (20mg) and i was better than before. Still not perfect but able to have good sex. We went again in the morning, i poped another levita first thing as a precaution but i don’t think this was necessary but obviously so early on i didn’t want to take any risks.
Conclusion: i can “just about” get by with the use of cialis and levita. It gets me to about 80% stiffness but that still doesn’t solve the size problem (i lose girth at the top since im not 100% erect, basically…and also ive lost girth all over generally!). It’s still harder (no pun) to maintain and achieve erection but even then it’s good to know i can atleast pass myself and indeed satisfy a partner whilst i work on trying to treat this mess. I see no reason not to avail of the PDE5 inhibitors for the time being.
Anyway update regarding my protocols…
I took aromasin for a two-three week spell , about 0.65mg ED… I didn’t have the chance to get bloods during this time and i stopped because i was worried about pushing my levels too low. Similar to arimidex, i definately had a tangible boost in libido, erections etc for the first few weeks. This tailed off a little. In any event, i concluded that i was nowhere close to back to normal and that this “boost” wasn’t a direct effect of treating the root cause.
Given i’ve been pretty much “stable” (not in a good sense) for the past while (massive penile shrinkage persists) i thought it was worth a go experimenting with clomid. I’ve been taking it for the past 8 days. Only about 10-17.5mg ED. Little to no effects so far. I’ll continue taking this for another 2 weeks.
I think i can conclude however that these key sex hormones aren’t the root issue.
I’ve just began taking 100mg of micronized progesterone ED. I think this will help as per Hertoghe’s teachings. I’ll take this for a four week period and make conclusions thereafter.
I’ve got my Ultrasound of abdomen etc (will include genitals) scheduled for next week (25th July) and im meeting a urologist that my endo set up next Wednesday (27th July) to discuss a TRUS. I’m sitting back on the Greece idea for a while because firstly i have other things to experiment with but most importantly because i want to wait until i see how the other guys get on. I’m a little disappointed in Solonjk, whom i consider a good friend, when he decided to delete most of his post history. That most did not instil confidence in someone who was ready to ask for £5,000 from their father and a take a month off a good job.
I’m pushing my endo so sort out the Reverse T3 testing. I’ve rejuvinated my interest in this and im angry i haven’t had this sorted yet. If he doesn’t help me with this in the coming weeks i’ll definately seek it privately.
Lastly, i’ve taken particular interest into recoveries from Prednisone and Dexamethasone. I think this tells us a vital, vital clue about PFS. Currently, my best guess is that PFS is a prostate centric autoimmune/inflammatory condition that can and will wreck havoc with the adrenals, thyroids and other key sex hormones as well as critical neurosteroids and neurotranmitters.
In support of this, i believe this theory can reconcile almost everything. It would explain why the likes of “Ihatepropecia702” has found great success from the anti-candida diet and from eating alot of anti-inflammatories, it explains the whole prostatitus thing that Solonjk is a huge advocate of, and it also explains how guys have recovered from fixing their thyroids, adrenal and immunity issues via Prednisone and Dexamethasone (and even perhaps, cortisol). Unlike awor’s theory of AR or the strict “chronic prostatitus” theory, i think this theory also explains how people recovery naturally over time - as their body self repairs in some cases; often through plenty of sleep, good living and good diet.
The potential to recover by fixing your out of whack adrenals, thyroid and then your immunity via Prednisone and Dexamethasone may depend on how advanced things are and/or how hard one crashed. I believe the guys that recovered via Prednisone and Dexamethasone are proof that even if you have developed some sort of chronic prostatitus that you don’t necessarily require the treatment Dr G advocates. It’ll be a case by case basis and if you can “kick start” your body again it might and in some cases, clearly has, cleaned itself out naturally. Getting the body back to it’s full ability is therefore paramount to one’s chances of a less evasive and more natural recovery.
On that basis therefore i intend to try “give my body a chance” to recover on it’s “own”. I’ll need to diagnose any Reverse T3 condition asap to see if i need a “clear out” here. I’m taking the progesterone to hopefully help normalise my chronically elevated DHT/E2 levels (which causes prostrate hypertrophy) which should take further pressure of my body. I’ve got a few very exciting supplements to try (ill write about them soon) which should also help. Most importantly, I am intent on trying Dexamethasone: probably just 0.5mg for 2 weeks as an intial trial. I have huge hopes for this and think it could prove a lynchpin in my long overdue recovery. As i note however, it’s criticial to get your body in a good position before beginning such a protocol - it’s no concidence that a few guys recovered by fixing their thyroid issues first or concurrently to this treatment.
In conclusion: It’s the above, along with good living that i am pinning my hopes into. Beyond that, it’s Greece, pending the results my learned friends currently over there.
That said, im not “happy enough” at all, the difference between now and 2-3 years ago is insane in every aspect from penile size, erection strength, libido, sensation, semen - everything. In terms of the size and then erection i have, i think im ending up with a penis about 70% the size of base, maybe even less. Insane, but im hopefully going to reverse this shit slowly and surely.