My Long PFS Journey

Member Stories
#407

Yes, weak voice can be tied to hypothyroidism and low androgens. Thyroid issues would result in hoarseness and lower androgens cause high pitch voice. I experienced both at different stages in the past 3 years. You could definitely benefit from boosting your thyroid and achieve TSH closer to 1.00

But like I said, adrenals should be made a priority since it can affect numerous bodily processes including thyroid function. Also controls level of inflammation, electrolytes (Na, K, Ca, Mg, P), sex hormones, blood pressure, blood sugar, capacity to stress, etc. In my case, I had DHEA-s (precursor to testosterone) at the rock bottom and high 24hrs cortisol. I dug deeper to find out why is my body pumping too much cortisol and it hit me: excess inflammation.

This is when I shifted my attention away from trying to raise my testosterone/androgens to finding and treating the cause(s) behind my excess inflammation. I found several potential causes:

  1. I had past Titanium implants removed.
  2. Removed amalgam teeth fillings.
  3. Removed leftover stitches in my nose from a past surgery that used to get inflammed regularly.
  4. FIX MY GUT. This is the most important!

See, I observed I always had GI problems that I didn’t pay much attention to in the past (constipation; food sensitivities; random stomach aches; bloating; flatulence) in addition to random allergies. On top of finesteride, I also had taken antibiotics. I had numerous tests including microbiome analysis. I’ve been working on fixing my gut and it really did it for me eventually.

So back to your case, your rT3 looks like it’s a bit high and this may also indicate inflammation. The Progesterone raising probiotic caused me penis insensitivity (sorry my mistake). Insensitivity went away after stoppage.

Do share your gut tests and I can attempt to pass my opinion. If your E2 is 17.9 pg/ml then it’s considered low(ish) in relation to your T level (512). This actually produces T:E2 ratio 28.6, which is a bit high(ish) in my experience. I felt best with E2 around 22-30. So, you’re not far off.

Why are you taking taurine, pentoxifyllin, L citrulline, Calcium/ Magnesium & iodine for? Are you referring to lugol’s iodine solution? High dose iodine also acts as antibacterial and may lead to higher TSH.

@blackkey1996

#408

@Gwhm

Did you ever get microbiome analysis done? We can start there.

1 Like
#409

I’m wondering why my replies here are getting removed. I am not sure how to contact the mods here because i really am trying to respect the decorum of this forum. Is there any reason for this?

#410

Hi @blackkey1996 our apologies, as you’re a new user who hasn’t completed a member story or the survey, your posts are always flagged for review. Just a part of the system unfortunately.

If you could add a story and fill out the survey, that would be much appreciated.

#411

@Sugarhouse Done, sorry! Just hoping i’m able to get my old posts back!

2 Likes
#412

Got my gut results! the values in the brackets are the normal range):

H. Pylori:

Helicobacter pylori 3.6e3 High (<1.0e3)

Normal Bacterial Flora:

Clostridia (class) 1.72e8 High (5.00e6 - 5.00e7)

Enterobacter spp. 5.95e7 High (1.00e6 - 5.00e7)

Phyla Microbiota

Bacteroidetes 1.13e13 High (8.61e11 - 3.31e12)

Firmicutes 7.13e11 High (5.70e10 - 3.04e11)

Opportunistic Bacteria:

Bacillus spp. 2.38e6 High (<1.50e5)

Morganella spp. 3.36e4 High (<1.00e3)

Pseudomonas spp. 1.56e6 High (<1.00e4)

Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2.04e4 High (<5.00e2)

Streptococcus spp. 2.85e4 High (<1.00e3)

Intestinal Health:

Steatocrit 20 High (<15 %)

Anti-gliadin IgA 52 (0 - 157 U/L)

Secretory IgA 239 Low (510 - 2010 ug/g)

Add-On:

Zonulin 44.1 (<107ng/g)

Apparently I don’t have leaky gut based on this which I guess is great! But this definitely explains my GI symptoms and underlying inflammation. My doctor told me i can eat anything but in moderation and to choose veggies more over fruits, along with the supplement protocol she will be prescribing me. However, I don’t think letting all hell break loose on food without knowing which one is right for my personal microbiome is a good approach…even with the correct supplements lol.
I got diagnosed with LaryngoPharyngeal reflux (LPR/Silent Reflux) by an ENT, which kind of explains the voice hoarseness. Now I’m just going to be testing to rule out GERD or anything cause I really don’t want that lol.

Re adrenals, do you think my adrenals are busy/depleted because of fighting these gut pathogens and additional stress? My doctor said all can go back in order when gut is fixed…
My blood cortisol level was 13 in a range of 5-25, and my DHEA-S Blood test came out to be 432 in a range of 80-560.

I am taking taurine pentoxifylline, L Citrulline, Calcium/Magnesium strictly to prevent plaques and fibrosis. That’s my most worrying sympton.
Iodine I am taking only because I don’t get iodine in my diet since I only use sea salt. It’s not lugol’s iodine but it’s some i got from this supplement store. I only do like once or twice a week 3 drops.

#413

Congrats on getting the test @blackkey1996 . I’ve scanned your results and here are my findings:

  • Having high H. Pylori is problematic. Have you been on antibiotics in the past? It’s a pathogenic bacteria that’s been linked to several health issues including gastrointestinal cancer, ulcers, and autoimmunity/inflammation. It’s in your best interest to try to eradicate it or at least manage it. Most doctors would recommend a course of antibiotics but it’s a double edged sword since they can also kill other beneficial bacteria and wreak havoc in your gut. My advice is to try the natural route first: Broccoli sprouts; ginger; celery/juice. You can also couple these with these probiotics: BioGaia Protectis (L. Reuteri); Pro4-50 D-Lactate Free; & Align.

  • I’m trying to calculate your Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio. Do you have percentages of each? Calculating the ratio would help setup an individualized food plan.

  • I couldn’t see any results for Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria or E. Coli. It’s important to know if you have enough of them. They serve critical functions. I had lowish Bifidobacteria and ZERO Lactobacillus. So, I focused on including food items that help them grow. My symptoms have improved dramatically within a few weeks.

  • Stool analysis report also doesn’t mention what is your microbiome diversity. People with low diversity usually have more issues or dysbiosis.

  • Try the following protocol if you can: Bimuno (prebiotic to help increase Bifidobacteria); BioGaia Protectis probiotic drops (L. Reuteri to help reduce H. Pylori overgrowth; boost oxytocin & B12); Align (B Infantis) probiotic; plain Activia yogurt; oraganic Ghee (contains natural butyrate to help lower inflammation); boiled potato that’s left to cool down (contains resistant starch to boost gut SCFAs); raw cacao (dark chocolate to boost dopamine); blueberry; more cooked beans & legumes; limit coffee; replace dairy with goat milk; low dose Zinc-Carnosine & low dose vitamin C before bed.

Do the above for 3-4 weeks and see how you feel. Btw, your DHEA-s level is great but your cortisol is on the lowish end. What time of the day your cortisol was tested?

When ever your body is under stress, your adrenals will work overdrive to help you survive. Stress can be physical effort, injuries, getting sick, emotional trauma, allergy to foods or any substance, and of course immune system being activated and causes inflammation.

When stress hormones are chronically high, your testosterone and growth hormone decline and result in low mood, low libido, poor sleep, and reduced strength and recovery. You would typically feel wiped out/rundownt/tired but wired. How much iodine in 3 drops? RDA is set at only 150mcg. I suggest you ran microbiome analysis from ThryveInside or Vbiome in the future for more data.

#414
  1. I went to an ENT and he did a laryngoscopy and diagnosed me with Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) he prescribed proton pump inhibitor but i’m not taking any medication, i’ll just go with lifestyle changes. It’s also a factor that every time a vocal chord is inflamed doctors usually just mark it as LPR, whereas there could be several other reasons as well. And more microbiome disruption doesn’t sound good to me.
    He said LPR could mean I have GERD too but i’m like…whatever lol.

The reason i am taking all these supplements and pentoxifyllin is because they are known to work against plaque. That is my biggest concern right now so i’m throwing the kitchen sink at this problem. I want these plaques to go away or dissolve and not get worse and calcify. Taurine, magnesium are known to work against fibrosis and pentoxifyllin dilates the blood vessels to improve blood flow. I am just afraid that this might effect sensitivity.

Iodine i’m taking because i only use celtic sea salt. That means i don’t have any other way to get iodine in my diet. And apparently iodine is necessary for thyroid function? I just bought iodine from “trace minerals” from the vitamin shoppe, supplementing like twice a week 3 drops each time.

Its good to have a presence like yours on this forum.

#415

GERD is likely a symptom of too much stomach acidity and/or acid escaping your stomach (i.e. hiatal hernia). We know from research that histamine controls stomach acidity for digestion purposes and too much of it (AKA histamine intolerance) would cause too much stomach acid and thus acid reflux. PPIs are antacids (lowers stomach acidity) but they would also through off your microbiome balance and causes new shifts (e.g. increase Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio).

We also know that there are specific gut bacteria convert amino acid histidine (from protein breakdown) to histamine. Your body would normally breakdown excess histamine through DAO & HNMT enzymes. However, too much of this bacteria results in too much histamine, which your body can’t breakdown and POF histamine intolerance occurs. Histamine isn’t necessarily bad since it serves many functions in the body but too much of would lead to allergies, food sensitivities, mood issues, acid reflux, disrupted immune system, etc. etc.

Your workaround is either to take probiotic strains that are known to breakdown histamine or to increase DAO & HNMT enzymes. Probiotic strains Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus plantarum 299V, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium infantis (Align), and E. Coli Nissle (Mutaflor) are some strains that can help eliminate/reduce histamine issues. I’ve cycled each for 2-3 weeks and within 4 months time-frame, my histamine issues are largely gone.

Both Iodine and amino acid tyrosine are needed to make thyroid hormones. I was asking about your iodine dose because too much iodine can actaully raise TSH value and also acts as antibiotic/mineral chelator. Taurine is non-essential sulfur based amino acid that serves numerous functions such as bile salts and breaking down neurotransmitters. However, mega-dosing it gave me anhedonia in the past probably due to breaking down dopamine.

I’ve used all sorts of supplements, amino acids, isolated vitamins, minerals, you name it. They did help but I would always end up with more imbalances since there are countless interactions. My modest advice is to depend on diet alone to supply you with your needs.

Thanks for your thoughtful words @blackkey1996 :pray:
Get well soon

1 Like
#416

Hey sorry for not including the rest of my results. I only extrapolated the ones which were either high or low. Now that I’ve attached my whole report, what do you think re my gut diversity? Sorry for flooding you with these questions man…

  • I have attached the full results. I also tried to calculate the Firmicutes value with the Bacteroidetes value and my number was 0.853. I don’t know if that’s the right way to do it lol.

  • Regarding H Pylori; i always thought everybody had it? I guess that’s not true. Do you think my numbers mean that i’m like screwed for a while, i’m kind of tense over this particular pathogen. I thought my “Opportunistic Pathogens” were the major issue but I guess this takes priority. I was on a cycle of Doxcycline last year around this time for 3 months. That’s all I remember. I also had a wisdom teeth extraction and I was prescribed pain killers but only took them as needed. I’m glad i tested negative for the virulence factors for h pylori though.

  • As for the iodine; its 3 drops = 225 mcg iodide as potassium iodide.

  • I got my DHEA and Cortisol bloods done around 9 AM, like within 1.5 hours of waking up. But I know these are snapshots and not completely accurate. I do get the picture though, with the level of inflammation my adrenals are probably weakened.

You’re right about taking too many supplements. I think i’ll just stick to just pentoxifyllin and magnesium to fulfill my needs. Cialis only when necessary. Thanks so much man. My step 1 in tackling this to fix everything wrong with my gut report where i’ll expect the adrenals and thyroid to recover along with this along with mild exercise like four/week. and then step 2 is to increase testosterone which I believe will allow me to get back in balance.

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#417

Good job on sharing the full report @blackkey1996 It helps draw a better picture. So, there are good news and bad news but this means you have grounds to cover and improve your health considerably. Ok here we go:

  • You do have native Lactobacillus. Most reports I’ve seen had none. This is good news for you. Still try and boost Lactobacillus through blueberry; dark chocolate; & almonds.

  • You do have Bifidobacteria. This is also great news. Again try and boost them with Bimuno (B-GOS prebiotic).

  • No E. Coli. I suspected this. E. Coli are under Proteobacteria phylum. They’re needed for serotonin synthesis, CoQ10, tyrosine, vitamin K production. You can give probiotic Mutaflor (E. Coli nissle) a try. Also eat stuff with fucose (yep you read it correctly). Sea weed, hazelnuts, and figs are good sources.

  • Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (butyrate producer) count is ok(ish). This is the most abundant bacteria species in the gut and produces butyrate, which works like a fuel for endothelial cells. Butyrate also reduces lactate so increasing it will likely help resolve your histamine issues. You need to boost Faecalibacterium. Try ghee for now.

  • Undetectable akkermansia. This is also important species that helps the renewal process of gut lining. Include pomegranate extract in your diet.

  • Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio is 0.06. This is very, very low. I suspect doxycycline had something to do with this. While there’s no standard/established value, the healthy average is 2.1. You need to increase Firmicutes and/or reduce Bacteroidetes. Consume inulin fiber through supplement or foods (onion, asparagus, garlic, apples, walnuts, etc.).

  • No Zonulin. This is marker for leaky gut. So that’s good.

  • No Calpractin. This is marker of gut inflammation. You’re good there.

So, my conclusion is that while you don’t seem to have inflammation in your gut (apart from increased H. Pylori that you can take probiotic BioGaia Protectis to control), you still have to work on the above things to improve your health.

1 Like
#418

Gotcha. Thank you very much again for this detailed analysis. Based on my high steatocrit and low elastase, do you think i’m dealing with some pancreatic problem?

#419

Wow , I must of spent 6 hours reading over this thread yesterday, and wanted to say thank you to you for doing this!

I don’t want to hijack your thread but I have lots of questions if I could ask them somewhere?

Also just reading above would HCG mono therapy have helped you raise both your total test and therefore estrogen?

And did you do a full adrenal panel? Did you feel adrenals have been the main thing impacted ?

1 Like
#420

6hrs!! Never imagined the thread could be this long :grin: It really documents my journey from day 1. The number of twists and turns that I had to take to find the right path are staggering but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. This cursed syndrome is surmountable through knowledge and determination. So, welcome aboard.

I begun my journey taking dozens of supplements everyday but now I’m almost on nothing and feeling my best. There were numerous ups and downs but there was an upward trend.

This summarizes my 3+ years journey:

  1. Tweaking/increasing testosterone/estrogen through vitamins, minerals, boosters, herbs, hormones, etc. Did numerous bloods to track progress & do further tweaks. This proved to be unsustainable long-term.

  2. Focused on amino acids & herbs to biohack brain to boost feel-good neurotransmitters such as dopamine & serotonin. This also worked intermittently.

  3. Concluded that true issue lies in adrenals. Did many bloods for adrenals. Followed a special routine to try to help heal adrenals (diet; supplements; sleep; training; meditation, etc.). This also worked intermittently.

  4. Adrenals were partially healed but there was still missing element. Figured that something else is causing adrenal issues.

  5. Did deep digging into excess inflammation hypothesis. Found out that sources of inflammation include autoimmunity; gut dysbiosis; chronic allergies; chronic stress (mental & physical); poor sleep; poor nutrition. Concluded that adrenals will only heal if underlying inflammation sources are resolved.

  6. Took necessary steps to remove all potential inflammation sources such as removing dental mercury amalgams; Titanium implants; forgotten stitches from previous surgery. Noticed improvements but still not 100%

  7. Assumed that primary inflammation is due to immune system dysfunction that’s driven by gut dysbiosis. Did microbiome analysis and did tons of research on microbiome and potential links to adrenals, hormones & body functions.

  8. Trialed with numerous herbs, probiotics; prebiotics; diet plans and saw progressive improvements over time in symptoms.

  9. Dropped everything else and focused on healing the gut through holistic approach. Did microbiome analysis to confirm. Adrenals were healing along the way and persistent symptoms vanishing one after another.

@Underprepared

4 Likes
#421

I can’t thank you enough for this. Most of what I’ve seen both on this forum and others leads back to adrenals and gut and the immune system.

An expert in this field is Dr Mariano who is an neuroendocrinologist , I’m thinking of visiting him but I’m in the UK and he’s in California!

Lots of body builders etc trust him as he deals with there problems after Deca and trenbolone use

1 Like
#422

Alas, it’s pathetic to pay so much time and money and try so many drugs.

#423

Damn machine translation, how can it be translated like this.

#424

Decades of fighting is admirable and heartbreaking.

#425

doomed80您好，我对于维生素d3/k2的反应也不是很好，我只吃了一滴就会导致很多的问题，比如：
1.心悸
2.身体发麻发冷
一滴含有500iu维生素d3和12.5微克k2

#426

@doomed80 what did you use to fill your teeth after the removal of the amalgams?