Mister Fixit

On 6/5/2021 at 1:54 PM, Dazinoz said:

I used Sidegra which is the Thai version of Viagra and, for me, has much less side affects.

 

Trouble is no good putting lead in your pencil with no one to write to. I hate scribbling on the walls.

I used to use that, but found it was far less effective than Kamagra so I stopped and went back to K.

It's made by the Thai GPO and my local pharmacist tells me that generally, GPO meds are not as good as branded ones.

On 6/5/2021 at 12:29 PM, The Hammer2021 said:

Try Cialis..far superior  to Viagra..

Er, try reading a bit more discriminatingly - he's already posted this  'Cialis which doesn't seem to work for me.'

7 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

So that was your blood panel while you were on TRT?  If so, you need to find a better doctor to manage your TRT.  I mean 250mg, once every three weeks is ridiculous  

 

The reason I say this is becuase the half life of Testosterone enanthate is around 4-5 days, so if you're not injecting at least once a week, your long-term serum testosterone will remain unchanged, no matter what the dosage.  It's no wonder your TT is so low.

 

It's just my lay opinion, but I think you'd be better off just finding a good GP to manage your TRT.  My own doctor (up in Chiang Mai) is just a general practitioner, but she is well read and experienced, and much better (IMHO) than a specialist I saw when I first contemplated TRT.

 

You have to realize that during the last few years, TRT has become so popular that it is no longer the strict domain of an endocrinologist.  Many GP's are quite competent at doing it effectively.

That was 4 weeks after my usual shot, so I expected it to be low. 

It was also what I was put on at Bumrungrad in 2005 and has never changed.  After a year or so, I moved hospitals because it was getting too expensive there and a PITA to get to every 3 weeks.

I changed to the army hospital for a year or so, but then got a LOT of work and had no time to waste a morning every 3 weeks, just for a shot.

I started buying the stuff myself and using a local clinic to shoot me up at the same intervals.  I didn't have time to go for regular monitoring.

Since my ED worsened, I decided to try to sort it out, but as I have posted elsewhere, they want me to go to the andropause clinic next month so I will do that, but I suspect I won't get far.  I reckon I'll need to find a more specialised place, but hopefully I am wrong.

Just a question of waiting and seeing until 15 June.  In the meantime, a double dose of Kamagra seems to have done the trick - at least once, anyway.  I shall try it again soon, see if it works again.  ????

7 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Sorry for misunderstanding what you meant about dosages.  So, where are you right now with your TRT?  I don't recall if you ever posted what your blood test was for total testosterone; can you share? 

 

My own doctor has always had a target for me of 1,000-1,2000 ng/dL.  To achieve that, my dosages of Test E have always been around 250mg (1 ampule per week) delivered in two jabs of 125mg each, and also an aromatase inhibitor to counter the rise in estrogen (1/4 pill of Arimidex with each injection), that results in an Estradiol (E-2) blood value of under 30 pg/mL.

 

This is a pretty standardized protocol by most knowledgeable TRT doctors I believe.

 

For what it's worth, recently I decided to cut my dosage in half, just to see if there were discernible differences in how I felt.  After six weeks, I had a blood test done and my TT was at around 700 ng/dL.  During this period, I did notice a drop in my energy level.  I mean, I felt more sluggish during the day, even to the point of taking a nap in the afternoon.  I can't say for sure it was a result of cutting my dose, but I've upped it back up again to see if I start having more energy through the day becuase that really sucked, just running out of steam in the middle of the day ????

 

I posted the results near the top of the first page in this thread.  

Let's see if I can copy the appropriate page here - yup, looks like I can.

So they only test for total test and not free test and I had not had a shot for 4 weeks when they  took my blood so it looks low to me.  So do FSH and LH, but maybe you can explain more.

As I posted originally, I don't think the endocrinology dept was much good.  They pretty well fobbed me off to the andropause clinic where I am booked in for 15 June.

They seemed to do FT4 and FT3 thyroid tests and he palpated my thyroid area, so I am not sure why or if the results are OK or not because he didn't explain.  He was just some sort of upper level med student who wrote lots of notes and basically just copied by hand the printed results of my previous blood tests from March, then kept referring to what must have been a real doctor who just sat at her desk playing on her phone.  They'd mutter a bit, but I was never told what they muttered about.

Anyway, I have taken matters into my own hands and have decided to have a shot every 2 weeks until I see the andropause clinic.  I have done that twice now, and it may have paid off because we had a real belter last Monday after I took a double dose of Kamagra, as I wrote above.

Please take a look at the 3 test results I posted on page 1 and let me know any thoughts you have.

29 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

Just to be clear, it wasn't the friction of my shorts that did it, it was the sight of that girl's absolutely perfect derriere in those running tights that did it ????  I've never had anything like that happen before; I mean, getting an erection in public that I could not control, and having it be so visible.

 

I think the thing with Sidegra (or any of these sort of drugs) is that unless there is strong sexual stimulus (sight of a hot girl, in my case) it doesn't work, but when it does work, it works in a "big" way!

Yes, it really only works when there's some sort of sexual stimulus, but that's occasionally manual so there may have been a bit of friction, exacerbated by that perfect backside.  ????  

I remember many years ago, about 33 or so, when I used to go to aerobics after work 2 or 3 times a week.  There was a gorgeous female co-worker in skin tight pants who was dripping in sweat 4 feet in front of me, and those soaking wet pants were clinging like a second skin!  When she was doing bends, I could see every little cranny and had the same result as you, without any chemicals - which I don't think were around in 1988!  ????  

And also, I was about 39 years old, so that was a bonus - and she was about 23!  

6 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

I don't have ED but a few months ago I was just curious what the effects of SIdegra would be so I bought a pack of 4 from the local pharmacy and tried one.  Maybe the effect varies from one person to the next, but I took one pill and even after a couple hours I felt nothing, so I figured, oh well...that was wasted money.

 

A few hours later, after completely forgetting about the pill,  I decided to go for my nightly jog on the beach road.  I was jogging along in my really skimpy nylon running shorts, completely forgetting about the pill I had taken earlier, when I saw this really beautiful Thai girl in running tights ahead of me. 

 

She was an absolute knockout; I mean a 10 on anyone's scale, and the way those tights showed off her legs and butt...OMG!!!

 

Long story short, things unexpectedly and very quickly started getting very embarrassing!  As hard as I resisted, my bulging white briefs under my shorts started to show more and more,  and there was nothing I could do to stop it. 

 

I don't think anyone else actually noticed but as I glanced down I just kept seeing more and more of the crotch, and then the front of my white briefs showing until finally I had to jog off to a dark section of beach to compose myself LOL.

 

I've never had anything like that happen before and that was well over four hours after I took that pill...so I'd say those GPO versions seem to work pretty damn well!

 

Perhaps it was the cardio of a run that activated them.  So, for those of you who are disappointed with Sidegra, try going for a run and see what happens then.

 

I didn't find Sidegra anything like as effective as Kamagra and my pharmacist agreed with me - GPO products are generally not as good as generic brands.  

But I loved the story!  It could have been quite embarrassing!  ????

But as it took 4 hours to work, and was also assisted by the friction of your running shorts (a bit like your missus getting you going) then I think that tends to go along with my thoughts on Sidegra.  It should have worked within an hour, especially with a bit of manual help in the friction department!

9 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

I will take anything at this point! LOL  Graku smoothie!  Ive only seen the pineapple kamagra gel packs...never seen the tablets.....so thats the magic combo? knK combo!  what would be the dosage?

 

Wonder if I should get my testosterone checked here at home -US while im waiting to thailand to let me back in..here where I have ins and that might cover me for the good stuff aka the blue diamond!

 

Is the missus smiling today and waking ok?....no need to worry about the niece!...mail me the graku!

 

I used to be OK with just one 100 mg Kamagra tablet until maybe late last year when it started being less effective.  Earlier this years, maybe January/February, I upped it to 1.5 tablets (I have a pill cutter) but then that started being a problem.  

Then I started with one 100ml Kamagra gel (they work quicker, but see below) plus half a tablet but again, it was iffy.

The other day I thought to hell with it and took a gel and then half an hour later, a tablet, so 200 mgs in all - a high dose but off we went like a train an hour later.  This time it didn't go on for ever and ever either as it used to do - start, stop, play, restart, stop, play and usually after two stops, the third time would work - but not always.

This time, within half a minute or so, I just KNEW it was going to work and boy, it certainly did!  I'd be happy with two, preferably three, of those each month at my age.  ????  

BTW, the niece is still working from home 30 miles away so no worries about the headboard banging the wall at the moment.

I'll keep the Grakcu for when you get back here!  

Gels - the med is absorbed through the mucous membranes in your mouth (gums, tongue and palate) so it's important to hold it in your mouth as long as possible and slosh it around, using your tongue to rub it into your gums and palate.  Don't just swallow it straight down as I mistakenly did a month or so back.  It'll eventually work if you do, but will take longer.

Gels should work in 30-40 minutes and tablets maybe an hour.

6 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

I just ran across your post today.  I have to say that 250mg of Test E, 3 times a week (i.e.: 750 mg per week) is HUGELY excessive.  I do one vial (250mg) per week divided into two injections of 125mg per injection and my TT is usually around 1100.  

 

I doubled my dosage about sxi month ago for a couple of months, and blood tests were actually off the charts at >1500, so your dosage would have to be even greater, unless you have some undiagnosed issue or you have fake Test.

 

Whatever the issue is, if I were you I would STOP shooting 750 mg per week, and find a new MD becuase whoever is advising you obviously is out of their mind to be letting you do that.

 

Seriously, I'm not trying to sound like a jerk but TRT is nothing to play around with on your own or under the supervision of an unqualified MD.

@WaveHunter  Looks like you've missed the other posts upthread where other people also misunderstood what 'three-weekly' means!  ????   It means 'one injection every three weeks'!  So 'fortnightly' means one shot every two weeks and weekly means once a week etc.

If I meant three times a week, I'd have said something like 'three times a week'.  ???? 

But I know that 3 shots a week would be dangerous and I'd never do that.  So 250 mgs once every 3 weeks is what I had been doing since 2005 with no change.

After I went to the endocrine clinic recently  I decided that, while I waited for my appointment at the andropause clinic on 15 June, I would temporarily have my shot every two weeks until then.  I don't think that's a major problem for a month or so.

Anyway, it may well have helped because a couple of nights ago, all went well in the bedroom - in fact extremely well, albeit with 1 Kamagra gel and one Kamagra tablet, so double what I would normally use.  

It's strange, but pretty well as soon as I started, I just knew that it was going to go OK.  No idea why, but there was no start-stopping and restarting and so on as had been happening.

It's possible that the testosterone level is higher than it would have been when I was having a shot every 3 weeks.  Time will tell and I intend to test the theory this weekend as well!  

But I appreciate your concern and thanks for posting.  We'll hopefully know more in 3 weeks time when I return to the hospital.  I'll be sure to post an update.

On 5/13/2021 at 7:07 PM, rcuthbert said:

Do you know what measurement units that they are using?

 

It's in the blood test report I posted at the top of the thread - ng/ml.  That's odd, I thought in Thailand they used ng/Dl.  Maybe I'm wrong, and I would need to look out old reports, but it's late.

13 hours ago, jackdd said:

Just go to a pharmacy (not every pharmacy has it, so you might have to try a few) and ask for Sidegra, that's a generic produced in Thailand. Cheap and you don't have to worry about getting a fake.

I should add to my previous comment that my local pharmacist, who I have used for over 12 years and speaks good English, says that GPO products are generally not as good as other generic medications and it's better to look for another generic instead of GPO products.

In terms of Sidegra, he was right.

8 hours ago, jackdd said:

Just go to a pharmacy (not every pharmacy has it, so you might have to try a few) and ask for Sidegra, that's a generic produced in Thailand. Cheap and you don't have to worry about getting a fake.

I know about it. I tried Sidegra for quite a while but it stopped being as effective so I reverted to Kamagra.  

I managed a good bonk last night but had to take 1 Kamagra gel and 1 tablet, so looks like the dose is too low for me now.  

On 5/18/2021 at 9:25 AM, Sticky Rice Balls said:

hmmmm sorry about the graku....so u recc kamagra instead?.....did you get the heartburn w/ graku?

@Sticky Rice Balls

Finally!  Managed a good stonking decent sh@g last night!  I had to use one Kamagra gel and one Kamagra tablet though. 

I knew after just about a minute of starting that it was going to work but can't think why I knew it, but I did.

All went well, and this time, no fading away after a while, then getting it ready again, then fading away  and repeat etc.  In the last few months this has been the pattern and I could finish after about the third attempt, but in the last month, not even that.

So, last night was a welcome event, and maybe I just need this larger dose.  Previously I was only taking 150 mgs, but I'll give the gel and tablet another go but wait until the weekend at least.

Want 4 spare Grakcu capsules?   ????

12 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I would try stretches before resorting to that. Especially since you sit a lot. See the ones in the link I gave. Should really help

It was an excellent link, very interesting.  Many thanks for that.

All I need to do now is actually start the exercises!  ????  In fact, I did some back stretches yesterday as an intro - and asked my wife to pummel  massage my thighs and groin.  She's a beast with those thumbs and elbows!  

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

While Lyrica does sometimes help, it has some significant side effects and I don't advise self-prescribing it. Ditto tricyclics which are also sometimes used.

 

I assume (1) you are not diabetic and (2) not wearing tight clothing or heavy things in pockets/around waist?

 

Assuming above are no, I suggest you try some targeted exercises/stretches. As you probably know, the condition is caused by a nerve being compressed by surrounding tissues, often the inguinal ligament.  So anything that loosens tight ligaments in that area may help. (which is also why massage is helpful)

 

See 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/meralgia-paresthetica-exercises#exercises

 

 

 

 

Nothing even remotely like diabetic, according to my last blood tests 2 months ago.  Blood glucose was 77 from a range between 74 - 106.

I always wear loose clothing in this climate, and if at home, usually nothing!  ????  We can't be overlooked, except by passing birds.

Yes, it may be lack of exercise because my gym is closed again, but my wife is a properly trained Thai masseuse so it looks like I'll be getting some freebies until it goes!  Only problem is that she's a bit too enthusiastic with the elbows and heels for my liking.

I do do a lot of sitting at the computer though, and that could put pressure on the inguinal ligament.  Maybe some 5 minute breaks would help.  Should have thought of that.

The doc 7 years ago suggested I tried gabapentin but it didn't do a thing.  He did mention something about 'trigger points' at the time, but it seems to be involved in inserting a needle into somewhere or other and wiggling it about, but thankfully, it didn't come to that. 

My knee specialist suggested I get some pregabalin (Lyrica) in case I get another flare-up of sciatica and I bought a strip just in case.   I know it takes a while to act.  

Would that be worth a try?

1 hour ago, faraday said:

Go & see a Neurologist.

Thinking about it, I am due to see an endocrinologist at Phramongkutklao hospital next month.  I'll ask if I can be referred to a neurologist when I am there.   

1 hour ago, faraday said:

Go & see a Neurologist.

Yeah, I think I can get a Electromyographic (EMG) nerve-conduction test done there, or if not I am sure they'll recommend where.  

About 10 years ago, I started to feel a numb patch on my lower right outer thigh every so often, which became  more and more pronounced and the the left lower thigh started having them too some time later.

They weren't a huge problem for some time, but then I started having a pins and needles feeling (paresthesia)in both patches which came more and more often.  If I touched them lightly, they worsened the pins and needles feeling, but if I thumped them hard with my fist, that relieved the feeling - I know now that's a classic sign of MP.

Then in January 2014 my wife and I went to Singapore for my 65th birthday and the day after I arrived, we set off to go shopping.  Except we couldn't.

I had had a couple of quite severe electric shock feelings in my thighs in the previous few days and we got off the MRT they attacked with a vengeance.  It was as though my thighs were on fire with the shocks coming in wave after wave. I just couldn't walk and people were staring at me as I sat madly thumping my legs.  It was though someone was appling a live bare electric wire to my thigh for a second or so.

Somehow we got through the 5 days in Singapore and on return I went straight to Sirindhorn hospital in Nonthaburi.  It's a rehabilitation and physiotherapy hospital and they knew what it was in an instant.  They gave me exercises and various treatments and it went after some weeks.   At the time, I was considerably obese and the doc said it was a contributing factor as the fat was trapping the inguinal nerve in my groin and that was causing the shocks.  The doc suggested gabapentin, but it's generally not a very effective treatment and it wasn't in my case.  Anyway, it all settled down after about a month and I thought no more of it.

Some time later, I started a keto diet and lost a lot of weight - about 50 kgs overall and have kept it off.  I'm about 73 kgs now and generally fit.

Then about 3 weeks ago, I started having the numb patches again, and very quickly the pins and needles and a few times have been woken in the night with an electric shock in my thigh.  It's obviously not due to obesity any longer.

So what I am wondering is what treatment I can self-administer?  I can go back to Sirindhorn again, but it's not really anything like as severe as 7 years ago and I would prefer to avoid hospitals at the moment, especially as I live in in Nonthaburi.

Gabapentin didn't work, but I have heard that pregabalin might work better and my knee doctor suggested that for my occasional sciatica.

My wife massages my legs which helps somewhat, and also my groin area where the inflamed nerve is.  

Does anyone have any suggestions for any other meds or treatments?

1 hour ago, tgw said:

the hum from the speakers is probably from the unearthed extension.

you might also get low intensity shocks from unearthed equipment.

 

Yes, that has already been suggested elsewhere.  I'll check the extension when I get time, but no, never any low intensity shocks from anything, ever.

The extension has a moulded 3 pin plug, as in the photo, but I can open it up later and put a meter on and check the earth cable continuity - assuming it actually has an earth cable!

1 hour ago, bankruatsteve said:

Is your tester also showing open ground?  

No.  It's showing what's in the photo I took and posted on here.

21 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

hmmmm sorry about the graku....so u recc kamagra instead?.....did you get the heartburn w/ graku?

Yeah, been using Kamagra for years, but it's not as effective now as it used to be, even with 1 and a half tablets.  ????
Yes, got some heartburn with  the Grakcu but not desperately bad.   Won't use it again though.

I may try 2 Kamagra next time, (I know not recommended, but as a one-off test before going to the clinic) but I have identified another thing - my wife is almost 52 and well into the menopause, and she has had quite a lot of vaginal dryness recently.  She's wet when we get going, (sorry if TMI) but it soon dissipates, then it gets uncomfortable  and things drop off, so to speak.

I suggested that when I go to the andropause clinic next month, she comes and books in the menopause clinic and looks into HRT, but she seems reluctant. 

9 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

So hows the Niece doing?  ????

Not seen her for 3 or 4 weeks cos she's having to work from home 45 kms away.

I tried the Gracku last night - disaster.  Useless.  Lasted about 10 minutes, and that was with two capsules.  Utter ????  

I have an appointment with the Andropause clinic on 15th June.  The endocrinology clinic weren't much cop, just tested testosterone and thyroid as well as my pee.  

The testosterone was low, as I expected as I hadn't had a shot for 4 weeks.

Basically I saw a student who kept referring to a woman doctor who just sat there playing on her phone!

I hope the other clinic is better.  

14 hours ago, jackdd said:

I think most people inject once weekly, so splitting it up in three injections. Usually people just open the amp, draw up three syringes and keep the remaining two for the next shots. But a clinic might not agree with this procedure due to concerns that the testosterone in the syringes might become contaminated.

 

I can't help you with your PSA, I'm not old enough to have to worry about my prostate, so I didn't do any research regarding this.

I wouldn't bother with that, tbh.  Too much faff for the clinic I get my shots at, and for me.

I have decided to stay with the same dosage but increase the frequency to once every two weeks instead of three, and see how I go after 3 months or until the andropause clinic can say something definitive.

12 hours ago, rcuthbert said:

Too much estrogen will cause many problems. Don't worry if your tests show high levels because Anti-aromatase  and SERMS* will treat it; however, low estrogen can also cause problems, so caution is the operative word.

(Incidentally, I agree that splitting your 250Test E into two doses (once every 10 days?) is a good idea.

 

*"Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are medications that can both mimic and block estrogen's effects in different tissues. They do this by interacting with estrogen receptors in different cells."

 

Well, when I go to the andropause clinic, I think I need to insist they check my oestrogen levels, and see what else they will be prepared to check.