Need to make sure there are no clots.

I wouldn't cardiovert you in my emerg unless you'd had a TEE or a decent course of anticoagulation, or confirmed onset of AF within last 48 hours.

Holy crap. He said he doesn't compete. Does taking Antibiotics if you have a bacterial infection also make you a cheat? Maybe going to the doctor at all should be considered cheating.....

you just need a lifestyle change.

My father gained weight from massive stress at work (he is in finance) and he is 57. They said he had high blood pressure and automatically assumed he wanted drugs to lower it. He told them no and said he would run and get it down to healthy levels.

Started watching his portions, still eating "unhealthy" things on occasion but would watch it. He used to treat himself on Fri to half a hamburger but have a salad before to fill him up.

He lost 30 pounds and his blood pressure was great after a few months (blood pressure was great in the first month or so) and he liked it so much he kept doing it because he had more energy, stamina, felt better, happier. etc.

Just small lifestyle change is all you need :-)

Holy crap. This thread has been in limbo since early July. The OP proceeded down the T path, has serious health consequences as a result, posts about them today on 27 Sep, and you sir, are deep in the weeds. Meanwhile, anything that is against the rules is cheating - if you toe the line. Now back to the regularly programmed channel of the deleterious heath effects that may result if you use T.

I'm the first person to encourage lifestyle changes (I own a personal training studio), but that's only one of the tools in the toolbox. Some people implement appropriate lifestyle changes, but things still don't sort out, because lifestyle wasn't the primary cause. At that point, it's time to pull other tools out of the toolbox.

It's great that it worked for your father. I've personally worked with countless people who had the exact same experience, and their doctor was able to ween them off BP meds, cholesterol meds, etc, but I've also seen quite a few who needed to also utilize modern medicine.

3 weeks (but could be done immediately after a TEE if there is no clot seen). You'll likely need to remain on eliquis for a month post-procedure as well.

Hazben,

Thanks so much for posting your experiences. I am pleased that you did not take the bait and respond to the negative comments harshly.

As a physician myself I can only interject that everyones individual medical situation(s) are different. People are complex critters, and I must say that your situation is certainly
unusual. FWIW: the Afib may have nothing to do with anything else going on in your life, endocrine related or otherwise. If I was in your shoes I would get the afib sorted ASAP, and then tackle the other stuff. It might not hurt to have your primary care physician refer you to an endocrinologist after the heart situation is taken care of. This is not always feasible for everyone (limited access to specialists, geography, etc) but I do think it could be quite useful. Allowing helpful strangers on the internet to diagnose and treat your endocrine issues may not be a great idea.

I wish you all the best and keep us posted !

Drdan, thanks for the response. I currently have a call into the drs nurse seeing if she can somehow move up the date for the procedure. The cardiologist did say I would need to take Eliquis for a month post procedure. He also said no cycling for a month afterward. When asked why his response was "because cyclists crash, break collar bones, and get lots of road rash" I did not know how to counter that one. He also said I should be very careful not to get in an accident for the next month or so. If you can believe this on the way home from the Drs office some dude rear ends me. No real damage to my vehicle and just a little to his. I did not have the energy to call police I just went on my way. I have not been in an accident in 20+ years. But, at this point I am definitely paranoid.

you just need a lifestyle change.

My father gained weight from massive stress at work (he is in finance) and he is 57. They said he had high blood pressure and automatically assumed he wanted drugs to lower it. He told them no and said he would run and get it down to healthy levels.

Started watching his portions, still eating "unhealthy" things on occasion but would watch it. He used to treat himself on Fri to half a hamburger but have a salad before to fill him up.

He lost 30 pounds and his blood pressure was great after a few months (blood pressure was great in the first month or so) and he liked it so much he kept doing it because he had more energy, stamina, felt better, happier. etc.

Just small lifestyle change is all you need :-)

Hazben,
I'm a very long time reader, first time poster...but your story compelled me to join the forum against my better judgement. I'm an internist and felt obligated to try to help:
Thanks for taking the time to sign up and post your thoughts it is appreciated.

1) Have you ever been tested for sleep apnea? Obstructive sleep apnea and atrial fib go together like champagne and doggy style.

I have never had my sleep tested. I work 0000-0800 and I know my sleep sucks. The toughest night of the week for me is Monday nights. I only get 2-2.5 hrs sleep before getting up at 2300 to go to work. This is due to my sons Boy Scout meetings and I am an adult leader. Even the other days I may get 5-6 hours sleep due to commitments. Before starting midnight work I was one of those folks who regularly slept 8-9 hrs ever night. I do suspect you are on to something with the sleep because, when I am on vacation for a week or more at the end of the week I feel really good. I have plans to go to day shift as soon as possible which is the beginning of the year. Even on my off days I am unable to sleep in. This morning I woke up at 0200 and got up at 0300.

2) I agree with the concerns about your PCP's approach. The internists I know would not have added HCG to testosterone. In fact, I don't know any who prescribe HCG.

I may have not explained it well. It was not my PCP who prescribed the T. Back in the spring when I had my annual physical I asked PCP to also have the lab check my T level. Based on his reaction to the request I got the impression he was not a fan of T therapy. When he got the lab results back and saw the 164 he said words to the effect he is not a big fan of T therapy but, in my case it may be something I want to look into. I then did a lot of reading and decided to have my T rechecked at a T clinic and also consulted the dr there. After my T came back even lower than the initial 164 and with much internal debate I decided to go on T. At the time of the consult with the T dr he did mention at times some patients also would take a pill to keep down Estrogen and HCG if the testicles start shrinking. Low and behold 1.5 months in I did notice some testicle shrinkage. That is when I went on the home HCG. I gave myself a .5cc HCG with b-12 shot every other day. About 10-14 days after starting the HCG is when the A-fib started. My understanding is an HCG prescription is pretty common with T therapy.

The problem I was told with testicle shrinkage is 1)lowered sperm production. Not a concern for me but in younger people the T dr said some will automatically take the HCG since they may want children . The other problem with shrinkage is 2) it lessens your own natural T production. Something of great concern for me due to my plan to be off T within 4-5 months. The way the T dr explained it to me was the HCG stops the signal to your brain telling your brain how much T is present. Thus, you will continue to keep producing whatever level of T you are producing naturally.

Sad to hear that this has been a tough time for you. Keep working on the lifestyle changes especially the sleep. Night shifts suck.

It almost sounds like a made up story doesn't it?
Always hard to make that call because the world is so odd.

But made up or not, going on hormone therapy is rife with exactly this kind of crazy bullshit. "Ok my T is up but my estrogen is screwy, add another drug, and now this is going wrong, add another drug"

Don't touch this stuff unless you are severely debilitated and old enough that you don't mind staying on it till you die.

He was retired, healthy, happy as can be, and smart (180+ IQ)...

I suspect a lifestyle change would most likely help. How much I can't be certain. I believe a lot of my issues are due to working midnights. The problem is I am not able to switch to day shift until January.

I did a pile of research and really agonized over the decision to go on T. I am that guy who has never had a flu shot and will seldom if ever take an aspirin. Won't even take antibiotics when sick. I read where some people once starting T may be on it the rest of their life. The decision I came up with is to go on T till the end of the year when I could make the lifestyle change which I felt would help me most. In hindsight even with taking out the A-fib (which we can't say definitively was a factor or not) if I had of known 2 months in I would also have to take a pill to keep my estrogen from getting too high and I would also have to give myself an HCG (50cc) shot every other day I quite possibly would not have taken T. Don't get me wrong I certainly read where in "some cases" some patients have to take a pill to keep down Estrogen and also take HCG. I wish I had of known I was one of those "some cases".

50cc! Damn, there's your prob bro, OD'ing on HCG, and I'm not even a doc! :)

50cc syringe, you must have a huge pocket of sub-q liquid after each shot!: