(blood pressure issue) while on hormone replacement--my 2 month ordeal and fix

[Bobby1964]

I was having issues losing the last 20 pounds in each "transformation challenge" so my doc suggested we test all hormone levels.... Turned out testosterone over 3 tests averaged 170 so they suggested I try Testim... It went up to 1000 and we then backed off the cream/gel to 1 tube every other day. 3 weeks later I'm at the gym doing giant sets on leg day and my pulse went to the normal high of 150 at the completion of the set then I felt dizzy so I sat down... never had this before. Next, I saw my pulse drop to the 80's like it should and then skyrocket to 200 and stay there, literally stay there. I slowly hobbled to a treadmill and tried to walk it off yet it stayed there in the upper 180's to two hundred... I called my doc and it was a sunday so he said go to the E.R. and have an ekg... Doc in the E.R. thought I was an addict... how much coke, how much crack, etc... . I said didn't I tell you I just left the gym? Didn't I tell you THESE are the supplements I"m taking, didn't I tell you all this and you and you ask me multiple times in front of my family who also is in gym clothes how much I used. He said well you are all sweaty... DUH, the gym is 5 min away and I left and came here. Sorry for digressing but I still am pissed at that, and yes I did complain to the hospital administration about said conversation. After all the tests, he was so sweet, he saw no drugs... and sent me home with a pamphlet on palpitations.

That above happened Sept 18th... From that day forward I've contended with high blood pressure, dumped into the bottom end on testosterone below 150... I know the bodily hormones and heart/blood pressure work surrealistically yet I didn't know what was out of whack. For those who have been on or are on testosterone replacement, your tests can be askew ... for example the thyroid can be way, way off... can show normal when you aren't.

Let the doc appointments begin... Sept 19th, I was placed on high doses of blood pressure meds; they caused waves of dizziness, literally was bed bound, would have fainting feelings, etc... heart rate was like in the 40's. Went to a cardiologist who poked, prodded, tested, and all was normal except for the extremely high blood pressure. I mentioned the testosterone and he said stop taking it because testosterone isn't worth having high blood pressure. That was completely the wrong thing to do because it made my cortisol was out of wack as well... My primary doc said if you have low, low testosterone a person cannot even test a positive result for prostate cancer and also will end up with a possible enlarged heart from low low testosterone. The endocrinologist said the same thing... SO here I am ... cant go to the gym, cant do anything a normal person can do. Lost 2 months work, lost my workout routine which was on par with Kris Gethin's trainer program.

Months went by, I went to a $500+ nutritionist who specializes in lowering blood pressure and other issues like this through nutrition. I ate clean before so this transition from high protein to raw veggies and smaller fist portions of protein wasn't hard to do at all. Sups were omega's and Metagenics arginine with magnesium... worked wonders on the pressure... I also did a sleep study and found apnea to be a culprit.

Now it is December, I did another sleep study, was switched to Androgel and an anxiety drug to combat the fears I have gotten about letting my heart rate elevate. Letting my HR elevate would skyrocket my blood pressure, not like normal guys/gals but I' mean like 220/100. I went to another cardiologist because my former lectured me that the nutritionist was a waste of time and I couldn't control it through diet and exercise. Bull$hit I said... I went to a young cardiologist, explained I'm a gym rat and he looked at my tests, all 40 previous appointments and took me off except for a liver protection called Ramipril 2.5mg and said that would protect my renal system and help with blood pressure if it were ever needed. I'm now off everything, my average is back to 110/70 with or without that last pill and I'm getting a CPAP for my apnea.

My question is... has anyone experienced this? What can I do? I'm referring to what a cardiac rehab charge nurse told me which is bodybuilders have a tendency to have high blood pressure because we lift too much weight... I was a powerlifter for years, not a bodybuilder but age and time made me change my diet to more of a lower carb, high protein... a cycle diet with unlimited veggies. So the nurse told me AND the doc who administered the treadmill stress test that my days of lifting are over!!!!!! That Prada bag wearing doctor was so cold and blunt that I'm getting old pissed me off inside... I'm able to lift (or at least I was) able to do the DTP training Kris does, I dumbell pressed 120's 8 times and I can almost rack out the leg press... I'm definitely not one of those guys who does it for people, I workout for myself, my health, and to drop the last 20 pounds.

I'm wondering how to get back into the gym, I have been doing cardio outside via walks, mowing/edging the yard and even running some... The Androgel is good but I don't feel 16 again like I did when I was on the Testim 1%... but then again I am hoping I don't get really high results and crash again.

Sups I take are whey protein, arginine with magnesium, vitamin D3 liquid, fish oils and lots of flax seed in my steel cut oats... I loved taking preworkout but which one will give me the NO2 WITH NO CAFFEINE... and what would you guys do about going back? I have some of my friends at the gym but they are all much younger than I am... I've also gained 20 pounds by way of taking prescription meds and not being able to exercise.

Here is what I was advised to help keep blood pressure in check... first, watch the sups, second, lightly do cardio, walk for 10 min, then do workout, then mandatory to take a leisurely walk after the workout and it will lower my blood pressure?????? That didn't come from a doctor, it came from my nutritionist who is a doctor but not MD...

Also, the anxiety... I'm not a wussy by no means and that guys is part of the issue is I fight myself to think that I can never workout like I used to anymore. I never had issues EVER in all my workouts except this ONE incident... and one more after the E.R. visit... I thought I was able to just go and things would be fine but it did happen again afterward. Every single time I let my pulse increase I think it is going to happen again. I have in the 40 plus appointments even gone to a psyc doc to see if that would help which didn't.

This is my lifelong chosen sport, I did fall off working out after my first marriage ended and didn't for 4 years but for the past 5 years I've been dedicated with bouts of frustration where I get to 14% bodyfat and it stops coming off...

Sorry for this being so long but I have relied on you all for advice before and relied on the various friends in bodygroups for advice as well as given plenty... thanks for any positive advice.

I miss taking preworkout, I really do... I wish there was one with no "wired" effects... and also I'm planning on doing the transformation challenge 2012.

Thanks in advance...

bob

[Corbi]

Anyone want to post a cliff notes version?

[Bobby1964]

Anyone want to post a cliff notes version?

I didn't notice how engrossed I got in the novel I apparently wrote... sorry, I'll try to rethink and be cognizant of word count.

[MecGen]

Wow
There are so many issues here, that I doubt you will find one person with all your answers. I feel for you and I will send lots of positive karma your way.
A good friend of mine was near death with heart beat problems/pressure ect.. to his doctors horror he stopped all his meds (slowly) and is now controlling everything with homeopathic medicine and diet. Anti anxiety drugs suck, bad for your body, IMHO docs prescribe them for everything, you have to judge if they are right for you. In your post, first thing I thought was "he having an anxiety attach" but use those drugs with caution.

The question I have is...did this all start with your TRT? Did this give you heart problems? I think not...hard to tell from your post. If yes, why wouldn't just stopping TRT reverse all the negative effects?


+Karma

[carbkilla]

You sound like a friend I have. Have any of your doctors mentioned munchhausens?

[Bobby1964]

Wow
There are so many issues here, that I doubt you will find one person with all your answers. I feel for you and I will send lots of positive karma your way.
A good friend of mine was near death with heart beat problems/pressure ect.. to his doctors horror he stopped all his meds (slowly) and is now controlling everything with homeopathic medicine and diet. Anti anxiety drugs suck, bad for your body, IMHO docs prescribe them for everything, you have to judge if they are right for you. In your post, first thing I thought was "he having an anxiety attach" but use those drugs with caution.

The question I have is...did this all start with your TRT? Did this give you heart problems? I think not...hard to tell from your post. If yes, why wouldn't just stopping TRT reverse all the negative effects?


+Karma

Thanks!

[Bobby1964]

You sound like a friend I have. Have any of your doctors mentioned munchhausens?

That was funny... is your friends name Makupastory?

So your friends started on a normal days trip to the gym whilst doing giant sets on legs day and ended up in the E.R. and the doctors kept wanting to do more and more tests and your friend HATED going to the doctor so he paid $500 bucks to a nutritionist to get off medication... certainly sounds like munchausen's to NOT want to go to the doctor and want to try homeopathic meds rather than be on high doses of blood pressure medication which makes you feel like sleeping all the time and you cannot go to the gym for lack of any energy...

So actually no I have not had anyone mention that... I have had a cardiologist tell me my lifting days are over.. and that nutrition therapy does not work.

Guys, I was hoping someone out there over 35 has had this hormone mess and hoped I could SAVE a trip to the doctor no less the $35 copay for someone to practice on me.

I have gotten my pressure down by eating a vegetarian .... not vegan but vegetarian diet and am almost completely off the blood pressure meds... I'm just afraid to go hit it like I used to and don't want to expend negative energy on doctor visits.

My goal "was" to ask here if anyone had ever gone on hormone replacement therapy and it caused your blood pressure to go crazy and sequentially your T level plummet. I admit I was typing too much in the first post but it was my munchhausens causing it...

[saintastic]

It will be impossible for anyone here to fully diagnose and treat your symptons, with hope for a cure. Medication acts differently for each person. Sure, there is the 'general' dose that works etc, but we all respond differently.

I have ultra low cholesterol and no heart issues, yet eat over 6 eggs a day and eat the animal fats on my plate at BBQ's.
To some, that is a recipe for disaster.

I am 40. In my 20's I had major alcohol and drug problems until my early 30's. I should have issues with my heart and other organs. But I haven't.

The message here is that we are destined to get what we get (within reason) by way of genes.
I saw a documentary showing identical twins. One case study had two brothers, on opposite sides of the planet, with totally opposite habits. One was a healthy eater, exerciser and non drinker/smoker. The other was a heavy drinker/smoker, never worked out or even went for a walk. They were in their 50's.
The person with the poor habits had a heart attack (no surprises) and was found to have a heart issue. The brother who lived well got his tested, and he was on his way to having a major heart attack. Genetics dealt them both a heart condition, that was independent of lifestyle.

Sure, the healthy living sounds like a good lifetyle choice, but in the end, your genetics have a plan wired in. I wouldn't change back to a drunk for all the tea in China. And that lifestyle surely pushed that unhealthy twin to his heart attack earlier.

So, Bobby you may fight this fight forever, or find relief. What issues are your family members having (past, present)? The key may also lie here.

Life is not fair, that much is true.

[Brackneyc]

Here is what I was advised to help keep blood pressure in check... first, watch the sups, second, lightly do cardio, walk for 10 min, then do workout, then mandatory to take a leisurely walk after the workout and it will lower my blood pressure?????? That didn't come from a doctor, it came from my nutritionist who is a doctor but not MD...

Has this^^ yielded any of the changes you hoped to see?