Testopel Infection/Rejection?

[JimB_032011]

I am a new member, been lurking for over a year now. I'm a 2x'er from Apr 2011 and all clear so far with only surveillance. I was lucky it was localized. I had an undecended testicle on the right, frozen section during the IO proved cancer, the left had shown a large mass, Dr didn't do the frozen section, and just removed that one as well. I have a long line of family cancer and that added to the odds so I'm sure that's one of the top reasons the doc took the second one at the same time.

Enough history for now and on to the topic.

Of course as a 2X'er I am on TRT, tried Androgel, Androderm patch, injections and now on my third set of Testopel pellets. My first set of pellets became 'infected' and I extruded a pellet. The second procedure healed better yet there was extreme tenderness (pain) at one point when the area was touched. I've just had my third set placed and have the infection, redness, bleeding and oozing, and extruded 3 pellets, then had additional stitches placed in the hopes of retaining whats left.Funny thing is that the first week after this last go-round the site appeared to be healing very well, no indication of any infection. Urologist is thinking it could be a rejection of the pellets. I think I will try the injection again, and hopefully can get it every 3 weeks or less as the previous attempts were around 4 week doses and my levels were falling well before the next dose.

Has anyone experienced pellet extrusion, or infection like symptoms, bleeding, healing problems? How quickly did you heal after the procedure? My sites are in the upper 'glute' but Dr said he may be able to try in the lower back next time if I want to try again.

Keep your stick on the ice, we're all in this together. <Red Green Show>

[Davepet]

I've only been on the Testim gel so far (2 1/2 years). I've heard of problems similar to yours with the pells & personally I have no interest in trying them. Are you having problems getting your T levels up to where they belong?

Dave

[JimB_032011]

I've only been on the Testim gel so far (2 1/2 years). I've heard of problems similar to yours with the pells & personally I have no interest in trying them. Are you having problems getting your T levels up to where they belong?

Dave

The Androgel and androderm patch wasn't bringing up my levels enough. I am also concerned about transference with the gel for my wife and 8yr old daughter. The injection was doing better yet i didn't give them a chance since the Dr was only giving me the injections every 4 weeks, and my levels were dropping long before that. I am concerned about going back to the injections for two reasons, 1- not sure if the levels will rise to a good level, and 2- will i be able to get more frequent injections before my levels bottom out.

Dr says he can give me the injections every 3 weeks, but doesn't want to give them more frequent than that. The staff will also train my wife to give the shot so I don't have to run to the office every 3 weeks.

My T levels were good last time, he was checking a peak level for the pellets at around 3 weeks after the insertion. Yet I still get night sweats every night and brain fog is better but still there. Dr said he'll consult with an endo and see if there are any other numbers or tests he needs to order.

I was just doing a little work out by the pool, and came in with a terrible itchy feeling at the stitch site. My wife took a look and said either the skin is lightened from having neosporin on it or there may be another pellet getting ready to come out.

[Davepet]

. I am also concerned about transference with the gel for my wife and 8yr old daughter.

I think they over-hype the transference thing & scare guys away as a result. The test they used for that was applying it on the guy's abdomen & have the couple rub bellies vigorously for 15 minutes.

A casual brush here or there isn't likely to cause a problem, but the bigger problem for you is the lack of response to the topical treatment. How big a dose were you on & did they try increasing it?

All in all, though, sounds like injections might work best for you since the pellets keep popping out. Your doc may need to refer you to an endo with lots of patients on TRT (they are difficult to find, BTW). You should be getting the dose that gets your T level into the correct range, not a dose based on how often you receive injections. If your doc isn't willing to do that, might be time for a new doc.

Dave

[joev]

I recently switched from 10 grams of Androgel everyday to 100 mg injections every 5 days. I do the injections myself in my upper thigh. It is a huge improvement over the gel. If your doctor wont inject more than once every three weeks it is time to find a new doctor.

[JimB_032011]

I recently switched from 10 grams of Androgel everyday to 100 mg injections every 5 days. I do the injections myself in my upper thigh. It is a huge improvement over the gel. If your doctor wont inject more than once every three weeks it is time to find a new doctor.

I think my doc is ok. I've had 1.5 and 2ML shots every ~4 weeks. That's 300-400mg per shot. Could be that he was trying to get the numbers up, since after my IO I was below 50 I think. I'll see how I do when I transition back to the injections again. It could be that I need lower dose and more frequent shots like you are getting so I don't go through the rollercoaster effect again. I'm not sure if my family would appreciate me going through the ups and downs again. Dr is recommending the shots in the buttocks, to get the large muscle mass. Hasn't mentioned a thigh shot.

[mpbro]

Good God, that sounds terrible! (extrusion of pellets, infection).

I've had four implants and never had any problems. Sometimes the pain lasts for 3 days, sometimes there's hardly any pain at all. I'm generally 100% mobile after 3 days and comfortably remove all dressings after a week.

That being said, I'm not sure the pellets are that much better than the gels. I've maxed out the number of pellets at 14, which gives me a perfect level for about 1 month. Month 2 is OK, and I start supplementing with 2.5 g of Testim halfway through. For much of Month 3, I'm using a full 5 g of Testim per day. That keeps me in the low 600's.

Hope you find a good solution.

Morgan

[DaveNorCal]

Testosterone Cypionate (the standard injection in the U.S.) has a half life of about three to four days. If you get a bigger dose, which you did, you were spiking and crashing. Every seven to ten days (50-100 mg) is an appropriate interval and dose. It's something your wife or you can do. It's not brain surgery. IMHO you need a different doctor.

[JimB_032011]

Testosterone Cypionate (the standard injection in the U.S.) has a half life of about three to four days. If you get a bigger dose, which you did, you were spiking and crashing. Every seven to ten days (50-100 mg) is an appropriate interval and dose. It's something your wife or you can do. It's not brain surgery. IMHO you need a different doctor.

Interesting about the half life information. I'll ask my Dr about that and where he is getting his dosing information. At least my pellet insertion site has healed and appears to be stable now. So we now wait for the 'new end date' where the levels begin to drop off and try to catch it with injections before I become Mr Hyde. I'm a 2X'er so I'm not sure if that would cause a different dosage than the one you mentioned in your post. This last go round, I too was up to 14 pellets, well would be if they stayed in. I hope to get the injections more often to reduce the roller-coaster effect I was dealing with the last time i had injections.

Thanks for everyone's input here. This site has been a great help. I hope someday I can pay it back and help someone.

[DaveNorCal]

My guess is that doctors use the longer interval between injections to minimize inconvenience to the patient. The problem in that approach is that it is inconsistent with the phamocokinetics of testosterone cypionate. At 200 mg per ml, 100 mg is one half of an ml. Many guys could handle thiat in the quadricep, if preferred over the glute. I find leg injections to be very painful and much prefer the glute.

[joev]

I find leg injections to be very painful and much prefer the glute.

I have been using a 23ga needle to draw and a 25ga to inject in the leg. It takes a little time to inject with the small needle but there is absolutely no pain whatsoever.