I know that if you take DHEA while you’re taking T, some of the testosterone may convert into estrogen if there’s too much T. 

I’m not sure exactly how long it’ll take for your T level to return to normal after quitting DHEA, but I’d quit taking it at least a week before you get your T level tested for the first time before starting T. Otherwise, your preliminary T level will probably be a bit higher than usual, and your starting T dose will be slightly lower than it ought to be. 

Also, 10mg/day shouldn’t take long to return to normal. I was on about 500mg/day, and if i stop taking it for a week, my facial hair stops growing. I stopped taking it two days ago because I should be on T within a month. I can’t tell if I’m experiencing any withdrawal, but I have a pretty major headache that may or may not be from the sudden lack of DHEA. (I have chronic migraines, so I can’t tell what this one is from)

I’ve been taking DHEA in increasing amounts for the past two or three months, though I did go a few weeks without taking any because i thought i would be getting pre-t labs done and didn’t want to skew the results. 

i started at between 50 and 100mg once a day (i honestly don’t remember)

right now i’ve been taking 150mg twice a day (total of 300mg per day) for about two weeks

over the past month or so i’ve noticed

• a slight increase in facial hair (like really slight; there are just a bunch of little hairs on my chin that i have to shave once a week)
• slight increase in stomach and foot hair (i’m turning into a bear omg, and my happy trail has gotten more noticeable and darker/coarser)
• big increase in acne/oil production (it’s really kind of bad; i have to wash my face twice a day and use stridex pads throughout the day, and i still break out)
• very slight downstairs growth

none of these things are really noticeable by anyone who isn’t looking for them

i haven’t been keeping track of my voice, and it cracked a lot before i took DHEA, so I don’t know if it’s changed at all. i might start recording my voice every couple of weeks. if i remember to.

Yes, but only top surgery. 

Thank you very much! I’m excited :D

Sorry.

Short update. The pump is still much better for me than injections. My endo and I are still trying to figure out the proper basal insulin rates. I think part of the problem is that I eat at ridiculous times, and I never really eat the same amount each day. We’ll figure it out eventually! 

I ordered new supplies for the first time about a month ago, and it was pretty easy. I just went to the Medtronic website, entered my basic personal information and pump information, and entered what supplies I needed. Then Medtronic confirmed the prescriptions with my endo, got in contact with my insurance company for the payment, and sent my supplies. They were here in less than a week. I believe they also don’t require immediate payment; they let you have a balance due. Either that or my insurance covered 100%, which I doubt. 

Carb counting is easy, once you get used to it. After a few weeks, I could basically figure out carb amounts based on memory and general food portion sizes. The carb counting class that I went to at my endo clinic helped tremendously, as well. 

On the testosterone front, I’m getting there! My endo gave me a referral to a psychiatrist, who I hope will get me a T letter without too much hassle, and my endo ordered labs for cholesterol, testosterone, estradiol, etc. I’m hoping to be on T by spring, so I can transfer to my new college next fall having been on T for a few months. 

Also, I took a picture this morning of the infusion site’s cannula, to give someone a reference for how long it is:

That’s the lil dude that attaches to my stomach and delivers the insulin. It’s totally painless for me, after attaching it. The cannula is some sort of soft plastic, so it bends easily and doesn’t damage your tissue too badly.

Not necessarily pump-related.

My blood sugar levels have been absurd for the past two or three weeks. They’re always high, even when I’ve been painstakingly precise in my carb-counting. I thought it was because of the DHEA I’d been taking, since that was the only thing I’d really changed lately, so I stopped taking it, but nothing seemed to change.

I had an endo appointment a couple of days ago, and he came to the conclusion that the sinus infection I’d been ignoring was the reason for the high blood sugar levels.

I personally have never noticed such an impact on my numbers due to illness in the past, but perhaps I just didn’t pay much attention to high numbers back in the day because it was relatively normal for me.

I get sinus infection symptoms on a regular basis, and they generally go away after a few weeks, so I had been ignoring the current one. Or, not ignoring. Dealing with it because I’ve been through much worse than some post-nasal drip and a hacking cough.

BUUUT my endo freaked out and gave me antibiotics and Flonase anyway. He also increased my basal insulin by a small amount, just until the sinus infection goes away.

However, my numbers are still really high for no apparent reason. My morning fasting bgl was 330 this morning. I thought it may have been because Flonase is a steroid, and steroids really mess up my blood sugar, but after a quick Google search, I didn’t find any extensive claims or documentation stating that Flonase messes with blood sugar levels.

So I don’t know what’s going on. I’m supposed to call my endo next Thursday to see if the sinus infection is better, and to change my basal rates back to normal, but if my numbers are still screwed up on Monday, I’ll probably have to go back in.

SOUNDS LIKE I’VE GOT MYSELF A ~MYSTERY~

No problem! I hope everything turns out okay!

If you’re not in the United States, I’m afraid my meter advice may not be very useful!

Basically: ANY meter should be fine. Even the cheapest meters tend to be accurate enough.

Also, if you’re not in the US, the blood sugar measurement may not be in the same units. The US uses mg/dl, and a normal range is about 80-120. The UK tends to use mmol/l I think, and you can convert the numbers here: http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/converter.htm

It looks like a normal mmol/l range is about 4.4 - 6.6

Oh shit dude, that sucks.

I don’t know if your other health problems would allow this, but I would recommend doing what’s called a fasting blood glucose test. Basically, don’t eat anything for 8 hours, then see what your blood sugar is. This obviously is easiest to do right after you wake up, as long as it’s been 8 hours since you ate.

I believe non-diabetics generally have a FBG of 80-100. If it’s over 140-150, I’d definitely try to see a doctor sooner than Sept, maybe a free walk-in clinic? If your blood sugar is over 200, I’d get to a hospital ASAP, because that’s a clear sign that something is wrong, and if you leave it alone, it could get worse and do some serious damage.

I’m not trying to scare you or anything, but ketoacidosis is hell, and extremely dangerous. ER or urgent care is expensive, but untreated diabetes is super serious.

As for blood sugar monitors, I’d get the cheapest WalMart brand meter. My spare meter is the Relion Ultima. I believe the meter was like $15, and it came with ten or twenty test strips, and twenty test strips cost about $11. That’s all without insurance.

If you can’t afford that (I don’t know what your financial situation is, but I often couldn’t afford the cheapest test strips, so idk) you can try ketone strips, which aren’t as accurate, and will only tell you if you’re passing ketones in your urine. When you have high blood sugar levels for an extended period of time, your body makes and releases ketones, which do bad shit to your insides, and are expelled by urine. If these show that you’re passing ketones, please please please go to a hospital. Uncontrolled diabetes can easily and rapidly get out of control.

If you’re concerned about the hospital cost, a lot of church-affiliated hospitals (which is most hospitals, in my experience) will write off part or all of your bill, if you’re uninsured or un or under-employed. I was hospitalized last summer, and they wrote off a $50,000 bill for me.

I hope you’re okay! Don’t hesitate to message me as often as you want with other questions! Please take care of yourself as best as you can!