The Brian inside...

As legitimate as Core Medical Group appeared to be on the outside, I wasn't ready to give them all of my trust and confidence. They certainly talked a good talk and had actually established a rather logical plan to move forward with treatment. As luck has it, the first step in the process was to complete a full endocrinology blood panel which was scheduled to be done by a local "mobile phlebotomist". I might have failed to mention that Core Medical Group is based out of Florida. So here I was on a brisk spring morning on my way to work, detouring to meet up with this "mobile phlebotomist" in the parking lot of a local grocery store. He pulled up next to my vehicle, popped open the hatchback to his SUV and told me to hop in. I have watched too many horror movies and crime shows not to think the worst in this scenario. But I did as I was told and there I sat with rush hour speeding by getting my blood taken from some stranger in his trunk. Looking back at it, the ...

 March 31, 2023 TESTOSTERONE, FASTING: 123.8 (123-814) WHAT!!!! Well this makes no sense. To be honest I had finished my Clomid prescription a few weeks prior to this blood work. None the less I was surprised, disappointed and concerned. Unfortunately I had not experienced any symptom relief while taking the higher dose but to have my Testosterone levels decrease in that amount time was very frustrating. Was I going to have to settle for this new normal? This opened the conversation back up regarding Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) and of course the associated risks that it had. I wasn't satisfied with these options and started my quest to learn more about chronic low T.  I soon realized that maybe I needed to branch out from my PCP and get established with an endocrinologist. Endocrinologists are doctors who focus on hormones which control such things as metabolism, blood pressure, cholesterol, hunger, thirst, body temperature and more.  Welcome to the world of en...

December 6, 2022 Repeat blood tests: Fasting Status TESTOSTERONE, LC-MS/MS: 494  TESTOSTERONE, FREE: 12.9 Good news, I was part of the 99+% of all men who had a natural increase in testosterone with the use of Clomid. Bad news, I felt NO different. My symptoms remained the same but now I was experiencing some mild headaches and "fuzzy" vision. Research showed that both are common side effects while taking Clomid, so there was no real need for concern. After having discussion with my PCP we both agreed that we would increase my daily dosage of Clomid from 25mg to 50mg for 3 months in hopes of finding some symptom relief. By this time I had also hired another personal trainer in hopes of getting back on track with my weight. My weight had stayed steady over the last 3mo but was hovering around 230lbs and I didn't carry it well. I was back to feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and wanting a fix. This time I turned to Five Step Fitness in Fairport NY (much closer to our new...

September 19, 2022 Anyone who has had the privilege of working in healthcare knows one thing...we make for the worst patient. We "know" too much, we have seen too much and the last place we want to be is on the other side of healthcare as a patient. But here I was, white coat syndrome and all waiting for that infamous knock of arrival in my primary care office. I truly have been blessed with a PCP who allows me to manage my own healthcare needs and respects my decisions and is open to discussion. Like many doctors, mine is no different. He came into the room, grabbed a seat on his wheeling stool and asked the open ended question, "what can I do for you today"? Only minor problem with that question, I had no idea why I really was there. Like so many walking this planet, if we don't know something we all turn to the interweb for our daily dose of education...or at least humor. Anyone who takes a deep dive in webMD have probably diagnosed themselves with more disea...

Lesson of the day... If something, ANYTHING feels "off" then listen to your gut instinct. I honestly can not even tell you when symptoms started or even what they were. My best guess is that I have been dealing with symptoms for years but they finally came to a head within the past year. I probably should have mentioned in my first post that I plan to get raw with you the reader. Nothing is off limits and I plan to be as honest as I can be in regards to symptoms and treatment.  Since I can remember I have always dealt with weight issues. I graduated HS at 240+ lbs and that was down from nearly 260lbs a year prior. I went off to college in 2001 which ironically was the some time  a little OTC supplement was gaining attraction. The supplement was an ephedra based formula called Metabolife 365, which came in the form of a pill. The California based company would profit hundreds of millions of dollars in annual sales from that drug alone. Unfortunately ephedra was later linked to...

These first few blogs are probably going to be a bit longer until I catch up with where I find myself in the process as of today... First off, I am not a reader and certainly not a writer so I find myself out of my comfort zone already. Look past the poor grammar and probable misspelling and get immersed in the message/learning lessons that will present themselves. Where to start... If you choose to follow this blog then obviously you know something about me. At the time of this first blog I am 40yrs old (feeling it every day). I have been a nurse since 2007 working primarily in emergency and critical care medicine with an emphasis on pre-hospital care. At the current moment I work for the Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU), a one of a kind collaboration between AMR (ambulance) and the Neurology department through Strong Memorial Hospital. It provides care to stroke patients literally in their front driveway. I mention this because I am a firm believer that nothing in this world is by chance. We...