My Journey through HT and RT

It’s been a while since I updated my journey thread so thought it would be a good time to do so.

those of you following my weight loss challenge will know I’ve lost 4kg I’m 4 weeks and I’m now now sub 100kg for the first time I’m more than a year! Still a long way to go but I’m quite pleased really sitting here with my gin and tonic😊 What’s  even more pleasing is the steady reduction in body and visceral fat.

The other big change is my level of randiness. All of a sudden my hormones are raging and I feel like a (teenage?) man again. I now don’t prefer having a cup of coffee to the idea of having sex. It’s weird feeling like this again but nice. The idea of Penetrative sex no longer repulses me although I'm not managing to get strong enough erections to manage it, even using the pump. i think I need to explore other positions which  might work for us both. I’m getting very strong (dry) orgasms though with my wife using the male masturbator on me…this has been a great investment, it’s got such a lovely feeling even more so when it’s cool…and it’s been pretty cool here in Scotland recently. I’m also wondering whether injections might give me stronger erections so need to make an appointment with the ED nurse for a trial.

Generally I feel great, still having issues with my right hip but I think there’s an underlying problem there such bursitis so I will need to try and find a solution to it. My joint ache is continuing to get better as are my hot flushes.
I’m becoming more active again, yesterday I was away in the forests around Aberfoyle on my ebike…really enjoyed that, and the weathers to be quite good this week so will be out and about as much as possible.

My next PSA/Testosterone test is start if April so it will be interesting to see what my testosterone level is then…but of course that then brings on the worry about my PSA rising. It doesn’t stop me from having fun but it’s always there….as we were saying at Maggies on Friday, it’s like a maggot on the side of your head nibbling away!! Anyway booked another cruise for late September and back out to Fuerteventura for the second half of March. just going to do follow Chris Hoys ‘Do it Now’ advice for as long as I can.

again, good luck to everyone on their journeys…there’s always hope😊

Derek

Great update Derek. Keep enjoying the holidays.

Best wishes,

Ian

My PSA hasn't had a < symbol for ages. Whilst I was on HT it was always <0.1 . I can't remember all the numbers, but I they are in my profile. My PSA is generally now 0.1 it has been up to 0.2 and then back down to 0.1. My testosterone returned after about 9 months from last HT, which is similar to your timescale. 

In short I am about four years ahead of you I've had very similar diagnosis and treatment to you, and a very similar testosterone response and PSA response to you. If you and I keep following the same path you will be good for at least another four years. As for beyond that, well I'll let you know when I get there.

A bit more of an update…

Turned out you were right. I emailed the surgery and got a phone call from the practice manager 5 mins later apologising. Turns out the letter was to the Oncologist was just to say my results were available for viewing. So why couldn’t that miserable receptionist tell me that and save me the worry?🤷🏼‍♂️

Another note to myself….if I walk into the surgery and see that woman on? Smile and walk straight back out😊

Other than that feeling quite good. Visited the Kelpies and Falkirk wheel yesterday and walked 9 miles at a fairly brisk pace…quite proud of myself as not done that for a long time. Even better my hips feel ok today, maybe I have turned the corner💪💪

Im still a bit of a heffer at 100kg but trying to lose another 4 kg before  I put it all back on on our cruise in July😩

Things are definitely improving in the trouser department now that my testosterone is returning. Randiness is quite high and my OH keeps telling me that ‘naughty Nicky’ (long story🤣🤣) is getting bigger and straighter all the time. My Peyronie’s seems to be correcting itself, I almost feel like a man again after 3 years of womanhood😉😉

Flushes are almost a thing of the past now.😊😊😊😊 I can go a whole day without one and if I do get one is more like just a warm feeling. Still get one annoying one every night shortly after I lie down to sleep each night but I can live with that.

I notice now I have to be more careful shaving that I don’t miss a bit and my wife is counting each hair that appears on my arms and legs🤣🤣

I still get a bit fatigued when doing physical activity but I guess that will improve through time.

Ive decided to wean myself off Maggies a bit. I will still go along occasionally to offer support to others but I think it’s time to move on from.

so, 9 months on from Independence Day, spring is in the air, got lots planned for the summer and feeling positive…..and I’m going to try and not get so stressed about my next PSA test. And for anyone else on this journey, there is hope, you will feel better once you’re off the ‘poison’…you just need to be patient.

Good luck to all of you and if my update has made you chuckle…all the better😊

Edited by member 21 Apr 2025 at 09:43  | Reason: Not specified

PSA Result today, up from 0.1 to 0.2 since April. That’s a year now since Prostap was out of my system, so I think the result is reasonable as I still have a Prostate.
I’m going to get my Testosterone tested in August out in Fuerteventura as it’s much cheaper to have it tested out there. I haven’t really noticed much difference in my libido over the past few months so maybe that’s as good as it’s going to get -I’m certainly NOT like I use to be but maybe I’m expecting too much too soon.

As I said in a separate post,  I’ve been suffering quite bad mood swings, which I didn’t expect now that the poison is out of my system. It’s not anxiety or depression, but I find that I get angry over quite trivial things and I can be in a bad mood for days. I’m learning to identify when this is happening though and focus on the positive things that’s happening in my life. I wasn’t nearly as anxious this time whilst waiting on my PSA result, although I did need 2 flat whites in my favourite coffee shop next to the surgery before going in. Fortunately it was the nice receptionist at the other side of the partition who was very helpful. Maybe I’ve just learned to accept  that there’s nothing I can do about it so I might as well get on with life. It did help though not having to wait over the weekend for the results so in  future I will always ensure I get my test done on a Monday.

My physical well being is quite good, no more aches and pains and flushes are minor…I generally don’t carry around my pocket fan any more although during this hot weather it’s a godsend. I  still need to lose weight…I seem to have got stuck around the 100kg and I need to get back to the gym to improve my muscle strength.

Sexual function is quite good(when I can be bothered!) and I can get quite good erections now, maybe around 70%. The Peyronie’s is getting better too but I still have a slight bend and I’ve certainly lost some length. Penetration is still not really working but we still manage to have fun😉

We’re  off on a River Cruise to the south of France tomorrow for 11 nights on the Rhône….thats not going to help with my weight😩 but what the hell? Going to have a blast.🍷🍸🍹🥂🍾

Best wishes to everyone on their journey.

Great to have you back Derek. You've been missed, mate. 👍

Edited by member 31 Jan 2026 at 22:31  | Reason: Typo

SpongeBob, I got a ticking off at Maggies Mens Group recently for referring it to ‘poison’🤣🤣🤣
True, it has an important job to do(I’m told) but for many men(not all🤷🏼‍♂️) it does wreck your body. The good news is that you do recover, so that’s something to really look forward to. Even my Peyronie’s disease has corrected itself. The human body really is an amazing thing💪💪

Talking of Maggies I decided that 2026 was time to move on from attending the meetings at Maggies. I’ll still go in to see the guys on occasion as they are such a great bunch of guys who have been such a support to me. I’ve made so many good friends through Maggies(as well as on here BTW) who I will remain friends with for life….and only one who I thought was a very good friend but who let me down badly and hurt me to the core. But that’s another story and we learn by our mistakes.

So good luck to SpongeBob and everyone else coming out the other side of whatever treatment you have…and if you’re having a bad day just listen to Sir Chris and his ‘If there’s something you wanted to do, just do it NOW!’ Interview…the guy is such an inspiration!

Derek

Hi Antionette,

Sorry, I’ve not met you before, not quite sure from your  BIO who has the PCa, but it’s good to hear you’re both trying hard to mitigate the side effects. Walking is good as is any weight bearing exercise,a new swimming. If you’re  OH is not a gym goer, buy some resistance bands….its amazing what gym exercises you can replicate using these.

I never got on with the Soma device, I found much better and cheaper device on Lovehoney…fortunately all their packages arrive in brown packing so unless your neighbour opens it up he’ll never know.🤣🤣🤣 you don’t want him having a heart attack😱 although it might put a smile in his face😊😊😊

Yes, go on the cruise, in fact go on as many holidays as you can and be good to yourselves..it really helps. I’m really looking forward to my Caribbean cruise in 12th March. I never thought I’d like cruising, but tried once in a smaller ship and love it!

All their best to both of you,

Derek

Adrian,

Problem is getting to see an NHS doctor in the first place unless you’re prepared to stand in the freezing cold at 8am in the morning waiting for it opening at 8.30am. It’s actually quite degrading….and then you have to get past the receptionist who is worse than the Spanish Inquisition. If you pass that hurdle, you get a triage phone appointment and if you’re convincing will then get a face to face with a doctor.

thats why I went to Spire, went online and got a next day appointment with a lovely GP who had the time to speak to me, do an ECG there and then, then reviewed it with me and followed up with a letter after a few days. All for £120. He also referred me to a cardiologist  in this area who I see on Thursday. Of course it will cost me more to have all this done but I think it’s worth it. I can’t fault my treatment for Cancer with the NHS but it just seems to take so long with other things.

Yes I agree about arrhythmia, AFIB has been ruled out though and my GP says no further treatment required. maybe that’s why my palpitations seem to have disappeared…..knowing it’s nothing serious. I think having cancer does make you more anxious about your health.

Yes, referring to it as poison makes us sound like grumpy, ungrateful old men doesn’t it? In a moment of weakness, I actually found myself thinking that it’s probably a bit OTT to do so.

But then on further reflection, imagine in times distant past, perhaps to the Witches in Shakespeare. In a cavern of cauldrons where old hags are conspiring to do their worst, one accidentally stumbles upon a concoction that can chemically castrate a man, and on discovering it she cackles away in delirium. Now then, has she created a magic potion or has she made a poison?

Anyway, I for one find it an ordeal, but of course it is a necessary ordeal because it is prolonging my life. In the absence of an alternative I will be eternally grateful. Although, it will always be poison to me.

Decco, maybe there is at least one possible positive side effect. And that might be the associated brain fog, which now fuzzies our ability to think with any austere domestic economic sense when it comes to thinking about holidays? You enjoy your cruises 🚢, you really deserve it. I’m going to China next😃, a trip that I would never previously have considered and which by coincidence is a place famed for its strange concoctions and potions 😬.

Good luck to everyone who is on HT, and especially to those who are struggling with it - keep going!

SpongeBob