Actually day one would be 12-22-2006, when I went in for an initial interview and blood test. They’re concerned about general health, but vitamin D in particular, so if I’m low but with range they can put me on a supplement, or if I’m very low I can switch to a vitamin D study they’re also running. The tests came back fine (I haven’t seen any results yet, and I’m definitely curios about the cholesteral level) so I scheduled my first appointment for 01-29-2007.
Day 1 - 01-29-2007
I went in for a 9am appointment at the Bone Density Center, was only a couple minutes late (got lost finding the place the first time) Filled out a survey - baseline questions about libido, energy, depression, etc.
Next, the bone scan. Changed into a “johnny”, then lay down under the scanner. It’s a pretty simple process. Basically you just lay very still while the arm moves slowly back and forth. At one point it ran down the center of my body and as it passed overhead I looked into the scanner lens. Then I turned right and noticed the warning that said “do not look directly into the scanner”. Oops. Next, legs up on a block to 90′, scanned just pelvis area. Then the tech twisted my left leg inwards and scanned one last time.
Next the Project Coordinator (PC) brought me to talk with the Doctor. I’m not sure why I was able to do the bone scan but everything else had to wait until the Doctor and I spoke and I signed the consent agreement, but that’s how it works.
He explained the experiment in detail, going over risks, the placebo vs. 4 levels of dose. One risk I hadn’t realized is very unlikely. Taking testosterone replacer can be a problem if I have prostate cancer but don’t know it, as it’s an aggravator (the current use of Zolodex is for prostate cancer treatment). Went over medical history, lots of questions about risk factors, I’m healthy and boring so all set there. Basic physical, checked lymph nodes, listened to deep breath with stethoscope, BP 130/85, took pulse.
The last part was a testicular exam. Not the typical “turn your head and cough”; in this case they’re looking for a baseline size to measure possible shrinkage. To measure this he had a collection of plastic testicles of various sizes from huge (almost as big as a chicken egg) to tiny (a little smaller than a jellybean). Where does one buy such a thing, and what other oddities are in their catalog?
He was careful to mention that if anything goes wrong, they’ll provide treatment, and for any reason I can quit at any time. Also if I believe they’re doing anything illegal or unethical I can call a number he provided, and can also call an independent entity to ask questions. Signed the consent form.
Next to another building to get the Zoladex injection. The nurse took blood and urine sample. She also gave me a Health Care Proxy form. She was clearly biased towards having a proxy/living will and not ending up on a ventilator or something like that.
BP again, this time 115/70, pulse 80. Because the needle is quite large, she used something in a spray can to numb the belly area where the implant goes. It was very cold and numbed the area well. She was a little freaked out by the size of the syringe, saying it was the biggest she’d ever seen. I caught a glimpse, and it was pretty large.
She plunged it in on 3, and it didn’t hurt. The suddenness of the injection surprised me, she used quite a bit of force to get it in. She held a small piece of gauze at the injection site for a while because of the size of the hole.
Then she explained the testosterone, which is actually AndroGel, a soy derivative. I got the syringe style, the other option being two foil packets per day. So I need to keep them refrigerated, and each morning after my shower I extrude the contents of the syringe onto one palm and wipe it on my other arm. It’s got alcohol in it, so they warn against smoking and going near barbecue grills. It dries pretty quickly, but takes 5-6 hours to fully absorb. I applied the first dose and managed to not set myself ablaze.
Maria’s concerned about getting it on her, due to the side effects I told her about (deepening voice, facial hair, etc.) But there’s little risk as long as we’re careful about the 5-6 hour window.
Next to the dietician. She introduced herself and tried to shake my hand but I reminded her that I had testosterone on my hand. Lots of questions about activity levels and calcium-rich foods. No to most, since most were dairy-based. Yes to rice milk on cereal, green vegetables, tofu. She recommended a 500mg/day supplement to bring me up to 1000mg/day.
Then change into another johnny for height and weight measurement, and hip and waist measurements. I used to be 5′10 1/2, now I’m 5′10. Hmmm.
Next the PC took me to the leg press. I rode an exercise bike for a few minutes to loosen my legs, then to the press. 200lbs for 8 reps. Then 300 for 4. Then 350 for 2, 400 for 2, 445 for 2, stopped when I couldn’t do 500.
Finally to the CT. One last changed into johnny pants. The CT scanned just the midsection of my body like bone density scan, took about 5 minutes.
