Telehealth, gear, and my career

[NeuroRN]

Fair warning: I have worked the last 3 nights and there’s always the possibility of being loopy before getting sleep.

Covid-19 has obviously impacted everyone, for my wife and I it’s been a much different impact. As I’ve said before, we are both ICU nurse’s, and this whole shit show just straight up hasn’t been any fun. 0/5 stars. 0/10 would not recommend being an ICU nurse during a pandemic. It has gotten me thinking about the direction of my career, staying at the bedside where all the action is VS going back to school and slowing it down a bit.

These days telehealth is the big thing, you can get a script for viagra, cialis, hair loss, anti aging peptides, and etc all by filling out a short form, sending in a picture, having a quick chat with a provider, and giving them your money.

My dad recently started TRT and quite frankly I was appalled at the lack of education he received before picking up his Test at the pharmacy. Thankfully, he was coming for a visit the next week anyway, and I was able to provide him with some education as well as safe injection technique etc.

In my post work delirium I have started to wonder if there are any telehealth TRT docs/ nurse practitioners/ physician assistants out there now? For those of you on trt, is there anything (besides lab work) that is specific to your TRT provider that requires an office visit? Would you find it more beneficial to simply be able to video chat or message your provider about your TRT plan?

I have become more and more aware about the basic lack of knowledge (at least amongst ICU nurses and physicians) about hormone replacement therapies and the benefits. Plus we all know it’s so rare to find a provider that’s even open to hearing about playing this game, much less one that would help you do things safely and efficiently. I enjoy they gym, gear, teaching, learning, and this post work delirium idea kind of sounds like it would incorporate all of those things.

Sorry for rambling. I did try and warn you on the front end.

 

[TBU]

Biggest failures in the industry is calling it TRT. Many doctors just prescribe testosterone thinking hey. His levels are low and we can just increase it. Any input from the individual is usually hammered down by the doctor. A good doctor will listen. It should be called HRT. Hormone Replacement Therapy. I first started they looked at my test levels and were like “it’s too high. Or It’s too low” and that was it. My first doctor moved to Florida and I got a new doctor. And I was floored. Started estrogen level checks and a mirage of other tests. So my biggest input is they should know the cause and effects of hormones before prescribing them. That is my experience. I have had the same doctor now for 8 years. I would call and ask the TRT doctors in your area and just ask them as if you wanted to become a patient what tests are taken. You will find out real quick who’s locked in and who’s in it for the money…

 

[Bigmurph6]

I want to thank you @NeuroRN from all of ugmuscle for your work in the hospitals on the front lines.
I would also like to thank your wife for her work on the front lines.
I believe that you and your wife are extremely brave because I wouldn’t go near a hospital now or back then when this started.
God bless you both and THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

@members

 

[Ominous]

Thank you @NeuroRN

I’m looking for a new TRT/HRT doctor now.

 

[Youts]

@NeuroRN

Other than labs, there’s no reason to even see the doc physically. They didn’t instruct me at all when I started my TRT, basically I would go in every 6 months, get blood drawn, he’d ask if I still get hard-ons in the AM and I’d be on my way.

I would love to have a knowledgeable doc, who you could talk to and actually ask questions to and have them be honest, instead of shoot you down.

 

[Sig516]

No reason to see mine at all. He’s very cool just like the anabolic doc on you tube, no shaming. I tell him what all I run when on cycle and he orders test accordingly! And yes I can name some clinics that will take you site un seen. Fellas its just money. They will play ball, its one of the most unregulated branches of health care out there. BUT I would recommend finding one that knows their stuff bc it can be like a pain management approach for 150 per month. JUST TAKE MORE, until you need rehab lol

 

[johnjuanb1]

Thank you for the work you and your wife are doing for all of us. It has to be unbelievably stressful!
My orthopedic surgeon told me she only got a total of 10 minutes of education in med school on AAS. I’ve never met a doctor who understood the hormones we use.
Yesterday I did an online video call with a doctor to get a prescription for blood pressure meds. It took 5 minutes and was very easy. There has to be a TRT doctor doing this out there. I would imagine they would require blood work to show low testosterone and healthy blood work first.

 

[tazextremefighter]

Your basic TRT Clinics are just providing a rote generic and basic service. A blanket service for X amount of money for profit. Let’s get real people, for example, how can everyone benefit from 200mg of Test and .05 Arimidex and whatever Peptide or other meds, for everyone across the board that signs up? lmao. I think everyone will agree that we are all different and have different needs. However, there are a few doctors and clinics that are worthwhile and knowledgeable. Like anything else, educate yourself, do your due diligence and ask questions. Get your labs and good luck! If you need help? Contact me lol

 

[Outlawthing]

I have had trt from my general practitioner to an endocrinologist to a wellness clinic they all got there ups and downs I can call my general practitioner and get test checked and tell him it needs to be upped and he don’t care he will prescribe 300-400 mg per week with minimal tests endocrinologist on other hand runs massive tests but with lots of monitoring little room for cycles and dont even think about letting her see it high and then the wellness clinic which runs bloods ever so often to see what is off which is a good thing but only to sell you something to make it better however they were the only place that would do hcg and clomid with
My trt so that I could have a kid all other docs said I had to stop trt completely which you guys know how that works out when you body will physically not make any and by the way it did. Work

 

[NeuroRN]

All of this info is so interesting from an ICU perspective where most of the time we will have to think all the way down the cellular level about how a medication will provide the outcome we want- shifting potassium back into the cell, increasing catecholamine action potential etc. so to hear so many of you that I have so much respect for say you have no support while managing your hormones is so…
Well, unfortunate.

I can’t remember a single day we talked about AAS in nursing school, when They talked about testosterone and estrogen it was just acknowledged that they are Male and female sex hormones. Which is obviously such an outrageous generalization.

I appreciate all the responses! This give me a direction to head in my further inquiry!

Thank you all for your gratitude, it’s greatly appreciate. Although, I will say my wife is the real badass here. She’s the one running the show on our COVID unit every weekend, at night. Most of our protocols have come from her research and being able to trend patterns in the patients, she hasn’t been taking patients just orchestrating the chaos from outside the room, trending data, getting me things that I forget when I go into room all gowned up etc haha and she’s only yelled at me once for the amount of shit I can forget when I go in a room haha I will pass along your thanks to her.

 

[Youts]

I would say medical people on a whole don’t understand, nor care to learn about the needs of people who want to push their body to grow.
I think weightlifting/bodybuilding/powerlifting, etc…has helped so many people, but the medical community doesn’t understand their needs, they just say lift lighter, they think everyone is just at the gym to get the minimal results possible.
I for one, don’t think I would be here if it wasn’t for the weights, battling depression my whole life, I owe a great amount of gratitude toward the weights, it’s the one place I feel at home, if that makes sense.
I wish more medical personnel would put their biased aside, and listen, and understand.

 

[NeuroRN]

@Youts I’m in the exact same boat. If it were not for the constant pursuit of progression of the weights and the lessons it taught me,
I can’t imagine where I would be.

I’ve asked a doc about adding gh for wound healing on a burn patient, test or something similar for a muscle wasting patient, and I just got an eye roll and a laugh. It’s sad, and frustrating. I need to get better and know more from the medical stand point to help where I can for sure.

 

[Youts]

Don’t let them discourage you, I think overseas, especially Germany, they are much more likely to think beyond the conventional and try new and perhaps better practices.
Health system in the USA feels like a processing plant, get as many in and out as soon as possible to maximize profits and reduce costs.

 

[Dman]

God bless them both for their sacrifices for our gain. These are the real heros.

 

[tazextremefighter]

You guys are doing great and keep being Bad Ass

 

[NeuroRN]

@Dman @tazextremefighter thanks guys!

 

[tazextremefighter]

Thank you

 

[SpencerCortez]

That goes for athletes in general- docs who never played sports or worked hard physically tell athletic folks the dumbest shit like” take it easy for a few weeks” WTF ? A few weeks-

 

[rageal316]

Hey NeuroN thank U and your wife for all u been doing.
Stay safe and healthy going forward.

 

[Youts]

I used to cringe when a doc would give lifting advice and you could obviously tell they never picked up a dumbbell in their lives.