ok we are 13 months post treatment and god knows we had it rough. My husband is on a downward spiral of depression and I mean the serious kind. I research everything I can but my latest issue is asking for his testosterone to be checked. It was 150 and 300 is low. I saw a discussion about hormone levels on Oprah and since the radiation was close to the glands area I thought it was worth asking about. Well I am shocked all the doctors with the request to check testosterone and low and behold it was crazy low. Since finding out about this I have been waiting weeks to go to another new doctor who will insist on test before giving he treatment. UGH. Or maybe inpatient mental help is the way to go. Has anyone else had these hormones checked? By the way he is taking 90 mg of cymbalta for depression!

Worn out in Georgia

Hi Cray

Sorry to hear that your husband is having such a rough time. If you type in testosterone in the top right hand corner where is says Search - you will get a number of posts where others have shared their experiences about the similar/same issue.

I'm sure you will get lots of assistance from others here who can assist from their own experiences.

Hope this helps in the meantime, best wishes to you and your husband

Karen

Has his TSH levels been tested for thyroid damage? It is quite common with radiation of that area.

Your pituitary gland is the master and commander of all your other glands, and it gets scatter radiation in this whole treatment process. Years after treatment, I found that all my hormones were in the toilet. Obviously the thyroid went completely south since it was in the radiation field, but when my testosterone (the family jewels are far away from the radiated area) tanked, I learned about the pituitary issue. So today I wear daily Anderoderm (testosterone) patches, take synthroid for my thyroid, and see and endocrinologist every 6 months for monitoring the levels of the other hormones we expect to get out of whack as a result of pituitary hypo function. Get EVERYTHING checked at an endocrinologist. Even when you start taking hormone supplements, they need adjusting and changing as time goes by, so retesting initially at 6 months, then annually after the first year is the best plan.