Post Cancer, wanting to get back to what I was!

[ausphoenix]

So I've just spent 6 months fighting lung cancer and until about a month ago I thought I'd lost the fight. Turns out I I got lucky. The treatment worked and despite having about 25 holes in me (from surgery) I've come out of it and am able to move forward. To be honest, I've spent a week or so just sitting on my couch wondering what the hell I'm going to do now because I was resigned to dying and just focussed everything I had on getting through it.

I had my first session in the gym a few days ago and I'm so shocked by how much this has taken out of me. Both strength wise and fitness wise. I'm a shade of what I was. I'm now clear of everything and free to move forward with whatever I want and I really want to get back some base of fitness and strength as soon as I can.

So while I've never done a cycle before, I've looked at it a lot and researched it for years leading up until now. I never thought this would be my life but now I'm looking at what I can do to get back to a base where I can start properly and I'm pretty pumped I've beaten cancer and am now looking at what I can do to get back to normal.

I've been given the all clear from my dr's to go forth and be normal again and I've spoken openly with my GP about doing a test cycle to get things rolling and while he's hesitant he's happy to support me with it and we've done a first round of blood tests to make sure we're ok.

My questions are a few:

1: I hope Vision can send me a PM to assure me his sources are legitimate and I can get order what I need to get started ASAP. I've had a look at your site and It looks like what I need to get started. I don't have any contacts in Australia given my last 12 months or so, so I hope I can find a source of legitimate stuff to get working.

2: Despite having cancer treatment for a long time I've not only lost a lot of strength but I've mainly put on a fair amount of fat. Probably 10kg's. I'm still fairly lean, around 18-20%BF.

3: My goal is to first lose the extra body fat but at the same time get back to my normal strength pre-cancer.


So I'm thinking because this is my first cycle, (I'm 39, never any major health issues, mainly an endurance runner), I'd stick to a Test only cycle. Happy to hear otherwise though! This may be a different situation than most!

My thoughts are a cycle that is 500mg of Testosterone Cypionate for 12 weeks:

With:

• Week 1-12 – 0.25mg/eod Arimidex (reduce it to 0.125mg/eod in week 12)

• Week 1 – 500mg
• Week 2 – 500mg
• Week 3 – 500mg
• Week 4 – 500mg
• Week 5 – 500mg
• Week 6 – 500mg
• Week 7 – 500mg
• Week 8 – 500mg
• Week 9 - 500mg
• Week 10 - 500mg
• Week 11 - 500mg
• Week 12 - 500mg

Also:
• Week 1-12 – 20mg/day Nolvadex to combat gyno symptoms
• Week 1-10 – 0.5mg/e3d Cabergoline (if there are prolactin issues)
• Week 3-10 – 250iu/eod HCG

PCT:
• Week 15 - 18 – 100 mg/day Clomid



I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this! Firstly if you think this is a good approach, and secondly, (especially from Vision, where to purchase!)

While I've looked at doing a cycle for a LONG time I've never really bothered but this last year has shown me now what I've lost and I want to get back to where I was as soon as I can. I HATE where I'm at right now.

Go easy on me

 

[Milford King]

I don’t know man.

I think it’s a bad idea, but you’re gonna do it anyways so here goes....

at 39, and beating death once already.... I doubt PCT is the route you will want to go. Get on TRT or blast n cruise for life here on out.

Also, I would be hesitant to use any of the AI’s you’ve mentioned unless blood work indicates you should and/or symptoms arise.

lastly, I wouldn’t jump on cycle until I’ve committed to working out regularly. Give yourself 5-6 months of working towards your goals before jumping head first into a cycle.

 

[Augustine5I]

I don’t know man.

I think it’s a bad idea, but you’re gonna do it anyways so here goes....

at 39, and beating death once already.... I doubt PCT is the route you will want to go. Get on TRT or blast n cruise for life here on out.

Also, I would be hesitant to use any of the AI’s you’ve mentioned unless blood work indicates you should and/or symptoms arise.

lastly, I wouldn’t jump on cycle until I’ve committed to working out regularly. Give yourself 5-6 months of working towards your goals before jumping head first into a cycle.

I agree.

You're lucky to be alive. It's already a blessing. You beat death.

If you wanted, after some consistent work in the gym, talk to your doctor. Or find a doctor who will get you on a trt and monitor all your blood work etc.

Doing this on your own is always risky, but in your case... why not try that first?

It's always hard to come back. I was away from the gym for 5 years when my son was born. Started a business and he was born the same year. It was a clear choice for me. But when I went back? Up 30 pounds at least and lost a lot of strength.

It's a marathon, not a race. Think about how much you can accomplish in a few years?

Stay committed and healthy.

 

[Multislacking]

I have to agree with MK. Give yourself about 6 months to get your feet under you again. Think rehab type lifting/exercising/stretching for awhile. It will pay off in the long run and you'll have a much better base for starting your cycle with. Your results will be 200% better.

Your cycle looks pretty well thought out. You shouldn't need caber for test only. Successful PCT gets harder the older you get (as MK mentioned). Vision is a good guy and will steer you right.

Congrats on beating the big C.

 

[Capthowdy87]

Glad to hear you kicked cancers ass . If I were you before you start cycling anything to do more research on what the compounds do in your body. Are you still taking any other meds now that your cancer free ? I’d imagine that you’d have to still be taking something after that bout. If you run test you may or may not need an ai . Juice is like a can of Pringles , once you pop the fun don’t stop . You will always wana be on cycle. I don’t believe in cycling bc I don’t believe any one really does it . Most people I know go on and end up blasting and cruising . So before you jump in balls deep you really need to understand what your getting into and the path that lies ahead . Hope this helps . Good luck my
Friend .

 

[JaceBon]

I’m sure these answers aren’t what you were looking for, but it is the truth. Get yourself in place for 6 months. Try to get on TRT, I doubt you will have any problems with it.

BUT

if you’re thinking “fuck these guys, I nearly died! Im doing what I want!” like I probably would be if I were in your shoes...don’t cycle. Do your 10 weeks of test E or whatever and then just cruise...then after a month or two explain to a doctor what you did and they’ll hook you up with TRT. I would be very careful putting a bunch of different medicines in your body after what you went through, thus why I think staying away from PCT may be the best idea.

but again, I’m no expert and this is all what I would do

 

[ausphoenix]

Hey no I'm not someone who is all that crazy about quick results over getting the most from things don't worry! I'm just frustrated hitting the gym and knowing I'm so so far from where I used to be. It's depressing and so disheartening. My Dr is actually pretty open minded. He had no idea about peptides and I had a crack at those a few years back with his help so he's open to suggestions so long as I can justify it and provide info that supports it. I used some peptides that 'may' have helped with some recovery from surgery so he's definitely open to whatever I suggest. I just need to support it with evidence.


If 10 weeks of test E is the best way to go then I'd do that and I'm sure he'd be open to supporting me. TRT is a strange thing in Australia I've found. I'm definitely at the lowest end of the Test range and not one Dr has supported TRT. I'm 39 now and I'm just at the bottom and because it's still in 'range' they don't care. But I've had all the classic low Test symptoms and it hasn't mattered. I'm also at the high end of the SBHG range which has been frustrating. In fact I'm about 10 point above the high range but because they have no idea how to bring it down they just leave it.

I would love to be able to play footy again by the end of the year which is why I'm trying to find ways to speed this recovery up but in the end I've just spent 6 months in the worst place of my life so I don't much care if that isn't possible.

That's why I came here I guess God I'd love to play a footy game by the end of the year but I'd have to do a lot get there and naturally that's never going to happen. When you look in the eye of death and think you're done you find it hard to justify going slowly but I'm doing my best

 

[ausphoenix]

And I know everyone is saying I'm 'going to do it anyways' but that's not the case. I'm happy to listen to other opinions and options, especially when we're talking about this stuff. I do sometimes feel like saying "Fuck you all, I beat this and want to get as fit and strong as fuck as quick as fuck" but that's not my thing.

I never was the fittest or the strongest leading into this cancer stuff so I don't have any hang ups about being that leading out of it. I really just want to get back to where I was as quick as possible to 'maybe' get to play a footy game this year! I haven't played in 2 years because of covid so this means a lot to me.

If there's something I can do that's not going to damage my body too much but let's me get back and play footy at least once this year then that's what I'll do. For my own sanity I need it.

For the record, my wife left me a week before I found out about my cancer so that's played a part in this as well... It's complicated.

 

[ausphoenix]

And my Dr won't do TRT by the way. I'm not sure it's the same in other Aus cities but here it's almost unheard of. I've already shown him my bloods and it's basically on the lowest edges on all things and I'm only 39 but he see's no issues. I think if I pushed it he would listen but it's not something that is normal here so it was brushed over pretty quickly.

 

[Milford King]

Tell your doctor you’ve stared death down and you are going to find a way to do it anyways but you’d rather have his help and do it in a more safe manner. Worst thing he can say is “you’re on your own”..... then go from there.

good luck bro, I know how devastating a shitty diagnosis like that can be.

can I ask you a question tho?

were you doing anything that may have potentially contributed to lung cancer? Just curious....

 

[FM19]

That's awesome you beat cancer - kuddos to you! AAS do put a strain on our bodies, unless your just running TRT. There's no way around that. Given the strain you put on it with cancer, you may or may not be able to handle additional AAS stress. If you do it, you could always work with a TRT clinic like Titan Medical ... be up front, be very sensitive to frequent bloodwork, and keep doses low. You'd be surprised what you can accomplish on 150-200mg test c/e a week. IMO, that'd be the best place to start vs. going on a blast.

 

[Multislacking]

If your natural test levels are that low, then trt (even if self administered) will take you a long way too. Since that is the case, I wouldn't mess with PCT. Get yourself on a trt dose of 150-200mg every week and it will make a huge difference. Then once you start to plateau down the road in 12 months or so, consider a 12-16 week blast of 500mg per week.

 

[ausphoenix]

can I ask you a question tho?

were you doing anything that may have potentially contributed to lung cancer? Just curious....

Nope! Have smoked maybe 5 cigarettes in my entire life. Just one of those freaky things I guess. If it wasn't for Covid and worrying I had that I wouldn't have bothered getting checked out either! Lucky in the end.

So I've spoken with my Dr today and he's really not keen on the TRT. Not only because I'm in 'range' (even though it's at the low end), he doesn't think it's the right way to go.

I've told him I'm going to do this regardless at some stage and he said he'll help make sure I get my bloods done and support me that way but that's about it.

I'm definitely in two minds now about what to do. I thought it'd be a fairly simple decision with a little guidance from people like you but it makes sense to wait a little longer. On the other hand, I'm off work, I have time and space to just focus on this without the stressors of work, health issues etc. and I'd really love to be able to speed up this process to try and get back playing footy. Maybe it really is unrealistic.

As for drugs I'm on currently, I'm in the clear with that. Outside some Temazepam on occasions to help my sleep get back to normal I'm basically just doing regular check ups to make sure it's properly gone.

So for what I'm hearing most of you would wait (and I know I'm finding that really difficult after spending so much time thinking about it and researching!), but if I do end up saying "screw it, I nearly died and I want to live again" the main suggestions are to get some test and aim for around 200mg per week for as long as needed.

I've always been under the impression that you want to cycle to avoid certain issues. Would doing this mean I'd have to take this forever? While my current levels are low, I'd hate to kill my production all together!

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and opinions on all of this. Probably not your usual questions and a few unknowns but my current blood work is excellent, I've done all sorts of other tests like exercise stress tests etc. to make sure my lungs and body in general is working fine and I've come out with flying colours.

I'll keep doing some thinking and will catch up with my Dr again in a week or so and will keep the dialogue open with him.

In the meantime, if I do choose to go down this path, I'd love it if I could get a consensus on what you think is the best approach. Is it as simple as getting 200mg of Testosterone Cypionate each week and sticking with that until I plateau? Are other drugs needed in this case?

I've got a bit of thinking to do but thanks for taking the time with all of this!

I've had an awful time of it and am thrilled to be back in the gym and out running again so I'm grateful for that, but I'm also impatient

 

[zionoir626]

Congrats Brother..
Damn lucky you found it in time...a lot are not that lucky...

I was diagnosed in 14,but the lovely Dr.s kept that to themselves for 3 yrs while I was in and out of the hospitals for all kinds or reasons..The Bastards even came to see me in 16..four separate times during a 5 day stay after continuously passing out..NICE
But still didn't tell me even then..

Life has been turned upside down,sideways and pounded..But you know how that feels..

I did a crap load of research when they finally told me in 17...I want to share this statistic with you...

80% of all Cancers come back....And when they do...the kill ratio is 95+%...Now that's the Kick in the Balls
So,the fight will NEVER be over...a solid hard fact...!!!

 

[zionoir626]

That being said...I started that very day fighting..My family,girl,friends everywhere have backed me every step of the way..I even trained my Wolf-hybrid to be an off-leash service dog to help me when I pass out..Its been a tuff F-ing haul..on Disability,income cut by 90%...lots of crappy Dr.s that just don't give a SHIT..lost of LOWS,disappointments..But I ALWAYS shake it off and get up..

If I can find out what's causing my digestive problems and get a handle on that...AND get something resolve on this neck nerve damage,that causes me pain every day...and get my health markers all in the black..I just might have a 50/50....shot.. that's my own opinion..the Dr.s say it's pretty much terminal....And most People as you stated just fold...give up..And that's what KILLS them..

Not me Brother.. I'm nearly in the best physical shape of my life at 55...I get knocked down hard 2 to 4 times a month..But I get up each hand every damn time..Slowly working on the non-C things..Out of the blue,last yr,nearly died from internal bleeding..7 Dr.s and no one caught it....Ass Holes..

My fight is still ahead..I am putting things in order just in case...But I'm just to mean,nasty,but mainly pissed off to cash out..

My biggest support comes from My family HERE..my Brothers that pray for me,PM me and email me CONSTANTLY..So you found the right place to be...No Quitting here...

 

[zionoir626]

You are already very damn lucky to have a 2nd chance...

My....hats off..one day I will be in that winner club..

I'd say,take some time to just take in what could have been all Gone..get a cool dog..chicks love kool dogs..and victory stories..39 is very young..go some place kick ass,take in the clean F-ing Air..Have some fun,set some goals so when life throws another curve ball..you will be ready...Oh yeah make that wife regret the day she left..Pissed off motivates the Hell outta of me..

Start slow in the Gym...the Best advice I can give you about that is..simply
Nutrition...

That's it in a nutshell..without it..everything else is just spinning your wheels..you have to eat to grow..
Three Equal part...training/nutrition/rest
Gear is the sherry on top..not the steak

One again CONGRATS...And WELCOME

 

[Multislacking]

So for what I'm hearing most of you would wait (and I know I'm finding that really difficult after spending so much time thinking about it and researching!), but if I do end up saying "screw it, I nearly died and I want to live again" the main suggestions are to get some test and aim for around 200mg per week for as long as needed.

I've always been under the impression that you want to cycle to avoid certain issues. Would doing this mean I'd have to take this forever? While my current levels are low, I'd hate to kill my production all together!

In the meantime, if I do choose to go down this path, I'd love it if I could get a consensus on what you think is the best approach. Is it as simple as getting 200mg of Testosterone Cypionate each week and sticking with that until I plateau? Are other drugs needed in this case?

TRT will be for life at your age. No point in cycling when your test levels have been historically that low and you're probably past wanting kids. PCT is for younger guys who want a family. Not that trt/cycling/etc will make you sterile, but it lowers the chances. You'll still want to do whatever you are currently doing for birth control. TRT and shutting down your natural production is NOT a big deal, imo. I was hesitant at first like yourself, but once you get on, you will love it and never look back.

150-200mg EW and an AI in case you need it.

 

[ausphoenix]

TRT will be for life at your age. No point in cycling when your test levels have been historically that low and you're probably past wanting kids. PCT is for younger guys who want a family. Not that trt/cycling/etc will make you sterile, but it lowers the chances. You'll still want to do whatever you are currently doing for birth control. TRT and shutting down your natural production is NOT a big deal, imo. I was hesitant at first like yourself, but once you get on, you will love it and never look back.

150-200mg EW and an AI in case you need it.

To be honest I do want kids and had my marriage not fallen apart during COVID lockdown we'd probably try in a year or so.

Thanks for the info. My Doc is leaving on holidays so I need to catch up again with him about this but if somehow kids was in the future should I continue with Test EW and just do the PCT if/once that happens? Or is the risk of going too long that the PCT won't work eventually.

Lastly, I've read that taking an AI every other day is the way to go but you say just in case. At what point do you think you know when it's the right time?

THanks again!

 

[Rot-Iron66]

I wouldnt touch any gear if just beating cancer.
Maybe TRT at real TRT dose (only) w/ Dr. supervision. Thats just me though, good luck and glad you made it thru to remission.

 

[zionoir626]

I will quote an old friends advice

The better shape you're in WHEN something happens....The better chance you have to overcome IT...

 

[Multislacking]

To be honest I do want kids and had my marriage not fallen apart during COVID lockdown we'd probably try in a year or so.

Thanks for the info. My Doc is leaving on holidays so I need to catch up again with him about this but if somehow kids was in the future should I continue with Test EW and just do the PCT if/once that happens? Or is the risk of going too long that the PCT won't work eventually.

Lastly, I've read that taking an AI every other day is the way to go but you say just in case. At what point do you think you know when it's the right time?

THanks again!

PCT is harder the older you get. You're borderline on age, so you may be ok for awhile with PCT. I know you had HCG in your cycle, so that will help keep things working while on cycle.

As far as an AI, regular bloodwork is ideal to see if you need one. Especially since this is your first time and don't know how your body will respond. Having said that, some guys can get by without an AI on a low/trt dose. Others can't. If your estro starts running high, you'll notice sore/itchy/puffy nipples. Most guys will get a solid lump behind them as well. If you take weekly progress pics, sometimes you can see the puffy before you can feel it. Catching it early is the key and you'll be fine.

 

[ausphoenix]

PCT is harder the older you get. You're borderline on age, so you may be ok for awhile with PCT. I know you had HCG in your cycle, so that will help keep things working while on cycle.

As far as an AI, regular bloodwork is ideal to see if you need one. Especially since this is your first time and don't know how your body will respond. Having said that, some guys can get by without an AI on a low/trt dose. Others can't. If your estro starts running high, you'll notice sore/itchy/puffy nipples. Most guys will get a solid lump behind them as well. If you take weekly progress pics, sometimes you can see the puffy before you can feel it. Catching it early is the key and you'll be fine.

Thanks! You've all been a great help I get regular bloods done so I should be able to know exactly what's going on throughout.

The next step is finding the best sponsor to get the stuff from that has good success with shipping to Australia