You & Your Medical Professional

For Adults

A visit to the Endocrinologist or other specialist can be quick.

You need to emphasise what’s going on in your life. This might sound harsh but if you don’t tell the Endo about your health, they won’t know!

My advice is don’t wait for questions, they might never come in which case you won’t have a chance to raise your points!

Prepare a short and concise overview of your circumstances since your last meeting with the Endo. You could write down bullet points to make sure you address everything and don’t forget anything.

When you visit your Endo you really ought to have a list of questions and comments to discuss with him or her.

Topics could include:

Levels or tiredness/fatigue/exhaustion
General wellbeing
Anxiety, mood swings, OCD, mental health, depression etc
Bone health – do you need a DEXA scan?
What is your libido/sex drive like? Is this affecting relationships?
If fertility is important to you, ask about options.
Gynecomastia – Male breast tissue, is there anything you need to know about this, you can discuss this at the appointment.
Are you experiencing any other long term symptoms – e.g aches and pains, digestive disorders,.
Ask the Endo what you should be considering in terms of your health.
If you don’t understand how to interpret the findings of your tests and bloods, or any terminology ask at the meeting!
For those already on T you could ask the Endo to educate you about haematocrit and red blood cell count which relate to the health of your blood when taking T.
50+ ask about prostrate health

Ideally try to not go alone; if possible his partner should attend to act as scribe. Also it helps to have someone trusted there to check understanding with. Memory recall can be a challenge for KS especially when under pressure.

For Parents

A visit to the Endocrinologist or other specialist can be quick.

You need to emphasise what’s going on in your kids life. This might sound harsh but if you don’t tell the Endo about their health, they won’t know!

My advice is don’t wait for questions, they might never come in which case you won’t have a chance to raise your points!

Prepare a short and concise overview

of your circumstances since your last meeting with the Endo. You could write down bullet points to make sure you address everything and don’t forget anything.

When you visit your Endo you really ought to have a list of questions and comments to discuss with him or her.

Topics could include:

Levels or tiredness/fatigue/exhaustion
Aggression/frustrations
General wellbeing
Anxiety, mood swings, OCD, mental health, depression etc if applicable
Education – are any difficulties at school being experienced
Bone health – does the patient need a DEXA scan
For young adults what is the patients libido/sex drive like? Is this affecting relationships?
If fertility is important to your son, ask about options.
What is the position with Testosterone in relation to your child’s treatment. (When to start or when to test bloods if they have already started T).
Gynecomastia – Male breast tissue, is there anything you need to know about this, you can discuss this with Endo
Are they experiencing any other long term symptoms – e.g aches and pains, digestive disorders.
Ask the Endo what you should be considering in terms of your child’s health.
If you don’t understand how to interpret the findings of your tests and bloods, ask at the meeting!

For older KS taking T:

Haematocrit and red blood cell count
50+ ask about prostrate health

A really crucial part is for the patient to not go alone; if possible a trusted person should attend to act as scribe. Also it helps to have someone to check understanding with. Memory recall can be a challenge for KS especially when under pressure.