Another Addiction?

I'm right at the stage you described earlier, still looking for additional benefits beyond the one compound that has already shown clear effects.

Your mention of keeping years of supply on hand brought back memories of my earlier phase of over-preparing for everything.

Rock climbing sounds great. I was never the strongest among the people I climbed with, but it was a mental and physical escape I really enjoyed. My body doesn't handle it the same way anymore, yet I still like reading about trips and watching films on the scene.

Absolutely. I've had trips and moments I'll never forget and made some of my closest friends that way. The level of trust with climbing partners is hard to match anywhere else. One nice thing is there are routes suited to almost any skill level. Hope you can still find ways to enjoy it however works for you now.

Does everyone around you know the full amount spent on current use plus building a stockpile? My partner is aware I do some of it but doesn't ask details and I don't offer them. She sees the deliveries and the monthly inventory checks. I'm just hoping a big order of something else doesn't arrive unexpectedly and leave me without a good explanation.

I spend quite a bit on tires that only last a couple days at the track and on ammunition that gets used up in a few weeks of training and matches. I also pay for regular yoga sessions. By comparison the cost for a long supply of one peptide works out lower for me, and my wife doesn't see it as a concern.

Being a widow now means I don't have to explain purchases anymore. When my husband was around he knew not to question my spending, probably because he didn't want me asking about what he spent on cars.

When I add up what I used to spend on food and drinks alone versus now including peptides, the total is actually lower.

We're all going to pass away eventually, whether from a vehicle, a storm, or something else.

Do you keep a stock of ready-made posts that bring the mood down whenever these topics come up?

It's interesting that he comes across as thoughtful, yet the focus stays on negative predictions instead of more constructive input.

Hiking is one of my less structured habits. I sometimes take on long routes that need real preparation like running marathon distances to handle multi-day efforts without overnight stops, yet I don't always map everything out in advance. Actually, I do plan quite a bit.

That kind of "we're all going to die anyway" attitude tends to change when someone actually faces a serious illness. There's a physician known for working with athletes who use performance compounds and has discussed cases involving high amounts of growth hormone. While it hasn't been shown to create new cancers, it can accelerate growth of existing ones by allowing small clusters the immune system would normally control to develop further. Some patients developed aggressive brain tumors, more than expected given how uncommon they are, though it could still be coincidence. These conditions often seem random with no clear cause identified. Yet when patients confront the diagnosis, the earlier attitude shifts quickly.

I've already dealt with serious health matters and have legal documents in place because of it. Maybe try something different, like posting about a concrete problem along with a practical solution instead of only warning about worst cases. There's always someone ready to say you'll die if you ride a motorcycle. It's an easy stance. Use what you know to offer fixes instead.

The back-and-forth here helps refine ideas about what actually matters. I follow that doctor's content and find it useful even when it differs from other physicians. Since it's hard to know who's correct, I try to pull useful points from various treating doctors and from users sharing their experiences.

And post on other forums where some users are clearly pushing limits. A thread I started there about heart imaging didn't get a warm reception, though a few people appreciated it. I also like posts that encourage people to reconsider stacking multiple steroids. There's a quiet group there that sticks to just testosterone and skips growth hormone.

Your father sounds like he had good perspective.

Thanks. He still is. He's in his mid-eighties and I still look up to him.

I tried growth hormone once for a short period but stopped when IGF levels went higher than I was comfortable with. Are you cautious about it or fully against growth hormone and similar peptides like tesamorelin? Right now I'm on doctor-supervised testosterone at replacement doses along with a low dose of tirzepatide. No interest in stronger anabolics, but I'm curious about growth hormone and tesamorelin.

I'm more focused on understanding proper dosing for both types of compounds. What were your IGF-1 level and z-score?

My IGF-1 reached 412 with a z-score of 2.7 after being off growth hormone for a month. Follow-up tests six months later showed levels around 230 with a z-score near 1.7. At the time my testosterone readings were also elevated, with total around 1370 and free test at 350, even without growth hormone. It made me wonder if the higher testosterone was pushing IGF-1 up. I've been working with my doctor to find a steadier testosterone dose. We went too low at one point with 100 mg weekly and saw weaker results, so we moved to 140 mg weekly to find a better balance, then plan to recheck IGF levels.

When my TRT dose went above the target range it clearly raised my IGF and z-score. You can see the jump in my labs before I lowered it again.

I've seen mentions of testosterone influencing IGF-1 response, and your labs line up with that. Appreciate you sharing them.