OK guys, I'm throwing this out there to get good feedback to aid in my decision making process. I'm not asking people to think for me, and in the end, I own any decisions I make. So that out there I'm mulling about something I've been thinking about for quite some time and you guys know WAY more about the potential hazards than I, and if you see the landmines, please let me know.

Here's the deal. I'm 43, 6' 340, and about 33% BF. I've had a sedentary job for years as a travelling salesman. Eating and drinking WAY too much, not working out at all...and getting older. Prior to getting fat, I spent 15 years in the Army, played sports and up until I got my last job (the travelling one) I worked out regularly and played sports year-round. My diet was shit, but I was active. Well, 10 years behind a steering wheel or a desk and taking clients to steak houses and I turned into the stay-puffed marshmellow.

I quit my job and started working on getting my life back in order (in MANY ways). I've lost over 54 lbs of BF in the last 6 months and have another 90-100 to go. I'm eating super clean. I track my calories burned with a Bodybugg and I track my calories eaten, all five meals, like clockwork. When I started working out, I was doing OK, but it was a bitch to drag my ass to the gym. And going wiped me out. I knew it was more than just my body rebelling. I was also fairly depressed, which is NOT my normal state. I went to my regular doc, he took some blood and just told me I was "OK". I never saw the numbers (I was dumb). But I started researching it and found one of the VERY few HRT docs in my area (The Midwest US is slow to come around).

So I went to one. Got the test results and this time made sure I got a copy. My E2 was at 49 and my Dihydratestosterone was 13 and Total Test was 300. DHEA Sulfate and Vit D also low. My Test wasn't "clinicly" low, but low. So he put me on Test Cyp 200. Started at .75ml/week. Since bumped to 1 ml/wk. Also has me on Anostrolozole (sp?) at .25mg every 2 weeks. And since I started on it, I LOVE it. LOVE it. I feel more like "myself". I'm hitting it harder at the gym and the bedroom. Life is good, and my progress is picking up on the weight loss. Again, I'm not trying to look like Arnold. I'm just trying to get back to the body I had for most of my life, which was solid and fairly lean. And I'm on track to do that.

But here's my dilema. I'm thinking of ditching the doc and handling my own therapy. I think he served a purpose in helping me see how well it can work. Plus my wife is a nurse and by nature wouldn't have gone along with it otherwise (and she does my injections, as she's pretty darn good at it). But I think I'm getting raped, and I can't afford to keep shelling out this much money. Insurance isn't covering any of the stuff because to use the doc I'm using, I have to use his compounding pharmacy, which my insurance doesn't recognize.

And THAT pharmacy keeps charging me for pins, even though I've told them I've got my own. Every month, like clockwork, they send me 5 syringes and 10 needles at $1 ea. $15/month for pins. I got almost a years worth for $40! The 4ml/month is costing me $60. The generic Armidex is $50 for 15 .25 capsules. And seeing the doc is costing me about $250 every couple of months. At this point, all he does is ask a few questions and then try to put me on some overpriced supplements. He was sending me 30 .75mg DHEA for $50! Throw in the the Bio Energy, IGF-1 and other crap and he was sticking me for hundreds/month. I finally told him ENOUGH of the BS. I can get my own DHEA, and pins, and Vitamin D and pay a helluva lot less (but still get quality stuff, not the super cheap crap). All of that is over the counter, and his markup must be HIGH.

But I've kept the scrip, because, to this point, I was worried about the consequences of going solo. Legality and quality issues and the "what if" scenario. But I've looked at the last 6 months and with the labs, the initial visit and 2 follow up visits and for the Test Cyp and Armidex I've spent over $1800 to get 14ml of Test Cyp 200 and 15mg of Arimidex. Throw in the other crap he pawned on me before I decided enough was enough and it's several hundred more. Even after ditching it the extras, I've figured that with the minimum meetings he needs "to be safe" and JUST the test and arimidex, I'm looking at just under $2000/year to be "safe".

But I'm starting to look around and figure that 1) with the lurking I've done (even before registering) you guys seem to know a HELLUVA lot more about it than he does. (He mostly does rich middle-aged women and throws Estrogen Mixers...) He's clueless about lifting. COMPLETELY clueless and 2) I'd be better off to use a good supplier here and spend less than $500 and throw the rest in a contingency fund when and IF I need a good lawyer

Anyway. I know this is a novel. But your thoughts on going it alone?
Looking around, it seems to me that at current levels of usage, I could save thousands of dollars a year that could be used elsewhere (you know, kids and all). The wife is now on board. She sees the difference in me with the TRT (and REALLY likes certain aspects of it!) and I've shown her the receipts. She's normally a "by the book" type, but even she's shaking her head at the numbers. So am I missing something?