Chronic Fatigue After COVID and Prostate Cancer: Can Testosterone Help When I Don't Know What's Wrong?

Thanks for tuning in to the Armor Men’s Health Hour Podcast, where we bring you the latest and greatest in urology care and the best urology humor out there. Today, Dr. Mistry answers a listener's question about her husband's chronic fatigue following 18 months of illness, including a battle with COVID, related pneumonia, and a prostate cancer diagnosis and radiation. She wonders what could be causing her husband, a veteran in his seventies, to have such persistent and unexplained lethargy. Dr. Mistry answers this listener by reminding us all that chronic fatigue after a COVID diagnosis and accompanying pneumonia would be very understandable. Added to the mix is this gentleman's prostate cancer treatment, which included more than two months of radiation. Dr. Mistry suspects that in this case, the patient may have had an aggressive prostate cancer and was subsequently given hormone ablation therapy to increase the efficacy of his radiation. Suppressing the hormone production of a man in his seventies is very likely to produce all the symptoms of low testosterone--one of which is definitely fatigue. Dr. Mistry explains that while many patients and even some physicians have come to believe hormone therapy increases the risk for prostate and breast cancers, this is not the case. Although "starving" the body of testosterone can help radiation therapy to kill off prostate cancer, it doesn't follow that supplementing testosterone to bring it into a normal range will therefore increase risk of death from prostate cancer or even worsen existing cancer. In fact, having a normal testosterone level has been shown to limit progression and/or recurrence of prostate cancer. In this patient's situation, testosterone therapy would be a great place to start when looking to bring his energy levels back up to normal (or even higher)! If you or someone you love is experiencing chronic fatigue, please give us a call today to learn how a urologist might be able to help!Check our our award winning podcast!https://blog.feedspot.com/sex_therapy_podcasts/https://blog.feedspot.com/mens_health_podcasts/Dr. Mistry is a board-certified urologist and has been treating patients in the Austin and Greater Williamson County area since he started his private practice in 2007.We enjoy hearing from you! Email us at [email protected] we’ll answer your question in an upcoming episode!Phone: (512) 238-0762Email: [email protected]: Armormenshealth.comOur Locations:Round Rock Office970 Hester’s Crossing Road Suite 101 Round Rock, TX 78681South Austin Office6501 South Congress Suite 1-103 Austin, TX 78745Lakeline Office12505 Hymeadow Drive Suite 2C Austin, TX 78750Dripping Springs Office170 Benney Lane Suite 202 Dripping Springs, TX 78620