Hey lads,

I haven't check in here in awhile so I want to give a brief update. I finally got the results back from some tests i did awhile back and everything was normal.

Testosterone:
My testosterone levels were normal - they were actually high and potentially above the normal range but within the acceptable margin of error (I know this may be inconsistent with what others have experienced but keep in mind that my situation is a bit atypical - I dont have any ED issues or libido issues or muscle loss; mostly just genital pain and changes to genitals appearance)

Fertility:
My semen analysis came back completely normal on all 5 pararemters (e.g. motility, vicosity, vialbility etc.). I did this test because i developed a "subclinical" varicocele in the aftermath of fin (which i suspect had to do with fin tbh). This test was mostly for my own peace of mind.

Neuorlogical:
At one point i developed some paraethesias throghout various parts of my body; it's unlcear if this was related to fin or not because they came about long after i stopped the medication. These have subsided; they have essentially disappeared; may be they had to do with stress. All of my (very low tech) neoruological testing came back normal as well..

I just wanted to make this post because every now and then someone posts something scary and you never hear from them again and that can provoke anxiety in readers. So, on the positive side of things, I am fertile, my testosterone levels are normal, and the neirological testing didnt highlight anything too worisome.

On the downside, I am still very much dealing with the daily pain that i described in my original post as well as genital appearance concerns.

I will also note that I spoke with Dr. Keith Jarvi on the phone (from Toronto); my urologist refered me to him. He was the first physician ive spoken too who had any clue about the variable effects of fin. He acknowledged that all of my issues could indeed be a result of fin. Moreover, he said that people with pfs recover within 2-4 years and that there isnt much intervention that is offered to them besides the encouragement to live a healthy livefstyle.

Some of you may find the above statement a bit provocative; I am no expert on pfs and I doubt Dr. Jarvi is either. Nonetheless, the fact that he seems to be aware of people who have recovered at all is encourageing to me and that's the peiece i've decided to hang on to.

Anyway, that's all for now. I hope everyone is doing as well as possible given their current circumstances. I'll check back in again with updates at some point.
To end on a more uplifting note, despite the fact that this situation has had a pretty dramatic impact on my life (daily pain is no walk in the park as some of you probably know), it has made me a much deeper person, less easily pulled by the allure of shallow ambitions and distractions (e.g., im no longer drinking or into partying liek i used to me); i find myself seeking out stories of people who have overcome great horrors and atorcities in their lives, and i no longer view these stories as merely intellectual - their is a visceral component to my understaindg of them now. There is a part of my that is hopeful that all of this could lead to much greater growth than i ever would have experienced without pfs. Time will tell. The story is not over... sorry for the rant lol!

Cheers, folks.