A little under 4 years ago I started having trouble holding onto weight with no changes in my diet. I'd been on my version of TRT for at least 8-10 years (300+ mg test E per week minimum and bumping it up close to a gram during several cycles per year) + a lot of other gear at different times.....eq, var, deca, tbol, gh, etc etc etc. I never had bloodwork done once! After a few weeks of losing weight and noticing some other weird shit (visual disturbances eg swirly shit in my periphiral vision) one night around 1 am I started feeling an INTENSE burning sensation in my lungs - it was the beginning of a massive heart attack. I tried to walk it off - haha.
I "went out" trying to go get my fiance/roommate when i realized this shit was serious. Had she not woken up when my hard ass head hit the deck outside and came to check on what the loud bam was I'd have laid there and died - no doubt! I lost the entire front wall of my heart - it died - just dead meat and scar tissue now. Was in intensive care for 10 days and had a 6 way bypass. This was just the beginning of a continuing medical saga that's included a 2nd heart attack (minor relatively speaking), a collapsed lung, surgical repair of 3 abdominal aneurysm's, implantation of an internal pacemaker/difibrilator, and emergency surgery on a blood clot that occluded ALL blood flow to my right leg (almost lost that mother fucker).
My health's fucked at 58.....B very lucky (or just too fuckin stubborn) to make it to 60. Congestive heart failure is pretty successful at taking people out especially someone with an ejection fraction at 13% and cardiomyopathy etc. Statistically speaking I shouldn't have made it this long. Even doctors I see who I havent seen before tend to go "whoa shit" when they see my chart.
Now, I'm not saying gear had anything to do with my medical issues, But I sure can't say it didn't. My family has a well documented history of heart problems. Grandmother, mother, uncle all had multiple heart attacks. Me, being an overachiever, had a bigger heart attack and more complications. My point is this..... my shit is what it is - doesn't really matter now why it happened. BUT, it certainly is possible, maybe likely, that irresponsible gear usage did play some part large or small.
So, take my experience for what its worth.....I would strongly encourage anyone who's going to be on gear (of almost any kind) longer that average "cycle time" to get your bloodwork done. It could add many years to your life.
Stay safe, Spec