Eighteen months into long COVID, I discovered something my doctors missed entirely. My hormones were f'ed.

Not just "a little low." Completely crashed. Yet every specialist said the same thing: "don't worry about your hormones. You look healthy. Your'e fine."

That's when I realized - if I wanted my life back, I'd have to figure this out myself.

The Hormone Connection Nobody Discusses

Long COVID wreaks havoc on your endocrine system. Data from Mount Sinai (2024) found 68% of long-haulers have hormonal disruptions. Yet it's rarely investigated.

My labs told the story:

• Morning cortisol: completely flat

• Testosterone: barely functional

• Thyroid: borderline low

I spent months researching. Reading studies. Joining forums. Talking to other survivors who'd healed themselves.

The pattern was clear: if hormones are out of whack, hormone-replacement-therapy will be life changing.

Starting My Experiment

March 2024. I'd already tried everything else. It was time to test my hormone hypothesis.

The approach needed to be strategic. I'd seen too many guys blast high-doses of testosterone and sure…. gain a bunch of muscle, but they also looked like they aged a decade in 12 months. That wasn't the goal.

I wanted:

• Sustainable energy restoration

• Cognitive enhancement

• Muscle preservation (I was getting de-conditioned & losing the muscle I spent 7+ years building)

• Minimal side effects

The standard protocols seemed overkill for someone already dealing with systemic inflammation. So I designed something different.

The Protocol Evolution

Phase 1: Foundation Building

Started with low.

80mg of TRT per week, split into 3 separate doses across theweek.

Within two weeks, subtle changes. Morning fatigue slightly better. Afternoon crashes less severe.

Phase 2: Targeted Support

Added low-dose hCG in order to maintain fertility, semen production, and natural testosterone production in the testes… and rebalance the body's HPA-Axis.

My dose: 375 IU 3x per week. Subcutaneously injected.

The response was immediate. Energy jumped 30%. Brain fog lifted slightly. Libido returned from the dead.

Phase 3: Optimization

This is where it got interesting.

I slowly increases the TRT dose from 80mg a week to 120mg a week to assess how I felt, and find the perfect dose for me.

Six Month Later:

The transformation was dramatic:

Energy: Went from 3 productive hours daily to 8-10. Post-exertional malaise (aka PEM) became manageable instead of devastating.

Cognition: Word recall improved. Executive function restored. Could actually follow complex conversations again.

Physical: Gained 15 pounds of lean mass despite minimal training. Body composition completely shifted.

Labs:

• Testosterone: 950 ng/dl (up from 225)

• Free T: Optimal range

• Estradiol: Perfect sweet spot

• SHBG: Normal

But numbers don't tell the whole story.

The Unexpected Benefits

What surprised me most wasn't the physical changes. It was everything else.

Emotional regulation returned. After two years of numbness, I felt drive to do things again. I started to pickup work again a year after giving up my business. Better yet, music hit different. Sunsets made me pause. Human connection felt real. Life was good.

Stress resilience increased. Things that would've made me crash before became manageable. My HRV data showed objective improvement - up from 24 on average to 40+ on most days.

Sleep structure normalized. Deep sleep increased from 45 minutes to 2+ hours nightly. REM cycles regulated. Waking refreshed instead of exhausted.

Immune function stabilized. Inflammatory markers dropped. CRP went from elevated to optimal.

The Science Behind Recovery

Why does this work for long COVID specifically?

Three mechanisms:

1. Mitochondrial restoration: Testosterone directly supports mitochondrial biogenesis. More cellular energy = better function.

2. Neuroinflammation reduction: Optimal hormones modulate inflammatory cytokines. Less brain inflammation = clearer thinking.

3. Autonomic rebalancing: Hormones influence nervous system regulation. Better balance = fewer crashes.

Studies from Stanford (2023) and Yale (2024) confirm these pathways.

Building Your Own Protocol

Everyone's different. What worked for me might not work for you. But here's the framework:

Start with testing:

• Comprehensive hormone panel

• Inflammatory markers

• Metabolic panel

• Thyroid complete

• Adrenal assessment

Begin conservatively:

• One intervention at a time

• Low doses initially

• Track everything

• Adjust based on response

Support the process:

• Eat a Clean diet (free from gluten, processed foods, and sugar)

• Light movement

• Stress management

• Quality sleep

Monitor closely:

• Monthly labs initially

• Regular symptom tracking

• Check-ins with a practitioner

Finding the Right Support

Here's the hard truth: Most doctors won't help with this.

You need someone who:

• Understands hormone optimization

• Treats symptoms, not just labs

• Willing to think outside conventional medicine

• Experienced with complex cases

I went through six doctors before finding the right fit. Don't settle for "let's wait and see."

If you want my help >>> schedule a call with me here, to work with me one-on-one.

The Bigger Picture

Hormone optimization isn't a magic bullet. It's one piece of a complex puzzle.

My full recovery protocol includes:

• Targeted supplementation

• Mitochondrial support

• Immune modulation

• Lifestyle optimization

But hormones? They were the foundation that made everything else possible.

Current Status

Fourteen months into this protocol, I'm at 85% recovery.

Not perfect. Still have bad days. But I have a life again.

Running my business. Traveling between Cape Town and Bali. Training consistently again. Building relationships.

The improvement in my quality of life is unquestionable.

Your Next Steps

If you're stuck in long COVID hell, consider this:

Your hormones are probably compromised. The question is how much.

You can wait for the medical establishment to catch up. Or you can take action now.

Get tested. Find support. Start conservatively. Track everything.

Recovery is possible. I've seen it myself first-hand.

But it requires stepping outside conventional approaches. Being your own advocate. Accepting that nobody cares about your recovery more than you do.

The choice is yours.

What's it going to be?

If you want my help to create a full personalized recovery plan >>> schedule a quick 15min call with me here to get started.

Disclaimer: This represents my personal journey and research. Not medical advice. Work with qualified practitioners who understand both hormone optimization and post-viral syndromes.