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<\/p>\nGordon Russell, 46, put his low mood and fatigue down to \u201clack of sleep and having a child\u201d.<\/p>\n
10:39, 27 Apr 2026Updated 21:44, 27 Apr 2026<\/p>\n
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(Image: Alan Petersen Photography\/PA Real Life)<\/p>\n
A man who was misdiagnosed with anxiety and depression after his father\u2019s death, before discovering he had \u201ccritically low\u201d testosterone levels, is encouraging other men to \u201cadvocate\u201d for themselves and \u201copenly talk\u201d about their health<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gordon Russell, better known as Gordy, 46, a lung cancer specialist nurse from Dumfries<\/a>, said he \u201cstruggled\u201d after his father\u2019s death in October 2024 but he had been experiencing symptoms of low mood, fatigue and lack of libido for four years prior.<\/p>\n At 40, Gordy\u2019s daughter Ayda was born in 2020, so he said he put these changes down to \u201clack of sleep and having a child<\/a> \u201d.<\/p>\n Within two years, Gordy started to visit his GP and had numerous investigations done, including blood tests to check for anaemia or thyroid issues, colonoscopies and stool samples for digestive health<\/a>, and chest X-rays \u2013 but he said it all came back as normal.<\/p>\n It was not until Gordy approached a medical professional colleague of his, who encouraged him to complete an Androgen Deficiency in Ageing Males (ADAM) questionnaire \u2013 a health<\/a> screening which he said he \u201cfailed miserably\u201d \u2013 before he had more blood tests and his low testosterone levels were diagnosed.<\/p>\n (Image: Collect\/PA Real Life)<\/p>\n Since starting on daily testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), Gordy said he has seen \u201chuge improvements\u201d in his life and general mood.<\/p>\n On being misdiagnosed with anxiety and depression, Gordy said: \u201cI think it\u2019s important sometimes to stand your ground and not just accept things.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes people are anxious and depressed, but sometimes they\u2019re not, and there needs to be more investigation around this area.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen men get to a certain age, this could be a real issue. That\u2019s where I would like to see things change more.\u201d<\/p>\n Gordy, a father of three, said he has always been \u201crelatively fit<\/a> and healthy\u201d with no underlying health conditions.<\/p>\n But he started to feel something shift from the age of 40.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t understand why I was feeling so chronically fatigued all the time,\u201d he said. \u201cI also noticed some changes in my body.<\/p>\n (Image: Collect\/PA Real Life)<\/p>\n \u201cI was gaining weight which I\u2019d never really done before because I\u2019d always been naturally quite skinny.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I was always body-shaming myself and I would never take a T-shirt off or anything at the beach.<\/p>\n \u201cMy libido decreased as well and my general interest in everything was gradually starting to deteriorate.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I was grumpy and my mood was off. I felt like I was constantly correcting the kids for things and I just had a shorter fuse than normal.\u201d<\/p>\n After two years of this, Gordy decided to visit his GP to try to get some answers in 2022, aged 42.<\/p>\n Very early on in his extensive medical investigations, Gordy said doctors suggested anxiety and depression, but he \u201cdidn\u2019t think that was the right thing\u201d for him.<\/p>\n Then in 2023, Gordy found out his father, David Russell, had prostate cancer<\/a> and he was offered palliative care.<\/p>\n By the autumn of 2024, his father\u2019s condition had worsened and one of his colleagues at the time \u2013 who was a palliative care doctor \u2013 informed Gordy that his father only had \u201canother couple of weeks\u201d left to live.<\/p>\n In October, Gordy said he received a call from his father\u2019s partner that his condition had rapidly worsened, so Gordy \u201cdropped everything\u201d and went to visit him to say goodbye.<\/p>\n On the impact his father\u2019s passing at the age of 70 had on him, Gordy said: \u201cWhen he died, that definitely took its toll emotionally, then the physical side responded to that too.<\/p>\n (Image: Collect\/PA Real Life)<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when everything really started to slump and I lost interest in things like ( gym<\/a> ) training.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just exhausted and I was reaching the point of being burnt out.<\/p>\n \u201cI was physically and emotionally at the lowest point I think I\u2019ve ever been.\u201d<\/p>\n It was at this moment that a doctor suggested Gordy might have depression, but he said this has \u201cnever been something that\u2019s ever plagued or bothered\u201d him before, so he decided to \u201cadvocate\u201d for himself and explore other options.<\/p>\n This is how Gordy came to do some research about low testosterone. It is categorised by mood swings, irritability, loss of muscle mass, reduced ability to exercise, fat redistribution, and a general lack of enthusiasm or energy, according to the NHS<\/a> \u2013 all of which can \u201cinterfere with everyday life and happiness\u201d.<\/p>\n It was during a conversation with a colleague who was an andrologist, a medical specialist focused on male health<\/a>, that things began to finally click into place.<\/p>\n Gordy said: \u201cI was just really honest with him, so I told him about all of my symptoms and asked: \u2018Could it be low testosterone?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cHe just looked at me and straightaway said: \u2018it sounds like it is\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n In the aftermath, Gordy was encouraged to complete an ADAM questionnaire, which he said his wife, Sarah, filled out because she could be \u201cmore honest\u201d about things like libido and sex drive.<\/p>\n According to the Men\u2019s Health<\/a> Clinic, it asks questions such as, \u201cDo you have a decrease in libido?\u201d, \u201cHave you lost height?\u201d, and \u201cAre you falling asleep after dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI failed it miserably,\u201d Gordy said, meaning his high scores indicated he most likely had testosterone deficiency.<\/p>\n He said his testosterone levels were checked after that and \u201cthey were awful\u201d and \u201ccritically low\u201d.<\/p>\n By the beginning of 2025, Gordy said he started on TRT via the NHS<\/a> and it initially helped, but he \u201cwasn\u2019t quite sure\u201d that his three-monthly injectable dose was working well.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cI just felt like I was up and down, so I wasn\u2019t getting that plateau of feeling well all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Within a year, Gordy came across the health brand, Voy, on social media, so he researched it and decided to switch over.<\/p>\n As part of the onboarding process, patients complete two blood tests on separate occasions to confirm measurements of low testosterone, alongside a 40-minute consultation with a doctor to investigate the patient\u2019s symptoms and medical history, according to Voy.<\/p>\n Gordy said he was happy to be approved for the switch, meaning he would start to have daily self-administered injections of TRT.<\/p>\n \u201cMy focus, my energy, my libido \u2013 everything\u2019s back to where it should be, rather than bouncing up and down all the time,\u201d he said, after noticing results within two months.<\/p>\n Gordy said he has experienced side effects of testicular atrophy \u2013 when the testicles decrease in size \u2013 small acne breakouts on his back and shoulders, and light shedding of hair, so he takes another medication called HCG to help with fertility.<\/p>\n He said he is regularly monitored and, if he has any concerns, consultants are readily available.<\/p>\n Today, Gordy said he has more energy for his children, his libido is \u201cbetter than normal\u201d and he has been able to maximise his gym training and nutrition so he is \u201cmore proud\u201d of himself physically.<\/p>\n Gordy added: \u201cI want to make the message clear that it\u2019s OK to say that something\u2019s not right and for men to openly talk about things like libido, erections and energy to remove that stigma from it.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information about Voy and its Health Index: Embarrassing Bodies report, visit its website at: https:\/\/www.joinvoy.com\/blog\/voy-health-index-press-release<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_PEOPLE_Testosterone_07090032JPG.jpg\")
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