You summed it up perfectly how it feels with low test. While my mates of the same age are out running, playing 5 aside football ect after work id be on the couch. Even if you did have the energy to desire to do anything over than get though the day is absolute zero.
Then theres the low mood ect.
Id rather die ten years earlier than go though life like that.
One thing I have to tell you from personal experience (purely n=1). Yes, HRT has done wonders for me. I will never stop. However, for me there is a disconnect between the physical and mental effects. A bit hard to explain, but here goes.
I'm 40. Without the HRT my physical self felt at least 50. Now with the HRT (a bit more than normal, 325 mg/w) my body feels like 30. Wonderful! The strange thing for me is: my body feels younger, as in it can do much more. But the mental part has not changed as much. Mentally I don't feel 30 instead of 40, I feel 38 instead of 40. Sorry if it doesn't make sense, I even find it hard to verbalize it to myself.
Perhaps a manly car analogy will help.
I am suddenly driving a Ferrari body, but my mind keeps telling me to not step on the gas, because it still thinks I'm driving an old Fiat. I rationally know it is no longer true, but my subconscious keeps being too cautious. So I'm finding I have to force myself to step on the gas pedal, which in a sense is also fatiguing.
A real-life example is simple walking. Before starting HRT a 4 hour walk was possible, but only once per week. Now I do the same walk, and my mind will be telling me the next day that I can't do it again. But that's not true, because I CAN do it again the next day. My body is telling me: "go ahead!", while my mind is telling me "be careful, you are old!". So there is always that mental block for me to overcome. Possible, but that too takes willpower. The roids don't
make you go out and do things, they
allow you to go out and do things. Small but important difference.
Does any of this change my views on HRT? Not at all. I still highly recommend it. But just a heads up.