Anabolic steroids are absolutely safe, they have no danger AT ALL. The work perfectly, they are a wonder of science. That little example you mention about an infection detected by x-rays, lol...what is killing you is the infection, not the steroid. They are controlled substances, because they produce so many wonderful thing to the human body at a genetic level, that if they were available for everybody, the whole nation would be living under HRT, with amazingly developed bodies and enhanced genetics.
From HGH, to create such problems as you mention in the joints, you would need to overdose it. HGH is absolutely safely used in HRT plans today, and at low doses, has never had any side effect proven.
Then the shut down process you mention from using steroids, can be perfectly managed with the addition of ancilliary chemicals in your body in order to keep the HPTA active, and avoid hypogonadism. Is it that doctors know so little about it, that to keep themselves on the safe side, they prefer to tell people to stay aways from them. A professional bodybuilder as a better understanding of the endocrine system and the effect os exogenous hormones, than an average MD.
Remember all those wrestlers deaths on the last years? what the media said first: "They were on steroids!!" Well, not a single one died from steroid related causes. Steroids, were one of the 20 other things they were abusing in their lives.
Did you know that aspirin can kill you? if you read the label, it is extremely dangerous and has over 20 different possible side effects. However, even kids take it for a simple headache. Why the different behavior with steroids? Mind control. Emotional manipulation from the government and the media.