NO......Not High Cholesterol too!

[whalepassion]

I can't believe it. Wake Forest Baptist Hospital had a free cholesterol screening this weekend. I hadn't had mine checked since my valve replac. surgery in late May. I was optimistic. I have lost 30 plus pounds since the surgery, eat right and am on that tread-mill everyday. My husband on the other hand NEVER exercises and eats ice cream, eggs and cheese regularly. I was sure mine would be low as always and his would be high. He is on medication. Go figure my ratio was 5.8 and total cholesterol was 237!! His was low! My question to you all is this, does coumadin or digoxin or synthroid affect cholesterol levels in any way? I really do eat right and am not overweight. Since I have been having such a rough time regulating my INR, I thought this might have something to do with it also. I just don't know. It is hereditary. Should I worry that high cholesterol will just add to the risk of a heart attack or am I stressing over nothing? I would appreciate your feedback.

 

[Nancy]

Did they refine the cholesterol test, showing all the breakdowns. I have a high overall cholesterol, but the good cholesterol is fantastically high and the bad one is very low.

 

[medtronic of borg]

Chol.

Chol.

Don't worry! Just scedule a full chol. work up. Chances are you are fine.

 

[Ross]

It's possible that you have a hereditary form, but like Medtronic suggests, get a full work up. You'll know everything from doing it that way. Hopefully knowing will be a good thing and not a bad one.

My arteries and veins are clear, but I tested high. Doc thinks I may be one of the hereditary folks. Why not, seems like everything with me is hereditary.

 

[hensylee]

Did you fast? Won't mean a thing unless you did. My bro recently had one when he went for his regular INR test and nobody told us it was going to be done - not dr office nor hospital (they didn't ask the question - did you fast). Naturally all his numbers were out of whack and they had me scared to death - his triglycerides were nearly 800 and cardio office told me he 'could' have diabetes. Well, we re-did it, with fasting, and he is perfectly normal. But during the period from first test results to next ones, I made him give up his dearly loved sweets til we found out. May I suggest you go see your regular dr and re-schedule another test, under directions and orders of your doctor. God bless

 

[whalepassion]

cholesterol

cholesterol

No, I did not fast. It was one of those prick your finger, tell you in five minutes kind of tests. I am going to have another test taken when I go in for my next INR. Afterall, I go every week for that. What is one more test!! My dad and brother have high cholesterol so I guess it is hereditary. Thanks to everyone for the replies.

 

[hensylee]

Pricking the finger won't get it. They have to take a quart or so of blood from your arm (after you have fasted for 12 hrs) and then do it. That test you took is of no consequence. Need to have a REAL one. Specially now that your curiosity is tweaked.

 

[ccrawford]

Seems like a lot of blood

Seems like a lot of blood

Whalepassion - they really only need a test tube or so of blood to do what they call a lipid profile: thats all four major measurements. The targets they normally use for these are as follows: Total C:less than 200, LDL:less than 100, HDL: more than 40, Triglycerides: less than 150. Your TC number was a little high, but most would call it borderline. You probably should get a full lipid profile which requires a fast. Bad C can be a major risk factor for heart disease, and if you're on this site, you don't need any more risks. Some people do have a tough time getting their C down, and it has something to do with the fact that the liver produces cholesterol all by itself. If we ate nothing but twigs and grass, we would still have enough cholesterol. We make things worse by eating all the bad stuff, typically defined as animal products. Unfortunately, all the stuff that tastes good typically isn't very good for you.(not really true-just seems that way) Chris

 

[KIRSONRON]

I've had elevated cholesterol - both total and LDL for a number of years now. My HDL was not particularly high either. I had taken statin drugs for at least 6 years and then suddenly developed unexplained pains that turned out to be caused by the Statins. To make a very long story short, I tried Tricor, WelChol. and most recently Zetia. Loads of side effects for me with these drugs, and I discussed stopping them all. Given that my cardiac cath showed no build up in the coronary arteries and that both an MRA and ultrasound of the carotid arteries were clean, there was a decent chance that the elevated cholesterol levels was not a major problem for me.

That indeed turned out to be the case. My doctor ran a hsCRP and homocystine test. Both results indicated a low risk of cardiac disease. This explained the absence of deposits in my arteries. If I could take the Statins I would since they actually lower risk factors. But, given the side effects of all the cholesterol lowering drugs, I've stopped all medication.

The most recent studies indicate that 50 percent of all people with problems with arterial build up do not have elevated cholesterol. Similarly, many people have elevated cholesterol levels and no evidence of disease. I would suggest any all people request these hsCRP and homocystine tests to get a clear picture regarding risk.

 

[hensylee]

to put this one in your ignore list, go to user cp, click ignore list, add him/her. None of his/her posts will show up at your house.