Bad Cholesterol - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Chad300tdt · #1 10-03-2008, 10:55 AM

I just got a call from my doctor about my blood test results.

He said everything looked good but my cholesterol was "scary high" at 308.

He wants to start me on pills to control it.

My question is, could my numbers have spiked due to eating hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages the week before the blood was drawn in an attempt to clean up the left-overs from the GTG I hosted on the 27th?? If that is possible, would it be plausible to spike 108 points over acceptable?

I plan to eat oatmeal every morning, get back into riding the stationary bike for 30 minutes everyday, and ELIMINATE ALL tasty grilled foods and see if my numbers go down. I guess I should avoid coffee too.

I hate taking pills of any kind and want to avoid taking a cholesterol pill for the rest of my life.

Graplr · #2 10-03-2008, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad300tdt

I just got a call from my doctor about my blood test results.

He said everything looked good but my cholesterol was "scary high" at 308.

He wants to start me on pills to control it.

My question is, could my numbers have spiked due to eating hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages the week before the blood was drawn in an attempt to clean up the left-overs from the GTG I hosted on the 27th?? If that is possible, would it be plausible to spike 108 points over acceptable?

I plan to eat oatmeal every morning, get back into riding the stationary bike for 30 minutes everyday, and ELIMINATE ALL tasty grilled foods and see if my numbers go down. I guess I should avoid coffee too.

I hate taking pills of any kind and want to avoid taking a cholesterol pill for the rest of my life.

I doubt it would spike 108 points. I'm sure a small change could happen over a few days, but probably not 108.

I'll ask the sig. other as she is a physician.

If you don't want to take pills (which is understandable) I would talk to your Doc and tell them your plan, like you told us. Suggest you try it out for a month or two and then have it checked again to see if it is heading in the right direction.

davidmash · #3 10-03-2008, 11:04 AM

A lot depends on what caused the high cholesterol. For me it was genetics. I was pegged at around the 400 mark. The thing is I never ate fried food, I never ate fast food or junk food in general. I eat very little processed food. I eat fresh steamed vegies, lots of fish and chicken, fruit ...etc. Doc said it was family history. My sister is in the same boat. For me the pills were the only possibility.

I got down to the low 200's and I have been off the pills for about 8 month now because I also do not like the idea of being on them for all eternity and I lost my job so currently I do not have insurance that covers drugs. So we will see what happens. My new job gives me lots of exercise (I lost 12 lbs in 3 month) so I am down to 190lbs on a 6'4" frame.

My sister was able to get hers down by diet and a over the counter organic pill (I'll see if I can get the name). She cut out a lot of foods. She replaced soy/tofu with what ever she could and it got hers down also.

Chad300tdt · #4 10-03-2008, 11:18 AM

Thanks for the replies.

I've been trying to call my doctor all morning. He left the info on my answering machine. I just listened to it again and got more details:

Cholesterol: 308 - should be under 200
HDL: 33 - should be higher than 40
Triglycerides: 530 - should be less than 150

There's also a history of heart disease and stroke in my family.

I hope to get through to the doc soon. I want to make sure I'm being properly monitored while I try my diet and exercise program.

I hope I can get this under control without incident.

SwampYankee · #5 10-03-2008, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad300tdt

I just got a call from my doctor about my blood test results.

He said everything looked good but my cholesterol was "scary high" at 308.

He wants to start me on pills to control it.

My question is, could my numbers have spiked due to eating hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages the week before the blood was drawn in an attempt to clean up the left-overs from the GTG I hosted on the 27th?? If that is possible, would it be plausible to spike 108 points over acceptable?

I plan to eat oatmeal every morning, get back into riding the stationary bike for 30 minutes everyday, and ELIMINATE ALL tasty grilled foods and see if my numbers go down. I guess I should avoid coffee too.

I hate taking pills of any kind and want to avoid taking a cholesterol pill for the rest of my life.

Holy $h!t, Chad!

It's a good thing you found out about it early, though. That'd have to be one hell of a binge to spike that much.

While diet and genetics factor in, it still is a crap shoot. My brother, who is far more health and diet conscious than I, is on Lipitor and has been for 5-6 years now. I just got my results back from my insurance qualification exam and my level was 165/HDL was 31 (while both are within their preferred range the ratio should be under 5.0% and I came in at 5.3%). I have made a concerted effort to get an exercise routine and behave myself more at the dinner table and with the 12 oz. curls.

Mistress · #6 10-03-2008, 11:24 AM

Chad- Ask your doctor if you can re-take the test in 2-3 weeks and during that time period eat fresh vegetables, chicken or fish baked not fried and cut out most of the sugar. I think he's jmping to fast to put you on th pills. Good luck.

SwampYankee · #7 10-03-2008, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad300tdt

Triglycerides: 530 - should be less than 150

There's also a history of heart disease...in my family.

Mine was at 318 and me too, along with diabetes.

I always had subconsciously figure when I turned 40 I'd pay more attention to my health, but there's no time like the present.

And like yourself, that big 4-0 is coming a hell of a lot faster now than it seemed to a few years ago.

Gurkha · #8 10-03-2008, 11:25 AM

Chad.......take control now before its too late, that doesn't' mean going anal on red meat and good food in general, but moderation a must. Also bear in mind some cholesterol meds have been known to cause memory loss in long term, ask your doc specifically about it. Also switch to healthy Rice Bran Oil for all your cooking purposes.

I too have diabetes but my cholesterol count is around 148 due to the eating habits I have adopted which do include red meat and fish.

Dee8go · #9 10-03-2008, 11:32 AM

Chad, I did the Atkins diet a couple of years ago to lose some weight and to try to break some bad eating habits. The food I ate on thet diet seems to have made my HDL rise and my LDL drop for several years in a row. Like somebody else said, though, genetics plays a big role in all of this.

I'm with you on the pills. I hate to get started down that road, but at least they're there if you DO need them.

Good luck.

Chad300tdt · #10 10-03-2008, 12:37 PM

Still trying to get through to the doctor.

I guess every patient they have is trying to call this morning.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm putting together a list and a plan for when I can actually speak with the doc.

Whiskeydan · #11 10-03-2008, 01:00 PM

Dang Chad. Better get that rechecked.

I had a chest pain scare episode earlier this year. Several test and $$$ later they say they don't know what it was/is. Cardio doc say my heart is fine...

I still get short of breath and have the random odd chest 'twing' every now and then. I just don't worry about it so much now.

Although, I do eat much healthier now after the scare.

Good luck!

dynalow · #12 10-03-2008, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee8go

I'm with you on the pills. I hate to get started down that road, but at least they're there if you DO need them.

Good luck.

Coreg. Check
Crestor. Check
Accupril. Check.
"Well now they call me the Breeze. I keep rollin' down the road!"

Chad, is the Doc your GP or is he a Cardio? Ask him if he thinks you should see a Cardio? Haven't had the pleasure yet, so I can't guess your age, but don't put off a stress test if you are at or near 40. I would recommend you have a stress test. Just tell your doctor you have some chest discomfort. Get it done and begin your cardiac trendline. Simple. I think the acronym is COCP..."Complained of chest pain"

I saw my Cardio on Tuesday. Had blood work this morning.
Tech: "You won't have any left" Me: "Bloodsuckers!"

My guy tests for everything!

My bi-annual stress test is next Friday.

And FWIW, I never had high cholesterol, before or after the bypasses.

"Well now they call me the Breeze. I keep rollin' down the road!"

Dee8go · #13 10-03-2008, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynalow

. . . And FWIW, I never had high cholesterol, before or after the bypasses.

. . . :

Thanks alot, Jim. My cholesterol is low, so I wasn't worried . . . until now, that is.

dannym · #14 10-03-2008, 01:28 PM

Red Yeast Rice is supposed to lower cholesterol.
From Wikepedia:

Quote:

Red yeast rice when produced using the 'Went' strain of Monascus purpureus contains significant quantites of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin which is also known as mevinolin, a naturally-occurring statin. It is sold as an over the counter dietary supplement for controlling cholesterol (See ref.: Medicine Net). There is strong scientific evidence for its effect in lowering blood levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein/LDL ("bad cholesterol"), and triglyceride levels (see below). Because an approved drug is identical to the molecule it is therefore regulated as a drug by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

You can buy this at health food stores.

Quote:

An article in the June 15, 2008, issue of the American Journal of Cardiology found that red yeast rice may provide benefits beyond those provided by statins. The researchers reported that the benefits seemed to exceed those reported with lovastatin alone.

As with other Statin drugs you need tro watch the intake of certain foods. Grapefruit is one that comes to mind.

Hope you get things squared away.

Danny

sfloriII · #15 10-03-2008, 01:29 PM

My cholesterol has been high for about a year now. I keep a good diet, but it's the genetics. Now the doctor has me on Zocor and I'll have another test in six months to see what's going on. I hate the idea of being on a pill for the rest of my life, especially because I only have one working kidney and I'd rather not have so many drugs sifting through it and my liver.

Good luck bringing the numbers down!