Elevated cholesterol?

I am age 55 and had a cholesterol test recently. My family physician send me a print-out of the lab report with the following comments:

	Quote:
“Your lab test, as indicated above, shows that your lipids (cholesterol, LDL) are quite elevated. We should discuss a more aggressive intervention to try and reduce your future risk of heart attack and stroke. If you are watching your diet then you would probably benefit from starting on medication to reduce your levels. If not and you want to try diet and exercise and repeating your test in six months, that would be okay.”

My number was 232 and “normal” is less than 199, so I am only 33 points “high.” It’s not like the number was 800-plus.

I am reluctant to take any medication not because of the cost and inconvenience but because of what I have observed from “paying attention” through the decades to those in my orbit: friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers and just “people I know” in general. Those who take the most medications are the sickliest and the people who take the least amount of pills (and seldom visit doctor’s offices) are the healthiest. I can’t figure out this conundrum. I am primarily acquainted with people from my general region, who are descended from “hardy stock.” Our grandparents and those before them were not pampered European royalty but instead belonged to a population of the extreme contrary: under-privileged immigrants who were “settlers on the prairie” and had to be sturdily built and of a resilient nature in order to survive extreme temperatures, erratic nutrition, viruses, infections, wildlife attacks, etc. They didn’t have doctors and pharmacies at the ready. It was pretty much, “if whatever you got (disease) didn’t kill you, you lived.”

From similar observations I have come to suspect that if the human body is frequently or constantly medicated it becomes lazy. It gets "spoiled" and consequently slacks off in battling ailments and diseases on its own. I realize this is an unflattering comment about the human body, but I don’t believe we’re designed to have foreign substances (drugs) imposed on us in the first place, so any reactions to and repercussions from those invading substances can be pardoned in my opinion.

I have been through the experience of colon cancer so this may also have some impact on why “numbers” from a blood draw seem trivial to me. As I told my doctor, “The hearts of all my relatives beat strongly until they die of cancer…and sometimes even afterwards.” I am not overweight and don’t smoke cigarettes. I walk 3 or 5 miles per day an average of six days per week, year-round. I don’t have the slightest worry about cardiovascular issues.

Anyway, my question -- and I do have one -- for my “fifty-something” comrades is: Have you been told you have elevated cholesterol levels? If so, are you taking a medication for it, trying to lower it with diet and exercise, or “ignoring it” like I am doing?

(((((Carmen))))))) I totally understand your point of view regarding medication I've noticed the same thing too.

Where elevated cholesterol levals are concerned, I've been told that mine was elevated. It's not really a surprise: I am overweight and elevated cholesterol levals are rampant in my family I've not reached the point where medication was even suggested: I have enough with the blood pressure meds, vitamins, "natural" HRT and Trazodone I'm taking For one who hated taking Tylenols, I've gone a long way in the the other direction

I am going back to a healthier life style: back to eating vegies, low fat meats, fruits, and watching fats and carbs I'm also ing to work and firmly plan to go back to Curves next week.

You may want to look into the good cholesterols v/s the bad cholesterols

I am totally confused about the whole high-cholesterol subject. I read a lot and there are so many sides to what is or is not the right thing to do , if anything.
I was told mine was too high (about 219) several years ago and was put on medication. I tried about 5 different ones and every one of them caused so much joint and muscle pain that I could barely get out of bed in the mornings. My doctor said I wasn't staying on them long enough to "get used" to them. I had tried one for 6 months, though, and it only got worse. So, now, I refuse to even try another one.
My MIL, who was about 85 when her doc put her on Lipitor for high cholesterol, was in great health otherwise and still mowed her own lawn. Shortly afterwards she began having pains in her legs and joints. For the next year she progressively got worse until she got to where she needed a walker to get around. I then told her to talk to the doc about the Lipitor because that was one of the meds I tried. She told her to stop taking it. Within about a month she was back to mowing her own lawn again. She is 92 now and still mows.

[I know that some people can take this or other medications and not have any problem so I am not suggesting that anyone should stop taking it because of my experience. I am just relating what happened to me and if others are having similar problems, please discuss it with your doctor. ]

I don't know what my levels are now. It has been awhile since I had mine checked. It concerns me because we have a history of heart disease in my family. Both of my parents and one brother died from heart related diseases. Two other brothers have had heart surgeries. We also have a genetic disorder - hemochromatosis - which causes our bodies to store too much iron in all of our major organs - especially the heart. Because I found this out early before my iron levels were extremely high, I have been able to keep my levels down and have hopefully prevented the problems that my brothers have had. But I still worry about it. I am trying to watch my diet and exercise more but something keeps coming up - like a hyster - that sets me back in that respect. I am finally back into walking each morning so I hope that will help.

I don't like taking medication because I am allergic to a lot of it and am very sensitive to most. I am taking something for high blood pressure - it took about 5 to find one of those I can tolerate - and I take something for acid reflux. They both have side affects but I can tolerate them.

So, to answer your question : I don't react to medications like other people do and it really irks me when doctors refuse to treat me as an individual. I don't know who to believe so, for now, I am just going to trust my instincts and ignore it !

Ahhh, high-cholesterol, it runs in our family, mine and my sisters are in the low 200's my moms is high 300's. My 51 yr old sister doctor started her on Non Flushing Niacin 500 mg a day to lower it. I will keep you updated if it works. I have my Well Women check up Aug 12, I started taking it myself to see if I get any changes. Want to know a TRUE STORY!?? I swear it true and I dont know why!!! But about 7-8 years ago I went on a no red meat plan, lasted almost 3 years, and my cholesterol didn't change but a few points over that time. But 2 years ago I went on a ALL MEAT high protein diet ate meat all day everyday and with in 6 weeks I had my cholesterol re checked and it came back 170!? WHAT? 170??? So I really think that carbs (which I love) make up the high-cholesterol problem along with family histories, not animal fats .. I used to work in a meat dept for 23 years and I have heard this more than once, so I had to try it, and it was so true!

Anyone else have any experiences on this too? Needless to say I stopped eating so much meat after a few months one can only take so much. I started back eating chicken and ground turkey again. My levels are back up to the low 200's again.

Yes, I was told that my total cholesterol was a little high - 212. What puzzled me was that my "good" cholesterol was very good. It seems strange that they worry when part of the total is "good".

I've managed to keep it under control with just watching what I eat. Well, sorta, it hasn't gone down much but it hasn't gone up either.

What's really not fair is that my DH eats anything that he wants ( he loves butter, eggs, and bacon ) and his cholesterol is always good.

Jean, yes puzzled is the word!! My Doctor told me my "good" cholesterol was very good as well. What is happening with this stuff? I really dont think anyone knows the truth about cholesterol yet. On the Atkins diet you can eat eggs, bacon and butter and meat, with no cholesterol problems? But what is happening to our arteries if we eat all that fat? Too confusing!

Jeanus- my DH is the same as yours. Eats whatever and a LOT more of it than I do. No probs with his cholesterol and is healthy as a horse. He changed job positions (at the post office) the same day that I had my hyster. It is a little more physical labor than he had before, plus he dropped out a couple of the 4 Dr. Pepper's he was drinking a day. HE LOST 25 LBS in just a couple of months. How fair is that?!?!?!
One of my brothers went on a low fat diet years ago when it first became popular. He worked it religiously. Lost too much weight and looked sick. But his cholesterol went UP. He still is very careful about his weight - he's a firefighter - but he just recently had to have a heart valve replaced and had two by-passes done.
I don't understand it. I don't think the doctors do either. It is definitely a conundrum.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by purplefreak I don't know who to believe so, for now, I am just going to trust my instincts and ignore it !

Sounds like a plan to me! Since I am nearly always wanting to lose ten pounds, I am going to diligently try to do so and after I am down to my ideal weight then I am going to have the test again and see if the weight loss helped.

Oh, and one other thing: Just between us...I cheated on the test! Before my blood draw, I had two cups of coffee with 2% milk. I was supposed only have water for 12 hours beforehand. But I just can't get into a car and drive to a medical office without being "awake." I don't really think consuming that little amount of "banned liquid" made a difference.

My cholesterol was elevated as well - 208, but my cardiologist seemed to be more concerned about the ratio of good to bad than the total number. It had already improved from the year before as had my blood pressure. Doc looked and me and said - did you quit your job? Well, as a matter of fact I had. So apparently there is a definite connection, at least with me, with stress. I also smoke and he feels that if I kick that, there won't be an issue. I have been working on eating better and walking alot more since the hyst ( started smoking again a week after - rats!) and have lost 15lbs, so I hope that will do the trick. Set a new quit date of 8/20 as I am not fond of pharmaceuticals like many of you. I guess my point is, there are things other than diet that can have a big impact.

Oh, I also "cheated" on my first test w/coffee and skim milk and it did change the numbers. It was 220 w/the coffee, 208 the next day when I went back after doing it right.

Wow, Grace! Thanks for sharing that you also cheated with coffee and milk. I didn't think that could make a difference. That makes me think my numbers really aren't quite that high.

I am also suspicious that the test numbers might vary from day to day based on stress, amount of sleep and other factors but of course my doctor would say "no" about this theory if I asked him.