4 wks: My cholesterol/triglycerides are HIGH

Hello, ladies. This is not necessarily the biggest issue that many of us are facing after our surgeries. But..

Just curious if any of you have had a similar issue, and if so, what you are doing about it.

Before my TAH-BSO on 1/23/06, my cholesterol was 183, HDL (good cholesterol) was 60, LDL (bad cholesterol) was 100, and triglycerides were 100. The numbers looked really great!

Well, they just tested me, and now my cholesterol has shot up ** 60 points **, my HDL has dropped to 45, LDL has gone up to 145, and triglycerides shot up to 264!! Is this because of the surgery? Have any of you dealt with this issue? Any recommendations? I am kind of freaking out because in the almost year before surgery, I worked hard to lose weight (30 pounds), eat right, and get that cholesterol down. Despite all my best efforts, I feel like I'm right back where I started. Could this be because of the extreme change in hormone levels?

I know testosterone can make your cholestrol go up.

Hi jprod30

As I went into menopause, my cholesterol went from low normal to high normal over about 2 years. My doctor said he's seen this in many meno women and attributed to the loss of estrogen. He also said it could be a genetic predisposition. I've tried diet and exercise but nothing has budged the levels. I'm now on Crestor and will find out the results at my next well woman check up.

Best wishes and s.......Wendy

Does anyone have any trouble with irritibility when taking Lipitor? I feel very irritable and everyone gets on my nerves. Do you know of an alternative?

Ah, the good old triglycerides...sigh. They are what brought me to this point, in a roundabout way!! First, my triglycerides were shown to be OVER 500!!! And my cholesterol was 119, which isn't bad. So I am freaking out and trying to eat healthy foods, which caused a diverticulitis attack from the fiber. The CT scans I had in preparation for that surgery showed me having a huge uterus, so that had to go. So now, I guess I better get back to the triglyceride problem. I was on zocor a short time, and I had "muscle pain and weakness" in my arm. Blood tests didn't show whatever it is they are supposed to show, so the drug wasn't blamed, but I won't take the statins again!! The irritability could very well be from it. Cholesterol plays a big part of nerve transmission and reception!! Keep your eyes open! Me, I am going back to teaching Monday, and I am hoping for a 2 hour delay soon, so I can pop in for a blood draw some morning!