Next de-motivator :-(

[fencerm2]

Ok, so I went to see the Doctor yesterday. Nothing is wrong, aside from concerns I have about my left hand being a little numb (which is either some kind of nerve pinch or carpal tunnel - blah). Just to be safe, since I was around people who have strep, I had that checked, too (Negative, which is good). But it has been 4 months or so, and time to re-check my cholesterol.

In April, my cholesterol was at 274. I weighed 208. My Doctor wanted to put me on Lipitor or a similar drug - an idea I do not like (I turn 33 a week from tomorrow). So I drastically change my diet, increase my exercise, start taking some homeopathics. It might be working - I have dropped to about 198 (first time I've been under 200lbs since the early 1990's.) It's working, right? Yeah, big fucking deal - my cholesterol is only down to 264.

Doctor again recommends Lipitor or such. I am VERY uncomfortable with that - this is not a drug you can go on, then stop. It is a drug you take FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! So I would have to ingest this stuff, everyday, for (powers-that-be or god(s) or flying-spaghetti monster willing) the next 40 - 50 YEARS. Do they know enough about the long-term effects of this stuff yet? What about the studies arguing that the link between cholesterol and heart disease is not so cut and dry? Hell, I KNOW they've done no studies on a man my age taking this stuff! Does this make me very uncomfortable? Hell yes!

So - again, I will explore more homeopathics. I also need to cut back my carbs now as well. But the drugs? Not yet...

Never easy, is it?

Comments

[oaken-glen.livejournal.com]

Doctors are teh suck. They seem to be so damn quick to prescribe the latest and greatest wonder drug.

I have to agree that it seems to be WAY too soon to resort to the drug treatment. From the little that I've read, the National Cholesterol Education folks recommend at LEAST a 6 month program of diet, exercise and homeopathic treatment before resorting to med treatment.

I've read some material stating that people with low cholesterol are almost at the same risk as people with high cholesterol for heart disease.

You can always get a second opinion too.

[fencerm2.livejournal.com]

Yeah, gotta love how quick the Doc's prescribe a drug.

Oh, I should mention I am fighting genetics on this, too. BUT - that makes me FURTHER question this. If, genetically, I am pre-disposed to higher cholesterol - well what does that say? I don't get it.

[oaken-glen.livejournal.com]

They are pretty speedy with the prescription pad. That's why I'm such a bad patient. ;)

Heredity certainly plays a big role in it. Unfortunately that's not something you can change. I think you're on the right track with the diet and exercise.

Have you tried oatmeal

[forsair.livejournal.com]

I can go into a longish lecture about the benefits of oatmeal, but let us just say that as long as you have a gall bladder, oatmeal may help.

Basically oatmeal takes a lot bile to digest. Your gall bladder and liver makes bile by pulling cholesterol from your blood.

I did a fair amount of investigating this since my dad's strokes last year. I take after his side of the family and he is now a type II diabetic, on lipitor, and blood thinners, and about six more things. (A fate I'm trying to avoid.)

Re: Have you tried oatmeal

[fencerm2.livejournal.com]

Need to do more oatmeal, apparently. Heard good things about it...

My grandpa died at 67 during his 2nd or 3rd bypass surgery. I would like to avoid a first, certainly...but I have a hard time believing, at 33, starting a lifelong drug could possibly be a good idea...

Re: Have you tried oatmeal

[forsair.livejournal.com]

As someone who will be on allergy and asthma medicine for the rest of her life. . .I sympathize. (At least they've gotten down to two pills and an inhaler a day.) Of course if there weren't these drugs I would have been selected out by age 13. If there weren't these drugs I'd be a blob living in a bubble :P

I encourage you to find a non-drug alternative and put the day of daily-for-the-rest-of-your-life drugs off as long as you can.

A longish while ago I set up a LJ group called amberprime for the gory details of weight, workouts, what works, what doesn't, the latest bits of science. I'm going to get active on posting there again, starting on Sunday.

I have a goal (being able to fight crown in Nov. and not drop dead) and that is where I'll be reporting on it.

If you have a goal, like being able to kick my sorry and pre-bruised newbie hide allover a rapier field at either Crusades or 100 minutes war. . . as an example (I plan on authorizing at Crusades.)

Feel free to join/lurk/use the community.

That might help the motivation. Sort of electronic tag-nagging.

Hang in there!

[(Anonymous)]

Good for you for getting below 200lbs! Definitely eat oatmeal, it works. You can also get the same benefits from Cheerios, my dad had lots of success with both. Switch them up, cuz oatmeal every day just sucks! I would not go on the drugs, so many of them are being recalled because when they come out the companys don't really know what the long term effects are going to be. You may also want to up your intake of dark green and dark red fruits and veggies. In Chinese medicine dark red fruits and veggies help strengthen and clean the blood. The dark greens will help clean the intestines and help with the flush of fat and toxins. If you are loosing weight you need to make sure the fat is getting completly out of your body and not hanging around in your intestines.

Re: Hang in there!

[staceyspins.livejournal.com]

THis was me! Sorry I forgot to log in!

[artisticphoenix.livejournal.com]

Ping me through email and I'll get you in touch with Ogedei. He did wonders with some vitamin stuff, exercise and diet.

[chrystie69.livejournal.com]

You're doing the right thing by not taking the Lipitol, use diet and exercise. Didn't they do a differential? What is the break down of the good to bad cholesterol? Liptol has a long term side affect, it can adversely affect your liver, I remember this from when the INS doctor wanted to put Rooke on Lipitol and our primary physician, an old Navy Doctor, was adament he not take it and did the differential on the cholesterol and found that his good cholesterol was much higher and the bad was way below normal.

There are good reasons to take medications, I do have medications I will need to take for the rest of my life because of my immunological disorder, without this my life would be much worse. But there are other medications that people with my disorder take that I have chosen not to try because the long term side affects are just not worth the risk.

[fencerm2.livejournal.com]

Ah, see, while I only dropped overall 10 points from 274 to 264, my BAD cholesterol dropped from 208 to 174! My Good cholesterol is good...and my triglycerides are up some, but that's correctable by cutting down on my carbs again. SO - I just can't see going on a drug like Lipitor for the next 40-50 YEARS being a good idea...

*sigh*