At the end of my rope!
Posted , 8 users are following.
Hello everyone. Here is a brief history of my problem. I am 53, male, 5'9 and currently 180 lbs. My past medical history was 1- type 2 diabetes, 2 High cholesterol (which I will break down soon), Hypertensiion, I was taking Metformin, Ramipril, Lipitor, ASA, Ezetimbide.
1 year ago, for many reasons but mostly for my health, I changed my lifestyle. I was 210 lbs and sick of taking medications. It was time to take control of my life. Without going into too much details, I exercised excessively, changed my diet and felt 100% better. My A1C was 7.9 and is now down to 5.5. I've lost 30 lbs. Limited my carb/fat intake to almost nothing. Seen a dietician and got the thumbs up. My concern is my cholesterol is through the moon. My triglycerides are exceptionally high and my doctor could care less.
I am here looking for ideas on how to take control of this. My Triglyceride level is 8.91mmol/788.5 mg/dl. My cholesterol is 6.29 mmol/ 243 mg/dl, HDL .78 mmol/30.1 mg/dl, They can't calculate the LDL because the triglycerides are too high.
What should I do. The ezetimbide did nothing. BTW, I am off all of my medications except ASA and B12.
0 likes, 17 replies
winterbaby62 Medic1
Posted
So sorry to hear that you are having a hard time at the moment. Seeing that you have been on Lipitor you need to start taking the following vitamin supplements B6, D, K, B12, magnesium and CoQ10.
Also start to introduce foods high in polyphenols; all are alkaline forming and have a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels, although I would say that although your scores are high compared to the current levels, they are not extremely high and people with high cholesterol live happier, healthier, longer lives.
Cholesterol is not the enemy when it comes to cardiac issues and the possibility of strokes - sugar and bad carbs (processed foods) are. Have you heard of the Pioppi Diet? Dr Aseem Malhotra has made great progress in changing thinking with regards to cholesterol and devised this diet which has helped many.
Wishing you well.
Medic1 winterbaby62
Posted
sue162 Medic1
Posted
Medic1 sue162
Posted
sue162 Medic1
Posted
TrishaT Medic1
Posted
I had a small stroke 18 months ago and changed my diet drastically but the better my diet gets the more my cholesterol rises so it seems I was better off with lots of cake, biscuits and chocolate. I've ben summoned to the GP next week to explain myself but am completely mystified. I'm not worried as I understand the older you get higher cholesterol is better for you but the doctors are set obsessed with low levels so I can see we are in for an argument!
loxie Medic1
Posted
you've done so well and worked so hard to get your general health back, its heartbreaking that you're still having so much difficulty with triglycerides/cholesterol levels. I agree with other comments about cholesterol not always being the villain, especially as we get older where we need more for cognitive health and to stave off dementia. You seem to have got your diet into the right place but do have a read about resistant starch. It's only recently been determined that levels of certain gut bacteria can be responsible for altering hormone levels in the body which in turn benefits a really wide range of health issues - diabetes, weight, cholesterol, arthritis, the list goes on. My cholesterol is up there on the space station but I have normal blood sugar and blood pressure and my cholesterol levels are familial (hereditary). Even though I'm vegetarian and eat what would be considered a healthy diet I seemed to struggle with weight gain, high cholesterol and chronic fatigue. I've been shocked to see that some 'healthy' foods could actually be causing me real problems, such as wholemeal bread among others. I'm now swapping out some starchy foods for those that are digestion resistant and after only a couple of weeks I can already see benefits. Here's hoping.
sue162 loxie
Posted
Leajayse Medic1
Posted
Fat is NOT your problem. Sugar is and anything that contains sugar and not always obviously so eg. rice?
If it's white, don't touch. If it's beige don't touch. Anything else is OK. Eat wholemeal high fibre bread and watch your weight and your cholesterol drop. Should also have a positive affect on your diabetes.6.29 is not high compared to some so don't worry about it. Be aware that fruit contains sugars and healthy drinks don't touch.
Try it. What have you got to lose????
Medic1 Leajayse
Posted
You're right BUT and its a BIG BUT. Not only is EVERYTHING WHITE bad for you, EVERYTHING with wheat in it is bad. Have you read the ingredients in ANY breads? You will be shocked. One slice of Whole Wheat/Grain bread is 15g NET carbs! WTF!!!! And this stuff is supposed to be good for you? As you can see by my A1C (5.5) my sugar is under control. My BP hasn't been any better AND I am off my BP meds. I exercise excessively (probably walk 100km/week, Gym, Bike) I have lost 30lbs, could probably afford to lose another 5-10lbs. My fasting BG is 5.4 MMoL (3.6-6.3 is normal). I am on a LOW carb diet where I WATCH the carbs I eat NOT count them. For example, I have found a bread that is 1 NET carb....YES, ONE net carb per slice AND it tastes awesome. I have to tell you to watch your CARB intake. Its not the sugars that will get you, its the excess CARBS that come and kick you in the arse. Thanks for your comment.
loxie Medic1
Posted
spot on medic. But not all carbs are 'bad'. vegetables have carbohydrates, and not just the obvious ones, ie the starchy ones like potatoes. It's the type of carbs that's important, as I found out when researching resistant starch in food. We in the western world eat too much starch and processed food and a whole range of health problems ensue. Then our doctors throw pills at us. Hopefully the new wave of clued up doctors trying to educate their patients about the benefits of changing lifestyles and eating the right foods will stop the cycle.
wayne1962 Medic1
Posted
sue162 wayne1962
Posted
loxie wayne1962
Posted
Unfortunately we have to accept that bottom line, the human body is fragile and like anything made up of so many complicated parts, some of us will develop defects. If we honestly do what we can to not abuse our bodies we just have to accept that some bits are going to fail regardless. Statins may reduce cholesterol but they do not guarantee to prevent everything and they cause so many other health problems, its a balanced decision whether they are worth the risk. For me, and many others like you Wayne, we've decided that in our personal circumstances, they arent worth it. I know my cholesterol level is dangerously high and may well cause a vascular problem but I decided I couldnt live with the harm that statins were going to me. I am not a health obsessive but I do eat healthily and in the end, that's the best I can do. I weighed up risk of heart attack or stroke against a life of pain, confusion and inability and possibly, just possibly, staving off a stroke - for me, no contest. I decided the risks associated with high cholesterol were less to me than the risks of killing myself on statins. Not an easy decision but I've made it and I stick by it.
wayne1962 loxie
Posted
Hi Loxie and Sue - thank you so much for your responses. I can almost feel that defiance and determination in your post. It made me all warm and relieved - I had to check to see if the bladder was leaking. Nope, all warm and relieved inside. Also, when I came to this site 3 years ago, a wasted mess because of that drug and the docs complete indifference to its devastating effects, loxie was one of the first responders and gave me strong advice. I won't forget that.
sue162 wayne1962
Posted
you should visit stopped our statins on Facebook, good thoughts are on there. X
loxie wayne1962
Posted
awww thank you Wayne. I try very hard not to become evangelical about the matter and what is sometimes dangerous overprescribing of meds but when you find a forum like this with many others who have suffered unnecessarily it's hard not to get on a soapbox and wave a placard. Everyone is different, I can obviously only speak for myself and am not a doctor. I found out more info on here however than I ever could from my doctor who like many medics just follows the 'company line' (ie the pharmaceutical industry's company line) or refuses to accept that the newest wonder drug could ever cause any problems. We know our own bodies better than anyone, including qualified medical professionals and when we tell them we're suffering, they should believe us and work with us to seek alternatives. It does bring on that warm (not leaky wet) feeling as you say that to find with relief that there are others who have done their homework and found out the facts and for whom we who had previously had to suffer in silence thank them immensely.