Just been to the doctors again. Not only did I only lose 200g this week after trying SO HARD, I have just had some horrendous news from the doctor.
My cholesterol has doubled (yes, doubled, you read that correctly) in less than 12 months, from 5.4 to 11.8. Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you, 11.8. Eleven - point - freaking - eight.
I feel absolutely gutted. I don't drink, smoke, eat fast food, eat lollies, chips, processed sugar in general. Then, she goes and hits me with that number.
I am feeling really disenchanted with the whole weight loss thing at the moment. I am on week 3 of my new plan and I have lost 2kg all up. Since my last cholesterol blood test, I have been to the gym and have tried to tighten up my diet. Given my illness and my torn back, I did not expect things to improve, but I didn't think they would get that worse.
I just don't know what to think anymore, I am sick of being a medical mutant, I am sick of being unwell. I am in my mid-20s. This is crazy.
I have been put on cholesterol medication, starting tomorrow. If anyone has any advice, I would greatly appreciate it. I am really scared because the medication I have been prescribed can trigger pancreatitis, and that is something I have already had, and I have no desire whatsoever to have it again.
Caldawg....I am not surprised you are entirely ticked off! Is there any way that this could be a rogue reading? When I was ill with yet another chest infection before Christmas my BP, Heart Rate and blood sugar levels were all high which frightened the heck out of me. When I had them rechecked a couple of weeks ago they were all within normal limits. Is there some underlying condition you have that would cause such a rapid increase? Don't just assume " It's because I am overweight" and accept tablets when further investigations could be needed.
Take care my lovely,
Donna
So sorry to hear this, Caldawg. You must be so frightened. Losing weight will definitely help your lipid levels, so be confident that you are on the road to improvement, even if things are moving slowly. It will be even more important for you to follow all the rules: lose weight, increase exercise, avoid trans fat. I know it's hard, but try to look on the bright side: if you have some predisposition to high cholesterol, it's magnificent that you found out while you're still so young. I know a (skinny) 18yo with sky-high blood pressure, and it's worrying me that she's doing nothing about it!
This is a sticky medical situation, and while this is the right place to come for support, you should be careful about any medical advice you might receive here.
With that in mind, your numbers don't make sense to me. The numbers you're reporting look like the cholesterol:hdl ratio--cholesterol could be high or hdl too low, or maybe both are skewed. You should definitely get some second opinions, especially from a specialist such as a cardiiologist or endocrinologist, so you'll know better how to manage things.
ps--these measurements can be affected by diet. Before one of my blood tests, the last thing I ate was a bite of DH's summer sausage (don't know why; I don't really like that stuff) and my chol came back on the high end. A few months later, I insisted on the test again, even though the NP said there had not been sufficient time for dietary changes to take effect--levels came back squarely to normal. Made me wonder how well my bod handles dietary cholesterol, so I eat more oatmeal and less meat.
Assuming they are correct. What type of meal plan are you following currently? I know many people including my father who has had cholesterol issues and a simple switch over to a Meditterainian Diet improved Blood Pressure, Cholesterol and weight along with a good medication. Through the combination plus exercise he was able to reduce his meds and live a more normal life. Just putting it out there as a thought..
Thanks to everyone for your replies. I am terrified. The doctor has put me on tablets starting today, for my cholesterol. She wants me to try them for 3 months before having more blood work done, including my yearly thyroid test. I know I have to take the medication, but I have been told there is a chance they could give me pancreatitis, and I NEVER want to have that again.
I am on a low carb, low fat, low sugar and low sodium diet through the gym, however I am on the waiting list to see a dietitian to see if I can tighten my diet up further.
It is really disheartening. I don't drink, smoke, eat friend foods or anything bad really. I am not sure how much more I have to give up? I cant live on dust and water!
All other readings on my test came back within a normal range, including the tests on my liver, kidneys and pancreas after my operation and pancreatitis last year. I am hoping the number is wrong, however I am proceeding as if it is right. Even my blood pressure was fine!
I also told the doctor that I have started losing weight and she wasn't overly impressed. I am really scared, I feel like a walking heart attack and I am doing everything I can to fix it, and I am getting worse, not better.
SeeMyFeet, the doctor told me the 11.8 was my triglycerides, she said the pathology people didn't bother with the other ratio as the results for that are skewed by my triglycerides reading, however she did tell me that my good cholesterol figures are really low. Typical.
Hmm..i hear a low carb diet cause tryglycerides to be mesed up for several months for people losing weight because of how a low carb diet works in the body.
Hmmm that might make sense.. I just want to be healthy. I am trying really hard to sort my health out, and it seems like 1 step forward, 10 steps back. And I am really scared about taking this medication.
Caldawg...your numbers still do not make sense. Hopefully, your issues are entirely temporary and related to your diet and can be fixed, with some work. However, there are people who have genetic predispositions and need special monitoring, medication and a strict diet plan. You should listen to your doctors and nutritionist. Be sure to discuss any issues you might have related to food: binge-ing, carb cravings, alcohol consumption....and be honest with them. I would guess that, right now, their plan is to see how easy it is going to be to get your levels back to normal. The better you do with your food, the faster you can get off the meds. (You can certainly get a second opinion on the meds, and see if you can find someone who will help you without them.)
As far as the plan suggested for you...it's similar to what I'm doing, and it's not difficult. Here are the general rules I have been following: No eating from boxes or cans. No white food (potatoes, rice, pasta, bread or pastries). No frozen meals or fried food. No alcohol. I drink coffee and water, and rarely a bottle of real juice when I feel I'm low on fruit. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Basically, lots of salads, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and shrimp, and lots of spices and herbs! I use My Fitness Plan to keep track of nutrition.
Thanks everyone. I started the meds today and have so far had no side effects. It is just something I am going to keep up with to take care of myself. I am on a low fat, low salt, low sugar and low carb diet. It wont happen overnight, but I hope it happens soon so I can be healthy and well again. I would love to hear from anyone who has been on cholesterol medication short term.
I want you to know that I did a medically supervised liquid diet. Everyone else in my class had their cholesterol go down. Mine went up, CRAZY up. From about 220 to 315. It stayed there until I went off the diet and started eating normally again. It is not the type of food you are eating. I believe that it is the stress of the diet. Depending on how drastically you have cut calories. I was too aggressive. For two reasons (1) I have read that when you drastically cut back your body is stressed and one thing it does in response to stress is produce more cholesterol. Your body needs cholesterol for a lot of things (2) I believe that I reduced my metabolism and that mechanism was done via thyroid. Where my thyroid hormone went down slightly. Making me a touch hypothyroid but not enough to have a problem. My TSH did rise but was still in the normal range. High cholesterol is a class symptom of slow thyroid slow thyroid causes slow metabolism.
Once I started eating normally again for over a month -- it returned to 220.
If your body is in the so called "starvation mode" where your having trouble losing I would recommend a 4 week eat more trial to see what happens.
Also, if it makes you feel better in response to the high numbers my doctor did a different type of cholesterol test, VLDL (basically to test the make up of your cholesterol) and mine was mostly non harmful. It showed that though my numbers were high the vast majority of it was these large puffy particles. So she did not put me on medication.
Now when I go on a diet I get my cholesterol tested frequently. I can at work. It if is any higher than 240 fasting, I know I have a problem and need to eat more.
Thanks AnnRue. I have been on medication for a week now and things have settled down. I have been given 3 months to improve my numbers with diet, exercise and medication or things are going to get pretty serious. I will keep everyone updated, fingers crossed my numbers go down...
Bad doctors news, feeling dreadful
. You must be so frightened. Losing weight will definitely help your lipid levels, so be confident that you are on the road to improvement, even if things are moving slowly. It will be even more important for you to follow all the rules: lose weight, increase exercise, avoid trans fat. I know it's hard, but try to look on the bright side: if you have some predisposition to high cholesterol, it's magnificent that you found out while you're still so young. I know a (skinny) 18yo with sky-high blood pressure, and it's worrying me that she's doing nothing about it!
