What's your cholesterol level?

gramps

gramps

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Do you get your cholesterol checked?
Has the doctor put you on any meds to control cholesterol ... statins?
Any side efffects?
What is your cholesterol level?
 
No
No
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GP has peered into my eyes to look for the ring that's apparently a tell tale and seen nothing. Don't think cholesterol was part of my recent blood test - that was all diabetes based AFAIK.
 
yes
no
no
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No.....don't feel a need to
No .....nor has he given any indication that he would wish to.
No idea.... don't particularly want to find out!
Dont know.....tbh I live an active and reasonably healthy lifestye with a balanced diet which keeps me in decent physical shape...;doesn't mean to say that cholesterol isn't building up but I'm not sure i would want to start concerning myself with figures surrounding it and causing myself potential stress over it (which btw can contribute to high cholesterol levels!)

These are simply my opinions on the subject in response to your questions Gramps.....However i sincerely hope that you are not personally suffering ill health through cholesterol issues.
 
Asha said:
These are simply my opinions on the subject in response to your questions Gramps.....However i sincerely hope that you are not personally suffering ill health through cholesterol issues.
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Mines 5.3 Asha, but doc is concerned to get it down - I've had bad side effects with statins and so won't take them. Most doctors seem to want cholesterol to be under 4 but I think it's OTT.
 
Had mine checked last year as a fitness & lifestyle assessement, came out at 3.8 so in the "normal" range.

The problem with cholesterol, you can be slim, fit and healthy and still have high reading.

On the flipside, my late Granddad was morbidly obese (24st and 5ft3in tall) had diabetes and lots of other conditions related to his obesity but his cholesterol levels were lower than mine!!!

Personally I think it should be something that's tested routinely after say the age of 30.
 
gramps said:
Mines 5.3 Asha, but doc is concerned to get it down - I've had bad side effects with statins and so won't take them. Most doctors seem to want cholesterol to be under 4 but I think it's OTT.
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I don't know (or need to know) your age gramps but tbh i wouldn't start making drastic changes to anything.

If you believe that you would benefit from some changes then by all means do them but SLOWLY....too many people suddenly plunge themselves into some fitness regime/diet etc etc to regain "good health" only to actually put massive strains on their system...often more strain than what the original problem is causing them.

I don't know how cholesterol scaling works but if that figure is only a small percentage over what is considered ideal for you, then my suggestion would be to look at making some slight changes to your diet and lifestyle to see if you can "help" yourself in a more natural way other than drugs.....there is a place for meds without doubt but they aren't always best answer.....depends on the individual patient!!
 
A couple of years ago I had just about every blood test available over a period of time to try and solve a mystery and nothing abnormal came up so I can only assume my cholesterol is fine.
On the other hand it seems my blood pressure is at the bottom end of the scale, almost off it so to speak
Are they concerned about that, not at all as it has always been that way apparently so is just my natural state, not sure if that's good or not though :shrug:
 
No idea on any, Gramps and no wish to know either.

Mind you, I think they are done as a matter of course on blood samples and the Doc never said owt was wrong:p
 
The cholesterol lowering spreads actually work pretty well, based on my father's experience.
 
Cholesterol : 3.1

Quack thought it should be lower...

Tried three different Statins & they all gave me muscle problems so I'm waiting for the Quacks next idea .......
 
beyond the blue said:
Was 5+, followed by heart attack, followed by Statins, now 2.8, followed by new lease of life.
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Bet that takes a load off your mind Gramps...eh...:gag:


I dunno what my cholesterol level is but the last time I was at the docs he said my blood pressure was up a shade and to keep an eye on it...:shrug:
I don't actually own a blood pressure tester so I dunno, but I bet its as much to do with those cheesy bacon things from Greggs, as anything else.
 
Your overall cholesterol level isn't an ideal indicator. LDL, HDL and Lipid levels need all to be taken into account seperately. Those are the numbers you should insist that your Dr give you...not the over-all level.
 
mrgubby said:
Tried three different Statins & they all gave me muscle problems so I'm waiting for the Quacks next idea .......
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That was my problem, plus serious tendon issues.


joxby said:
Bet that takes a load off your mind Gramps...eh...:gag:
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:D been there, done that and have the coronary stents to prove it ... probably why the doc is concerned.

viv1969 said:
Your overall cholesterol level isn't an ideal indicator. LDL, HDL and Lipid levels need all to be taken into account seperately. Those are the numbers you should insist that your Dr give you...not the over-all level.
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This is the issue Ruth isn't it, the std level doesn't indicate good cholesterol and the whole concept ignores the fact that the body needs cholesterol.
 
My Total cholesterol is now 4.7 it was 7.2.
When it was first diagnosed at 7.2 I was 50 and I managed to get it down to 6.0 by diet (cutting out saturated fats mainly) and exercise and my doctor was happy with that.
When I reached 60 it was 6.1 and my doctor wanted it below 5. I got it down to 5.8 but then took simvastatins, which have not caused me problems yet. It is now 4.7 but my HDL is 2.2 giving a Total/HDL ratio of 2.1 which is good.
My doctor used this http://www.qrisk.org/index.php to calculate the risk of me having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years, you can read about the calculator here http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/cardiovascular-risk-assessment.
It can be interesting to enter your figures and then change the cholesterol to see what difference it makes. If I change my total cholesterol from the actual 4.7 to 6.0 and my HDL from 2.2 to 1.79 (which is what it was) my risk only goes up 2% :shrug: this is probably due to my high HDL levels.
I read a very good book on the subject by Professor John Yudkin. His view was that cholesterol is only one factor but it is so easy to measure, and now control, and that has led to it being given so much importance, he was saying a long time ago that it is the ratio of Total/HDL that matters. If you can find a copy of his book it is well worth a read - Eating for a healthy heart: Explaining the French Paradox.
His answer was No Smoking, exercise, reduce fat to 1/3 of your calories with saturated fat being 1/3 of that, Olive Oil instead of marg or butter (I now prefer it on toast and jacket potatoes), increase fruit & veg, less salt, less sugar, and red wine in moderation - preferably drunk with a meal :thumbs:
 
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Hardly ever use marg or butter, use olive oil & rapeseed oil instead ... no added salt, no cheese (how I miss cheese!) and plenty of fruit & veg ... fish and chicken rather than red meat.
 
gramps said:
Hardly ever use marg or butter, use olive oil & rapeseed oil instead ... no added salt, no cheese (how I miss cheese!) and plenty of fruit & veg ... fish and chicken rather than red meat.
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A bit like me then, doing all the right things but it is still considered too high.
I was advised by the nurse at work to change my parents :D

It was interesting that when I started taking the simvaststins one of the other doctors at the surgery seemed to hint that they may not be needed but he would not actually come out and say it, he was the one who showed me the risk assessment site. He also said that there were things other than statins if I ever had problems.
It does appear that the cholesterol level they consider OK varies depending on other factors such as Blood Pressure, Obesity, age etc
One other reason for the increase in prescribing simvastatin is that it is now out of patent so they only cost pence, the box they come in probably costs more than the tablets :shrug:
 
Do you get your cholesterol checked? No

Has the doctor put you on any meds to control cholesterol ... statins? No

Any side efffects? NA

What is your cholesterol level? Last time I had it checked it was 7.2... Really should get it checked again!!
 
Never had a cholesterol test, but then I haven't been to see the doctor in around 12 years anyway.
 
I guess my last score of 7.8 is a little high then:( The doc put me on statin but these gave me muscle pains and when I mentioned it she said you'll have to live with it, well sod that.
She also said I was obese, I'm 6ft 2" and weigh 13.5 stone:shrug:
 
Bondy said:
The doc put me on statin but these gave me muscle pains and when I mentioned it she said you'll have to live with it
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For affected people this can be an indicator for muscle damage ... the heart is a muscle!

A study found that statin drugs are associated with decreased myocardial (heart muscle) function.
Statin use is known to be associated with myopathy, muscle weakness and rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle fibers resulting in the release of muscle fiber contents into the bloodstream.
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SOURCE


statin drugs cause three types of muscle conditions. First, they can cause muscle aching. This condition generally reverses itself within weeks of discontinuing the drugs. Second, they can cause muscle pains and mild muscle inflammation that may also be accompanied by minor weakness. Blood testing for the muscle enzyme, CPK, is mildly elevated. This condition also generally reverses, but it may take several months to resolve. Third, statins can cause severe muscle inflammation and damage so that not only are the muscles painful all over the body, they also become severely weakened. Heart muscle can even (rarely) become affected. Blood testing for the muscle enzyme, CPK, is markedly elevated. When the muscles are severely damaged, the muscle cells release proteins into the blood that collect in and can damage the kidneys.
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SOURCE
 
gramps said:
Do you get your cholesterol checked?
Has the doctor put you on any meds to control cholesterol ... statins?
Any side efffects?
What is your cholesterol level?
Click to expand...

No
No, unsurprisingly, but I haven't seen a doctor in over a decade*
Undefined
Unknown

*in a medical capacity.
 
Bondy said:
I guess my last score of 7.8 is a little high then:( The doc put me on statin but these gave me muscle pains and when I mentioned it she said you'll have to live with it, well sod that.
She also said I was obese, I'm 6ft 2" and weigh 13.5 stone:shrug:
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She sounds like she got her medical degree from Ebay :shake:
 
My doctor an I agree on many things, most recently on that the BMI charts that many Doctors have on the wall do more harm than goood! At 6'1", I should be under 13 stone - if I was that light, I would be being treated for Anorexia! Aged 18, I was around 15st and barely an ounce of fat on me, although I'll admit that at almost 50, 17st is a touch to much (not as much too much as the almost 21 I hit about a year ago!)
 
Nod said:
My doctor an I agree on many things, most recently on that the BMI charts that many Doctors have on the wall do more harm than goood! At 6'1", I should be under 13 stone - if I was that light, I would be being treated for Anorexia!
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Wheras I'm 6'0" and 11st 10lbs and carrying too much flab.
 
:|

Having lost a considerable amount of weight, I was a little distressed to find that my moobs now fail the pencil test! Might have to attend a few of my wife's classes to tone my tits up!
 
Bondy said:
I guess my last score of 7.8 is a little high then:( The doc put me on statin but these gave me muscle pains and when I mentioned it she said you'll have to live with it, well sod that.
She also said I was obese, I'm 6ft 2" and weigh 13.5 stone:shrug:
Click to expand...

I would be inclined to change my GP if I were you. The comment about having to live with pain as a result of taking a prescribed medication does not inspire confidence either.
 
my GP recently said mine was high, though she didn't give me the actual value. Apparently I'm already eating the right things. I wasn't offered any meds or advice.

this is an interesting article
 
Gremlin said:
A couple of years ago I had just about every blood test available over a period of time to try and solve a mystery and nothing abnormal came up so I can only assume my cholesterol is fine.
On the other hand it seems my blood pressure is at the bottom end of the scale, almost off it so to speak
Are they concerned about that, not at all as it has always been that way apparently so is just my natural state, not sure if that's good or not though :shrug:
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I have the same thing with Iron - a lower than "normal" reading which led to my doctor referring me to our local hospital for a colonoscopy and a camera down my throat to check for bleeding in my stomach - all because of a pain in my foot!

Giving me extra Iron tablets made no difference to my activity levels even though a nurse told me I'd be dancing around like a two year old when my levels went from about 8 to about 17.

And a low blood pressure usually means (AFAIK) that you won't have a stroke or all the diseases associated with high BP.

.
 
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