mkoven Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 So after my recent heart scare, I had my doc run a lipid panel. Nothing too bad, but it's worse than the last time we measured, two years ago.Now:LDL 111HDL 39triglycerides 62Total cholesterol 162Two years ago:LDL 100HDL 42Triglycerides 52Total cholesterol 153Anyone know if it's possible to have a fluke variation, or am I just getting old? I"d heard that as women get older, what would have converted to estrogen and other hormones, just stays cholesterol.I think my numbers are still too low to medicate, but I'd like to bring the ldl down some, and the hdl up. I"m doing pretty much all I can exercise-wise. And I eat pretty healthy--almost no saturated fat. I really don't want to end up on meds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tearose Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 Can you try supplements of niacin? My husband takes this and that plus oatmeal every day has made a difference.I haven't had an increase in my levels as I have aged but that is probably just my genetic make up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkoven Posted July 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 I do eat oatmeal every day for breakfast, but I've heard niacin is rough on ans sufferers, as the flushing essentially makes you vasodilate-- which I already do excessively. I also can't drink red wine for the same reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingLight Posted July 24, 2008 Report Share Posted July 24, 2008 Your test can be affected by what you ate the day before or the lab itself...you didn't have any big changes in any of your categories...or your totals.Your total cholesterol is great (under 200) but your HDLs aren't so hot...Niacin is good for triglycerides from my understanding.I could go on and on about this but I won't! Sorry! Just wanted to say that variations can occur, just as they do with BP and none of yours were significant really in any category.Have you had your C-Reactive protein tested? This is a 'gold-standard' for heart disease/heart attack risk.Are you able to exercise? That hugely affects HDLs...and since I have not been able to, mine have gone down. I don't know what your diet is like, etc. so I'm not in a place to know what your other risk factors are. What does your doc say?Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingLight Posted July 24, 2008 Report Share Posted July 24, 2008 Oops! I see you said you do exercise as much as you are able and that you eat healthy. Do you eat fish? I was focusing on just letting you know little variations like that aren't really significant test-wise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjt22 Posted July 24, 2008 Report Share Posted July 24, 2008 I would be more than happy to have your numbers. Even with meds, my total is always between 215 and 250. My tryglicerides are borderline at best. All of this while eating 1500 calories a day and not being menopausal yet. I took Zocor for several years, and I didn't even register a difference. I switched to Vytorin when it first hit the market, and my numbers are a bit lower than before. And I agree...the differences between your two tests are particularly significant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxine Posted July 24, 2008 Report Share Posted July 24, 2008 To me it looks good, but they say HDL needs to be over 45 or something.Mine is badLDL--- 129HDL ---29tryglicerides 205 ----------total was 200Sounds terrible....... I did get a cardiac CT, but was only able to get calcium score. It was -0- , which is very good.We couldn't get my heart rate down to look at the arteries, but Dr. Grubb said a calcium score of -0- is excellant---meaning that 90% of woman my age have a higher calcium score, and only 10% have a score this low.My cholesterol has never been great, even in my 20s it was total of 180.I take an aspirin a day, and try to take omega. My diet has been healthy for the most part. Very low in fat.And if I do eat fat, it's the good fats---but still not much.Maxine :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkoven Posted July 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2008 I think I remember reading that cholesterol drugs don't work particularly or as well in women anyway. Again, I doubt anyone is about to medicate me, just thinking down the road. My dad has high cholesterol and is on meds. My mom isn't. They're both in their 70s.My husband has obscenely low cholesterol, with no meds, despite a family history of high. His LDL is 80 and HDL is 45. He works out like crazy and is skinny, but otherwise we eat the same food. Funny how different people process/produce stuff differently.I think my hdl has always been on the low side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironsc Posted July 24, 2008 Report Share Posted July 24, 2008 Funny how different people process/produce stuff differently.It's amazing the variations in the mixtures of the body's chemicals can have. My body operates at a cholesterol level of around 220-280, and a triglyceride level of 400-450 (HDL 20-35, LDL 110-140, VLDL: 50-80). No amount of diet changes or lipid pills will greatly change this, it's just how my body works. I had a doc explain to me that high cholesterol isn't necessarily a bad thing - if it's not being caused by food/liftstyle habits, or not causing / caused by symptoms of something else. I dunno if she was right, but I trusted her on that, and the others agreed. They must be conspiring against me... Heh. As was mentioned above, Fish is supposed to help balance cholesterol (something to do with the omega-3 fatty acids?).Best,Cam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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