I'm new here but have tried just about everything on the face of this earth of level off my ratio and nothing is working right.

Background
50 yo female
MI at 41
familial hyperlipidemia

Current cholesterol meds

Welchol 625mg four a day
Pravachol 40mg once a day
Tricor 160mg once a day

AND current numbers

LDL 99
HDL 29
TRIG 342
TOTAL 197

The way I figure it, the ratio is 7 and in all rights, another MI is coming. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong HELP

Diet is one full meal a day
6oz of meat
more veggies then you can shake a stick at (normally done in the oven in a pocket pack with Pam spray, light)
whatever fruit is in season...cantelope,watermelon,berrie,che rries,etc

Breakfast
2 cups coffee with one slice whole grain bread, plain

Lunch
salad with oil and vinegar
or
fruit
or
cup of soup (normally chicken and something, rice,noodles, whatever)

If I need a snack then I have 12 oz of plain popcorn once a week as a treat.

I give up!!! I've altered my lifestyle and diet so much it consumes every minute of every day. I'm in PT 3 times a week so get a good cardio workout 30 minutes each time. Now it looks like I have claudification in my legs as an ABI came back with .86 left and .54 right.

help help help

Check out "Your Body Knows Best" by Ann Louise Gittleman, a nutritionist. You have a healthy diet, for all intents and purposes, but something is wrong, and someone like Dr. Gittleman can help you ferret it out. I learned alot from her. You can try Dr. Peter D'Adamo as well.

It does look like you are tryin.I would agree that you could check with a nutrtionist to see if there is something you are not seeing in your diet.I would definetly consult your cardiologist.You might also be a candidate for niacin.Your HDL and trigs are out of whack as you already know.I know your cardiologist wants to see your LDL under 100 and your total should be under 175.Ask him about the niacin.The niacin will help your HDL and your trigs.You may get a boost coupled with your current medication.Good luck.

Thank you both for the replies. As it turns out I saw my GP and he put me back on niacin Monday. He also is sending me to a cardiologist next Monday so we can get some help here.

Hi There,

What are your levels usually off meds? Is it genetic?

You may want to try doing a search for Dr. McDougall (vegsource) or Dr. Ornish, who both work with heart patients and advocate a vegetarian/vegan diet for reversing heart disease and lowering cholesterol. Contrary to Gooba, I'm not sure I'd see a nutiritonist, the majority of them don't seem to know much about true nutrition and how food effects the body.

If you are at high risk, consider eliminating animal products and bad carbs, like the bread and processed stuff. Also the coffee may not be so great.

What's left? Lots of fresh fruits, salads and vegetables, as much as you want, and some nuts and seeds in moderation. The less concentrated fats the better. You'll get flooded with nutrients this way as well. All animal products have cholesterol, no fiber and far less nutrients.

[This message has been edited by Curly Chef (edited 07-24-2002).]

Hi http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Just a note about differences in people offering dietary advise.

Almost anyone can call themselves a nutritionist or nutrition expert, but not just anyone can call themselves a registered dietitian. The letters "RD" after a person’s name signify that he or she has completed academic and experience requirements established by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the credentialing agency for the American Dietetic Association. The requirements include a minimum of a nutrition-related bachelor’s degree, an internship in the nutrition field and passing a national credentialing exam.

State laws vary on who is allowed to provide nutrition services. Only 28 states require nutrition care providers to be licensed. Visit the Commission on Dietetic Registration to find out the laws in your state.

For help finding an expert in your area, the American Dietetic Association’s Nationwide Nutrition Network provides an online searchable database of dietetics professionals. Once you have some candidates, ask questions: Check for a license in states where they are required. If they’re not RDs, find out their education background. Ask for references.

In most cases, if you ask for dietary advise from your doctor, you'll be sent to a registered dietitian. When you see the cardiologist, ask him or her about it. They can be pretty helpful. Good luck to you.

I am heading for the cardiovascular Dr this AM and if anybody is interested I will post his advise when I get home. Let me know so I won't waste space if it's not of value.

Sure, let us know. You're never wasting space. Good luck to you today. Write down your questions so you don't forget. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Well, the news wasn't good at all and I have to wait a couple days to give you the final decision on all this.

Since I just had a medicine change with the increase in Welchol and the addition of the niacin, he is reserving judment until the next lipid panel is done. He also said that since this is a genetic disorder with me, we may have to settle on rasing the HDL some and let it go at that.

The really bad news was, it looks like both femoral arteries are blocked and he said it wouldn't surprise him that a bypass may be in order. Once again, we could count on this happening but I was hoping to have a few more years before having to face this. He needs to conference with my other Drs to see what complications we may be looking at so he will call in the next couple days.