namelessme
07-25-2008, 02:25 PM
Hello all,
I just got some updated blood work in, and thought I'd post the results. The numbers have improved some, but there are still problems.
My previous VAP results from several months ago were approx (I can't remember exactly):
LDL 131 particle size A/B
HDL 27
Triglycerides 146
This was while taking 500 mg Niaspan, which seemed to be doing nothing much besides giving me some minor heart palpitations. My numbers before trying Niaspan were basically the same, with an LDL around 110-120ish.
So... this time I dropped the Niaspan, and instead tried 1200 mg red yeast rice and a decent-sized portion of oat bran daily. I also continued on fish oil, vitamin D, and also added 100mg pyconogenol. I eat a relatively low glycemic/low saturated fat sort of diet, basically no snackfoods besides fruit, nuts and a small piece of dark chocolate.
Results from regular cholesterol test:
Total 156 (Good)
Triglycerides: 144 (so-so)
HDL: 38 (much improved)
LDL: 89 (Good)
Apo A1: 112
(in range, but near the lower end. Not entirely sure what the optimal level is)
Apo B: 80
But... I got a VAP test two days later, and the results were:
Total 158
Tri: 167 (Not as good)
HDL: 31 (Bad)
LDL: 101 (still okay)
Particle size is slightly B (small, which is not so good)
The red yeast rice/oat bran did pretty much what the studies say they would. They dropped LDL some, but had only a minor improvement in HDL. Neither seemed to improve my triglycerides or particle sizes.
Other testing I had done included HA1C, to check glucose control/insulin resistance. It was 4.8, which I've been told is a good level.
And I also had my thyroid checked.
TSH: 3.46 (.27-4.2)
T3: 102 (80-200)
T4: 8.5 (4.6-12.0)
I'm a little concerned with the thyroid numbers, as the TSH is higher than it really should be. Optimal TSH is around 1 and some endocrinologists use 3.0 as the actual cut-off for diagnosing hypothyroidism. If I do have a thyroid problem, it would explain some symptoms I have, and the really stubborn lipid values. I'm not sure though... perhaps the thyroid numbers are fine or just a fluke.
If anyone has suggestions or ideas on how to improve my HDL, particle sizes or lower triglycerides, please mention them. I've tried a lot already, but my HDL doesn't seem to want to improve much.
I just got some updated blood work in, and thought I'd post the results. The numbers have improved some, but there are still problems.
My previous VAP results from several months ago were approx (I can't remember exactly):
LDL 131 particle size A/B
HDL 27
Triglycerides 146
This was while taking 500 mg Niaspan, which seemed to be doing nothing much besides giving me some minor heart palpitations. My numbers before trying Niaspan were basically the same, with an LDL around 110-120ish.
So... this time I dropped the Niaspan, and instead tried 1200 mg red yeast rice and a decent-sized portion of oat bran daily. I also continued on fish oil, vitamin D, and also added 100mg pyconogenol. I eat a relatively low glycemic/low saturated fat sort of diet, basically no snackfoods besides fruit, nuts and a small piece of dark chocolate.
Results from regular cholesterol test:
Total 156 (Good)
Triglycerides: 144 (so-so)
HDL: 38 (much improved)
LDL: 89 (Good)
Apo A1: 112
(in range, but near the lower end. Not entirely sure what the optimal level is)
Apo B: 80
But... I got a VAP test two days later, and the results were:
Total 158
Tri: 167 (Not as good)
HDL: 31 (Bad)
LDL: 101 (still okay)
Particle size is slightly B (small, which is not so good)
The red yeast rice/oat bran did pretty much what the studies say they would. They dropped LDL some, but had only a minor improvement in HDL. Neither seemed to improve my triglycerides or particle sizes.
Other testing I had done included HA1C, to check glucose control/insulin resistance. It was 4.8, which I've been told is a good level.
And I also had my thyroid checked.
TSH: 3.46 (.27-4.2)
T3: 102 (80-200)
T4: 8.5 (4.6-12.0)
I'm a little concerned with the thyroid numbers, as the TSH is higher than it really should be. Optimal TSH is around 1 and some endocrinologists use 3.0 as the actual cut-off for diagnosing hypothyroidism. If I do have a thyroid problem, it would explain some symptoms I have, and the really stubborn lipid values. I'm not sure though... perhaps the thyroid numbers are fine or just a fluke.
If anyone has suggestions or ideas on how to improve my HDL, particle sizes or lower triglycerides, please mention them. I've tried a lot already, but my HDL doesn't seem to want to improve much.
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LauraBow
07-25-2008, 05:52 PM
I just saw the doctor and asked him about my TSH results, which went from 2.2, which it had been for a long time, to 3.63. I was concerned because I had also read about new guidelines of less than 2. He wasn't concerned because the TSH was under 4, but mainly because the T4 was in normal limits. I'm still not convinced and will be checking the next lab results closely.
You are following a low glycemic diet, which is good, but how many carbs are you consuming daily? I usually am around 80gm daily and have seen my trigs drop in half. Adding a bit of fat would slow the digestion of starches and probably help with the trigs. A recent report indicates the Adkins type diets give better cholesterol results than low fat diets, including raising HDL.
The only things that I have heard that increase particle size are weight loss and exercise. If you can get the trigs lower, that usually means a movement away from B and closer to A.
You are following a low glycemic diet, which is good, but how many carbs are you consuming daily? I usually am around 80gm daily and have seen my trigs drop in half. Adding a bit of fat would slow the digestion of starches and probably help with the trigs. A recent report indicates the Adkins type diets give better cholesterol results than low fat diets, including raising HDL.
The only things that I have heard that increase particle size are weight loss and exercise. If you can get the trigs lower, that usually means a movement away from B and closer to A.
namelessme
07-26-2008, 02:15 AM
I haven't measured my daily carb intake, but I don't think it'd be very high. I don't eat potatoes and I limit wheat products. I don't eat cookies, cakes, junk food, etc. The carbs I get probably mostly come from fruits and vegetables. If I was eating too much in the way of carbs/sugary foods, I think my H1AC would be higher than it is. I wouldn't say I'm on a strict sort of diet either really. I just don't eat junk or fast foods, or high fat foods, like steak (rarely eat), bacon, sausages, eggs, cheese, etc. And that's mostly simply because I don't like them.
I did try cutting out all wheat and all fruits at once time, but my triglycerides actually went up. Don't ask me why.
My main concern is really the HDL. I exercise regularly too, which honestly doesn't seem to matter regarding my HDL level. I'm also not quite sure why I had such different HDL levels over the course of 2 days. Typically, VAPs give me lower HDL values than regular lipid tests, but usually not that big a range... more like 2-3 pts.
The thyroid thing I'm not sure about. I'll speak to my cardio about it, who I imagine will recommend that I see an endocrinologist. One annoying thing I've read is that most endos can't even agree amongst themselves what are normal thyroid levels or not. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend a scale of .3 to 3.0 for TSH, but lots of doctors don't abide by this. And most labs don't use that range either, for whatever reason. I have been having some symptoms that could be thyroid related (and an MRI I had showed that my pituitary is a little bit squashed), so I suppose I should have it all checked out. And most doctors don't know this, but even slightly elevated TSH, say over 2-3, can affect cholesterol levels.
I did try cutting out all wheat and all fruits at once time, but my triglycerides actually went up. Don't ask me why.
My main concern is really the HDL. I exercise regularly too, which honestly doesn't seem to matter regarding my HDL level. I'm also not quite sure why I had such different HDL levels over the course of 2 days. Typically, VAPs give me lower HDL values than regular lipid tests, but usually not that big a range... more like 2-3 pts.
The thyroid thing I'm not sure about. I'll speak to my cardio about it, who I imagine will recommend that I see an endocrinologist. One annoying thing I've read is that most endos can't even agree amongst themselves what are normal thyroid levels or not. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend a scale of .3 to 3.0 for TSH, but lots of doctors don't abide by this. And most labs don't use that range either, for whatever reason. I have been having some symptoms that could be thyroid related (and an MRI I had showed that my pituitary is a little bit squashed), so I suppose I should have it all checked out. And most doctors don't know this, but even slightly elevated TSH, say over 2-3, can affect cholesterol levels.