New here - High Cholesterol Message Board

sarasilvers · 02-03-2004, 06:46 PM

Just looking for some help, as I really know nothing about these numbers and what they mean, except for what my dr. told me.
I went for my annual OB/GYN appt. in January and my cholesterol came back at 313. LDL was 235 and HDL was 56. Triglycerides were normal; blood sugar normal. Went for a follow-up appt. last week at a different dr. and my numbers came back: Total: 254; LDL 187; HDL 52; They also ran Homosysten (sp?) and it came back at 7, which he told me was normal. The Lipoprotein A came back at 65 (told me normal was below 30) and the High Sensitive c-reactive protein came back at 9.4 (told me normal was below 3). I eat sensibly and excercise and he recommended Zocor. Thoughts? Oh, I am a 37 year old mom of 2.

zip2play · 02-04-2004, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarasilvers

my annual OB/GYN appt. in January and my cholesterol came back at 313. LDL was 235 and HDL was 56. Triglycerides were normal; blood sugar normal. Went for a follow-up appt. last week at a different dr. and my numbers came back: Total: 254; LDL 187; HDL 52; They also ran Homosysten (sp?) and it came back at 7, which he told me was normal.

The Lipoprotein A came back at 65 (told me normal was below 30) and the High Sensitive c-reactive protein came back at 9.4 (told me normal was below 3). I eat sensibly and excercise and he recommended Zocor.

Hi Sara,
I think SOMEBODY screwed up those results somewhere. Readings of LDL=235 and LDL=187 show too much of a swing for one month without some kind of DRASTIC intervention between the two.
In either case, though, the results are terrible, and coupled with a high Lp(a) and a high C-Reactive protein, intervention of some kind is MANDATORY; your risks are just too high without.
I think the Zocor and excercise is a very good start. Encourage a high dose Zocor tablet from your doctor; you can save a FORTUNE with a pill splitter. Cost is almost the same and you can get 4- 20mg doses out of an 80 mg tablet (with GREAT CARE!)

Perhaps a third lipid test is advisable to see which of the two former readings was bonkers!

MichaelNYC · 02-04-2004, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarasilvers

Just looking for some help, as I really know nothing about these numbers and what they mean, except for what my dr. told me.
I went for my annual OB/GYN appt. in January and my cholesterol came back at 313. LDL was 235 and HDL was 56. Triglycerides were normal; blood sugar normal. Went for a follow-up appt. last week at a different dr. and my numbers came back: Total: 254; LDL 187; HDL 52; They also ran Homosysten (sp?) and it came back at 7, which he told me was normal. The Lipoprotein A came back at 65 (told me normal was below 30) and the High Sensitive c-reactive protein came back at 9.4 (told me normal was below 3). I eat sensibly and excercise and he recommended Zocor. Thoughts? Oh, I am a 37 year old mom of 2.

Before throwing yourself at the mercy of drugs why not do some research on how others have reduced there cholesterol using natural means. Spend a few hours reviewing messages and responses on this board. There are lots of supplements that help to reduce cholesterol including a new product called Policosanol Cholesterol Complex by Source Naturals, Inc. It contains 19 ingredients such as guggul gum, policosanol, garlic, hawthorne, dandellion and 14 others. Let drugs be your last resort if nothing else works. I consider 254 to be high normal. That's what it use to be until drug companies lowered the number (to 200). They would lower it again if they could.

sarasilvers · 02-04-2004, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zip2play

Hi Sara,
I think SOMEBODY screwed up those results somewhere. Readings of LDL=235 and LDL=187 show too much of a swing for one month without some kind of DRASTIC intervention between the two.
In either case, though, the results are terrible, and coupled with a high Lp(a) and a high C-Reactive protein, intervention of some kind is MANDATORY; your risks are just too high without.
I think the Zocor and excercise is a very good start. Encourage a high dose Zocor tablet from your doctor; you can save a FORTUNE with a pill splitter. Cost is almost the same and you can get 4- 20mg doses out of an 80 mg tablet (with GREAT CARE!)

Perhaps a third lipid test is advisable to see which of the two former readings was bonkers!

What exactly do the high Lp(a) and high C-reactive protein readings mean? My dr. explained that they help to determine the inflammation on the arteries and from what I have read, the readings, if high, mean a high risk for heart disease. Am I correct? My paternal side of the family has tons of heart disease running through it, which is why I am concerned and frightened. I have thought about trying some natural ways to reduce the numbers, but they're so high that I almost feel like I should take the medication and get them down ASAP.

sarasilvers · 02-04-2004, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelNYC

Before throwing yourself at the mercy of drugs why not do some research on how others have reduced there cholesterol using natural means. Spend a few hours reviewing messages and responses on this board. There are lots of supplements that help to reduce cholesterol including a new product called Policosanol Cholesterol Complex by Source Naturals, Inc. It contains 19 ingredients such as guggul gum, policosanol, garlic, hawthorne, dandellion and 14 others. Let drugs be your last resort if nothing else works. I consider 254 to be high normal. That's what it use to be until drug companies lowered the number (to 200). They would lower it again if they could.

Thanks! I am waffling between doing something naturally and taking medication. I do plan on reading up throughout these boards to see what other information I can find.