New, need info please - High Cholesterol Message Board

Trickydee · 07-25-2002, 02:00 PM

Hello, I am new and just back from Dr. with some numbers. History, I am a 37 yr. old female, non-smoker, rarely drink, mild mitral valve prolapse, 35 lb. overweight, mother of 2 little ones, FT grad student, not exercising! My dad died of a heart attack at 48 - his 2nd or 3rd. I have normal blood pressure. Numbers:
Total- 287
Trig - 321
LDL - 163
HDL - 59
Obviously I will be getting on the diet/exercise wagon which is long overdue. I will be meeting w/ a dietician. My DR. says I need meds but doesn't like the side effects (liver) they can have and is willing to try diet/ex first for 2-3 months. What do you think? Also, I read an old posting about the drug Glucophage that diabetics take (binding agents) and wondered if anyone takes this to help instead of chol. meds. I took it about 3 1/2 years ago because of high insulin levels. I used that and diet and lost weight. I then became pregnant and stopped. Anyway, wondered if anyone knew anything. Just trying to get opinions of this and my numbers. I do not want to follow my Dad's footsteps. Embarassingly, I was working on it with my weight and exercise. My Dr. says some of my problem is genetic. Anyway, thank you so much. This board has already helped a lot. Theresa

[This message has been edited by Trickydee (edited 07-25-2002).]

vipergg22 · 07-25-2002, 07:36 PM

Diet and weight reduction is the way to go first before comitting yourself to a lifetime of potentially harmful cholesterol lowering drugs . Do some research on cholesterol on the internet . There are a lot of differing opinions on how important the actual cholesterol levels are specially in women . Not saying to not do the diet and excersise , if you can drop the weight your levels will more than likely come down also . Also look up the side effects of some of the popular statin drugs before you decide to take any drugs to make your decision, remember the ultimate decision is yours and not your doctors so inform yourself . Good luck with your diet .

Curly Chef · 07-26-2002, 10:44 AM

Welcome - I'm in a similar boat as you, genetics. Father and paternal grandmother both died at 39, too. I'm female, 35 and thin. Your numbers are close to what mine were on my last check a couple weeks back before I went back on my meds.

You might want to check out some books by doctors specializing in heart disease reversal and cholesterol reduction. Dr. McDougall and Dr. Ornish are two I know of. McDougall has a site with a lot of information on lifestyle and diet so try a search on vegsource. Also be careful w/the dietician. Many of the "outlined" diets they are told about for our condition do very little to help, because they were made for dietary high cholesterol, not genetics. Avoidance of all animal products, which contain cholesterol, and concentrated fats (oils, spreads, butter) is what seems to help the most to clear out arteries. Also watching your processed and cooked carbs like breads, flour, no and low-fat type cookies, crackers, etc. and also all processed foods in general.

I'm still working on my diet, with a primarily raw plant based diet, of fruit, veggies, small amounts of nuts and seeds, plus oat bran (raw cereal and baked muffins). I've gotten my levels down some, but unfortunately still have to combine diet with the meds. I haven't checked it since the addition of oat bran and subtraction of concentrated plant fats, and I'm hoping it will make a difference. I'm still determined to be med-free, but right now it's important to keep my levels down because, golly, I don't want to have a heart attack like my predecessors! Also I"m doing some cardio (not enough) and pilates.

The best way to determine what works for you is to be consistant with your blood tests and what you eat in between them.

What is your diet like?

[This message has been edited by Curly Chef (edited 07-26-2002).]

Trickydee · 07-26-2002, 01:30 PM

Thank you both so much for your great information. My diet right now is not a diet. I cook dinner every night and eat whatever for lunch, not much for breakfast. I have not been watching how much I eat,nor what I eat. I know I eat too many processed foods, soups in casseroles, and also too much dairy and sweets. Fortunately, I am a flexible eater and like almost everything. I do not eat much red meat at all and could stand it if I ate none at all. I think I worry about what I will cook for my thin husband if I did not eat meat. He doesn't worry, just me. I will look into the doctors listed. I understand about the dietician and probably know what I should be eating and just don't. Maybe the dietician will be someone looking over my shoulder! Anyway. Thanks again.