help!!!

[blackwaterfarms]

I'm not up to date about triglycerides, but I need someone to briefly, and QUICKLY, give me some info about test results and what they mean. My brother has been lithium, now off, but on long enough to cause severe damage. He's always had high blood pressure but here recently it had gotten out of control. We were at the emerg. dept. at least 3 times a week, put on 6 different blood pressure med. to try and control it. Dr. thought there was an underlying condition causing it not to be controlled with med. Since the middle of Sept. he's gained 98lbs., developed high sugar, thyroid problems, high cholesterol (371) with triglycerides reading, (brace yourself) 1570. Dr. thinks lithium played major role in all this happening or that he's got metabolic syndrome. He was put back in the hospital Fri., released yesterday. Now he's on 13 different med. He's on crestor, tricor, synthroid, accupril, norvasc, antacand, toprol xl, glucaphage, seroquel, carbatrol, clonidine, klonopin,prilosec. Now what I need help with is, i need to know some healthy foods that won't hurt him. Dr. said no sugars, or carbs., i'm not a health awareness person, and hate to cook, our mom is out of town, or she'd know what to fix.

[Uff-Da!]

For a start, lean meat like skinless chicken and non-fat milk would be acceptable. Fish should be fine. Don't fry anything. Roast, broil, pan-broil, or steam are better alternatives.

I doubt that the doctor really meant NO carbs. More likely he meant avoid foods HIGH in carbs in relation to the nutrients provided. High carb foods are either high in sugar or in starch. Starchy foods include breads, cereals, rice, white potatoes, corn, crackers, so skip those unless you hear otherwise. Some starchy foods the doctors occasionally allow are pulses (beans, lentils, peas) and whole grain breads and cereals, like oatmeal, 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice. I'd suggest that you call the nurse or doctor tomorrow and ask if those are okay or not, but don't include them unless you hear it is okay. Even if it is okay, keep the quantities of such foods down.

Other foods usually permitted do have carbs, but a much lower amount of carbs for the volume and/or the nutrients. This group includes veggies like celery, summer squash, green and red bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and the like. You should be okay with including any of those for a day or so, but ask as soon as you get hold of the nurse or the doctor. Fruit has a lot of sugar. Often whole fruit is permitted but fruit juice is not, so this is also something you'll want to ask about.

I hope this will at least get you started.

[JJ]

Originally Posted by blackwaterfarms

I'm not up to date about triglycerides, but I need someone to briefly, and QUICKLY, give me some info about test results and what they mean. My brother has been lithium, now off, but on long enough to cause severe damage. He's always had high blood pressure but here recently it had gotten out of control. We were at the emerg. dept. at least 3 times a week, put on 6 different blood pressure med. to try and control it. Dr. thought there was an underlying condition causing it not to be controlled with med. Since the middle of Sept. he's gained 98lbs., developed high sugar, thyroid problems, high cholesterol (371) with triglycerides reading, (brace yourself) 1570. Dr. thinks lithium played major role in all this happening or that he's got metabolic syndrome. He was put back in the hospital Fri., released yesterday. Now he's on 13 different med. He's on crestor, tricor, synthroid, accupril, norvasc, antacand, toprol xl, glucaphage, seroquel, carbatrol, clonidine, klonopin,prilosec. Now what I need help with is, i need to know some healthy foods that won't hurt him. Dr. said no sugars, or carbs., i'm not a health awareness person, and hate to cook, our mom is out of town, or she'd know what to fix.

Wow, your brother sure is having problems. Didn't the drs. give U any ideas as to what to cook, as there are plenty of low carb things to find on the web, but if he is to have NO sugar or carbs, that is a tuffy. Try doing a search for low glycemic foods and pick out the lowest ones to try and make something out of them. Even fruits and veggies have some carbs, but U will have to decide which are the lowest to use. Hopefully someone can be of better help to you, as I am really lost here. I would definitely call your dr. in the a.m. and ask for some kind of help with a list of foods that won't be harmful. Good luck.

[blackwaterfarms]

Thank you for taking the time to help me and my brother. The info you have given me is wonderful. i feel better having a place to start. I will o.k. with Dr. and again thank you!!

[HubbleRules]

Originally Posted by blackwaterfarms

Thank you for taking the time to help me and my brother. The info you have given me is wonderful. i feel better having a place to start. I will o.k. with Dr. and again thank you!!

Blackwaterfarms,

I hope your brother's condition improves quickly - he surely has a lot of issues to deal with.

Follow the advice above, after discussing it with your doctor. And No Junk Food...

If some carbs are allowed, make sure they have a low glycemic index. You can get a list of the glycemic index of foods on the internet - these break down into sugar slowly and don't give you a rapid rise in your blood sugar level like a lot of carbs do.

Definitely cut out all sweets and sugars - those triglycerides have to come down quickly. Also, the combination of Crestor and Tricor concerns me - combining statins and fibrates increases the chances of muscular problems. Your doctor has him on the Tricor for the trigs. He's concerned because high levels can cause pancreatitis - a very serious complication. One fast way to reduce trigs (doesn't work for all though) is to lose weight and cut out sweets and alchohol.

Best of luck,

HubbleRules