Lipid Panel...Going for the GOLD

[Lenin]

I got the results of this week's blood test. I am pleased with everything except the old bugaboo, Lp(a).

My last month's regimen was double the Lipitor (from 10 to 20 mg.), 500 mg. SLO-Niacin (OTC), calorie counting with a little nod to lower fats, especially butterfat...most cooking done with canola sauteeing. I eat 6 eggs a week and a glass of kefir made with 2% milk daily...2 ounces of cheese a day.

Anyhoo,
here they are:
Total Cholesterol: 126
HDL Cholesterol: 41
Cholesterol/HDL ratio: 3.1
LDL Cholesterol, calc.: 69
Triglycerides: 79

What a difference from when I began this battle with TC around 280 and HDL of 28. If these numbers can't suck some volume out of my remaining plaques, then nothing can.

Now Lp(a)...Damn Quest Labs threw another curve. Remember the dichotomy between the low values as standard on the VAP test (like <12mg/dL?) and the <30 mg/dL reported on Quest reports. Well they changed the standards again to <75 nmol/L. When I saw my value of 107.0 I almost fainted til I saw the note about the reference change.
I assumed the 75 nmol/L was the same as 30 mg/dL (this may not be true...gotta work it out) and then my Lp(a) fell a bit to 42.8 mg/dL.
I have to research this because any measure that mentions moles requires one to know the molecular weight of the molecule and Lp(a) is a GROUP of similar molecules of differing weight. I HATE this system because weight per volume is so precise in comparison to the mole stuff. I hated it in college and I STILL hate it.

Anyways, if my assumption is correct, then what I have is something like:

52 from teetotalling with 10 mg. Lipitor and no niacin
54 from heavy drinking, 10 mg. Lip and no niacin
45.8 from NO DRINKING, 10 mg. Lipitor and 500 mg. SLO niacin
42.8 from NO DRINKING, 20 mg. Lipitor and 500 mg. SLOW niacin.

Based on the old standard of 30 mg/dL, I'm GETTING there...tediously.

But for tonight, I shall walk on air with my LDL of 69.

I'm also happy that the slow niacin is keeping my HDL above 40 (barely) without booze. My ALT and AST Liver enzymes went up slightly with the Lipitor doubling but at 23 and 26 repesctively they are both in the middle of the acceptable range.

[ARIZONA73]

Lenin, I'm not sure if this will help you or not. But as far as lipoprotein(a) is concerned, in order to convert umol/L to mg/dl, you would need to divide by .0357. But from that, how would you convert it to nmol/L? Would you divide by 100?

[ARIZONA73]

Well anyway, if I'm right, and I hope I am, that would mean that your Lp(a) is closer to 30mg/dl.

[Lenin]

ARIZONA,

Thank you for that number. Unfortunately a nanomole is one thousandth of a micromole so that would put the standard in the vicinity of <2 mg/dL. a seeming impossiblility
Have I said how much I Despise using moles...hated it in college and still hate it. Grams are a defined amount...moles depend on the substance being weighed....just silly/ And when the weight of Lp(a) varies widely depending on the type of attatched apo(a) it can really have no meaning.

Did you work it out from the molecular weight or did you find a conversion somewhere...my last night's hunt was unfruitful but I was groggy when I looked.

Thanks again.

I found this line:

The first study evaluated adults with total cholesterol levels between 200 and 280 mg/dl (5.17 and 7.24 mmol/L)

Thus 5.17 mmol/L would have to be raised 6 powers to convert to nanomoles/L or 5,170,000 and dividing both this number and 200 mg/dl by 4 (to get my approximate range of 50 mg.dL) would give me a reading by the new standards of 1.29 MILLION...

Throwing in the towel on this one.
If you spot something writ in stone, help me out.
I wrote to an organization that takes questions on the meaning of lab tests for some guidance. That will probably take days.
My biggest concern is whether the new <75 is equivalent to the old <30 or not.

Nanomoles indeed, Bah humbug!

[Stumper]

Lenin,


Your numbers look simply fantastic.


If I was you I would continue everything as you are because with those numbers arteries almost have to clean out over time.