Anyone with high cholesterol?

[surgtech1956]

Sandra - good luck. What did you eliminate or add to your diet?? Do you think you've had more stress?

[newfsmith]

My cholesterol has been steadily rising since my early 40's, finally going over 200 in my fifties and 2 years ago hitting 287 with an HDL of 85, LDL 174, and triglycerides of 90. That seemed to be the year that everything went wrong. Besides those stellar figures while having lost 18 lbs since 2000, and riding 3000 miles a year while living a mostly vegatarian lifestyle, I developed a kidney stone and was diagnosed as having osteoporosis. One of the consequences of the kidney stone (calcium oxalate) was that I was advised to eat a low oxalate diet. A low oxalate diet can be best described as an anti-heart healthy diet: no nuts, no oatmeal, seeds or whole grains, no dark green leaves, and especially no soy products. Because of that I agreed to start taking Lovastatin. At the same time the endocrinologist I was seeing because of osteoporosis discovered that although my T3 & T4 were normal my TSH was high, and climbing, so I also started Levothyroxine. Of course, I was put on Fosamax. After 6 months my liver values started to rise, and on re-check 2 months later had continued to rise, so I was pulled off the Lovastatin. Then the Fosamax started giving me GERD and I came off that. I'm currently waiting to get an appoint to start Reclast, which I don't expect to be any fun. They tell me I'm supposed to start taking Tylenol 3 days before the injection. I want my liver to have had a chance to recover before I take any Tylenol. I've decided to take my chances with another kidney stone, because I just can't believe that diet is healthy, although I am still avoiding soy products. Hopefully, the thyroid supplementation will help bring down my cholesterol some as well. My take on statins is that they did bring my cholesterol down to 207, but the warnings about liver problems are real, so if you do start a statin be sure to get a follow-up liver profile before your next annual exam. As a cyclist, I had been more concerned about the reports of muscle problems, but did not have any of them. The American Heart Association has some online calculaters for your cardiac risk factors. It is worthwhile going through them and taking a copy with you to your MD to see what other lifestyle changes you can make before you decide to try statins.

[Red Rock]

On the Metamucil it says speak with the doc before starting. Is this so that you don't overload your system with fiber? or so that they can pretend they know what they are talking about when it comes to nutrition?

When it comes to speaking with the doc, how many of us can actually speak with the doc on a casual basis about a concern and get an answer? I know my GP is full to the gills seeing patients all day.

Is the Metamucil concidered a drug or a supplement? It is in the pharmacy section so that is why I ask, plus all of its WARNINGS.

How do you cut up whole almonds? Is there a better way than just with a knife and a cutting board? Ideas?

Thankyou,
Red Rock

[divingbiker]

How do you cut up whole almonds? Is there a better way than just with a knife and a cutting board? Ideas?

Pulsing them in a food processor works.

[sandra]

Sandra - good luck. What did you eliminate or add to your diet?? Do you think you've had more stress?

Sorry, I've been gone and I'm just now seeing this. Hubby needs a heart healthy diet too so we have been eating more fresh vegetables and fruits. I NEVER eat anything like bacon or sausage. I ate oatmeal some, but I must confess, I'm not really crazy about it, so I eat more cereal.

Stress? Son got married 6 weeks ago. Think this counts as stress?

Also age. I'm 52. My compounding pharmacist explained that as hormone production decreases, cholesterol tends to increase. I'm working on getting those hormones straightened out with BHRT.

[KnottedYet]

Cool!

Just got my latest chol results back. 5 weeks of Metamucil 1 or 2 doses a day, and my chol dropped by 24 points. Hot dog!

I've got a date with my doc for another chol test in 3 months. I'm also supposed to be losing 20 lbs and increasing my excercise, so hopefully I'll add those in to the equation and lower it some more.

More veges! More Metamucil! More bikes!
(really, I need more bikes to get more exercise, right? )

[sandra]

I wasn't so fortunate. 6 months and I ate healthy, exercised and lost 10 lbs. My cholesterol went UP!!! So he started me on cholesterol medicine.

Plus he rolled his eyes about the BHRT. He doesn't like me on it. Said to discuss it with my gyno MD, but it DOES increase my risk of breast cancer.

[Red Rock]

Congrats Knott- also I love your cereal. It really sticks to you. I have been looking into those "High fiber" foods some more and trying to incoporate them into my diet. They actually make me feel more full. So I guess that is a good thing. I also picked up some of the Metamucil and have been doing one a day. I would like to make the increase with as much "natural" food as possible.

I made this great soup with lentils, quinoa, and barley and tons of veggies and chicken for work.

Now my problem is exercise on days when I am working my 10's. My next struggle.

[farrellcollie]

For those who don't like oatmeal - may I suggest trying the steel cut oats. They have more texture and (I think- more flavor too) than rolled oats. I like to use rolled oats or cooked steel cut oats in whole wheat waffles too.

I am going to see if my gf will try the metamucil - she has high chol. and is on all kinds of meds.