Anyone with high cholesterol?

[bean fidhleir]

I take fish-oil caps for high chol. And I'm trying to shift the 50 extra lbs I'm carting around, but that seems to be more difficult these days.

[Crankin]

Thanks, Knott. I am a little worried it might be too "stimulating" for me.

[Red Rock]

Thank you divingbiker for your recipies. I will have to try them out. I have been having fun collecting all of my ingredients to make my "cold cereal" using Knots recipie as a base.

So far I have the oats, came across a 9 grain cereal at the health food store, so I thought I would mix that in, raisins, almonds, and dry milk. I think that is it so far. I will have to see how this goes.

Knot- when you mentioned Cheerios, I was like "man, I have not had those in so long." I was craving them until I went to the store and bought myself a box. They really taste good. Thankyou for reminding my tastebuds of how good they are.

[Bike Goddess]

High cholesterol is always an interesting topic for me as well. In June of 2006 my total Cholesterol was 251mg/dL. HDL was 92mg/dL and LDL was 150mg/dL. (She said that my high HDL was due to all of the cycling I was doing -training for the SF/LA AIDS ride that year).
She also wanted to put me on medication BUT I researched this as well and noted that my ratio was just fine. I've managed to avoid meds so far.

I've not been tested since, and now I am riding even more than I was in "06. And, I've not got job stress anymore which I also think may have contributed.

One of these days I'll get another blood test to see how I am doing. Not too worried however. I am mostly a vegetarian, don't eat a lot of fat, and do fiber (Fiber Perfect) regularly as well as eat lots of raw vegies.

I'm thinking that some of this cholestorol stuff is hereditary. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Stay away from meds if you can- IMHO>

[surgtech1956]

Hereditary a factor - most definitely.

[sandra]

I read this thread and never posted. My doctor gave me 6 months to change my eating habits, exercise and lose a few pounds and try to get mine down. I've been trying hard, really.

I got my blood work done yesterday and my cholesterol is even HIGHER than it was 6 months ago.

Total 255. My LDL is 182 and my HDL is 52. I have an appointment on Monday to go in and see him. I can imagine what he is going to tell me. (6 months ago it was 244)

[Red Rock]

Sandra: Good luck with your next visit. My numbers, I think have been consitent through time, so I am being more aggressive about it this time around. My doc has not said anything to me either.

Genetics might be the case here, but I know my dad got his levels down to where they need to be with my brothers help with food and exercise. So I have to be more deligent about getting my exercise in, I guess.

Ellen

[carpaltunnel]

I eat oatmeal, rolled oats actually, winter and summer. I cook a week's worth at a time with apples, almonds, etc. and keep it in the fridge - whack off a chunk every morning and warm it up a little bit, eat it without milk. ( Hate milk so I have to drink it real fast to get it down, oatmeal is too slow.)

Also metamucil every day, start slow and work up so you don't overload on fiber all at once. Your body will get used to it.
Exercise too, as vigorous as you can - but I'll bet you all ready are doing that.
I'm 60 + and my cholesteral is 146.

Give it a try, it's a lot cheaper and more natural than pills. Good luck!

[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.

[IFjane]

Hereditary a factor - most definitely.

I have been following this thread since it started but did not post because of so many varying ideas/opinions, etc. Surgtech's comment hit home and I had to post. I have had high cholesterol all my life. I inherited it from my father. No doubt about that.

Waaaaay back in 1968 the National Institutes of Health "discovered" the suspected relationship between cholesterol and heart attacks. My father happened to be at Bethesda Naval Hospital for an unrelated issue. He had had a heart attack in 1965 (at the age of 48). NIH had contacted Bethesda (conveniently located across the street) for anyone who fit their profile. My dad did. He agreed to be a Guinea pig for them & consequently, the rest of us in the family were tested as well. My mom and brother did not have high cholesterol. I did. I was 13. I don't remember my levels then, but the entire family immediately went on a low-cholesterol diet. I did not get my cholesterol checked again until age 35. My total cholesterol was 350+. The doctor put me on a statin and I have been on them ever since. I have no idea if being on this maintenance drug is good or not - what I will say is that in 2000, because of my fitness level at the time, my PCP took me off the drug to see what would happen. Almost immediately my levels jumped to over 300.... I am one of those people whose bodies manufacture cholesterol.

I eat oatmeal EVERY morning for breakfast, drink only skim milk, eat red meat in moderation, lots of fruit, lots of fiber, lots of veggies....red wine ....etc. etc. I hate taking a maintenance drug - I have lots of aches & pains that I wonder if they are caused by the drug.....but.....

My father had a heart attack at the age of 48 & was told he was lucky to be alive; he went on drugs for his cholesterol 3 years later, thanks to NIH, (the drugs changed over the years as the research pointed in different directions).....and he died in 2002 - at the age of 84. I know the disclaimer is that statins and other cholesterol-lowering drugs do not prevent heart attacks, but I cannot believe that he would have lived that long - and for most of those years he was VERY active - heart attack free - without the help of those drugs.

Your thoughts?

[Crankin]

I agree. I would take the meds if my situation warranted it. It doesn't mean you are "weak." My husband is in a similar situation. Horrible family history on both sides. He is an extremely fit cyclist, yet he still needed to have 2 stents put in because he had 2 80% blockages, which he had fixed about a year after he started on statins. His cholesterol is now really low, as is his bp. I really believe he would be dead if it wasn't for these drugs.

[carpaltunnel]

IFJane, wow! Your dad was in exactly the right place at the right time!

I guess my fingers were typing faster than my brain was thinking, because upon rereading my post, it sounds like I'm opposed to meds. Quite to the contrary, I've taken medicine to keep my blood pressure down for 30 years. I've had high blood pressure since I was 6 or 7, but prefer to handle my health issues behaviorally if possible.