Venting... new cholesterol issue

[lph]

As I was shopping today, looking at all the people in the grocery store, I keep wondering, gee, they are all out of shape, overweight, and they probably will live longer than me.

I would like to say "Of course they won't!" But the bummer is that there's only so much lifestyle can do. There's a large portion of genetics and plain luck in there as well, that you just can't control.

I have high HDL as well, and last time I checked it was high enough to make my total cholesterol higher than it "should" be. I had a re-test, and it was quite a bit lower then, after a few weeks. I know what it's like to stress about stuff like this when you feel you're doing all you can. Good luck with the re-testing!

[OakLeaf]

(((((Crankin))))) Hope it turns out to be a lab error, or the effect of something unusual you ate before the test.

FWIW, if I'm not mistaken, the thallium marker they use for stress tests is different from the iodine-based contrast they use for other types of imaging, the one people are most likely to be allergic to.

[Crankin]

Thanks, for the info about the thallium, Oak. It's something I would like to have done, regardless, sort of as a benchmark.
LPH, I generally have very good genetics. My mom died young of an autoimmune disease, but 3/4 grandparents lived until 91-92 and the one that died at 79 (he was the one who had a heart attack at 60) died of cancer. My dad is 87, still active, despite the stents in both heart and legs, prostate cancer for 20 years, and being a life long smoker. Nothing wrong with his brain, either.
I don't want to over think this; in my case it's dumb luck. My DH has made me hypersensitive to all of this, but he is a living example of how modern medicine and lifestyle can allow someone with genetics from hell to ride 3K miles a year, nordic ski, and run.

[ny biker]

Isn't a certain kind of fiber also supposed to be good for lowering cholesterol? I don't remember if it's soluble or insoluble, but I think it's whatever you get from oatmeal (and Cheerios).

But yeah, I would say to take a few deep breaths, schedule the re-test and then do your best to forget about it until you have the second set of results. The freakishly high HDL result could indicate that this last test was skewed for some reason.

Good luck!!

[pll]

I believe it's non soluble fiber. Oat meal has a bit (I have it every morning), something like psyllium husk (metamucil!) has it. I've had a couple of measures where my cholesterol was high, but my dr retested me only after 6 months. After the last time, I used metamucil every morning (the "original" version, sugar free), started avoiding soft cheeses, added a glass of red wine every night for a while. Almonds are good, too.

[Crankin]

I already drink a glass of red wine every night, eat almonds, and dark chocolate. I am going to up the oatmeal and decrease my cheese consumption. I eat a lot of Spanish types of cheese. I am also considering the Metamucil route.

[Catrin]

I hope this turns out to be an anomaly Crankin, crossing my fingers that the next test will have a better outcome for you.