HbA1c ......and Cholesterol !

Curleous

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Just had 6 monthly and hb1ac at 5.9 same as last time . have now had 12.8 on diagnosis 18 months ago followed by 7.8, 5.7,5.9 6.1,5.9 and 5.9.They are now worryling about cholesterol which was 5.1 on this test which was a non fasting altho i had nowt to eat apart from a tea and coffee for 12 hours before test. Is 5.1 that high ass i have got it down from 5.7 6 months ago, or is more important to worry about ratios of good bad and trigs which i dont understand?. My gp says that diet will only reduce chlesterol by 10%. is this correct? Should i be looking at statins as these have been mentioned. I am 45 and still unfortunately smoke 5 to 10 cigarettes a day something that i am ashamed of and trying to cease? .

Thoughts plkease and meery xmas all

Cheers
Andy
 

cugila

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Re: hb1ac

Here is a link to the British Heart Foundation website where High Cholesterol is explained and information is given.

http://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/cond ... terol.aspx

Not quite sure that a figure for max reduction (10%) can be accurately quoted, everybody is an individual. There are those that think Statins are fine and a useful tool....then there are those who seem to think they are 'poison.' Do your own research and make your own mind up. :wink:

Personally, I prefer levels much lower, in the 3's with all the other levels being on target at the same time. Taking just one figure is not a good idea.......it is the whole that matters.

Whether you need to take cholesterol-lowering drugs or not depends not just on your total cholesterol, HDL and LDL levels, but also on your overall risk of coronary heart disease.

Cholesterol-lowering medicines such as statins are prescribed for people who are at greatest overall risk of suffering from coronary heart disease.

Having Diabetes is a risk factor for many things including CHD........ :(
 

Anthony88

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Re: hb1ac

I've been on statins for a few months and my only complaint is they taste like dusty old cobwebs. I've not had a recent blood test to see how well they work though.
 

moonstone

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They explained to me that although the threshold is 5 in non-diabetics the threshold is 4 for diabetics because of our much greater risk of heart disease, so they have to treat our cholesterol levels more aggressively. I was shocked at this as mine were only 5.2 at the time, but I dutifully went for it anyway as I too smoke and am struggling to stop. I got side effects from the first ones - simvastatin - constant cramps in my feet, literally constant, so I had to stop those and now take atorvastatin with no ill effects.
 

Curleous

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Thanks all
just seen the consultant today who says 5.9 hb1ac was a bit low and he would prefer about 6.5.
He said cholesterol at 5.1 was good and that the ratio of good to bad was good as well so no need for statins yet. Have put on 3 kg in six months so that is the next on agenda and this i feel is going to be hard as i eat good healthy foods and exercise so i know this is going to be tough. BMI still in good range but right on the line of being sligtly overweight :(

Meery xmas all
Cheers
Andy
 

donnellysdogs

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Well done on ending up on statins....the consultant must be confident that you can lower it...and it is great that your good and bad levels are both within the limits that HCP's like us to have.

I saw my friend today with that is on the 'no fat' diet, and he was leaning against a roadsign after having walked no more than 10 yards, when I saw him yesterday he could hardly string a sentence together even forgetting our neighbours names and he was absoulely ashen grey and gaunt. Forgot to add, that as well as having no fat, he is actually still taking 10mg of statins each day. His wife has also got problems with nose bleeds, and has also had tests for dementia and endless tests for her too, she at least drinks milk.....I implore anybody reading this not to ever cut out all fat from diets to such an extreme as this couple. It is awful watching them killing themselves whilst thinking they are eating healthy.......and they just won't accept that they have to have some fat to keep their body functioning.

There are plenty of ways to get levels lowere, whether it is changing milk, cheeses, butters etc...or as I do take plant sterol capsules everyday. Garlic I believe is also meant to help, but I'm not excatly sure on this. There are some quite good recipes for lower cholestrol on the internet as well.
I still have treats, but not too often. I'm not a low carber either, I just have everything in moderation.......