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been called to see the practice nurse following blood test ...

Disneyfan

Well-Known Member
Messages
60
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
... was worried as I felt I'd slipped a little off the wagon ... but turns out my hba1c is actually down (just 1 point to 35) yay! So it's my cholesterol they're calling me back about ... last time it was 4.9 and they keep telling me it should be under 4 if you're diabetic. I know they'll now blame it on my low carbing (cheese has become my snack of choice) so any advice ... am I right to assume I don't want to be on statins?
 
Well done for the nice low HbA1c. Unable to tell you anything about statins as the doctor never wanted to put me on them even though I was about 4.5.
 
Mine prescribed them but I ain't taking 'em.
 
Is it your 'good' or 'bad' cholestrol which is 4.9?
My GP is quite enlightened and as long as the two are equal maintains that there is no risk to health, as 'good' flushes away 'bad'. So no need for statins for me he says. My readings are 8.
Also remember that GPs are paid extra for every patient that they prescribe statins to, so they are not paid to be unbiased.
 
I was under the impression it is the triglyceride/HDL ratio that is important and must be under 2. (just divide your triglycerides level by your HDL). My Trig/HDL ratio at my last fasting blood test was 0.8 yet I was still given statins!
 
ooh thank you for that info ... I don't know what the current level is till I see the nurse tomorrow ... last time (October) it was 4.9 - which was up on the previous six months reading - although they made the point that it was up as my 'good' cholesterol had increased ... I think they were both 2. something but I don't remember. The receptionist just told me that it was a call back because of cholesterol. I only got that much out of her by saying I'd been worried sick about my hba1c since I got the letter on Saturday so could she let me know what I was dealing with.
 

Just see how it goes, if your blood check was a fasting one they should be able to tell you what your lipid breakdown is.
 
A level of 4.5 is good so don't worry. They reduce the target every few years to the extent my diabetes GP once said that if they keep at it there will be no fat left in our bodies. It's all very silly, so make up your own mind bearing in mind statins are not a safe drug.
 
noblehead said:
Just see how it goes, if your blood check was a fasting one they should be able to tell you what your lipid breakdown is.
Click to expand...
blood check wasn't fasting. Will see how it goes this evening. To be honest I'm just so relieved that it wasn't about my hba1c I can deal with the rest of it!
 
ok got my readings ... hdl is 1.9, ldl is 3.5 so overall 5.4 which is why I was called in. Means my ratio is 3. Triglycerides are ok too. She was pushing me to a statin or a low fat diet. Tried to tell me 35 was on the low side for hba1c. I've declined the pills but she wants me back in 3 months for another cholesterol test.
 
In my experience, if you keep saying no, eventually they give up. Or you could take the script, pretend to try it out, read up on all the side effects and tell them you stopped taking it because of the side effects

The most important ratio apparently is the triglycerides divided by HDL - should be below 1.3. The smaller the number, the more likely you have the large fluffy kind of LDL.
 
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