Bit confused... but doesnt take much with me!

[Lainie71]

I have been through hell and back ten fold in the last year so have been a bit illusive with coming on here. I had my hba1c today and wee sample and gp is bleating on about statins, but said if I dont want to fine, I will take the latter I think. I have had a result regarding the cholesterol but have asked for a further breakdown as this is what was sent to me. I also didnt fast and wonder if I should have, whether that would have made a clearer picture in my result. I know there are lots of conversations on cholesterol on here and I am of the opinion I dont want to venture down the route of meds. My cholesterol level has gone down I think but with out looking at my previous results, I cannot be 100% sure. Dont women of a certain age need cholesterol and does it not go up with on lchf/Keto which is what I follow. Dreading my hba1c result due to the stress I have endured over the last year. I dont know what else I could do to lower the 6.5 as I work out regular and I am not overweight now. No history of heart disease in the family. Guess I may just be unlucky. Do the levels look bad bearing in mind I dont know the full break down yet.

Cholesterol level is 6.5 mmol/l
Hdl (good fats) level is 1.8 mmol/L
QRISK score is 12.29 %

 

[Melgar]

Hi @Lainie71 , sorry to hear you have had a rough year. I hope things are better for you now.

I'm sitting here with my lab requisition forms. I have an appointment with the lab on Tuesday to take blood. I'm having a few health issues , I think they are minor, well I hope they are. So I have my usual Thyroid test. My magnesium levels are fluctuating which they don't like and I have started with Restless Leg Syndrome and not sleeping. The RLS is affecting my arms as well, so they are doing some chemistry tests. Iron of course is the common cause , Thyroid too.

I'm on statins. I've read literature from both sides of the argument and came out in favour of statins. I'm not convinced having high cholesterol is safe. That's just me. I've been on statins for a few months now. I have some brain fog which is likely a side effect from the statins. My Dr has recommended me taking Creatine Monohydrate . So I'll see how that works.
Looking at my rec forms I see I have a couple of tests relating to lipids : Apo B and Lipo (a) tests. I'm very happy these are being tested. They give a better picture on what's going on than simply cholesterol.

Before taking the statins my cholesterol was too high, probably similar to yours. My Triglycerides were very low however. My cholesterol has come right down into the normal range. So I feel more comfortable with that.

Ed spelling

 

[shelley262]

I have been through hell and back ten fold in the last year so have been a bit illusive with coming on here. I had my hba1c today and wee sample and gp is bleating on about statins, but said if I dont want to fine, I will take the latter I think. I have had a result regarding the cholesterol but have asked for a further breakdown as this is what was sent to me. I also didnt fast and wonder if I should have, whether that would have made a clearer picture in my result. I know there are lots of conversations on cholesterol on here and I am of the opinion I dont want to venture down the route of meds. My cholesterol level has gone down I think but with out looking at my previous results, I cannot be 100% sure. Dont women of a certain age need cholesterol and does it not go up with on lchf/Keto which is what I follow. Dreading my hba1c result due to the stress I have endured over the last year. I dont know what else I could do to lower the 6.5 as I work out regular and I am not overweight now. No history of heart disease in the family. Guess I may just be unlucky. Do the levels look bad bearing in mind I dont know the full break down yet.

Cholesterol level is 6.5 mmol/l
Hdl (good fats) level is 1.8 mmol/L
QRISK score is 12.29 %

So sorry you have been having such a challenging, stressful year - a lot to deal with as well as trying to manage a health condition. Unfortunately stress is not at all helpful for managing blood sugar so well done you on working out regularly and eating carefully - I really hope that your hba1c comes in at a similar level to your previous ones I'm crossing fingers for you. If stress has raised it you could maybe benefit from exploring some extra stress management techniques as well as exercise - good luck for this result.
're your concerns about your cholesterol tests, advice about taking statins and your Q risk. I'd probably say from my experience:
The most useful test I've found is a full fasted Lipid panel - it's much more useful than the total. You could always ask for this test if you want more info about your lipids. It would be helpful for you to see what your trigs are like but for a true figure it needs to be a fasted test as trigs are the fats in circulation at time of test. I fast for 12 to 14 hours.
The Q risk adds points for things like your diabetes ( regardless of your hba1c) your age, sex and even your post code! It can be helpful to use one on line and see what counts. You can do it online and search for Q risk 3 as I couldn't insert a link for some reason!

I have very high LDL and so am well used to the statins talk and heart risk warnings. It's a personal decision 're should you lower your LDL with meds. I tried statins and was intolerant with muscle pains that stopped me exercising! I did take part in a heart health study to look at my heart health and luckily had a clean bill of health including a zero CAC score which reassured me but my cholesterol had gone up to 9.2 at my annual test earlier this year so I decided to take an alternative to statins - a LDL lowering drug - Ezetimibe - which doesn't seem to raise blood glucose as a side effect. I take half the normal dose and my total came down to 5.8 much to my relief. My trigs have always been low and my HDL high.
Hope reading about my experience gives you some useful ideas and wishing you all the best

 

[Lainie71]

So sorry you have been having such a challenging, stressful year - a lot to deal with as well as trying to manage a health condition. Unfortunately stress is not at all helpful for managing blood sugar so well done you on working out regularly and eating carefully - I really hope that your hba1c comes in at a similar level to your previous ones I'm crossing fingers for you. If stress has raised it you could maybe benefit from exploring some extra stress management techniques as well as exercise - good luck for this result.
're your concerns about your cholesterol tests, advice about taking statins and your Q risk. I'd probably say from my experience:
The most useful test I've found is a full fasted Lipid panel - it's much more useful than the total. You could always ask for this test if you want more info about your lipids. It would be helpful for you to see what your trigs are like but for a true figure it needs to be a fasted test as trigs are the fats in circulation at time of test. I fast for 12 to 14 hours.
The Q risk adds points for things like your diabetes ( regardless of your hba1c) your age, sex and even your post code! It can be helpful to use one on line and see what counts. You can do it online and search for Q risk 3 as I couldn't insert a link for some reason!

I have very high LDL and so am well used to the statins talk and heart risk warnings. It's a personal decision 're should you lower your LDL with meds. I tried statins and was intolerant with muscle pains that stopped me exercising! I did take part in a heart health study to look at my heart health and luckily had a clean bill of health including a zero CAC score which reassured me but my cholesterol had gone up to 9.2 at my annual test earlier this year so I decided to take an alternative to statins - a LDL lowering drug - Ezetimibe - which doesn't seem to raise blood glucose as a side effect. I take half the normal dose and my total came down to 5.8 much to my relief. My trigs have always been low and my HDL high.
Hope reading about my experience gives you some useful ideas and wishing you all the best

Thanks for the ideas and your experience, it does help. I am going to ask for a full fasted Lipid panel test. There was no breakdown of the trigs just the numbers. My surgery is pretty good but I may have to fight for the fasted Lipid panel test

 

[Lainie71]

Hi @Lainie71 , sorry to hear you have had a rough year. I hope things are better for you now.

I'm sitting here with my lab requisition forms. I have an appointment with the lab on Tuesday to take blood. I'm having a few health issues , I think they are minor, well I hope they are. So I have my usual Thyroid test. My magnesium levels are fluctuating which they don't like and I have started with Restless Leg Syndrome and not sleeping. The RLS is affecting my arms as well, so they are doing some chemistry tests. Iron of course is the common cause , Thyroid too.

I'm on statins. I've read literature from both sides of the argument and came out in favour of statins. I'm not convinced having high cholesterol is safe. That's just me. I've been on statins for a few months now. I have some brain fog which is likely a side effect from the statins. My Dr has recommended me taking Creatine Monohydrate . So I'll see how that works.
Looking at my rec forms I see I have a couple of tests relating to lipids : Apo B and Lipo (a) tests. I'm very happy these are being tested. They give a better picture on what's going on than simply cholesterol.

Before taking the statins my cholesterol was too high, probably similar to yours. My Triglycerides were very low however. My cholesterol has come right down into the normal range. So I feel more comfortable with that.

Ed spelling

I looked at my last reading at it was 5.9 and the good fats were very low. I have read that with some people going lc/keto pushes up the bad fats but despite having good levels at 1.8 they can misbehave and stick to the bad fats. Just a bit fed up with it. I may even go plant based for a bit or cut down on my steak and pork chops just stick to chicken without the skin and fish, see if that helps. I cannot fast for the life of me, it makes me feel ill and my bg rockets. I cannot eat dairy, never been able to as it makes my tummy bad and head. GP said it was high when it 5.9. I have a feeling the stress of the last year will have pushed up my HBA1c and in turn increased my Cholesterol. Hope you feel better soon, not fun when you feel pants. Good about your numbers coming down though xxx

 

[Melgar]

I looked at my last reading at it was 5.9 and the good fats were very low. I have read that with some people going lc/keto pushes up the bad fats but despite having good levels at 1.8 they can misbehave and stick to the bad fats. Just a bit fed up with it. I may even go plant based for a bit or cut down on my steak and pork chops just stick to chicken without the skin and fish, see if that helps. I cannot fast for the life of me, it makes me feel ill and my bg rockets. I cannot eat dairy, never been able to as it makes my tummy bad and head. GP said it was high when it 5.9. I have a feeling the stress of the last year will have pushed up my HBA1c and in turn increased my Cholesterol. Hope you feel better soon, not fun when you feel pants. Good about your numbers coming down though xxx

Thanks @Lainie71 . I'm lactose intolerant, but I can eat some dairy before getting IBS. Are you lactose intolerant ? Fats, same. I can eat some, but I soon know when I've had too much fat, plus I cannot tolerate the texture. I tend towards chicken, fish and veggie meals . When my OH is home we'll have steak. I like mediterranean type foods, olives, feta, tomatoes and lots of leafy greens. I do eat carbs as the very low carb doesn't do much and I lose too much weight.
Stress will drive up blood sugars, that fight or flight response . Can you push for an Apo B test. That's the only way know if the level of cholesterol is doing damage.

 

[Lainie71]

Thanks @Lainie71 . I'm lactose intolerant, but I can eat some dairy before getting IBS. Are you lactose intolerant ? Fats, same. I can eat some, but I soon know when I've had too much fat, plus I cannot tolerate the texture. I tend towards chicken, fish and veggie meals . When my OH is home we'll have steak. I like mediterranean type foods, olives, feta, tomatoes and lots of leafy greens. I do eat carbs as the very low carb doesn't do much and I lose too much weight.
Stress will drive up blood sugars, that fight or flight response . Can you push for an Apo B test. That's the only way know if the level of cholesterol is doing damage.

I can try but I am bit scared to find out! I think I am lactose intolerant as I get headaches, bloating, toilet trips, skin issues, nausea symptoms to name a few. Doctor said to just avoid the triggers, said they would not test as it would cost to much! My diet leans to the Mediterranean diet, I do eat loads of green salads, olives, kidney beans, cannelloni beans, extra virgin oil, avocados etc but I think I have slipped up. I have been eating way too much fatty protein where as before I ate just boiled chicken and fish, with steak now and again. I dont think my body can cope with too much protein, red meats, salami. I have been eating a shed load of pork chops and chicken with skin on it and salami. I lapsed on my Inulin powder that I used to take religiously and stopped having the linseed seeds with my salads I think its all added up. Add the stress on top and not being disciplined in the exercise dept and burning calories procrastinating, I bet my hba1c has upped to match the cholesterol like a pair of shoes and matching bag, they go together!! I have just had some black olives but still hungry and it feels like I am starting over again like I did years back not knowing what to eat for the best. The fact the good HDL reading is 1.8 scares me as how do I lower that, can I or should I. I just dont know anymore. I also take a beetroot supplement and that helps with my workouts, definitely gives me more energy and stops my thighs hurting the day after a workout. Its all trial and error and smoke and mirrors lol xx

 

[ianf0ster]

@Lainie71 By good cholesterol I presume you mean HDL. If so, then, I don't understand why you seem concerned that it may be too high at 1.8 . I have read that the optimum level is around 2.0 and that there may be problems if it is much over that. Last time mine was 2.1 but I'm not concerned even though my LDL is quite high because my Triglycerides are low (around 1.1). I keep eating what controls my T2 diabetes (HbA1C of 40 last time), since I have seen studies that say actual T2 diabetic levels increase heart risk by around 800% - which is much more than an elevated LDL will do.
I have had problems when trying both Simvastatin and Atorvastatin, so now I just stick to Low Carb (High Protein, High Fat) which works out well for me - keeps me slim with high energy.

But we are all different, so you need to find what works best for you.

 

[Melgar]

I can try but I am bit scared to find out! I think I am lactose intolerant as I get headaches, bloating, toilet trips, skin issues, nausea symptoms to name a few. Doctor said to just avoid the triggers, said they would not test as it would cost to much! My diet leans to the Mediterranean diet, I do eat loads of green salads, olives, kidney beans, cannelloni beans, extra virgin oil, avocados etc but I think I have slipped up. I have been eating way too much fatty protein where as before I ate just boiled chicken and fish, with steak now and again. I dont think my body can cope with too much protein, red meats, salami. I have been eating a shed load of pork chops and chicken with skin on it and salami. I lapsed on my Inulin powder that I used to take religiously and stopped having the linseed seeds with my salads I think its all added up. Add the stress on top and not being disciplined in the exercise dept and burning calories procrastinating, I bet my hba1c has upped to match the cholesterol like a pair of shoes and matching bag, they go together!! I have just had some black olives but still hungry and it feels like I am starting over again like I did years back not knowing what to eat for the best. The fact the good HDL reading is 1.8 scares me as how do I lower that, can I or should I. I just dont know anymore. I also take a beetroot supplement and that helps with my workouts, definitely gives me more energy and stops my thighs hurting the day after a workout. Its all trial and error and smoke and mirrors lol xx

If I recall, it was 25 years ago, I drank something then a while later I had to blow in a bag. I was diagnosed lactose intolerant . But really, if you suffer after eating dairy, particularly milk, then that in itself is suggestive that your body is reacting to the lactose . It's quite common. I always buy lactose free milk and cream. I don't bother to get lactose butter, or yoghurt. Cheese I'm careful with as it's a race to the finish line which intolerance it triggers first , the lactose or the fats.

Your diet sounds very similar to mine, although I don't eat pork. I don't like the taste. I never eat chicken with the skin on.:***: I don't like the texture.
I agree with @ianf0ster your HDL of 1.8 is not a shabby number at all . Your Triglycerides are important. The lower the better.
I've never eaten a high fat diet as I've been sensitive to fats for as long as I can remember, so my high LDL figures have nothing to do with fat intake. I also exercise, a lot. I will know more after my Apo B test and my Lipo (a) test. I agree it is trial and error.

Ed to add I'm not sure why there are **** .It was an official DCUK Emoji

 

[Antje77]

Ed to add I'm not sure why there are **** .It was an official DCUK Emoji

At a guess, it was the 4th from the bottom right. Hover over it with your mouse and you'll see the description in words, which is what I think the filter picks up.

I'll bow out of this thread otherwise, I don't think I have any useful input here but I hope you'll be happy with whatever you choose to do @Lainie71 !

 

[Sarah69]

Sorry, can I just ask what a Q Risk is please?

 

[Pipp]

Sorry, can I just ask what a Q Risk is please?

It is a tool used by HCPs to predict cardiovascular risk.

QRISK3

qrisk.org

 

[Lainie71]

@Lainie71 By good cholesterol I presume you mean HDL. If so, then, I don't understand why you seem concerned that it may be too high at 1.8 . I have read that the optimum level is around 2.0 and that there may be problems if it is much over that. Last time mine was 2.1 but I'm not concerned even though my LDL is quite high because my Triglycerides are low (around 1.1). I keep eating what controls my T2 diabetes (HbA1C of 40 last time), since I have seen studies that say actual T2 diabetic levels increase heart risk by around 800% - which is much more than an elevated LDL will do.
I have had problems when trying both Simvastatin and Atorvastatin, so now I just stick to Low Carb (High Protein, High Fat) which works out well for me - keeps me slim with high energy.

But we are all different, so you need to find what works best for you.

That's made me feel a bit better to honest. I do worry and until I get the full breakdown of my result from the Surgery I will not know what my Triglycerides are but for now, I am just going to continue the way I have done.