Blood test results - good and bad news, a bit worried

[Hooty]

I’ve just had the results of my blood test which was a 6-month check after my HbA1c was 43 in April. The good news is that my HbA1c is now 40, so I feel encouraged that I have been making the right changes to my diet by drastically reducing my carb intake, while at the same time knowing that I need to keep it up to prevent my blood sugar level rising.

However my total cholesterol has jumped up from being between 3.5 and 4.5 where it has been over the last 10 years (7 readings taken) to now being 6.4. I know that it’s the non-HDL element that is the one of concern - this has gone from under 3 to 4.7.

So while I am pleased about the Hb1Ac result I’m quite concerned about the cholesterol. My results have a note on that I need a non-urgent phone appointment with the GP but I’d be really grateful for any insight from people here beforehand. Has anyone else had this kind of result when eating low-carb, and then found the cholesterol settles back down again?

I have definitely been eating more eggs, cheese, butter, mayonnaise and nuts than before, but wouldn’t say my diet is really high in fat. I was slim when first diagnosed, 51kg, so wasn’t aiming for weight loss, although I have lost a bit and am now 48kg.

 

[HSSS]

Was it a fasting reading?
What has happened to your trigs and hdl?

 

[Hooty]

Thank you for your reply.
No it wasn’t fasting. HDL has fluctuated between 1.3 and 1.79 over 10 years, and the latest reading is 1.74.
I don’t seem to have a reading for Trigs, would it be called anything else?

 

[Bluetit1802]

Thank you for your reply.
No it wasn’t fasting. HDL has fluctuated between 1.3 and 1.79 over 10 years, and the latest reading is 1.74.
I don’t seem to have a reading for Trigs, would it be called anything else?

You need the triglyceride readings. In fact, you need the whole panel - HDL, LDL and triglycerides before your doctor can start recommending statins, which is no doubt what he is intending. If you can't get all these readings, then you can't make any decisions. What are all the current readings that you know?

 

[HSSS]

And get a fasting test before agreeing to anything. What you ate before the test WILL affect the numbers. Ideally water only for 12-14 hrs.

 

[Hooty]

I had:
Liver function (albumin, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, ALT)
Urea, creatinine & electrolytes (sodium, potassium, urea, creatinine, eGFR - my eGFR is just (by 1 unit) below the normal range, but the doctor has marked this as “no action required”)
Random lipid profile (serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, cholesterol/HDL ratio, non HDL cholesterol)
HbA1c
Plus BP check (I’m on a low dose of medication for high BP).

 

[bulkbiker]

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins.156985/

Have a read/watch and you'll know more than your doctor about statins and why they are rarely (if ever) a good idea...

 

[Hooty]

Thank you, I’ll get reading!

 

[Hooty]

A quick update as I had a phone appointment with the GP and he’s happy to just retest me in 12 months for both cholesterol and HbA1c, so I’m much less anxious now!