Alexandra100
Well-Known Member
Surely your GP would not refuse to refer you if you told him/her you were prepared to self-fund.
Surely your GP would not refuse to refer you if you told him/her you were prepared to self-fund.I tried Spire in the North East. They suggested that Newcastle RVI (Private Section) may carry them out but when I looked at their web site you need a referral from your GP. There is also a Nuffield in the area but again I think you need to be referred.
I am liking this post and find it very interesting. My own levels are around 8 (HDL 2.4, trigs 0.5, LDL 4.5) and I know that the ratios are fine. I still wonder at the back of my mind though, whether my LDL should be 'lower' but I think that is because we get it drummed into us that LDL is 'bad, bad, bad' and it's hard to shake off. I am 59years old (female) and healthy in every other respect, slim, fit blah, blah. I am convinced now though that my body is making the exact right amount of cholesterol for ME and although cholesterol levels can probably be changed by exercise/diet etc, it's only by very small amounts and there seems to be very little evidence that lowering by these small amounts benefit you in any notable way YET a whole lot of stress & effort is involved to make these changes. Personally I have now stopped worrying about it, I don't/won't take statins and have resigned myself to the fact that unless something drastic changes I'll just have to live with the 'risk' of higher LDL. Great post & liking the replies. x
I haven't asked but it probably would not be a problem but it would cost probably double for a scan in a local hospital than it would to make an appointment with Rivers hospital in Sawbridgeworth. I was intending trying to arrange an appointment last month but with uncertainty of Covid and the subsequent second lockdown I have put this on the back burner for the present.Surely your GP would not refuse to refer you if you told him/her you were prepared to self-fund.
Just a thought if your doctor says you are in remission and notes that in your records as has happened with some people does that mean that you no longer have to record it and does it mean for the purpose of the Qrisk it is no longer relevant? As my GP does not acknowledge that I am "in remission" (been well controlled since mid 2019) it is not really pertinent but its an interesting thought and kind of shows how meaningless some numbers are.
Interesting. I actually think who gives a you know what about the 'numbers' really in certain circumstances, because if you were in 'remission' then that would mean you have controlled your glucose levels etc to a degree that they have become 'normal' again (if only for the time being as a person might slip out of remission at some later stage for whatever reason). Even if you were declared 'cured' you could still be in a position where you were susceptible to type 2 diabetes or still had a carb intolerance.
Definitely susceptible in my opinion and will be until it no longer matters whether I am diabetic or what people think of my cholesterol levels. If that happens in the next 10 years or longer then so be it.
In either scenario, right now if a person's A1c was reading as a non diabetic especially for ever or a long period of time, then their Qrisk score (as far as their body is concerned) would probably go right down to a non diabetics regardless of what was written on the Drs notes. I'm type 1 so obviously not cured but my A1c is around 42, my diabetes adds 10 points to a qrisk score I think so it will always show 'higher risk' BUT as far as I am concerned if I keep my A1c lower then my health risk is going to be lower all round. That's exactly my feeling, if I manage to keep my bloods under control then surely the health risk is lower.
Do you mean you'd no longer have to record the cholesterol levels? No I was talking about diabetes. If doc says someone is in remission and declares it on their notes, I just wondered where a person stands with having to declare that they are diabetic say for holiday insurance or at the dentists and of course does it officially take off those 10 points on the Qrisk score. Maybe something interesting to research - sorry I'm derailing my own thread.
Indeed, and who gives credibility to the various QRISK-type quizzes? I have looked at a few and they are such blunt instruments as to be, imo, useless (and even more than useless if medical practitioners are perhaps using them to bludgeon reluctant patients into taking yet more meds). My A1c is currently, due to a strict LC diet, only 39; my paroxysmal AF is prevented by meds from manifesting itself. The quizzes make no distinction between pre-diabetes and uncontrolled T2, or between paroxysmal (occasional) AF and continuous AF. Surely only a sliding scale for these and other health problems would have any validity. One of the quizzes includes postcode. I live in a delightful Victorian terrace house where the gardens are full of trees and rabbits play on the lawns, but not so far away race riots have occurred. My GP discovered that she could change my life expectancy for the better by just changing my postcode, but I doubt that moving house in real life would make me any healthier.I actually think who gives a you know what about the 'numbers' really in certain circumstances
Less fun, too, but at least it's free.The whole QRisk score is complete guesswork anyway you can run it yourself and play with the figures as you will.
It's about as predictive of what is likely to happen as sticking a pin in the "Racing Post" to predict which horse will come first.
Indeed, and who gives credibility to the various QRISK-type quizzes? I have looked at a few and they are such blunt instruments as to be, imo, useless (and even more than useless if medical practitioners are perhaps using them to bludgeon reluctant patients into taking yet more meds). My A1c is currently, due to a strict LC diet, only 39; my paroxysmal AF is prevented by meds from manifesting itself. The quizzes make no distinction between pre-diabetes and uncontrolled T2, or between paroxysmal (occasional) AF and continuous AF. Surely only a sliding scale for these and other health problems would have any validity. One of the quizzes includes postcode. I live in a delightful Victorian terrace house where the gardens are full of trees and rabbits play on the lawns, but not so far away race riots have occurred. My GP discovered that she could change my life expectancy for the better by just changing my postcode, but I doubt that moving house in real life would make me any healthier.
Totally agree with you on that one but the Qrisk scoring is what we have to contend with until the next best thing comes out.The whole QRisk score is complete guesswork anyway you can run it yourself and play with the figures as you will.
It's about as predictive of what is likely to happen as sticking a pin in the "Racing Post" to predict which horse will come first.
Statins can lower Co Enzyme Q-10 according to the Renegade Pharmacist low levels of Q-10 he quotes, can result in High blood pressure, angina, poor immune systems and low energy. As angina is an inadequate supply of blood to the heart and according to www.heathline.com can lead to heart attack, heart failure and/or arrhythmias as you already have an arrhythmia perhaps your doc did not push you along the road of statins in case you AF became problematic.@Ryhia that's intensely interesting. Please do post the results. My June cholesterol test showed total at 8.4, which worried me, especially as my HDL was only 3 and my trigs were 3.7, LDL 3.8. I was expecting a tussle with my GP and was determined NOT to start statins. He amazed me by saying that statins have pros and cons, and he would not necessarily recommend them for me! I suggested I try to lower my LDL etc by lifestyle modifications and he agreed to another cholesterol test in a few months. I was impressed!
Or we can just ignore it all.Totally agree with you on that one but the Qrisk scoring is what we have to contend with until the next best thing comes out.
I believe a Co-enzyme Q supplement is often prescribed at the same time as a statin. My GP seemed to agree with me, that as I am already taking 3 strong meds, adding another might not be desirable.Statins can lower Co Enzyme Q-10 according to the Renegade Pharmacist low levels of Q-10 he quotes, can result in High blood pressure, angina, poor immune systems and low energy. As angina is an inadequate supply of blood to the heart and according to www.heathline.com can lead to heart attack, heart failure and/or arrhythmias as you already have an arrhythmia perhaps your doc did not push you along the road of statins in case you AF became problematic.
Well the medical profession keep saying at your age... so it looks as if they have just about bagged me off already so might as well enjoy life while there is still time!Or we can just ignore it all.
We're all gonna die it's just a matter of delaying it for as long as you want until life becomes unpleasant.
That's my take on it.
I perhaps would have had better success if I were eating a low fat diet but for me that would not be sustainable or enjoyable. Although I have only managed to get my levels down a couple of points by diet, even this little has reduced my Qrisk score slightly to 16.3% if diabetes wasn't in the mix the the Qrisk would be 9.1% - below the threshold for a statin recommendation.
Interestingly, I found my HDL going up (to healthier level) and my Trig down (to healthy range) and my LDL also went down (nowhere near healthy range though) when I switched to Keto (without worrying about calories, only carbs), so not low fat at all. Definitely seem to have a family tendency to higher cholesterol (my father, my 3 siblings, even one who's always watched her weight and eaten healthily and exercised). I'll be due to go for new blood tests in about a month and at that point will have completed three months of the FAST800, very low cal and very low carb - so will be very curious to see my cholesterol readings as well as Hba1C.
That is an interesting article. I'm doing much better at complying with severely low calories and my own self-imposed goal of <20g net carbs per day than I am with exercise (including resistance) compliance. Still working on that one because I know it's important.
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