Cholesterol

[salamander]

Hi, I was diagnosed type 2 in may with a hba1c of 12.5% had a new hba1c done recently and the results were 6.4% which is amazing Bragging over..

The doc said my cholesterol was high, it's 6.1, and has put me on simvastin to help lower it.

Can anyone offer any advice on how else I can lower it and what level it should be at for it to be normal? Thanks

 

[noblehead]

For people with diabetes the guidelines are as follows:

HDL: 1mmol/l or above for men; 1.2mmol/l or above for women

LDL: below 2mmol/l

Triglycerides: equal to or below 1.7mmol/l

Total Cholesterol: below 4mmol/l


The British Heart Foundation is a great place to ask for advice on cholesterol and you can speak with a Cardiac Nurse should you choose, here is their website:

http://www.bhf.org.uk/#&panel1-3

 

[librarising]

Congrats on that :clap: :clap: :clap:

How did you get your HbA1c down ? What has happened to your cholesterol level - is there a previous level to compare ?

The answers to these may help us answer you

The only thing I'd say at this stage is to educate yourself about cholesterol and statins. The only real benefit some doctors see (Dr Malcolm Kendrick, Dr John Briffa to mention just two) is for younger men who've already suffered heart disease. Some appear to be able to take statins without any obvious side effects, whilst others can't.

I wouldn't touch them with a barge-pole. Just my non-professional opinion (after much online research and book-reading.)

Geoff

 

[salamander]

I was drinking and eating a lot of sugar (student lifestyle =P) before I was diagnosed. I mainly lowered my hba1c by cutting out the sugary drinks and reducing the amount of sweeties I eat I've lost a bit of weight but not much but I've recently started taking my diet more seriously to lose some more weight.

I think I've had the cholesterol done before but I was never told the result so I assume it was okay but I don't know. My dad takes simvastin so I can always ask him how it works for him =]

I'm only 21 and feeling very old with all the drugs I have to take :?

Any advice on dealing with hypos while we're at it? I've had two mild hypos this week which left me very irritable and my poor boyfriend gets the brunt of it :lol:

Sally

 

[librarising]

salamander wrote
I mainly lowered my hba1c by cutting out the sugary drinks and reducing the amount of sweeties I eat

So, in a sense you've cut down on the instant carbs - sugar and sugar !
What many here have done successfully is adopt a low-carb diet to keep their blood sugar levels low. This should also impact favourably on your cholesterol, along with any exercise you do.


Whilst some T2s talk about hypos, these aren't like T1 hypos. See here

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=33028&p=312054&hilit=false+hypos#p312054

Perhaps that thread will help you, Sally. Hanging around this forum will certainly help you learn a lot

Geoff

 

[salamander]

salamander wrote
I mainly lowered my hba1c by cutting out the sugary drinks and reducing the amount of sweeties I eat

So, in a sense you've cut down on the instant carbs - sugar and sugar !
What many here have done successfully is adopt a low-carb diet to keep their blood sugar levels low. This should also impact favourably on your cholesterol, along with any exercise you do.


Whilst some T2s talk about hypos, these aren't like T1 hypos. See here

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=33028&p=312054&hilit=false+hypos#p312054

Perhaps that thread will help you, Sally. Hanging around this forum will certainly help you learn a lot

Geoff

Cheers for the thread but they weren't false hypos, my readings where less than 4 =]

I've considered low-carbing but I'm not sure if its a good idea if I am having hypos with the carbs I eat now :? Also quite a fussy eater to be honest so I'm not sure how well I'd survive without carbs =P

 

[librarising]

salamander wrote
they weren't false hypos, my readings where less than 4 =]

Are you on any medication to lower your blood sugar ?

Geoff

 

[librarising]

salamander wrote
they weren't false hypos, my readings where less than 4 =]

Another thread on hypos

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=27654

Geoff

 

[salamander]

salamander wrote
they weren't false hypos, my readings where less than 4 =]

Are you on any medication to lower your blood sugar ?

Geoff

Yes, I take 2 x 500mg metformin SR in the evening. Not the max dose but doc decided it didn't need to be increased because of my good results. I gather from that thread its unusual to have hypos from metformin but not impossible. Perhaps I need to eat more often? Although a hypo I had the other day was only 3 hours after lunch.

 

[librarising]

Since I've never taken metformin I can't share my experience, but it's true that when your body is accustomed to a certain level of sugar/carbs, it can make you feel unwell when getting used to low amounts of them.

Perhaps metformin users out there have thoughts ?

Geoff

 

[greyposter]

I started off on 500mg 3 times a day but was moved on to Slow release 1000,one per day.The stomach problems have faded and my blood seems to stay at level 6.7/6'9 most of the time.

 

[noblehead]

I was drinking and eating a lot of sugar (student lifestyle =P) before I was diagnosed. I mainly lowered my hba1c by cutting out the sugary drinks and reducing the amount of sweeties I eat I've lost a bit of weight but not much but I've recently started taking my diet more seriously to lose some more weight.

I think I've had the cholesterol done before but I was never told the result so I assume it was okay but I don't know. My dad takes simvastin so I can always ask him how it works for him =]

I'm only 21 and feeling very old with all the drugs I have to take :?

Any advice on dealing with hypos while we're at it? I've had two mild hypos this week which left me very irritable and my poor boyfriend gets the brunt of it :lol:

Sally

Well done Sally on cutting out the sugary drinks and sweets from your diet :clap:

You total cholesterol at 6.1 is high as your gp has said but you should ask if you can have a full lipid breakdown of your cholesterol so you can see what your HDL, LDL and Trigs levels are like, this test means you have to fast (not eat) for 10-12 hours before the blood is taken but is worth it. As your Dad already takes a statin you could have a chat with him and discuss his reasons for wanting to take the drug and reduce his cholesterol, as I said earlier The British Heart Foundation is a great place to contact to discuss all things to do with Cardiovascular health.

Good luck and keep working on getting your bg levels down

 

[salamander]

Well done Sally on cutting out the sugary drinks and sweets from your diet :clap:

You total cholesterol at 6.1 is high as your gp has said but you should ask if you can have a full lipid breakdown of your cholesterol so you can see what your HDL, LDL and Trigs levels are like, this test means you have to fast (not eat) for 10-12 hours before the blood is taken but is worth it. As your Dad already takes a statin you could have a chat with him and discuss his reasons for wanting to take the drug and reduce his cholesterol, as I said earlier The British Heart Foundation is a great place to contact to discuss all things to do with Cardiovascular health.

Good luck and keep working on getting your bg levels down

Thanks The test I did was fasting so I assume they already have all of those levels but all I was told was that it was 6.1 and high :?