Home lipid test, any recommendations?

[finsit]

Hi there. I am just looking at some home test strips for total cholesterol and other lipid profiles. There are tons of options on Amazon but i am not certain which one is most accurate. Because of my recent high LDL, i need to see the affect of my changed diet (reducing sat fat) regularly, i guess a month apart. Anyone has any recommendations please? I would like some test that gives results at home without posting them to labs.

Thank you in advance.

 

[AndBreathe]

Hi there. I am just looking at some home test strips for total cholesterol and other lipid profiles. There are tons of options on Amazon but i am not certain which one is most accurate. Because of my recent high LDL, i need to see the affect of my changed diet (reducing sat fat) regularly, i guess a month apart. Anyone has any recommendations please? I would like some test that gives results at home without posting them to labs.

Thank you in advance.

Zamalik - If you want it done properly, I'd suggest having your bloods analysed in a lab. Labs will look at not just total cholesterol, but also the breakdowns. I'm not so sure about the home tests.

There are also many options for this, but I like MonitorMyHealth (MMH) whose tests are run in the Exeter NHS lab. At £24 they're tightly costed.

https://monitormyhealth.org.uk/total-cholesterol-test/

With MMH (and lots of the others), your GP isn't privy to the tests or results.

I have used MMH a number of times in the past, although not for lipids.

 

[finsit]

Zamalik - If you want it done properly, I'd suggest having your bloods analysed in a lab. Labs will look at not just total cholesterol, but also the breakdowns. I'm not so sure about the home tests.

There are also many options for this, but I like MonitorMyHealth (MMH) whose tests are run in the Exeter NHS lab. At £24 they're tightly costed.

https://monitormyhealth.org.uk/total-cholesterol-test/

With MMH (and lots of the others), your GP isn't privy to the tests or results.

I have used MMH a number of times in the past, although not for lipids.

@AndBreathe thank you so much, that sounds a very viable option for this cost. As you might have already read in my other post that in an effort to control my a1c and being on low-carb diet, i have raised my LDL to 9.5 . I could control my diabetes with the help of test strips so thought now i need to experiment with my LDL too the same way and i need much more testing that NHS test every few months, particularly that LDL levels are not as straightforward as reducing carbs in D2. So need to rule out different factors - one at a time - to pin point whether its high fat, low calories, low carb or something else. I also doubt it has to do with my G6PD enzyme deficiency that can not metabolise fats very well.

Edit: how do I get the blood sample, i am supposing it wont be a pin prick ? So it easy to draw your own blood for posting?

 

[AndBreathe]

@AndBreathe thank you so much, that sounds a very viable option for this cost. As you might have already read in my other post that in an effort to control my a1c and being on low-carb diet, i have raised my LDL to 9.5 . I could control my diabetes with the help of test strips so thought now i need to experiment with my LDL too the same way and i need much more testing that NHS test every few months, particularly that LDL levels are not as straightforward as reducing carbs in D2. So need to rule out different factors - one at a time - to pin point whether its high fat, low calories, low carb or something else. I also doubt it has to do with my G6PD enzyme deficiency that can not metabolise fats very well.

Edit: how do I get the blood sample, i am supposing it wont be a pin prick ? So it easy to draw your own blood for posting?

All the necessary kit is included in the pack you receive. You draw your blood by finger prick, although the lancets sent draw more blood than blood glucose testing ones.

The sample is clearly not as large as your GP/nurse would draw from your vein, but it is more than testing your blood glucose. There are clear instructions included in the pack, and if I recall correctly there is a video clip somewhere about it. (YouTube probably)

I have used MMH several times, monitoring my errant thyroid function. The samples required for that are the largest MMH need and I have never failed to provide an adequate sample. Don't worry about it.