I read somewhere that as we age our cholesterol increases to protect our brains, we need cholesterol to stay healthy , I really believe it should be left alone at the level our bodies make , we are all different . I still wouldn't take statins I really know the side effects seen it first hand with my precious dad .Nope. I do have another appointment in Jan at which he will probably discuss the results, my first appointment was when he took the tests so my first chance to discuss will be in Jan (almost afraid to go back because I didn't take the statins!). I will ask for an LDL particle test and if he says no, I might pay for a test myself if available. He did refer me to a group of Lipid Nurses that are going around the UK testing certain genes for FH and so on. I don't think I fit the FH profile (and neither did he) but he said it was probably all to do with the genes from both parents merging to give me high cholesterol...or words to that effect. I do know my trigs have always been low and previous cholesterol levels over the years have tended to hover between 5 and 8. Many thanks for your input Bluetit. I am very grateful for all of the referrals my GP's and Consultants have made though, I'm looked after very well in that regard but am frustrated by how they interpret the results and seem to give the same one word answer....STATINS. x
That's funny but its also correct , surgeries get incentives for prescribing statins and I also heard a bonus in their wage package .Don’t deny the doctor his bonus!
Well, I had my blood taken yesterday for my cholesterol check as I requested. The person taking my blood was not very busy and spent some time going over my previous test readings. Apart from 2009 my readings were generally below 5. I actually managed to get an appointment next week to discuss the results and not a telephone review. (previous telephone reviews might just as well have been a recorded message). I believe the GP I am seeing is a stand in and is pretty straight talking. So I can discuss my concerns and intentions. Will be reporting back towards end of next week.
I thought trigs is a precursor for heart diseaseWhat did he have to say about your excellent HDL and trigs? My GP told me they don't look at trigs at all.
I thought trigs is a precursor for heart disease
Yes I did fast before the test and I was told I could actually phone for a breakdown of the results before my appointment. I must admit I did indulge a little over Christmas so I guess my readingsPlease don't dwell on the total cholesterol number. It is the HDL and triglycerides that are important. The total is just that - a total of the good cholesterol and the bad cholesterol with a bit of OK cholesterol thrown in. I hope you fasted for this test? Try to get a print out of the results BEFORE you see the doctor, so you can be prepared.
Yes I did fast before the test and I was told I could actually phone for a breakdown of the results before my appointment. I must admit I did indulge a little over Christmas so I guess my readings
could be better!
Yes I sure will, because I would like to know what the readings actually mean, as opposed to maybe a "drug company influenced" opinion.Good luck. Let us know how you go on.
Please don't dwell on the total cholesterol number. It is the HDL and triglycerides that are important. The total is just that - a total of the good cholesterol and the bad cholesterol with a bit of OK cholesterol thrown in. I hope you fasted for this test? Try to get a print out of the results BEFORE you see the doctor, so you can be prepared.
Oops, I should have been precise. I meant high trigs.Very high ones might be. Very low ones with high HDL is what to aim for.
My Gp said they have been told that there is no need to fast. i Said surely that effects the lipid results.
I wonder who makes all these decision.
I should add that GPs use what is known as the Q-Risk calculation of your risk of a CVD event in the next 10 years compared to everyone else who has the same criteria as yourself. If your risk is above 10% they will push statins on you. However, according this Q-Risk, our risks increase every birthday. It is impossible to be under 10% once we reach a certain age. I believe that GPs are still using an old version of this formula. Here is the old version and also the later version. Have a play with it. It is very worrying because it is a one size fits all scenario and in my opinion, complete rubbish..
https://qrisk.org/2017/
https://qrisk.org/three/ (the latest one)
In real life probably not.. in QRisk life then yes.. depends if you live in the real world or QRisk world I guess...Your score seems to double, the moment you say you have diabetes type 2. There is no question about HbA1c or control or remission. the irony to me is that if many of us walked into a new surgery and our blood was tested we would be not be diabetic. So my question is if our diabetes is in remission due to diet and lifestyle do we have have a higher risk or not.
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