Major Setback - What to do?

[memememeiii]

Hi all.

My father died in the first Covid lockdown and I lost my mind for quite awhile. I also had to teach a performance art subject online for 15 months. It was horrible.

I literally had just become non-diabetic - reached that range - before my dad died, and then stopped caring about everything.

This week, I went to a doctor to 're-set'. My old doctor retired, and this added to my grief, as he and I had done a long battle together over a keto lifestyle and no statin. Currently, I'm facing new facts and wonder what to do.

My morning glucose reading was 180 mg/dl or 10 Mmol today. The highest it's ever been.
I'm 54. Female.
My weight is right back to the top, or was as of Thurs. I've dropped 7 lbs in 3 days from 233 lbs to 226.

My cholesterol has risen again and I'm sure it's higher than it ever was. It's currently about 330. I don't have my stats with me right now. But the issue and question is this: at 9 years in, am I going to be able to turn this around, and do I take the statin for a month to lower cholesterol or not? I've been advised to get back to exercising. I used to exercise about 2-3 hours a day, 4-6 days a week, to achieve a 55 lb weight loss, and reversal of all numbers, though the triglycerides remained high.

I have had a scan three years ago with a cardio in Australia who said that my risk of a heart incident was literally just above 0% in two years. I have no idea what has changed.

Thoughts? Take a statin for a time, or is this all hype. The new doctor 'understands' my fears and I don't want to be reckless. So, we reached a compromise that I take a statin for a month and then we jump to a different drug (insurance won't allow this as a first step, so I have to take the statin first), but I am honestly afraid to make a stupid decision here. I know this issue remains controversial. Diet Doctor recommends that diabetics above 300 take the statin. I just have a bad, bad feeling about this, yet I do not want to dispute the science. I know the research is controversial and funded by

Thanks for any thoughts on how to lower cholesterol and on why my morning reading is dramatically higher than ever and how long it might take to lower this. I have followed the Newcastle University advice etc., but find that too hard. My plan is to stick to a LCHF lifestyle and 'keto' in a loose fashion as well as exercise my way back to health.

I will say: I am on two pills of Metformin 500 mg twice a day, and I'm suppressing a hyperthyroid and supplementing with a thyroid med that keeps everything neutral. My vitamin D was so low, we're starting 50,000 iu a week for a month to improve things. I'm also replacing Victoza with a new med in the same class, once a week.

 

[bulkbiker]

at 9 years in, am I going to be able to turn this around,

Yes you can you've done it before so you know exactly what to do.

I take the statin for a month to lower cholesterol or not

If you are going to be losing weight then why not wait for a few months and see how it goes.
Don't forget you need to water fast for 12-14 hours before the blood is taken to get a 'clean' reading

In your shoes I'd aim for keto levels of low carb and maybe introduce so intermittent fasting by reducing your eating window by a few hours.

 

[memememeiii]

Thanks for the push. I'll give it a try and see how this goes. Appreciate it.

 

[VashtiB]

Hello from a fellow Aussie.

It sounds like you have had a terrible time. I have to keep reminding myself it is a marathon not a sprint. Life over the last couple of years have been tough for everyone but more tough for some than others. Don't beat yourself up- I think that if you asked there are many here who have fallen off the wagon. The important thing is to climb back on.

Give yourself credit for facing reality and starting again. Maybe give yourself a few weeks of really low carb to get the levels back down as quickly as possible.

Good luck.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi all.

My father died in the first Covid lockdown and I lost my mind for quite awhile. I also had to teach a performance art subject online for 15 months. It was horrible.

I literally had just become non-diabetic - reached that range - before my dad died, and then stopped caring about everything.

This week, I went to a doctor to 're-set'. My old doctor retired, and this added to my grief, as he and I had done a long battle together over a keto lifestyle and no statin. Currently, I'm facing new facts and wonder what to do.

My morning glucose reading was 180 mg/dl or 10 Mmol today. The highest it's ever been.
I'm 54. Female.
My weight is right back to the top, or was as of Thurs. I've dropped 7 lbs in 3 days from 233 lbs to 226.

My cholesterol has risen again and I'm sure it's higher than it ever was. It's currently about 330. I don't have my stats with me right now. But the issue and question is this: at 9 years in, am I going to be able to turn this around, and do I take the statin for a month to lower cholesterol or not? I've been advised to get back to exercising. I used to exercise about 2-3 hours a day, 4-6 days a week, to achieve a 55 lb weight loss, and reversal of all numbers, though the triglycerides remained high.

I have had a scan three years ago with a cardio in Australia who said that my risk of a heart incident was literally just above 0% in two years. I have no idea what has changed.

Thoughts? Take a statin for a time, or is this all hype. The new doctor 'understands' my fears and I don't want to be reckless. So, we reached a compromise that I take a statin for a month and then we jump to a different drug (insurance won't allow this as a first step, so I have to take the statin first), but I am honestly afraid to make a stupid decision here. I know this issue remains controversial. Diet Doctor recommends that diabetics above 300 take the statin. I just have a bad, bad feeling about this, yet I do not want to dispute the science. I know the research is controversial and funded by

Thanks for any thoughts on how to lower cholesterol and on why my morning reading is dramatically higher than ever and how long it might take to lower this. I have followed the Newcastle University advice etc., but find that too hard. My plan is to stick to a LCHF lifestyle and 'keto' in a loose fashion as well as exercise my way back to health.

I will say: I am on two pills of Metformin 500 mg twice a day, and I'm suppressing a hyperthyroid and supplementing with a thyroid med that keeps everything neutral. My vitamin D was so low, we're starting 50,000 iu a week for a month to improve things. I'm also replacing Victoza with a new med in the same class, once a week.

I'm so sorry for your loss, and the things you've gone through these past years. To answer your question, I do believe you can do this again. Being a woman of a certain age can make it slow going with the weight loss though, thanks to hormonal issues aside from the whole thyroid mess, but it should still be do-able, and your blood sugars should improve just fine. The numbers you're seeing in the morning are mainly caused by a glucose dump from your liver. As it gives you helpful energy to start the day... Ahem. So helpful. Really. (Not). It's stored there, so that'll be the last number to come down; as you adjust your diet, the stores'll gradually be depleted. Takes just about forever, but as long as your numbers after a meal are good (a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l between pre and post prandial), it should happen. No telling if it'll be weeks or months though.

As for the statins, they can raise blood sugars, and while you get back on the wagon your cholesterol may respond favourably as it is, without them. So whether or not to take it is entirely your call.

Good luck. You've got this.
Jo