My GP does not take cholesterol tests for me

[shneuraharon]

I am a Type 1 diabetic since 1974 and now I am in a conflict situation with the medical doctor whom I meet once a year. She refused to order cholesterol tests in the lab for me because I have refused to take statin medication any more, due to some side effects which I got. My normal cholesterol levels are not especially high, acceptable to a healthy person, but because of diabetes the new targets are very low indeed. They are unreachable without large dose of strong medication.
I have used many statin types and the more effective the drug and the amount, the more severe were the side effects. I feel very low now and think that the GP just wanted to show me my place and revenged me. Please, I would appreciate your opintons and advice. I have already changed the doctor, but I would anyhow like to know my cholesterol level.

I’d ask the doctor very plainly why she won’t check your cholesterol. It’s possible she doesn’t see a medical necessity and that’s why she doesn’t want to test. In which case I’d probably get a new doctors it doesn’t seem like she is very receptive to your needs/wants. If she responds and says “if you won’t take a statin medication, than I won’t order a cholesterol test”. Well then I’d report her to the medical board in your state. Remember, you are ur only advocate and you deserve to be heard.

 

[Grateful]

I was handed a prescription for statins some years ago by the diabetes nurse, with no prior discussion. I asked what to do if I refused them. She said, in that case, don't fill the prescription. So I didn't. But it is still listed in my NHS record as a "discontinued medicine".

The trigger was a level slightly above 5.0, even though my cholesterol "ratio" was fine. It has stayed at that level (slightly above 5.0) ever since. I just can't bring myself to worry about it, and if I weren't diabetic, they wouldn't be trying to get me to take the statins.

 

[Omar51]

I refuse to take statins as well but get asked by my GP if I’d like to take one! He laughs when he asks as he now knows what the answer will be! I still have a cholesterol blood test every year though.
Your doctor sounds like she’s blackmailing you! @Bikester which I think is outrageous

About a year ago I refused to take a statin. My PCP runs cholesterol tests once a year. There are Labs in California where you can run any test without PCP or insurance approval. I pay about $25 bucks for the cholesterol test. I like to run cholesterol test twice a year

 

[filly]

Well, my doctor has completely stopped blood tests at the surgery. I did not want to trot off to the hospital
I went on the Kinetik web site and ordered a Hba1c and Cholesterol for 39.00

 

[Old’un]

As far as I can see the jury is still out on the case for statins. They will be beneficial to some people but undoubtedly have unwanted side effects, some worse than others and potentially quite harmful. A few years ago I had a consultant who insisted that I needed statins and would not accept my argument that as my total cholesterol was only 3.1 mmol/l and the target for a type 1 diabetic was under four I didn’t need to be taking them. He insisted that whatever my cholesterol levels were they were too high and should be lowered. Needless to say I never took them and got them removed from repeat prescriptions. Nothing has been said about them since.

At that consultation where I had statins forced upon me I raised the subject of Freestyle Libre sensors being prescribed as I had been purchasing them for several year. My blood sugars were historically somewhat volatile and nighttime hypos were not uncommon so these sensors were a real game changer for me and my wife who used to deal with the hypos. The consultant adamantly refused to prescribe them despite me meeting the criteria at the time for doing so. Eventually after a lengthy battle I did get them. I haven’t seen that consultant since but the one I am seeing now is a complete _________. She reprimanded me recently because of my sugar levels. HbA1c was 44, time in range was 92% and time low was 1%. No time very low. My best set of figures was 97% in range and 3% high. No low at all. She told me the target was above 70% and there was absolutely no need to go above 80%. I have some autonomic neuropathy and am keen to slow down its progression as much as possible so maintain tight control. I still have hypo warning symptoms so I don’t see what her problem is. She ridiculed me when I raised my concerns about autonomic neuropathy and treated me like I was an ignorant idiot. I was told NEVER take a corrective dose of insulin as high sugar levels will come down anyway. If a corrective snack is ok to bring low sugars up why isn’t a corrective jab ok to bring high sugars down I asked but got no answer.

Personally I have to wonder if they are either trying to make us more ill to give them more work and allow them to tick more boxes for meeting the targets they undoubtedly have, or are they trying to reduce our lifespan to save the NHS money. I know that the routine appointments are a complete waste of time but unfortunately the doctors have to be humoured because they control the medication that keeps me alive.

 

[Jac miller]

I am a Type 1 diabetic since 1974 and now I am in a conflict situation with the medical doctor whom I meet once a year. She refused to order cholesterol tests in the lab for me because I have refused to take statin medication any more, due to some side effects which I got. My normal cholesterol levels are not especially high, acceptable to a healthy person, but because of diabetes the new targets are very low indeed. They are unreachable without large dose of strong medication.
I have used many statin types and the more effective the drug and the amount, the more severe were the side effects. I feel very low now and think that the GP just wanted to show me my place and revenged me. Please, I would appreciate your opintons and advice. I have already changed the doctor, but I would anyhow like to know my cholesterol level.

 

[oldtypeone]

I would be tempted to tick ’no’ especially if your blood test states normal

That's a very risky thing to do. If you ever needed to make a claim the insurance company checks your medical records very carefully and if you have been untruthful they will reject your claim even if your claim is unrelated to the issue you were untruthful about. Be careful.

 

[Omar51]

As far as I can see the jury is still out on the case for statins. They will be beneficial to some people but undoubtedly have unwanted side effects, some worse than others and potentially quite harmful. A few years ago I had a consultant who insisted that I needed statins and would not accept my argument that as my total cholesterol was only 3.1 mmol/l and the target for a type 1 diabetic was under four I didn’t need to be taking them. He insisted that whatever my cholesterol levels were they were too high and should be lowered. Needless to say I never took them and got them removed from repeat prescriptions. Nothing has been said about them since.

At that consultation where I had statins forced upon me I raised the subject of Freestyle Libre sensors being prescribed as I had been purchasing them for several year. My blood sugars were historically somewhat volatile and nighttime hypos were not uncommon so these sensors were a real game changer for me and my wife who used to deal with the hypos. The consultant adamantly refused to prescribe them despite me meeting the criteria at the time for doing so. Eventually after a lengthy battle I did get them. I haven’t seen that consultant since but the one I am seeing now is a complete _________. She reprimanded me recently because of my sugar levels. HbA1c was 44, time in range was 92% and time low was 1%. No time very low. My best set of figures was 97% in range and 3% high. No low at all. She told me the target was above 70% and there was absolutely no need to go above 80%. I have some autonomic neuropathy and am keen to slow down its progression as much as possible so maintain tight control. I still have hypo warning symptoms so I don’t see what her problem is. She ridiculed me when I raised my concerns about autonomic neuropathy and treated me like I was an ignorant idiot. I was told NEVER take a corrective dose of insulin as high sugar levels will come down anyway. If a corrective snack is ok to bring low sugars up why isn’t a corrective jab ok to bring high sugars down I asked but got no answer.

Personally I have to wonder if they are either trying to make us more ill to give them more work and allow them to tick more boxes for meeting the targets they undoubtedly have, or are they trying to reduce our lifespan to save the NHS money. I know that the routine appointments are a complete waste of time but unfortunately the doctors have to be humoured because they control the medication that keeps me alive.

Last year in December I got my Lipid Panel test results. My total was 294 mg/dL (very high) and LDL 195 mg/dL (very high). My PCP recommended 5 mg statin. I got scared of high numbers and started taking statin.

Did my homework and talked to my nutritionist. Changed my diet. Totally cut down saturated fats, slightly increased carbs. Used 5 mg statin for 6 days and decided to stop statin. Just received my recent lipid panel test results.
Now my total is 129/mg/dL (normal) and LDL 59 mg/dL (normal)
In a few days I am going to have a cholesterol test again. I have been eating lot of eggs, so little concerned, my cholesterol might go up.

 

[saky]

Last year in December I got my Lipid Panel test results. My total was 294 mg/dL (very high) and LDL 195 mg/dL (very high). My PCP recommended 5 mg statin. I got scared of high numbers and started taking statin.

Did my homework and talked to my nutritionist. Changed my diet. Totally cut down saturated fats, slightly increased carbs. Used 5 mg statin for 6 days and decided to stop statin. Just received my recent lipid panel test results.
Now my total is 129/mg/dL (normal) and LDL 59 mg/dL (normal)
In a few days I am going to have a cholesterol test again. I have been eating lot of eggs, so little concerned, my cholesterol might go up.

Do nuts like cashews, peanuts that have high saturated fat alter ldl levels?

 

[Omar51]

Do nuts like cashews, peanuts that have high saturated fat alter ldl levels?

Sorry I am not sure, I do not eat cashews or peanuts. I eat lots of Almonds and Walnuts.

 

[saky]

Sorry I am not sure, I do not eat cashews or peanuts. I eat lots of Almonds and Walnuts.

Ok. Even almonds and walnuts have saturated fat in them. I dont know how they affect my ldl levels.

 

[Chris24Main]

They typically do not (at least not directly) - LDL's are made in your liver, originally as VLDL (very low density lipoproteins) as a carrier for many lipids, including triglycerides and cholesterol molecules. As they pass on these nutrients, the density increases until they become low density, rather than very low density. There isn't as much of a connection between any fats that we eat (and digest in our lower intestine, by a totally different mechanism) and what we test for in lipid panels. The amount of LDL and triglycerides and HDL is much more connected to the amount of insulin circulating (which directs us to store these fats rather than mobilise them for burning) which is much more about the amount of starches and sugars in our diets.

All "saturated" means is "stable" - all foods have a variety of different fats in them, and we need a mix, and we need good quality, stable fats to make good quality brain and nerve cells, just to name the most obvious.

 

[saky]

Due to low carby triglycerides have dropped. Ldl has not.

 

[Chris24Main]

Hi @saky - this is exactly what happened to me, and somewhat to be expected. It's all a little complicated, but essentially, the LDL is a carrier particle for triglycerides (which are how the body packs fatty acids for transport) and cholesterol (which are really essential nutrients).

If you think of these as taxis and occupants... and that the liver will take excess carbs and turn them into triglycerides for storage (under the effect of insulin) - if you reduce carbs in your diet, the triglyceride count will go down.. simply because there is less fat being stored around your liver.

Somewhat counter-intuitively (at least according to the standard narrative) - also because your insulin is lower, your body is more able to mobilise and burn fat (also triglycerides) throughout your body. This means at any time, there are more triglycerides being retrieved from fat storage cells, and being deposited into other cells for burning as energy - this doesn't result in "more occupants" overall, but does require "more taxis".

The important thing is that you would hope that reducing carbs will lower your visceral fat - and the lower serum lipid triglyceride (literally how much fat around the liver) levels show that this is indeed the case - well done !!

 

[Brettskee]

Hi I’ve had very high sugar levels now for over 4 years now perhaps worst they have ever been over last 3 months my trigs have gone to the dizzy heights of 67 and cholesterol of 27 I have managed to get them down to 30 +and cholesterol to 13 I’m on 267 of dapaglaflozin 120 units of Tresiba daily 60 fast acting insulin 1.5 of trulicity and 2mg metformin I have a review next month with a lipid professor seen him a quite a few times all he ever says is up tytrate your insulin as he says I’m severe insulin resistant I have gone upto 700 units of insulin in a day before and 260 units of humalog I fear my next app with him he will say exactly the same again I have severe neuropathy now also ms fibromyalgia both arthritis my blood sugars haven’t even been under 20 for over 2 weeks now and libre sensor alarm going off constantly I’ve had to reset alarm to 22.5 and seems to be a pattern emerge 3am in the morning for last few nights going to 24 + and 27+ does anybody think there missing something they say I’m type two but not to sure and also forgot to mention my main problem is my spine I have 3 discs blown in my spine were now and again I’m paralysed have been took in hospital 5 times were they say we’ve got to operate then comes to it and say no to dangerous not a great life any body have any ideas sorry for long rant as boring the wife with it all thx brett

 

[JTL]

I think the doctor should be reported.
The biggest killer in the western world for the last fifty years has been heart disease.
Statins have been massively prescribed for forty years.
After forty years the biggest killer in the west is heart disease.
I'm in my seventies and don't take statins.
I don't take T2 meds either but my doctor gives me his full support and full range of services.
I've recently stopped anti coagulants too (blood thinners).
As well as a fairly normal diet I have EVOO berries nuts root ginger cardamom cayenne pepper flax seed coriander and cloves.
The spices are my anticoagulants and T2 medicine.
The cayenne pepper is amazing and I take it three times a day in capsules I bought from Amazon.
The ginger I eat every morning and drink with cloves every evening.
We're all different so this might not work for you but works great for me.
It's all easy to research and experiment with.

 

[MG426]

I also refuse statins...! Since being on a carnivore diet my numbers improved very well..

 

[Old’un]

I think the doctor should be reported.
The biggest killer in the western world for the last fifty years has been heart disease.
Statins have been massively prescribed for forty years.
After forty years the biggest killer in the west is heart disease.
I'm in my seventies and don't take statins.
I don't take T2 meds either but my doctor gives me his full support and full range of services.
I've recently stopped anti coagulants too (blood thinners).
As well as a fairly normal diet I have EVOO berries nuts root ginger cardamom cayenne pepper flax seed coriander and cloves.
The spices are my anticoagulants and T2 medicine.
The cayenne pepper is amazing and I take it three times a day in capsules I bought from Amazon.
The ginger I eat every morning and drink with cloves every evening.
We're all different so this might not work for you but works great for me.
It's all easy to research and experiment with.

Ginger is excellent stuff and garlic is even better! Turmeric is a good anti inflammatory, more effective if consumed with black pepper, and cinnamon can help reduce blood sugar spikes too so I have read. I have some rather spicy porridge for breakfast every day which is probably an acquired taste.