During my most recent visit to the doctor, he ordered some routine blood tests. He sent the results in the mail a few days ago. Everything is normal except for cholesterol. It’s high. My total number is 218. That’s 40 “good” plus 159 “bad”. Dang it! It gets higher each time I visit. His notes say “It [the bad] was 136 three years ago.”
His suggestions are: “Avoid cheese, red meat. Exercise one hour daily. Increase vegetables” I don’t have that bad of a diet. I like vegetables and salad and such. I don’t eat meat that often because I’m having cereal or Carnation Instant Breakfast for dinner. But exercise one hour daily? Yikes! Baby steps, Mr. Doctor Man.
Yesterday was my third day jogging. I do a route that takes about thirty minutes. The whole time I jog I think about the last thing the doctor wrote on the paper. “Recheck cholesterol in six months. If no better, 20mg Zocor.” Cholesterol medicine?!? I’m only 37! Criminy! Jog, Brad, jog!
At least you don’t have a cardiologist. I thought it would be several decades before I had one.
I’m already on daily low dose aspirin…
“I’m thinking of a number …”
Ummmmm …. 159 + 40 is 199, so I think you’re good … except your good cholesterol is too low … I’m on medicine to bring up my good & lower my bad (but my total is still around 200) & my triglycerides are over 200 (yikes!) & I’m suppose to take an aspirin a day … but I don’t. And the bacon mats have nothing to do with any of it!
Try a handful of pistachios daily, Brad – I read a few months ago that they can lower LDL readings measurably. I have not been back to my own Lipitor-prescriber since I read this to see if indeed this works, but Walgreens sells these babies 2 bags for $7.00 and downing pistachios has it all over jogging in my book. But that’s just me (who does her 25-minute pool routine most mornings)…
Face it – in some ways 37 is the new 50 – welcome to our world!
Brad,
Even though the bacon mats are not helpful, studies show that we can only reduce our cholesterol by ~10% through the some stringent diet and exercise program. Keep jogging (it lowers LDL and raises HDL). Look to substitue high cholesterol foods and be careful with portion sizes. (Soy milk, soysage, turkey bacon). If you commit to lifestyle changes but don’t see the changes you desire do not dispair. Some of us are just over producers of cholesterol. Your liver has to be willing to cooperate. If this is the case, 20 mg Zocor isn’t a bad option (at least it’s available as a generic)!
PS – I made a turkey bacon mat yesterday and it was quite delicious! :o)
Thanks for the advice, Heather. It’s sounding more and more like I’m not some freak of medical history. Besides me, my brother and sister both have high cholesterol and none of us are particularly unhealthy. Stupid genetics…