Health update

At my spring (semi-annual) appointment, my doctor wanted to put me on Zocor because my cholesterol is slipping toward a worse number (it's been borderline for many years), but I wanted to try to improve it on my own, before starting on a drug I would have to take for the rest of my life.

My LDL number was fine (121), but my HDL was to low (41, and it should be 50 or more), so I looked on the internet and found some recommendations for raising my HDL - more red wine, more fish and good oils, etc.  I also talked to Mark VanAlstyne, my PT, who had lowered his cholesterol 40 points with some diet changes and the addition of fish oil, red rice yeast and COQ10 supplements.  So I took all 3 of those almost religiously for the last 6 months.

I got my new numbers this week, and I was so disappointed.  My LDL went down by 30 points (!) to 89, and therefore my overall number is lower as well (176), but my HDL, instead of getting better, actually went down a few points (39).  And my trigylceride number, which I had not really looked at before, is off the hook - it should be around 150 and mine is 250. 

These figures (low HDL and high triglyceride) are not good, and put me at higher risk for heart disease.  I'm clearly not going to be able to get where I need to with diet and supplements (though this is really annoying - I eat so much healthier than the average American!!)  Anyway, Zocor, here I come.

ADDENDUM  12/17/10

Oddly, I never heard from my doctor, who called me shortly after my spring appointment to recommend Zocor, so I called the office myself to see what she was thinking now, with these new numbers. 

I ended up talking to the Nurse Practitioner, who said the HDL number is greatly affected by exercise (obviously, I should get more than I do) and the triglyceride number is only accurate if it's measured after fasting.  End result - no drugs yet (thank goodness) and we'll look at the numbers at my spring appointment, after I take a fasting test.  Fine with me. 

I guess whatever sense of urgency my doctor had in the spring has faded.  The Nurse Practitioner said that the standard keeps changing, so perhaps that's why there's no strong concern now (plus my LDL got much better).  The truth is, my numbers aren't that bad, and they aren't getting worse, so maybe I can avoid medication for awhile longer. 

The NP made a few diet recommendations - low fat dairy [done], avoid white wheat flour [done], avoid fatty meats like fried chicken wings, bacon, sausage, and deli [done], and egg whites only [that's a hard sell, we'll see about that].  The fact that she's suggesting diet changes that I made years ago is part of the reason I've been frustrated - I already eat much better than the average American, so there's only so much further I can go using that route.  I do plan to continue with the supplements I was taking, since they helped my LDL so much.  I'm assuming if that trigylceride is better with the fasting test, I can stay off the meds for now.  Here's hoping.