My endo retested my cholesterol this week. I have never had a problem with high cholesterol.
I am so fatigued and exhausted I figured I had protein deficiency… I add a little bit of fish to my diet (not every day) and eggs (once a week) more cheeses … easy protein with no carbs right? ( I was veg before) Also now I can eat more… and I was feeling better - I finally thought I was getting something right and I got to the root of ONE of my many problems.
Wrong! Just because I added these things to my diet I apparently now have high cholesterol “for a diabetic”
My level was 112 and the high range of the test is 126 - how exactly is that high??
No matter what I do I can’t win… I don’t want to take this “statin” thing - All I see online about that is “lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit”
I don’t understand how 112 is “too high” if the high on the lab is 126…
I can’t swallow the pills I have to take already - it takes me like 15 mintues to swallow my Metaformin - I asked her if there was a liquid and she said no - but I thought someone on here said there was a liquid.
So frustrated… I can’t imagine that all those people who eat tons of meat everyday than do NOT have high cholesterol. I start eating ONE thing that has cholesterol in it a few times and now mine is high???.. There is no way that can be true.
I might as well JUST eat air - nothing else appear to be safe to eat… I am angry and frustrated.
I’ve yet to read the scientific study that definitively shows a cause and efffect relationship between high cholesterol and cardio-vascular disease (CVD). I’ve read many studies that demonstrate an association and correlation, but cause and effect? No.
If cholesterol caused CVD then every person with high cholesterol would die of CVD. Doesn’t happen. And lots of people with normal cholesterol levels (google Tim Russert) die of CVD. If statins were so great then why isn’t our rate of CVD going down?
Statins are a multibillion dollar industry. Check out the conflicts of interest that many of the study signers suffer. They get research money (the career lifeblood of any academic) and speaking fees (honoraria) galore from Big Pharma.
The doctors that push statins are not scientists. They are clinicians that suffer from the same logical thinking deficits common in the general population. The current economic system forces them to endure a patient visit speed that only blurs and deadens their cognitive ability. Clinicians reflexively practice defensive medicine with more focus on their legal vulnerability than on the needs of the patient.
There is much more to CVD than we currently know but for the time being Big Pharma and its clinicain hand-maidens are fat and happy.
Well said, Terry! And as you get older, they can bring on cognitive difficulties, as was made clear when my sister and I presented my 89 year old mother’s doc with the research and he weaned her off them—The last year of her life she was more present and engaged than she had been in several years–right up to about a week before she peacefully slipped away.
Me–they just caused extreme aches and pains. One can talk to one’s doc and refuse to take them if one wishes. That’s what I do. And much more important—what are your HDL and Triglyceride #s? To me your cholesterol # seems fine. It sounds like you are doing okay. There are many, many things that can cause extreme fatigue. What else is going on? Thyroid? Stress? Liver?..Hang in there…Blessings…Judith
I’m in the same position as you. T2, eat healthy & exercise, but the guidelines for PWD & cholesterol lead my doctors to recommend statins. It is frustrating, agreed. But I’m not angry.
I’m postponing the statins for now. And tweaking my diet in positive ways. How do I add healthy fats, that I enjoy, to my weekly diet? I enjoy snacking on walnuts & almonds. I like dressing my salads with nice olive oil. Canned fish (salmon, sardines), cheap & easy to store in the pantry, makes great-tasting spreads for meals–easy to take to work.
Likewise, keeping the cholesterol in check motivates me to get out for walks & other activities that keep my CV system in good condition.
All in all, I try to live healthfully & hope to improve my cholesterol levels. For now, I’m putting my doctor’s recommendation on the side.
When my lab tests came by high for cholesterol–and my doc wanted to put me on statins–I asked him to check my thyroid. Turned out I had severe/undiagnosed or treated hashimoto’s thyroiditis. I went on natural desiccated thyroid, and cholesterol levels came down to normal…without statins
If you are already being treated for hypothyroidism with synthroid, it’s possible that the synthetic T-4 only synthroid isn’t as efficacious as it could be, and NDT might work better for you.
Nutritionally, allicin (from garlic)and caprilic acid (from coconut oil) are supposed to help lower cholesterol.
LDL of 112 is not significantly high cholesterol by most anyone’s definition. I certainly wouldn’t lose any sleep over it…
I don’t know about all these conspiracy theories about statins… But my LDL is higher than that and my doctor (who is also a board certified lipidologist) hasn’t even suggested treating it…
I’d recommend following your doctors advice, whatever it is…
Watch Statin Nation documentary film, or read The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It, by Malcolm Kendrick. There is no such thing as a statin deficiency. Personally, I’ll never take a statin.
So different country heard from here. I have always had excellent cholesterol, with total less than 130, bad cholesterol in a good range and good cholesterol slightly lower than the good range. My cardiologist suggested statins and I went on them 9 years ago following open heart surgery (not a blockage a birth defect).
I proceeded on with the statins and this past year it was discovered that my sternum was severed accidentally at some time between the open heart surgery and 2014. No idea when but my chest was most uncomfortable. Prior to surgery to correct the broken sternum I asked my cardiologist to to do a heart cath just to make sure we woudl nto have to open it in the near future for another issue.
Because I have an ongoing relationship with my cardiologist she did the procedure and found 2 blockages and another that will need watched. She placed two stents and I went on.
So you say wait Rick you take statins and yet you had blockages. This is true. However, I have also had diabetes for 41 years and as someone said I also believe that cholesterol is not proven to be a definitive cause of blocked arteries. The same might be said for the other 10 or so risk factors.
I have 5 Risk factors for heat disease one of which my cardiologist termed as lower than acceptable good cholesterol (the statin).
Now i believe in limiting what we can. Yes i saw Statin Nation and yes i know the arguments. I know my father was unable to take statins, and I know my grandfather died at 52 of a massive coronary.
So the bottom line, yes I do understand the pros and cons and I made an informed decision. We get one chance at this. My best advice is find a cardiologist you trust, Follow his or her advice and keep your mind open. I chose differently than the advice you have received before I commented. But my suggestion is find a doctor you trust and discuss things. This is not a clear cut one size fits all decision.
Here is the thing, if I had said no way will i ever take a statin she would not have identified the birth defect, the blockages and yes she woudl never have placed the stents. I am ok with the statins, but I am thrilled I know and trust my cardiologist.
I just had a big reply typed out and the site freaked on me… I can’t redo it now … I will do it tomorrow.
Just so everyone knows. I am NOT fat (and I have never BEEN fat - stupid thing to say but you would be surprised how many insensitive people ask that when they find out you are a skinny non type 1 diabetic) - I am super skinny. I never had bad cholestrol before. I have been vegetarian for 27 years prior to the last few months…
No I dont have Hashio or other thyroid probs - and yes I have had them tested. I don’t have any “genetic” heart problems…
Endo said she wanted me to go on this because the ADA recommends under 100 - well, I am not one to listen to the ADA - I don’t fit ANY diabetic “types” at all… my body honestly does not make sense. So yeah I know how to get it back to normal - I will be vegan again. I hate swallowing pills - I can’t swallow what I have so I don’t want to add anymore unless they invent one to dissolve extra sugar in my blood.
It brings me back to 5 years ago when I was dx’d - I was afraid to eat anything with carbs or sugar - now I am afraid to eat anything with cholestrol in it… this is why all these tests do more harm than good. I really don’t need anymore stuff to be wrong with me.
Oh yeah. For the first year after dx–Food was the Enemy! It’s okay. We have to find our own way. Fat has so little to do with anything that we all have to deal with that it boggles the mind to still see it crop up as a shaming technique. But you got it now. So you Go Girl! Blessings…Judith
PS—I have several diabetic friends who make Vegan work and it sounds like you have before…let me know if you want to connect…
From the reading I’ve done on cholesterol, the science supports the idea that dietary cholesterol is a drop in the bucket compared to our body’s native ability to produce cholesterol. Cholesterol is essential to life. One study I read about looked at cholesterol levels in a geriatric population. The study divided the group into thirds according to their cholesterol levels at the outset of the study. It then measured the longevity of each group. Contrary to what you might think. the highest mortality rate was in the the low cholesterol cohort, the next highest mortality rate in the normal cholesterol group and the lowest mortality rate occurred in the highest cholesterol segment of the study.
For those of us with diabetes I think normalizing blood glucose is the biggest thing we can do for ourselves to minimize heart disease. I read often that inflammation is a large factor in heart disease.
@KimKat, I remember reading that women are one segment of the population that take more risk taking a statin.
There’s a concept called “number needed to treat” that the statin studies do not like to use. It simply means that, for example, it may show that 200 (I’m just using this number for this example, I don’t know the actual number.) people need to take a statin to prevent one heart attack. Yet in that same group of 200, you could have a 5% rate of serious side effects. In other words, in order to prevent one heart attack, 10 people will suffer a serious side effect. This is the kind of analysis that statin manufacturers conveniently leave out of their literature.
I may be out of line here as a type 1, forgive me in advance. But this whole LDL bad thing just gets my goat. If your triglycerides are low, and your HDL is above 60, there is no reason for you to go on a statin. Our bodies need cholesterol to function. Did you know new studies have come out saying that statins do not prevent a coronary heart attack in those that have not had a previous attack? Or that studies, when broken down, show that in order for that one event to be prevented, 599 other people are given the drug with no effects. I would look at alternatives first, like omega 3 fish oil, lower carb, etc.
And when they do your cholesterol, request the broken down LDL. I guarantee if you are lower carb, the majority of your LDL is the light and fluffy non harmful type.
My endocrinologist has honored my request to not be put on statins, even though my age and diabetes “require” it. My LDL was 106, my HDL was 84, and my tris were low. Follow what you think is right after research, and take what they say for what it should be. Advice.
Just had this discussion with my Doc a couple weeks ago. Have tried every statin out there over last decade. All effective at lowering “my borderline” LDL but the side effects, while all varied were debilitating. We tried one more med which was more putrid than statins stopped that after a month and told doc. Lets see how everything pans out with new drug that just got introduced. Meaning “no” I’ll not take it right away I’ll wait a couple years to see what kind of horrors show up as side effects. Doc even broke down where I fall in the bordeline reading and that the level I’m at only correlates to one in four thousand as at chance for heart problems.
Both misconceptions… Cholesterol levels have little to do with body weight and also little to do with dietary cholesterol. Your level isn’t anywhere near alarming. Take a deep breath… You’re gonna be ok-- this really isn’t something to be highly alarmed about. I took a statin briefly when first diagnosed with diabetes “because all diabetics should be on a statin” I was told… I’ve since been told differently, but during that brief time I noted no side effects whatsoever— and now that I have a doctor whose opinion I highly value, I would take them again if he said I should.
Exercise can help with cholesterol levels… Eating less saturated fats can also help some people (assuming they are eating a lot of them, which certainly isn’t always the case). Neither one means or implies that you are not physically fit already or that your diet has anything to do with it. Believe me, this is an easy one. “Everyone” in America has “high” cholesterol.
Realizing that this is an old thread, but can anyone tell me details of Beeswax Yelliw and it’s use in lowering cholesterol? When I searched on Amazon all I could find was pellets, which people use to make skin moisturizers and candles.
Can anyone out there tout the merits of using Beeswax Yellow specifically for lowering cholesterol and, more importantly, how is it ingested???
