Yikes!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Yikes!
8
Tue, 06-07-2005 - 4:13pm
I just got my cholesterol from my doctor's office.





iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
In reply to: cl_jeanwl
Tue, 06-07-2005 - 4:16pm
what did your doctor say about it? did he/she say it was an unhealthy combined number?
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
In reply to: cl_jeanwl
Tue, 06-07-2005 - 4:46pm
The nurse/receptionist (I don't know which she was) called to say my tests were all normal.





iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
In reply to: cl_jeanwl
Tue, 06-07-2005 - 4:56pm

so it sounds like you are still doing well and the high combined number is irrelevant - but if you are concerned, call and ask to speak to the doctor about it.


it is a bit weird that they combine the number - maybe it's left over from the olden days before they realized that you want your HDL to be high. wasn't there a time when doctors only looked at the combined number? also, you are probably unusual, and probably most people who have a high combined number have high LDL as compared to their HDL. probably looking at the combined number gives a decent estimate of health in light of the typical ratio. kinda like using the BMI to test obesity. considering most people's level of muscle development, it often gives a decent estimate of body fat. however, as we all know, when someone is very muscular the BMI test is misleading and actually will suggest that a very fit person is very unfit. i bet looking at the combined number for cholesterol is similar to using BMI.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
In reply to: cl_jeanwl
Tue, 06-07-2005 - 5:01pm

I'm thinking it might be left over from a long time ago when they only looked at total numbers. Being anal, things like this just bother me, just like people looking at scale weight to determine how healthy they are.






iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
In reply to: cl_jeanwl
Tue, 06-07-2005 - 9:38pm

My doctor called to make sure I understood all the results.






iVillage Member
Registered: 06-17-2004
In reply to: cl_jeanwl
Wed, 06-08-2005 - 11:35am
Yikes is right! That would scare me, too. I had similar results like you and my doctor wasn't very concerned about it, too. But it worried me (both my parents had heart problems and high blood pressure). I drank Noni Juice and upped my Omega-3 intake. The following year, my cholesterol dropped 30 points!

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
In reply to: cl_jeanwl
Wed, 06-08-2005 - 11:53am

I think what caused the increase was that I stopped eating super






iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
In reply to: cl_jeanwl
Wed, 06-08-2005 - 11:55am
That's actually a good analogy to BMI.