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Blood panel came back today. Following the CTN Cardiologist's plan worked. My triglycerides fell from 179 to the more normal range of about 82. Cholesterol values have significant improvement as well. Still on Zocor (same low dose) & fish oil. Dietary changes as suggested by the CTN cardiologist really helped out, and are now a part of my normal routine (well, aside from maybe a little celebratory cheesecake tonight).

Must go to the store and get some of the new Schlafly's that are just out for the season. Got to pay the cardiologist bill. ;)

Does this now mean I can have the one Ted Drewe's concrete whenever I get to go visit St. Louis?

Lavabe wrote:Blood panel came back today. Following the CTN Cardiologist's plan worked. My triglycerides fell from 179 to the more normal range of about 82. Cholesterol values have significant improvement as well. Still on Zocor (same low dose) & fish oil. Dietary changes as suggested by the CTN cardiologist really helped out, and are now a part of my normal routine (well, aside from maybe a little celebratory cheesecake tonight).

Must go to the store and get some of the new Schlafly's that are just out for the season. Got to pay the cardiologist bill. ;)

Does this now mean I can have the one Ted Drewe's concrete whenever I get to go visit St. Louis?

Bring your lab work when you come down in a couple weeks. We'll schedule another low cost consultation and lab review .Schlafly's Imperial Stout, Barleywine and/or Grand Cru would be nice . Shoot, you know what I buy when I visit, almost always stuff I can't get here. Great Lakes, Schlafly and Goose Island products are not distributed here ;) .

And, BTW, that's great news.

Lavabe wrote:Blood panel came back today. Following the CTN Cardiologist's plan worked. My triglycerides fell from 179 to the more normal range of about 82. Cholesterol values have significant improvement as well. Still on Zocor (same low dose) & fish oil. Dietary changes as suggested by the CTN cardiologist really helped out, and are now a part of my normal routine (well, aside from maybe a little celebratory cheesecake tonight).

Must go to the store and get some of the new Schlafly's that are just out for the season. Got to pay the cardiologist bill. ;)

Does this now mean I can have the one Ted Drewe's concrete whenever I get to go visit St. Louis?

Wonderful news, Lavabe!

Nice to have a doctor in the house, isn't it? (and in your case, one in the family!)

devildeac wrote:

Lavabe wrote:Blood panel came back today. Following the CTN Cardiologist's plan worked. My triglycerides fell from 179 to the more normal range of about 82. Cholesterol values have significant improvement as well. Still on Zocor (same low dose) & fish oil. Dietary changes as suggested by the CTN cardiologist really helped out, and are now a part of my normal routine (well, aside from maybe a little celebratory cheesecake tonight).

Must go to the store and get some of the new Schlafly's that are just out for the season. Got to pay the cardiologist bill. ;)

Does this now mean I can have the one Ted Drewe's concrete whenever I get to go visit St. Louis?

Bring your lab work when you come down in a couple weeks. We'll schedule another low cost consultation and lab review .Schlafly's Imperial Stout, Barleywine and/or Grand Cru would be nice . Shoot, you know what I buy when I visit, almost always stuff I can't get here. Great Lakes, Schlafly and Goose Island products are not distributed here ;) .

And, BTW, that's great news.

You CAN get the Founders stuff in NC, right?

Way to go Lavabe.

Lavabe wrote:

devildeac wrote:

Lavabe wrote:Blood panel came back today. Following the CTN Cardiologist's plan worked. My triglycerides fell from 179 to the more normal range of about 82. Cholesterol values have significant improvement as well. Still on Zocor (same low dose) & fish oil. Dietary changes as suggested by the CTN cardiologist really helped out, and are now a part of my normal routine (well, aside from maybe a little celebratory cheesecake tonight).

Must go to the store and get some of the new Schlafly's that are just out for the season. Got to pay the cardiologist bill. ;)

Does this now mean I can have the one Ted Drewe's concrete whenever I get to go visit St. Louis?

Bring your lab work when you come down in a couple weeks. We'll schedule another low cost consultation and lab review .Schlafly's Imperial Stout, Barleywine and/or Grand Cru would be nice . Shoot, you know what I buy when I visit, almost always stuff I can't get here. Great Lakes, Schlafly and Goose Island products are not distributed here ;) .

And, BTW, that's great news.

You CAN get the Founders stuff in NC, right?

Yes.

Go Lavabe!!!! I wish all patients followed doctor's orders the way you do!!

DukePA wrote:Go Lavabe!!!! I wish all patients followed doctor's orders the way you do!!

Truth be told, I said (in my mind) F.Y. to my family doctor, whose immediate knee-jerk response to my bad blood panel in August was DOUBLE MY DOSAGE, no discussion, and no assistance. He wouldn't listen to my situation (the bad diet in Madagascar).

I followed the instructions of DD & Mrs. DD. They were pretty clear about what to do. I also have a colleague in my department who has hypercholesterolemia, so that kept me on track at the office. It was tougher to stick to the orders at home, but I survived there as well.

Lavabe wrote:Blood panel came back today. Following the CTN Cardiologist's plan worked. My triglycerides fell from 179 to the more normal range of about 82. Cholesterol values have significant improvement as well. Still on Zocor (same low dose) & fish oil. Dietary changes as suggested by the CTN cardiologist really helped out, and are now a part of my normal routine (well, aside from maybe a little celebratory cheesecake tonight).

Must go to the store and get some of the new Schlafly's that are just out for the season. Got to pay the cardiologist bill. ;)

Does this now mean I can have the one Ted Drewe's concrete whenever I get to go visit St. Louis?

Way to go, Lavabe! Kudos to you and to the advice of our resident cardiologist. I'd say a concrete is definitely in order. You could go for the Great Pumpkin. It's healthy - it has pumpkin.

ArkieDukie wrote:

Lavabe wrote:Blood panel came back today. Following the CTN Cardiologist's plan worked. My triglycerides fell from 179 to the more normal range of about 82. Cholesterol values have significant improvement as well. Still on Zocor (same low dose) & fish oil. Dietary changes as suggested by the CTN cardiologist really helped out, and are now a part of my normal routine (well, aside from maybe a little celebratory cheesecake tonight).

Must go to the store and get some of the new Schlafly's that are just out for the season. Got to pay the cardiologist bill. ;)

Does this now mean I can have the one Ted Drewe's concrete whenever I get to go visit St. Louis?

Way to go, Lavabe! Kudos to you and to the advice of our resident cardiologist. I'd say a concrete is definitely in order. You could go for the Great Pumpkin. It's healthy - it has pumpkin.

This would mean I would need to visit before Drewe's closes for the winter. HMM....

Congratulations, Lavabe! You are a good patient.

Good to hear your improvement. Live long and prosper.

So, DD, let us in. What diet should we be on to lower the bad cholesterol and raise the good?

bjornolf wrote:So, DD, let us in. What diet should we be on to lower the bad cholesterol and raise the good?

Reduced saturated fats, no trans fats, more fruits and veggies, less "white" carbs, an hour of somewhat vigorous exercise daily and one DFH. Weight loss to a BMI of 20-25 would be helpful, too.

devildeac wrote:

bjornolf wrote:So, DD, let us in. What diet should we be on to lower the bad cholesterol and raise the good?

Reduced saturated fats, no trans fats, more fruits and veggies, less "white" carbs, an hour of somewhat vigorous exercise daily and one DFH. Weight loss to a BMI of 20-25 would be helpful, too.

There are plenty of good alternative "non-white" carbs these days. I'm a real fan of this one brown basmati rice, and the pasta makers now have some real good alternatives. As a friend in my department said, the taste is often a little more earthy, nutty, or savory with the non-white starches.
To lower the triglycerides, another helpful tip DD gave me was a simple rule: if corn syrup/sugar/molasses is one of the first three ingredients, you'll want to avoid it. Mrs. DD also stressed a little more trying to wean myself off grain-fed beef, going with more grass-fed stuff... which we could genuinely do here in Kentucky.
I also found myself snacking more on apples (hence, the thread) and almonds (hmm, do we need a thread for that too?).
DFH was a good semi-weekly treat for me (Chateau CB&B was REALLY nice too).
But the plan doesn't work for everyone, especially if you view food as a respite/drug. For me, that was never a problem.

And having someone in the department who was doing pretty much the same thing REALLY helped.

I recently had a physical and my cholesterol was little high. I had to let the doctor know that I was appalled that the very first thing out of her mouth was a prescription for medication - where were the suggestions for OPTIONS like diet and exercise?! So then she suggested a visit with a nutritionist, which I accepted. The nutritionist and I talked about my eating habits and the suggestions she made were pretty easy and very common sense - nothing too drastic. Basically, I switched to a low-fat, high fiber diet and changed my eating habits so that I eat at regular intervals (never more than 4 hours without eating something) and I lost 16 pounds and dropped 20 points off my cholesterol in 3 months.

DD - why is a pill the first thing some doctors suggest?

shereec wrote:I recently had a physical and my cholesterol was little high. I had to let the doctor know that I was appalled that the very first thing out of her mouth was a prescription for medication - where were the suggestions for OPTIONS like diet and exercise?! So then she suggested a visit with a nutritionist, which I accepted. The nutritionist and I talked about my eating habits and the suggestions she made were pretty easy and very common sense - nothing too drastic. Basically, I switched to a low-fat, high fiber diet and changed my eating habits so that I eat at regular intervals (never more than 4 hours without eating something) and I lost 16 pounds and dropped 20 points off my cholesterol in 3 months.

DD - why is a pill the first thing some doctors suggest?

Come sit in my office sometime and see the girth of some of the folks who try to waddle through my door.

Seriously, it depends on the level of the total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein and low density lipoprotein, henceforth, on this thread, and as is standard in laboratories and medical journals just about everywhere to be abbreviated, TC, TG, HDL and LDL, respectively. Most dietary changes will only yield about a 10-15% drop in the bad lipids, TC, TG and LDL and a 3-5% rise in the good one, HDL. In some folks, that may be enough. Many of the lipid disorders I work with, either primarily, or, in conjunction with the PCP, involve TC >250, TG >250-300, HDL <35 and LDL >150-160. Those values need to be reduced at least 30%, and, if you have a cardiac event such as a myocardial infarction (not a dbr infraction ), aka as a heart attack, coronary artery bypass grafting/surgery (CABG) or a stent (my favorite procedure ), those values need to be reduced 40-50% or more. Then, diet and meds are needed. National goals are TC<150, TG<150, HDL>45 and LDL<70. Those are pretty tough standards to attain, especially when the pils, err, pills we prescribe cause myalgias and arthralgias (aka aches and pains) in about 40% of patients and the meds get stopped.

Hope that helps.

devildeac wrote:

shereec wrote:I recently had a physical and my cholesterol was little high. I had to let the doctor know that I was appalled that the very first thing out of her mouth was a prescription for medication - where were the suggestions for OPTIONS like diet and exercise?! So then she suggested a visit with a nutritionist, which I accepted. The nutritionist and I talked about my eating habits and the suggestions she made were pretty easy and very common sense - nothing too drastic. Basically, I switched to a low-fat, high fiber diet and changed my eating habits so that I eat at regular intervals (never more than 4 hours without eating something) and I lost 16 pounds and dropped 20 points off my cholesterol in 3 months.

DD - why is a pill the first thing some doctors suggest?

Come sit in my office sometime and see the girth of some of the folks who try to waddle through my door.

Seriously, it depends on the level of the total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein and low density lipoprotein, henceforth, on this thread, and as is standard in laboratories and medical journals just about everywhere to be abbreviated, TC, TG, HDL and LDL, respectively. Most dietary changes will only yield about a 10-15% drop in the bad lipids, TC, TG and LDL and a 3-5% rise in the good one, HDL. In some folks, that may be enough. Many of the lipid disorders I work with, either primarily, or, in conjunction with the PCP, involve TC >250, TG >250-300, HDL <35 and LDL >150-160. Those values need to be reduced at least 30%, and, if you have a cardiac event such as a myocardial infarction (not a dbr infraction ), aka as a heart attack, coronary artery bypass grafting/surgery (CABG) or a stent (my favorite procedure ), those values need to be reduced 40-50% or more. Then, diet and meds are needed. National goals are TC<150, TG<150, HDL>45 and LDL<70. Those are pretty tough standards to attain, especially when the pils, err, pills we prescribe cause myalgias and arthralgias (aka aches and pains) in about 40% of patients and the meds get stopped.

Hope that helps.

May I take this response over to the My Ass Hurts thread?

indoor66 wrote:

devildeac wrote:

shereec wrote:I recently had a physical and my cholesterol was little high. I had to let the doctor know that I was appalled that the very first thing out of her mouth was a prescription for medication - where were the suggestions for OPTIONS like diet and exercise?! So then she suggested a visit with a nutritionist, which I accepted. The nutritionist and I talked about my eating habits and the suggestions she made were pretty easy and very common sense - nothing too drastic. Basically, I switched to a low-fat, high fiber diet and changed my eating habits so that I eat at regular intervals (never more than 4 hours without eating something) and I lost 16 pounds and dropped 20 points off my cholesterol in 3 months.

DD - why is a pill the first thing some doctors suggest?

Come sit in my office sometime and see the girth of some of the folks who try to waddle through my door.

Seriously, it depends on the level of the total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein and low density lipoprotein, henceforth, on this thread, and as is standard in laboratories and medical journals just about everywhere to be abbreviated, TC, TG, HDL and LDL, respectively. Most dietary changes will only yield about a 10-15% drop in the bad lipids, TC, TG and LDL and a 3-5% rise in the good one, HDL. In some folks, that may be enough. Many of the lipid disorders I work with, either primarily, or, in conjunction with the PCP, involve TC >250, TG >250-300, HDL <35 and LDL >150-160. Those values need to be reduced at least 30%, and, if you have a cardiac event such as a myocardial infarction (not a dbr infraction ), aka as a heart attack, coronary artery bypass grafting/surgery (CABG) or a stent (my favorite procedure ), those values need to be reduced 40-50% or more. Then, diet and meds are needed. National goals are TC<150, TG<150, HDL>45 and LDL<70. Those are pretty tough standards to attain, especially when the pils, err, pills we prescribe cause myalgias and arthralgias (aka aches and pains) in about 40% of patients and the meds get stopped.

Hope that helps.

May I take this response over to the My Ass Hurts thread?

I think anything and everything should be allowed in the 'My Ass Hurts' thread.

captmojo wrote:

indoor66 wrote:
May I take this response over to the My Ass Hurts thread?

I think anything and everything should be allowed in the 'My Ass Hurts' thread.

Not so sure, Capt. The cardiologist wants pictures!