Menudo Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 i couldn't agree more with this. give it 6 months. sweat some on treadmill. change your eating habits to cut out the fast food and add some more oats and veggies to your diet. if you do this, you will bring your numbers down, feel better, and avoid pumping drugs into your system on a regular basis. these statins are now recommended at the drop of a hat because the profits are so good and we aren't even trying to stress better living. i've got no data to support this, but the ever increasing ways that we are putting non-natural substances into our bodies, either via drugs or processed foods, can't be a good thing over the long haul. you really have nothing to lose by giving this a shot, and everything to gain. if it doesn't get the job done or you don't have the willpower to follow through, then you can resort to the drugs. In regards to the medicine. I'm not sure what to do. I've gotten advice from a few that I should try to do this without the help of the meds. I have already committed to making changes in my eating habits and exercising more. However, I want to trust my Dr. as well, who has been great. If he thinks I should take the meds, I wonder if I shouldn't be following his advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 In regards to the medicine. I'm not sure what to do. I've gotten advice from a few that I should try to do this without the help of the meds. I have already committed to making changes in my eating habits and exercising more. However, I want to trust my Dr. as well, who has been great. If he thinks I should take the meds, I wonder if I shouldn't be following his advice. my opinion is based on the #'s you posted from your test result ,is take the medicine ..dont fool around with this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 You need to decide if you want to be around for grandkids, or if you prefer philly cheeseteak sammiches three times a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 In regards to the medicine. I'm not sure what to do. I've gotten advice from a few that I should try to do this without the help of the meds. I have already committed to making changes in my eating habits and exercising more. However, I want to trust my Dr. as well, who has been great. If he thinks I should take the meds, I wonder if I shouldn't be following his advice. i'd try without the meds imo. i just stopped taking vytorin due to various side effects. plus the drugs make you lazy and you just continue the unhealthy lifestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 To be honest with you, I would avoid taking the pills and try real hard to lower your Cholesterol yourself. Try for 6months. Once you get on that pill you rarely get off. Besides - 220 isnt THAT bad Eat alot of Whole Grains and avoid fatty foods (Red Meat). Edit to add: My mom is 66 and she has 235 and the doctor told her to try for 6months and if the numbers doesnt go down to take the pill. I had 240 and that was my wakeup call and in 6months I lowered it to 215 and 6 months after that its 195. Uh, the 220 is just the bad cholesterol count. That's bad. Mine is around 120 and the doc wants me to get it below 100. That's something to get control over now. According to WebMD anything over 190 is very high. The triglycerides are twice what they should be. Menudo is right to do something now. I'd exercise, change my diet, AND take the medication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I wuld give it a month of hellish workouts and totally change my diet without the meds and recheck it. I really believe the meds do almost as much harm as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 In regards to the medicine. I'm not sure what to do. I've gotten advice from a few that I should try to do this without the help of the meds. I have already committed to making changes in my eating habits and exercising more. However, I want to trust my Dr. as well, who has been great. If he thinks I should take the meds, I wonder if I shouldn't be following his advice. I think the best approach is to try a healthy diet and regular exercise first. You've got time to see if this works for you. There have been alot of good posts in this thread about diet, but certainly one low in fat and cholesterol is a good start. Don't try to do too much all at once, and be sure to make changes in your lifestyle that you think you can live with for the long haul. If you make those positive changes in your life, but your numbers aren't where your doctor wants them, you can always add statins later. Some people have a genetic predisposition to bad cholesterol and lipoprotein numbers so don't get discouraged if it takes months (or longer) and all of the above measures to get better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 A year and a half ago, my doc freaked when my trigs came in at 1400. My trigs have always been sky high, since I was a kid. I have since lost another 20 pounds.... never went on meds. I'm 5'8-1/2", 152 lbs, feel great and screw the trigs. I simply don't care. I can mow, prune and edge 10 lawns in a day, come home and do my own lawn, (my new landscaping biz) and still have energy to spare at the age of 53. Yeah, I eat better than I used to.... but I just don't freakin put much stock (or worry) into what the doc says if I'm fit and eating right. A can of tuna or salmon with a salad for dinner.... If eating like that doesn't keep me alive, the big guy has other plans for me. So be it. Menudo, don't get too freaked..... eat right, get some excersize. The mirror willl tell you how you are doing. Don't make excersize a labor, a job. Do something you enjoy doing for excersize. Run with the dog.... rip out some trees. Get out and hand Josh Gordon the lawn. Grow a veggie garden. In short, get off yer butt, pizza only once a month, NO McDonalds or Wendy's stuff.... eat a BIG salad before your dinner meal every night. That will fill you up, and leave less room for the carbs and fats. Then a steak off the grill aint gonna hurt you. Do that.... and screw the meds. OK.... so maybe it's OK to do meds for the short term..... but not for me. The answer isn't in a pill..... it's in diet and lifestyle. My doc seemed convinced I was gonna croak within weeks with that trrig level. Well, I'm still here, almost two years later. And I have no clue where my trigs are now. Reckless.... our friend the Charger fan might think so.... LOL! Hi Doc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 My doc seemed convinced I was gonna croak within weeks with that trrig level. Well, I'm still here, almost two years later. And I have no clue where my trigs are now. Reckless.... our friend the Charger fan might think so.... LOL! Hi Doc! Yo, dude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 I think the best approach is to try a healthy diet and regular exercise first. You've got time to see if this works for you. There have been alot of good posts in this thread about diet, but certainly one low in fat and cholesterol is a good start. Don't try to do too much all at once, and be sure to make changes in your lifestyle that you think you can live with for the long haul. If you make those positive changes in your life, but your numbers aren't where your doctor wants them, you can always add statins later. Some people have a genetic predisposition to bad cholesterol and lipoprotein numbers so don't get discouraged if it takes months (or longer) and all of the above measures to get better. Chargerz, how do you feel my Dr. will feel if I just decide to not follow his instructions and take the pills. Or, do I just not tell him ? Regardless of whether I take the pills or not, this was definitely the wake-up call I needed, and I AM going to change my eating habits and get some exercise (even if it is just 30-45 minute brisk walks). I'm just torn on what to do about the medicine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Chargerz, how do you feel my Dr. will feel if I just decide to not follow his instructions and take the pills. Or, do I just not tell him ? Regardless of whether I take the pills or not, this was definitely the wake-up call I needed, and I AM going to change my eating habits and get some exercise (even if it is just 30-45 minute brisk walks). I'm just torn on what to do about the medicine. You should always be honest with your doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 In regards to the medicine. I'm not sure what to do. I've gotten advice from a few that I should try to do this without the help of the meds. I have already committed to making changes in my eating habits and exercising more. However, I want to trust my Dr. as well, who has been great. If he thinks I should take the meds, I wonder if I shouldn't be following his advice. When I got the Cholesterol talk from my doc, I specifically asked him if I could give it a shot without the meds. He said OK I'll give you six months to do it yourself. Saw some movement but not enough. On the Zocor I went. HDL is up, LDL is down and I now don't care if I eat BBQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 (edited) Uh, the 220 is just the bad cholesterol count. That's bad. Mine is around 120 and the doc wants me to get it below 100. That's something to get control over now. According to WebMD anything over 190 is very high. The triglycerides are twice what they should be. Menudo is right to do something now. I'd exercise, change my diet, AND take the medication. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol < 200 Desirable level corresponding to lower risk for heart disease 200 - 240 Borderline high risk 240> High risk 220 is NOT thad bad. The triglycerides is a bad sign, however this reading can be way off depending on what he ate that day or the night before. My doctor says cholesterol reading are very arbituary and relate person to person. It is just a rule of thumb to keep the cholesterol below a cerain level. That doesnt mean someone with 100 cant get a heart attack or blockage. Edited May 28, 2008 by MrTed46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Plus the drugs make you lazy and you just continue the unhealthy lifestyle. 100% untrue. High blood pressure and high cholesterol run in my family and when I was at my most fit my numbers were still around 250. That was also following a strict diet and exercising 5 days a week. I was in awesome shape yet that still wasn't good enough. I took the drugs to get my levels down not to become lazy. I have a friend that is a triathlete and trains year round for marathons and the ironman. He's on Zocor because of his numbers and because his healthy athletic dad died of a heart attack at 52. Menudo, you can try to get those numbers down yourself but trust me when I say this - no amount of flax seed or fish oil is going to help if it's more than just your eating habits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 (edited) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol < 200 Desirable level corresponding to lower risk for heart disease 200 - 240 Borderline high risk 240> High risk 220 is NOT thad bad. The triglycerides is a bad sign, however this reading can be way off depending on what he ate that day or the night before. My doctor says cholesterol reading are very arbituary and relate person to person. It is just a rule of thumb to keep the cholesterol below a cerain level. That doesnt mean someone with 100 cant get a heart attack or blockage. 220 isn't that bad for an overall cholesterol score, but it is very high for a bad cholesterol (LDL) reading. Edited May 28, 2008 by Egret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/CL00002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 220 isn't that bad for an overall cholesterol score, but it is very high for a bad cholesterol (LDL) reading. I thought they were measured differently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Chargerz, how do you feel my Dr. will feel if I just decide to not follow his instructions and take the pills. Or, do I just not tell him ? Regardless of whether I take the pills or not, this was definitely the wake-up call I needed, and I AM going to change my eating habits and get some exercise (even if it is just 30-45 minute brisk walks). I'm just torn on what to do about the medicine. You should always be honest with your doctor. Good advice. Your doctor is your health advisor, but you are the boss. If you don't feel you can tell your doc, it's time to get a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I thought they were measured differently In general, you want your total cholesterol number to be below 200. You want your LDL level to be 129 or below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 In general, you want your total cholesterol number to be below 200. You want your LDL level to be 129 or below. Thanx for clearing that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 surprised their not more pro medicine opinions here ...improving diet and trying to exercise are key but i believe high cholestorol can be genetic and or be high based on other reasons ( i am pretty sure of this ) ...i have heard very little about bad side effects or long term concerns from being on lower doses of cholesterol medication i would not fool around with this Menudo imho ...i have been on Lipitor for year and my cholestorol went down and i get to eat more of what i like plus no side effects ...meds are a good safety net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 surprised their not more pro medicine opinions here ...improving diet and trying to exercise are key but i believe high cholestorol can be genetic and or be high based on other reasons ( i am pretty sure of this ) ...i have heard very little about bad side effects or long term concerns from being on lower doses of cholesterol medication i would not fool around with this Menudo imho ...i have been on Lipitor for year and my cholestorol went down and i get to eat more of what i like plus no side effects ...meds are a good safety net I've decided to take the meds and also make the changes that were necessary in lifestyle (better diet, more exercise). I'm not going to do anything drastic, I don't even want to use the term 'diet', as I'm trying to make a life change of making better choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 I've decided to take the meds and also make the changes that were necessary in lifestyle (better diet, more exercise). I'm not going to do anything drastic, I don't even want to use the term 'diet', as I'm trying to make a life change of making better choices. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 surprised their not more pro medicine opinions here ...improving diet and trying to exercise are key but i believe high cholestorol can be genetic and or be high based on other reasons ( i am pretty sure of this ) ...i have heard very little about bad side effects or long term concerns from being on lower doses of cholesterol medication i would not fool around with this Menudo imho ...i have been on Lipitor for year and my cholestorol went down and i get to eat more of what i like plus no side effects ...meds are a good safety net Exactly what I was getting at in my earlier post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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