cholesterol

[frozen70]

I had my cholestrol tested about 6 months ago. My good cholestrol level an tri... was fine but my total cholestrol was very high. I saw the nurse at my surgery who suggested lifestyle and diet changes to establish whether I am predispose to high cholestrol and to come back and me retested in 6 months. Now my diet is okish. I have made somechanges but it isn't easy.
So I have just been to see another nurse and she basically implies that I must live off pastryand ready meals and that there is no point being tested unless I make drastic changes and basically if I do it in January I can forget about pigs in blankets or gravy etc with my xmas meal.
I left the surgery in tears.
So just wondering who is right.
Thank you
I am overweight but exercise regularly and have lost rather than gained weight recently.

My gp won't test cholesterol in January. He says there's no point.

Mines high as well but my gp isn't arsed at all any advice on changes has had to come from the Internet.

There's no need for the nurse to be nasty about it though.. ask to see another one in future.

This is a very contentious area. You might look at what Malcolm Kendrick has to say on the subject.

I have heard him speak recently and have now stopped worrying about my cholesterol levels.

I have high cholesterol too but its inherited and nothing to do with diet (which is quite healthy overall). She had no right to speak to you like that. Besides which diet makes little difference to overall levels (I have found).

My GP wants me to take statins for life - I tried them and didn't like the side effects so stopped. Our bodies make cholesterol for a purpose and if you do some online research you will find many doctors saying that statins are not neccessary unless you have heart disease or high blood pressure as well.

I will read Malcolm Kendrick too although might have already as did extensive research before giving up statins.

Mine was 6.1, went down to 5.9, it is probably 20.10 or something now as I don't dare get tested again!

My gp said with my weight, blood pressure and family history he was not at all concerned and he also mentioned that people are now starting to think that high cholesterol is not a big killer and 50% of people who have heart attacks don't have high cholesterol.

Considering people are now saying sat fats are thought to be no longer link to high cholesterol I have no idea who to believe.

I read the cholesterol myth, very interesting.

My total figure is over 6 so really high but all other levels are well within normal. It is not at a level where statins are necessary. Ironically dh has or had high cholestrol and is on statins and his diet is crap. He hardly ever eats fruit and veg and won't eat fish unless cod and has a chippy once per week.

She said the direct oppossite ally. she said total choledtrol all down to diet.

How over 6? My GP said 6.1 was high, but not high enough with no other factors to worry greatly over.

Changing your diet can only change cholesterol levels by a very small margin, I was told.

They all seem to say different things :)

www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthadvice/9486430/Is-there-a-cholesterol-cover-up.html

Interesting.

I think I was 6.9 last time tested but not worried now I have seen so many doctors saying its ok. I've been told the same as U2 re diet.

1. 8 I think.

thank you for replies. will read link.

First you ought to be discussing this with a dr, not a nurse. Nurses are not experts. make an appt with your GP not a nurse.

So I have just been to see another nurse and she basically implies that I must live off pastry and ready meals and that there is no point being tested unless I make drastic changes and basically if I do it in January I can forget about pigs in blankets or gravy etc with my xmas meal.

This is the bit I don't understand.
Have you told this nurse what you eat?
Has she decided that you have not made enough changes yet so there is no point testing you?

There are 2 causes of high cholesterol: genetics and diet. If you are pre disposed to high cholesterol then diet may not have any effect in lowering it, though you need to try diet first.

On the other hand, as the TG article says ( and be aware it was written 2 years ago so is old news) some cardio experts are dismissing the link between animal fats and heart disease.

Arteries get furred up with cholesterol but it's not so simple as fatty food= high cholesterol. Some experts think the link is more to do with sugar intake and insulin levels.

Foods that help remove fat from the bloodstream such as oats, fruit and veg are the way to go, rather than cutting out all fat.

Exercise will perhaps do more for your levels than diet.

Go and see your GP and discuss.

she has decided that I couldn't possibly have made drastic enough changes. Had wanted to see a doctor for another matter but only nurse practioner available. Just mentioned in passing that I needed to be retested. Wish I hadn't bothered.

when my blood tests came back originally I was told to make an appointment with nurse too so clearly our gps aren't bothered or my results weren't too bad overall.

You don't have to do what they suggest- you are entitled to make an appt with your GP and don't have to tell anyone else why you want to see them.

I can't understand why she made that judgment- did she give you a diet sheet or something and ask you what changes you'd made?
Was there even a discussion?

You need to be more assertive and make an appt with your GP.
Your body- your call!

So I went to another GP today who said I need to get my levels checked again and if it is higher that 6 she wants to put me on statins even though my overall risk assessment was like 0.00001% of having a heart attack in the next 10 years.

My GP who I see the most often won't entertain the idea of statins at my age (33) with my low risk and he isn't at all worried.

As I have health anxiety this has scared me.

She said at my last test it was 5.8 but my tri something or other levels were normal so it is only my cholesterol is high.. what does that even mean?

It's been nearly two years since my last test and I am scared of having another one. Will have to wait until Feb now when the Xmas junk is out of my system.

Oddly enough, dh had levels of 6.9 and was also told he didn't need statins.

I need to get my cholesterol myth book out again to put my mind at rest!