Nasty shock off doctor this morning

[pollylocketpickedapocket]

Cholesterol and blood pressure through the roof. I’m 41 bmi 28.
I’ve had a shocking lifestyle the last couple of years, fried food , alcohol takeaways nearly every day.
I’m at higher risk of a stroke or heart attack.
I had concerns about my liver as my appetite has decreased and I’ve developed discord eczema.
I’m in shock, I knew I wasn’t as healthy as I used to be but didn’t know things were this bad.
A scan I had a year ago shown fatty liver although I wasn’t told till yesterday.
I’ve also had jaw pain occasionally over the last few months, last maybe a minute, it’s very occasional so I’m worried about that too.
Dr said he’ll see me in 3-6 months and to make lifestyle changes.
I’m worried sick, I’m a single mum to a 5yo
Do I need aspirin or what? Anything that could help.

Whoops.
Well the good thing is that there are hugely obvious reasons for this. It's not as if you're a triathlete who lives on fish, salad and fruit, in which case you'd be a bit stuck as to lifestyle changes to make!

PP have covered the veg, walking, no beige food side of things.
If you want a cheap and cheerful fitness band go for a Mi Band - counts steps, monitors pulse, and you can get cheap coloured straps on eBay - bargain!

If you didn't discuss the jaw pain with the GP it would be prudent to mention it at the next appointment. Women with heart issues have different symptoms from men so best be a bit paranoid I guess. However you appear to be alive now!

@cafenoirbiscuit

My GP told me to have a daily benecol as part of the solution - she says she does the same. Every little helps

I was told by a dietician friend that benecol, etc is bollocks. That the majority of your cholesterol levels is due to genetics. Diet only influences a small amount of it and that you'd have to eat tubs and tubs of benecol to make a difference.

Saying that dh reduced his cholesterol by cutting out cheese (he already didn't eat meat, fast food, cakes, sugar or drink).

Check out Dr Rangan Chatterjee's books. Sensible, practical, fad-free advice. I'd start with The Four Pillar Plan or Feel Great, Lose Weight.

Sorry it’s high bp, but really high cholesterol

I know its often changing but 5 is not "really high cholesterol".
They like the total reading to be "below 5" and it really wont take much to bring it down. According to Heart UK, high would be 6 or more.

@starfishmummy

Sorry it’s high bp, but really high cholesterol

I know its often changing but 5 is not "really high cholesterol".
They like the total reading to be "below 5" and it really wont take much to bring it down. According to Heart UK, high would be 6 or more.

As I said upthread, not sure of the number, I think 5 was mentioned by the receptionist but I may be mistaken. The dr I spoke to this morning said it was very high.

You're not alone. I also had a scare recently.

I knew I had fatty infiltrations in my liver - have had a couple of scans over the years which showed it but with no change (for better or worse). lockdown number 2 saw me drinking more and getting a lot more takeaways ("supporting local businesses" and all that, yeah ... right, more like we were being greedy and lazy) and minimal exercise. Put on loads of weight. In my defence I was doing a SUPER stressful job in healthcare and putting in ridiculous hours daily (at my desk rather than running around, which would have at least burnt off some calories!) during the 1st and 2nd waves.

Had a blood test for something else recently and one of my liver enzymes (ALT) came back borderline, repeat test saw it fall a bit but still borderline. So am now awaiting a fibrosis test and possible scan ... and am KICKING myself for being so shit to my body. I've been no alcohol for a month now (already had reduced my booze intake during lockdown when I realised I was drinking too much) and also trying to loose weight, along with DH who just had his own shock of high cholesterol a couple of weeks ago.

It seems there are a few of us who have been neglecting our health over the past year or so.

Ok just spoke to receptionist cholesterol total 5.3
Blood pressure 150/95!! That’s high isn’t it?

Bp is high, have they suggested a 24 hour monitor? Cholesterol is not particularly.

@LIZS

Bp is high, have they suggested a 24 hour monitor? Cholesterol is not particularly.

No, I have an appointment for it to be done again next week (bp)

I'd get yourself a BP monitor OP and start checking it at home, once in the morning and once in the evening. I have white coat syndrome so almost always have a high BP in any medical environment. But it's low normal at home.

Omron is a good brand.

Cholesterol sounds ok, but again, depends really on the ratio of good to bad. 5.3 means nothing.
BP is high but not horrendously so. Get your own machine I guarantee it'll be lower at home. Whether it's low enough is another matter.

Here's a good link to how to test at home.

In terms of cholesterol there is HDL and LDL (I think), basically "good" and "bad" cholesterol. The total level might not be too concerning but if the "bad" cholesterol is high it can be cause for concern

@cptartapp

Cholesterol sounds ok, but again, depends really on the ratio of good to bad. 5.3 means nothing. BP is high but not horrendously so. Get your own machine I guarantee it'll be lower at home. Whether it's low enough is another matter.

It was 1.27 hdl

HDL is good cholesterol. That's a satisfactory result.
The LDL and triglycerides and ratio of good to bad are more significant.

I don’t know why your GP said your cholesterol was very high. It’s slightly elevated but nothing noteworthy at all. My BP is almost always around 20 points higher when a medic checks it as I suffer with anxiety when there. If I check it at home when I’m relaxed and breathing deeply it’s always much lower

@pollylocketpickedapocket

Ok just spoke to receptionist cholesterol total 5.3 Blood pressure 150/95!! That’s high isn’t it?

It's not excessively high and could be white coat HBP hence why he is checking again next week.

Problem is you'll be even more anxious next week. Really, buy a machine, do several readings over several days and drop them in. You don't want medicating unnecessarily.