Cholesterol

[zaggahamma]

I dontated blood recently and they report back with cholesterol information to the donors.

My total cholesterol was 195 (they dont break it up into hdl/ldl/etc. as of yet)...

My main question/concern is I wasnt fasting....i donated during the middle of the day and had several meals prior...would eating make cholesterol go up...i'm more concerned that it couldnt possibly make it go down, could it? or is the whole test skewed and you cant go on it at all? I wouldnt see why they would even report it if it had NO validity to it at all...people donate all the time and its actually not suggested to be fasting...

any thoughts?

[GotNoBlueMilk]

Sorry to break it to you, but you get lower HDL/LDL numbers if you don't fast. On the other hand, you get inflated TriG. But the differences are minimual:

If you neglected to follow the 12-hour fasting rule by having a midnight snack of olives and cheese, your cholesterol test results will be affected. Scientists at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have concluded that LDL will be underestimated by approximately two to four percent and HDL levels underestimated by about one to four percent. In addition, triglyceride (TG) levels, another component of the cholesterol test, will be overestimated by roughly 20 mg/dL. Though small, these numbers might seem more meaningful if your measurements are borderline high.

[zaggahamma]

so that means all my previous cholesterol tests were most likely lower than they actually are...and most recent being the only one thats close to the scary 200 level but the one that obviously counts the most...

i think the blood centers should inform the donors about these levels they report back and their relevance to whether they fasted or not...

so interesting that the levels would show lower

[tonyinnh]

sorry bro.. you prob going to have to take meds for it...

\i just finally went to endro.... my bad chol is 184.. i have to take meds for it now.... ive bee on a strict diet for 2 months to try to loose weight and get healthy and lower chol,, lost 15 lbs,, but no change in chol.. which kills me,, cause i have been eating 100% healthy... sucks... oh and he wouldnt give my the hcg you recommend... he also wouldnt give me my test results..... i need to find a new doctor i think.....

is there anything that ar sponsor sells that helps with gyno? or am i screwed....

[tonyinnh]

he told me chol takes about a week to show change fyi so i doubt it matters when you took the test,, but hey im no doctor,,,... endro said if i start the meds today, my levels will be less in 1 week... so i figure about a week for major changes to show in blood..

[zaggahamma]

sorry bro.. you prob going to have to take meds for it...

\i just finally went to endro.... my bad chol is 184.. i have to take meds for it now.... ive bee on a strict diet for 2 months to try to loose weight and get healthy and lower chol,, lost 15 lbs,, but no change in chol.. which kills me,, cause i have been eating 100% healthy... sucks... oh and he wouldnt give my the hcg you recommend... he also wouldnt give me my test results..... i need to find a new doctor i think.....

is there anything that ar sponsor sells that helps with gyno? or am i screwed....

184 is considered low risk i dont understand....

my recent one was 195 non fasting but the 10 before ranged from 166 to 189 and hdl always being high 50's and even 60 so i've never had a problem....i dont trust these blood centers and i'll get it checked when i can from a real lab

[GotNoBlueMilk]

tony: I assume you are in the US. By federal law your test results belong to you. Also, the AMA requires this. Put the request for a copy of your records in writing, send it certified mail. If he doesn't comply, you can complain to AMA and probably local agencies. At very least you can put in a BBB report against him too. My doc had a copy of my labs ready for me to take home with me when I got to my appointments.

Yes, you need a new doc!

[tonyinnh]

yeah he hasn't given me any of them just the numbers he sees fit.. he's a dick..... i will call them and ask the nurse to send them to me as my wife want to see them also cause of my high chol seems weird to her too,, esp since she knows how strict my diet has been..

[tonyinnh]

total 184 is ok,, but just my bad is 184... i just called them and told them i need my results,, they are going to call me back...
heres a good chart
http://www.trilipix.com/CholesterolA...olesterol.aspx

[tonyinnh]

i don't know if you remember me,, my doctor is the chinese dude who hates giving drugs... he was pretty worried about my chol results... the good thing is my kidneys are taking the cyp perfectly,, yay!!

[zaggahamma]

i don't know if you remember me,, my doctor is the chinese dude who hates giving drugs... he was pretty worried about my chol results... the good thing is my kidneys are taking the cyp perfectly,, yay!!

its hard to remember all post(ers) but yes i remember that now....maybe some others more informed about cholesterol can chime as i was seriously under the impression that 184 isnt worthy of meds

[Whitecollar10]

I just had my blood test results, and mine too indicated high cholesterol. My total was 203 with the "bad" at 145. My doc said that this is a level that medication could be considered. I told him that I had heard of the negative interactions between statins and grapefruit (which I enjoy periodically), and asked if Niacin or Omega 3 would be an option instead. He recommended adding 2-4 grams Omega 3 per day and 500 mg niacin (nicotinic acid) at bedtime. Then recheck in 3-6 months.

You may want to look into the effects of omega 3 & niacin. I wouldn't be surprised if you are already getting omega 3, but the nicacin (B3) is not necessarily something people take often. It is usually recommended before bedtime because it is supposed to help you relax and fall asleep quicker. They also say it will create a "flush" as it opens your capilaries.

I forgot to take the nicacin last night, so took it this morning before breakfast and experienced the "flush" while awake. I did not find that pleasant at all! It felt like a sunburn starting on my head, then under my collar and finishing on my thighs. It lasted for a good 20 to 30 minutes.

[Whitecollar10]

...maybe some others more informed about cholesterol can chime as i was seriously under the impression that 184 isnt worthy of meds

As I understood the 184 comment, that was in reference to the LDL only ("bad" cholesterol). My lab results listed the LDL range as 95 - 130. The TOTAL range is 110 - 200. Thus the 184 is something to focus on lowering.

My LDL was 145. Above the range, so I started supplements to bring it down. If that isn't effective, I guess I'll try the statins (and give up the grapefruit).

[zaggahamma]

As I understood the 184 comment, that was in reference to the LDL only ("bad" cholesterol). My lab results listed the LDL range as 95 - 130. The TOTAL range is 110 - 200. Thus the 184 is something to focus on lowering.

My LDL was 145. Above the range, so I started supplements to bring it down. If that isn't effective, I guess I'll try the statins (and give up the grapefruit).

my op clearly stated total cholesterol so i hope tony was referring to total cholesterol...yes if it was ldl then all those figures are high

[Whitecollar10]

Yes. Tony's post had indicated "my bad chol is 184," which I would interpret to be the LDL.

Too bad in your results it didn't break it out by type. The 195 for total pushes the top of the range. It would be nice to know how much of that is the LDL.

[zaggahamma]

he told me chol takes about a week to show change fyi so i doubt it matters when you took the test,, but hey im no doctor,,,... endro said if i start the meds today, my levels will be less in 1 week... so i figure about a week for major changes to show in blood..

Change in what...i dont understand wut ur talking about...i'm not on meds....i donated blood and they run cholesterol checks on it for you..I WASNT FASTING...

[zaggahamma]

total 184 is ok,, but just my bad is 184... i just called them and told them i need my results,, they are going to call me back...
heres a good chart
http://www.trilipix.com/CholesterolA...olesterol.aspx

ok...once again..you confused my post, thats why u said i needed meds?...TOTAL CHOLESTEROL was my question

[zaggahamma]

Yes. Tony's post had indicated "my bad chol is 184," which I would interpret to be the LDL.

Too bad in your results it didn't break it out by type. The 195 for total pushes the top of the range. It would be nice to know how much of that is the LDL.

exactly...but with my hdl usually being very high in the past...i'm probably going to be ok although this IS my highest total cholesterol result since donating there...i've been on arimidex for 5 years which could possibly be raising it

[lovbyts]

You guys are worried about 190 - 200 what a bunch of pvssys LOL My bad was 360 and my good was only 9. LOL Yeah I am at 10% risk or having a heart attack in 10 years. No fat to loose and I already work out over 1hr a day. Lipitor is on it's way.

[GotNoBlueMilk]

@lovbyts: Any theories, based on bloodwork results, on why your numbers are high? I am in the 190 range and want to make sure it stays down there. Never had issues until 2 years ago.

[lovbyts]

@lovbyts: Any theories, based on bloodwork results, on why your numbers are high? I am in the 190 range and want to make sure it stays down there. Never had issues until 2 years ago.

Not sure yet, it could be AI related, beginning of HRT/cycle, maybe I didnt fast long enough or? I have always had high numbers but I though that since I got my diet in check and fat levels down to 12% or less it should all be good but I guess not. I will test again in a few months to see if things changed.

Mine 3+ years ago was also 190 on meds.

[ITS4THECATLOL]

Sounds like you've been running some serious cycles.