When I got in Monday night, the mother says: “There’s a message for you on the answering machine from the doctor’s office.”
I listened. It was one of the nurses telling me that my LDL cholesterol (the bad sh*t) was 148. It needs to be much closer to 100 ideally, or, at the very least, below 130. What she didn’t tell me were two other numbers: my HDL (good cholesterol) and triglyceride levels. That’s stupid. That’s only giving me part of the picture! (And, I was under the assumption you needed to fast before getting an accurate LDL reading. Nevermind that I'd eaten just a few hours before my appointment.)
And already, they’re talking about putting me on drugs for it. Um … no. I’m not doing that. You can write out any prescription you want. I ain’t fillin’ it because if the condition doesn’t kill you, the drugs just might. Have you listened to the commercials advertising that sh*t? I have. I will not permit these people to kill me, thank you very much.
Suffice it to say there are going to be some changes around this D*mn House.
I know it’s a necessity. I also know I’m capable of it. Not that long ago, most of my clothes were hanging on me. Other items that hadn’t been worn in a good long while –because they were waaaay too tight -- had been welcomed back into the closet rotation. Why? Not only was I super-busy at TDH, I was also very conscious of everything I ate. And it showed.
But then 2009 continued the nervous, edgy ride that all of Q4 2008 had been and I wasn’t so good about what I was eating anymore. That changes today. Actually, I already kind of started yesterday. I gagged down plain oatmeal (because there wasn’t any apples and cinnamon)and tried to do trail mix as a snack (which turns out to have more crap in it than a candy bar. Go figure.)
Last night, I bought an assortment of things to help: fruit, granola bars, yogurt. And tomorrow night, when it’s grocery store night, I’ll get even more of a variety. Because the good news is that if I have all of these things handy, I will eat them.
I may want something else, but I’ll eat these.
A non-professional,faux home improvement blog dedicated to the insane yet diligent do-it-yourselfer,thoroughly peppered with random views and thoughts from me
8 comments:
You sound just like me...as long as I stock up on the healthy things, I don't crave the crap. Good for you for taking control! I'm always leery of drugs as cure-alls. Nothing is better than healthy changes.
do you want to borrow my copy of the South Beach Diet? it's what my doctor recommended - designed for cardio health, and really very sensible, except for the "no carbs" part in the first two weeks. and there are some great recipes in it!
To get an accurate reading, you do need to fast. Amazing how quick everyone is to medicate. The Husband has a similar issue and fixed the numbers by 1)fasting before the test and 2)minor adjustments to his diet. Not to mention, it's expensiuve to eat healthy. The processed, not so good for you food is always on sale.
If Benecol is acceptable to you, you might try that. I think it is soy-based. It's a margarine substitute that attaches itself to cholesterol.
Putting Benecol on virtually everything with any cholesterol in it whacked 40 points off my level in a couple of months. I didn't lose any weight in that time period, due to a humongously sprained ankle. I did clean up my food act a bit.
Some people can't tolerate it because it can cause some gas, etc. There was an initial slight problem, but I seem to be totally adapted to it now.
Aw man, w/ all the activities you do, THIS? Dang. A natural little miracle worker for you might be phytosterols. :)
kspin -- Yep. If the good stuff is THERE, I WILL eat it. I won't, however, seek it out. :-)
KayO -- I may take you up on that. I'm going to approach this seriously and sensibly and see if I'm right.
cd -- I thought so (and there's no MD or even RN after my name!) I think my "stress eating" is the culprit and the fact that I haven't really done much lately.
Karen Anne -- food for thought -- literally! Thanks.
Ann -- You've just hit upon part of the problem -- I really HAVEN'T done that much the past few months and I think that has brought my metabolism down to a snail's pace again. That's all about to change again soon. Got to get some vacation scheduled and let the DIY fun begin! :-)
Yeah... get a true fasting test done. And get all the numbers. So much can be done with diet for MOST people!
You and me both sistah. I'm a consumer of socialized medicine though so I wasn't offered drugs yet. Oh, and the tech only told me my total number, not the details. To top it all off I also have "nonspecific thyroid issues" that they aren't concerned about. A friend has since told me that certain thyroid issues can affect cholesterol levels. Anyway, I'll be rooting for you if you root for me!
Post a Comment