Friday, October 10, 2014

Rising Cholesterol - Good?

Had my six month follow up with my primary care physician and things are continuing to improve.   A first glance at my blood test results had me a little concerned.    My total cholesterol levels had risen from a minuscule 118 to a borderline high of 145.    The American Heart Association recommends that total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dl is desirable, however heart disease guru Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn suggests that total cholesterol of less than 150 mg/dl is heart attack proof.

My 27 point increase in total cholesterol is not necessarily a bad thing since the increase was attributable to a 27 point increase in my (good) HDL.    My LDL (bad) actually stayed the same at 48. An LDL value of less than 100 mg/dl is considered desirable by the AHA.   As a result, my doctor cut my statin dosage in half for the 2nd time in a row and gave me the ok to start weaning myselft off my very low dose of beta blocker.

No comments:

Post a Comment