First speedbump in primal journey, any help appreciated! page

[Jmohr86]

Hello all, I have been reading these forums for about 2 months and trying to live as close to PB as I can. I've fallen off the wagon every now and again but have been mostly diligent towards my new lifestyle. However, I recently did had some bloodwork done and according to CW and my doctor "I'm at great risk for heart disease or a heart attack". The reason for this is that my cholesterol came back high, and from what I have read on this website and doing research I was not worried about this at all, but my mother found out and she's flipping out and all worried that I'm gonna have health problems.

My cholesterol results:
Total: 295
LDL: 155
HDL 74
Triglycerides: 27

All my other results came back very positive with no signs of trouble. What I'm mainly asking is what followup tests can I have done to prove to my mother that I'm perfectly healthy and won't drop dead anytime soon? I'm gonna call my doctor soon and set up a few follow-up tests: C-reactive Protein, VAP test, fasting insuline and glucose levels. I was wondering if there were any others that I could have done.

Thank you for all your help.

[emmie]

You're going to be fine! The tests you're planning are right on. When I had my own VAP test, my LDL turned out to be 100% Pattern A (large, fluffy 'good' stuff), and my endo said that in his patients with high HDL and low trigs (which you have), the LDL is almost always Pattern A.

That means your "high" number is actually a good thing. My C-Reactive Protein was .9 with 1.0 the lowest lab range--and that's with systematic osteoarthritis which should give me a higher number apart from any other inflammatory issues. Low carb rocks!

[Jmohr86]

Thanks for the boost of confidence! I will set up these tests as soon as possible with my doctor and will try and find some articles on the cholesterol myth for my mother. (Anyone have any good links to published articles on the subject?)

I have two more questions to ask the very helpful PB community however:
Since I started to eat a lot more red meat my lips have been getting very chapped and dry recently I was wondering if there is a correlation? I don't think its any vitamin deficiencies as I eat plenty of veggies and the aforementioned meat while taking a daily multi and getting about an hour of sun a day so I'm not sure of the cause.

The other is a concern about getting too much iron, I was wondering if consuming all this read meat and dark leafy greens will eventually lead to a surplus of iron in my blood.

Thanks again PB community!

[Metismomma]

I have two more questions to ask the very helpful PB community however:
Since I started to eat a lot more red meat my lips have been getting very chapped and dry recently I was wondering if there is a correlation? I don't think its any vitamin deficiencies as I eat plenty of veggies and the aforementioned meat while taking a daily multi and getting about an hour of sun a day so I'm not sure of the cause.

The other is a concern about getting too much iron, I was wondering if consuming all this read meat and dark leafy greens will eventually lead to a surplus of iron in my blood.

Thanks again PB community!

Re:chapped lips. Have you been licking your lips lately? STOP IT! Or, you might be dehydrated. Or it might be overexposure to wind/sun. Honey and nasal sebum(the oil on your side of your nose) can help moisturize and heal your lips. Also, if you happen to eat coconut oil, putting it in your tea/coffee/hot drink of choice is a great way to help with chapped lips.
As for iron, depends on how much iron you have in your blood already. I would be more concerned if you were taking an iron supplement.

[barryman9000]

Wouldn't your total cholesterol be 235 using the standard lipid panel calculation? ((TRG/5) + LDL + HDL)

I'd ask your doctor:
You - "So if my cholesterol were lower than 200, would I be at less of a risk of heart disease?"
Doc - "Yes."

You: "So this is healthier?":
Total 199
LDL 154
HDL 25
TRG 100

Because that would be lower than the dreaded 200, and "we all know" total >= 200 means certain death! A similar statement proved my point to my last (and former) doctor.

[Griff]

That's an excellent cholesterol reading. Check out my cholesterol primer (in my signature) and you'll see you have nothing to worry about. Your mom is still in the CW brainwash cycle - let her read the primer and it should help, too.

[Chairdr]

Your stuck with the mom, get a new doctor.