Just got my Blood Work back...Help Please page

[Spinman]

Hello,

I have been primal for about two months and at the urging of my family had some blood work done.

Total Cholesterol: 383
HDL: 64
LDL: 288
TRI: 155

I assume the LDL number was backed into not specifically tested.

My doc has suggested statins and I'm not interested in doing it. I'm also not a doctor and it seems every doc and cardiologist who sees these numbers would suggest statins.

How do I analyze these numbers? How do I explain to my doc that I don't buy the cholesterol/heart disease connection?

I am going to get retested in a month after I "clean up" my diet. He's also going to test for LDL specifically.

Any feedback on this data would be helpful. I am 37. 6'2 and 225 with probably 18% body fat. I really don't think I need a pill for the rest of my life.

[L8F]

Have your doc look at your thyroid in detail, it can be a cause for elevated cholesterol. Are you doing ok on your basic other labs, Vitamin D, Iron, others? These numbers are high. Are you grain free? Trigs should come down with a lower carb primal diet. Depending on which camp you listen to, they should def. be under 100, and some say less. I would also slow up on the dairy, and get some blood glucose and insulin testing despite your physical wellbeing in terms of body fat etc. Cortisol also a big player in messing with all body systems. With your body comp and age and likely activity levels, the numbers show something is off a little, and warrant looking into a little closer... (Lots of people say super high cholesterol is ok, but I am of the opinion that it can be an indicator that all systems are not working super well together, and need some tweaking)

Check out Chris Kresser's site for good info on all this stuff.

[Radialhead]

I wouldn't panic too much if your blood pressure's ok. Did you eat lots of sugary stuff/fruit/high carb before going primal? One current line of thinking is that sugar damages artery walls, so your body ramps up cholesterol production to repair the damage (it's one of the jobs cholesterol does). So if you cut out all the sugar & fruit, & go very low carb, the cholesterol has a chance to finish its job then drops back to normal levels. That can take a while though, so it's best to leave it a few months before getting re-tested.

My figures weren't too different to yours when I was tested 6 weeks ago (slightly lower TC & LDL but much higher trigs & lower HDL). I've completely cut out sugar & fruit, & gone VLC, so I'll know in another 6 weeks if it's worked or not (have to wait 3 months between cholesterol tests here).

[namelesswonder]

I've heard from many people around here that it can take some time after starting primal for cholesterol levels to stabilize, they might be very high initially. Re-evaluate your diet for inflammatory foods or anything that doesn't agree with you that you're letting slide, and you'll probably notice a difference.

Remember that it is ultimately your choice whether you go on statins or not, they cannot force you.

[drh7900]

I'm also curious about what might be going on with me. I just got a call from my doctor where I had blood panels done last week. My numbers were as follows:

Total Cholesterol:397 (highest ever!)
LDL: 340 (highest ever!)
HDL: 40
Triglycerides: 85

They also mentioned a high white blood cell count at 13.5 where normal is between 4 and 11.

I'm stunned that my HDL is so low and my LDL so high...I have been sticking to the PB religiously. I haven't been able to exercise in the last 5 weeks because of a bad flare up of my old back injury. I've been basically sedentary, but my diet hasn't wavered...in fact, because of being sedentary, I've been eating much less because I just haven't been very hungry.

Is it possible that being sedentary has caused the high LDL number? Could the stress of being in constant severe pain be enough to set my white cell count that high? Could the 5 week lack of exercise be enough for HDL to be that low? The doctor wants me to come in to discuss the numbers, and I do want to discuss the white blood cell count, but I know he's going to try to put me on a statin and I don't want that. What might I be doing wrong?

[drh7900]

Oh...and I've been doing PB since January...and I have lost over 30 lbs since then...have about 55 lbs to go until I reach my first goal!

[quelsen]

Hello,

I have been primal for about two months and at the urging of my family had some blood work done.

Total Cholesterol: 383
HDL: 64
LDL: 288
TRI: 155

I assume the LDL number was backed into not specifically tested.

My doc has suggested statins and I'm not interested in doing it. I'm also not a doctor and it seems every doc and cardiologist who sees these numbers would suggest statins.

How do I analyze these numbers? How do I explain to my doc that I don't buy the cholesterol/heart disease connection?

I am going to get retested in a month after I "clean up" my diet. He's also going to test for LDL specifically.

Any feedback on this data would be helpful. I am 37. 6'2 and 225 with probably 18% body fat. I really don't think I need a pill for the rest of my life.

alone this doesnt tell you much but that you are healing a lot of oxidative stress. Additionally you are either eating a lot of Fructose ( fruit ) or you have a deeper metabolic imbalance.

[quelsen]

I'm also curious about what might be going on with me. I just got a call from my doctor where I had blood panels done last week. My numbers were as follows:

Total Cholesterol:397 (highest ever!)
LDL: 340 (highest ever!)
HDL: 40
Triglycerides: 85

They also mentioned a high white blood cell count at 13.5 where normal is between 4 and 11.

I'm stunned that my HDL is so low and my LDL so high...I have been sticking to the PB religiously. I haven't been able to exercise in the last 5 weeks because of a bad flare up of my old back injury. I've been basically sedentary, but my diet hasn't wavered...in fact, because of being sedentary, I've been eating much less because I just haven't been very hungry.

Is it possible that being sedentary has caused the high LDL number? Could the stress of being in constant severe pain be enough to set my white cell count that high? Could the 5 week lack of exercise be enough for HDL to be that low? The doctor wants me to come in to discuss the numbers, and I do want to discuss the white blood cell count, but I know he's going to try to put me on a statin and I don't want that. What might I be doing wrong?

OK you my freind need more labwork. here is what you should understand from this reading.

HDL SUCKS ASS. IF you are eating Paleo it shoudl be higher, that it is not indicates some othe system out of whack , i suspect all your hormones suck.

LDL indicates that you are not making hormones as well.

The white cell count indicates some infection invader is being fought. ( auto immune? )

Your trigs are meh OK, but just looking at what you have provided i would say that your liver is compromised. something is not right here.

my suggestions for followup lab are.


1
Complete Blood Count (CBC) With Differential CPT Code: 85025
Metabolic Panel (14), Comprehensive CPT Code: 80053
Osmolality,serum CPT Code: 83930
Osmolality, Body Fluid CPT Code: 84999
Urinalysis, Complete With Microscopic Examination CPT Code: 81001

2
Hepatic Function Panel (7) CPT Code: 80076
C-Reactive Protein (CRP), High Sensitivity (Cardiac Risk Assessment) CPT Code: 86141
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy CPT Code: 82306
Insulin, Free and Total, Serum CPT Code: 83525; 83527
C-Peptide, Serum CPT Code: 84681
Hemoglobin (Hb) A1c CPT Code: 83036

3
....

4
Homocyst(e)ine, Plasma CPT Code: 83090
Lipoprotein Subfractionation Profile CPT Code: 83701; 84478

5
Cortisol CPT Code: 82533
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Sulfate CPT Code: 82627
Estradiol CPT Code: 82670
Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) CPT Code: 84305
Pregnenolone, Mass Spectrometry CPT Code: 84140
Progesterone CPT Code: 84144 if you are female
Testosterone, Free (Direct), Serum With Total Testosterone CPT Code: 84402; 84403

6 - optional
Thyroxine (T4) CPT Code: 84436
Triiodothyronine (T3) CPT Code: 84480
Reverse T3 CPT Code: 84482
Thyroxine-binding Globulin (TBG), Serum CPT Code: 84442
Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Antibodies CPT Code: 86376
Thyroid Antithyroglobulin Antibody CPT Code: 86800

[drh7900]

Thanks, quelson. I'll take that with me to my follow up with my doctor and see what he thinks. Could any medications be influencing these numbers? Because of the flare-up, I've been mostly bed-ridden and having to take morphine, cyclobenzaprine and meloxicam. I hate having to take these medications every day, but I'm truly in severe pain. I was medication free for several months prior to the flare-up.

[quelsen]

Well that explains that :-)

those drugs block the metabolism of LDL. of course yours is going to be high.........



Wiki

Meloxicam inhibits cyclooxygenase (COX), the enzyme responsible for converting arachidonic acid into prostaglandin H2—the first step in the synthesis of prostaglandins, which are mediators of inflammation.
Arachidonic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid present in the phospholipids (especially phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylinositides) of membranes of the body's cells, and is abundant in the brain, muscles, liver.



sigh..... i am so sorry for your pain. and even though I am just a lay person I wont suggest you drop the pain meds

However I woudl recommend you become buddies with the ice maker and get into 45f water building up to 2 hours daily and my reason is to lower your LDL by forcing your cell walls to rebuild using what is in your blood stream. it will also reduce or remove your pain so that is a great benefit.

as long as you are on that cocktail your cholestorol will be shit. not certain if you need to mediate it or not but for gods sake dont let them put you on a statin for something they are causing in the first place.