Today was the day to have my 6 month follow up to my doctor. Specifically, I have been taking the Red Yeast Rice for just over 6 months and I was anxiety-ridden about my cholesterol levels and what they would say.
I had in my mind exactly how this appointment was going to go. I was going to walk in and the first thing the doctor would ask me is why I had gained so much weight. Then he was going to go over my labs and show me that my cholesterol level had not only not gone down, but that they were astronomically high.
Then he was going to tell me that I must go on a statin drug.
I had in my mind exactly how this appointment was going to go. I was going to walk in and the first thing the doctor would ask me is why I had gained so much weight. Then he was going to go over my labs and show me that my cholesterol level had not only not gone down, but that they were astronomically high.
Then he was going to tell me that I must go on a statin drug.
Guess what?? I was wrong in the best way!!!
He immediately got to the point. My overall cholesterol is 210 - which is actually 5 points higher then a year ago. BUT my HDL (good cholesterol) has increased to a sky high number of 73. Which according to him is fantastic. My triglycerides are rock bottom low at 70.
But here is the best news. My LDL or bad cholesterol dropped from 133 last year (and I think it was even higher 6 months ago) to 123!!! It's in the "near optimal" category.
OH HAPPY DAY!
The doc was extremely happy with these numbers. According to him, having either high HDL OR LDL numbers pushes your TOTAL cholesterol number higher and since it is only 10 points above ideal, he is not concerned even a little bit. And my ratios? They are all in the "Ideal" category.
"Keep doing what you are doing!" he said.
I asked him about my weight. He scoffed at my concern. I was - to my surprise - only .3 pounds over where I was 6 months ago - I was 124.0 today on their scale. I told him - with a smile - my excuse was carb loading last week for my 1/2 marathon. He found that amusing. He said that I am muscular, I look great, I just ran a half-marathon and came in 13th place (yes, I did brag to him), and that, in his medical opinion, I am doing great and should be seen as an "inspiration" to anyone who wants to lose some weight.
Wow. That was unexpected. FINALLY some good medical news for me!
All other labs - glucose, kidney, thyroid were completely normal. My resting heart rate in the office was 57 and my oxygen level was 99%. My temperature was 97.0 - no wonder I'm always cold! And my blood pressure was 110/70.
The only news that I was not happy with was something that I know needs
to happen. It's booby squishing time. Yes, I'm almost 42 and need to
start getting a yearly mammogram.
So I am a happy girl today. The doc and I agreed that I will continue taking the Red Yeast Rice caps - neither he nor I can say for sure that this is what dropped my LDL so much, but since I have no side effects from taking 2 caps a day and they're pretty cheap, it's definitely worth it to continue. I also take a fish oil capsule every night - as do Chakotay and Archer - and I'll continue that.
Hurray!
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