And Here We Go Again

Another day, another (early) appointment. Waking up early, showering, fasting, packing up breakfast for work, and meeting my doctor for my 6 month appointment. The usual. I usually schedule these appointments first thing in the morning, and I fast, even if they don’t tell me specifically to do it, because they almost always realize they missed a test and they need to poke again. And I’d rather do the test then and there, rather than come back another day, and miss some more odd hours from work.

They did my blood tests about 3 weeks ago (the every 3 month routine for that), and this was the follow-up of that, as well. The doctor was disappointed as all my cholesterols went up; the total went from 274 to 304. I assured her I am eating even healthier than before, so I am not sure what the deal is. Truth is, I am eating healthier, since my husband was diagnosed with diabetes, and overall, I think I am under less stress than earlier in the year. And yet, the numbers are up. True, I am not walking or hiking nearly as much as I did last summer, but still: 30 points is a significant jump, even for me! The blood pressure has been doing some insane things lately (like when it dropped to 60 over 40 during my stress test a couple of weeks ago).

The doctor was sort of blasé: she said: “Well, with you, you eat right, you take the pills and you pray for the best. But you never know what you’re gonna get!”. Isn’t she ever so right.

She is not going to add anything else to the drugs for now. Due to the fact that there is a laundry list of other symptoms completely unrelated to cholesterol that might be pointing to some hormonal dysfunctions, she is doing a thyroid test (I told you: more blood tests) today, and she is referring me to some specialists. She needs to rule out any hormonal changes and endocrinology-related malfunctions before she can attack the cholesterol with more drugs. She thinks that since cholesterol is a metabolism disease and metabolism is usually so influenced by glands and their well-being, she wants to check these out next, given my most recent symptoms.

Now, I am waiting on my thyroid test, which should be done tomorrow, but I am not sure when they will call me with it. After I hear the results from that one I will make the first appointment with the first specialist.

My next blood tests for cholesterol and liver functions are due in 3 more months, again. Yippee…

The complete panel:

Total cholesterol: 304 (from 274)
HDL cholesterol: 37 (from 34)
LDL Cholesterol: 248 (from 227)
Triglycerides: 96 (from 68)

The last tests were in August. I have to believe that the summer diet, of all fresh herbs and veggies, as well as regular walks weekly, as opposed to the semi-sedentary life of the winter has something to do with it. But all the other changes in my body have gotten me worried, so an extra check elsewhere should not hurt, I s’ppose.

Another new thing from the doc's office is that I got my first ever prescription for GENERIC lipitor! I have no idea how much this one is, with my insurance, but I will let you know. I have been on lipitor for 10 years or more and it's been always treated by all insurances as a non-preferred drug. I am dying to see what the generic lipitor is to my insurance.

Hoping for good news for all, till next time …