Jun 01 2008
HDL, LDL, HUH?
After what seemed like a century in waiting for my latest lab test results to find their way to my mailbox, here goes:
- CBC
- HGB (test for anemia): Normal 13.8
- Blood Glucose (Diabetes test): Normal 90
- Cholesterol
- Total Cholesterol: 244
- Triglycerides: 120
- HDL (good cholesterol): 103
- LDL (bad cholesterol): 117
The first thing that jumped right out and hit me in the forehead was that Total Cholesterol: 244 number. What?! That’s HIGH, isn’t it? So I Googled my way around all kinds of medical sites, the big ones like Mayo Clinic and American Heart Association to find out why Dr. M wasn’t freaking out about my results like I am right now. But after reading up on cholesterol facts online, I’m only left feeling even more confused and wondering… did Dr. M even see my results? When was his last eye exam anyway? Ok, that wasn’t nice - just kidding Dr. M.
All I can figure is that living a healthy lifestyle and having off-the-chart ‘good’ cholesterol levels (HDL) is buying me more time before my arteries get all clogged up with gunk. Regular exercise must be good for something, even if it’s a ‘Get Out of Atherosclerosis Free’ card. But you know, maybe all those salty peanutty snacks aren’t helping the situation in the meantime? Probably not. *sigh*
Looks like I’ve got myself another goal for next year: Lower Cholesterol
3 Responses to “HDL, LDL, HUH?”
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There is a lot of alternative thought and research out there about cholesterol levels - it’s not the be all and end all of cardiac health the media makes it out to be.
One blog I read is Jonny’s Brain Juice - by a fairly noted non-mainstream-nutritionist - and his post on cholesterol drugs and cardiac health is pretty interesting.
Lowering is easier than you may think!
No pork.
No Cheese.
And add oatmeal to your diet!
@JeriM - Jonny makes good sense there. Using his equation in looking at the ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol, I’m at a 1.165. That must be amazingly great, since he says having a 2 “is a vanishingly low level of risk”. Thanks - I feel so much more at ease now!
@Nadine - And I eat oatmeal every day… I’m lactose intolerant and always go light on cheese… not a big meat eater… what else can I possibly do besides cut out nuts/oils? For some reason, I’m thinking my high overall cholesterol must be genetic. :/