I read the stickies and I'm not terribly concerned about my cholesterol numbers. In fact, I happen to think they're pretty darn good.

My doctor, OTOH, disagrees.

Total Cholesterol 244
Triglycerides 74
HDL 94
LDL 135

Am I correct in my understanding that the LDL being over 100 most likely isn't a problem, because there's probably a lot of the "light, fluffy" kind?

Also, is the high HDL and slightly higher LDL the reason my HS-CRP has increased slightly?

The low triglycerides mean your LDL is probably the large, fluffy sort.

The second question, probably not. CRP is a measure of inflammation, which is not a good thing to have. CRP can give you an idea of things like autoimmune diseases or possibly heart disease. Is it out-of-range or just slightly higher than a previous test?

It's 2.2 ... I don't even know what the normal range is.

It used to be something like 1.6 or 1.9, but I think that was when my triglycerides were 275 and my HDL was around 30.

I'll have to find the file and dig out my previous report, so I can compare it with this latest one.

There's always a little variation in numbers. Sometimes it's because labs use slightly different means of running the tests. Some tests even the time of day can affect a lab value.

My results from 2009 were:

Total Cholesterol 265
Triglycerides 126
HDL 106
LDL 134
Cholesterol Ratio 2.5
HS-CRP 1.3

Here are this year's numbers again:

Total Cholesterol 244
Triglycerides 74
HDL 94
LDL 135
Cholesterol Ratio 2.6
HS-CRP 2.2

I wonder if there could be inflammation as a result of the artificial shoulder joint I have now, that I didn't have last year? I still have to take pain meds for it occasionally, just not every day, so there's probably some inflammation present there. (I don't expect anyone here to have the answer to that, but I can ask the orthopedic surgeon when I see him next week for a follow-up.)

to me that looks like an excellent panel reading. HDL high, triglycerides low. Problem here?

Yeah, ask him about it. Have you found anything googling?

Man i wish my HDL was as high as yours!

Ok, I'll give up my secret. Just don't tell my doctor

Every year my doctor wants to check my cholesterol. Which is not what is recommended. If you have a normal readings they shouldn't check again for 5 years. Ok, so here goes:

Every year 6 weeks before my annual checkup I start taking Nature Made CholestOff and Red Rice Yeast. Red Rice Yeast is an herbal supplement that is basically the same thing as a statin drug, except a 2 month supply will cost you $20.00 instead of $300.00. I get them both at Wal Mart or Costco.

My cholesterol check comes back in the normal range (172 total) and the doctor is happy and I don't get nagged. I stop the supplements as soon as my blood is drawn. It has worked 3 years in a row now.

My first post was inquiring about the LDL, since my doctor wrote a note by it on the report I received. Now that I've located my report from last year, I see the LDL is basically identical, and there was no note on that report.

However, I also see that the hs-CRP has gone up from 1.3 to 2.2, and that does concern me a bit. As Nancy commented, inflammation is rarely a good thing.

I have found little info on the subject through Google, but I see the orthopedist on the 20th. I'll ask him then if it might be related to the shoulder replacement. I know that artificial joints are subject to infection. As an example, I have to take preventative antibiotics before I even have my teeth cleaned. My shoulder does hurt, so there probably is some inflammation present there, although I'm fairly certain it's just muscle pain I'm experiencing. According to what I did find through Google, though, the hs-CRP is one measure they use to track possible infections in artificial joints. I'll definitely mention it to the orthopedist and see what he says.

I think I have an answer - yes. I have a sports hernia (not really a hernia, also called athletic pubalgia). It is a situation where the abdominal muscle detaches from the bone it attaches to. My CRP is probably permanently elevated from it because it can't reattach, but it's harmless. Most elevated CRP, according to my doc, is things of that nature (regular old tissue injury). It's a very clumsy tool for assessing heart health.

Thank you! That's the line of thought I'm following. For the first 5 months after my surgery, the orthopedist told me I must not take any aspirin, ibuprofen, or any other type of anti-inflammatory medication. He said inflammation had to be present in order for the bone to heal properly. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there will always be some degree of inflammation present in my shoulder ... not necessarily in the joint itself, or even the bone, but in the soft tissue.

The increase from 1.3 to 2.2 is fairly large, it appears, although I don't know how it's viewed by the medical community. It's only moved from low to average, though, so not anything to obsess over. But I would like an explanation, I think, even if only to hear that it's nothing to be concerned about.

Kisal, do you drink heavy cream, and how much? (I know it's an odd question.)

Not anymore. Around the beginning of July, it seems, I suddenly developed some kind of lactose intolerance. I do okay with small amounts of cheese (hard cheese seem to bother me less than soft cheeses), or a tablespoonful or two of cultured sour cream, but anything more than that causes me severe diarrhea. Cream and half-and-half I can't even have in my coffee anymore.

I'm curious ... what prompted you to ask about that?

You were talking about inflammation and I have ongoing inflammation issues, though I seem to be doing better now. I wonder about the carageenan used to stabilize creams (at least all the brands round here) as I suspect it doesn't help. I gave up dairy too, it was difficult.