[QUOTE=quietone]I didn't notice that you ever said what your levels were?

I just had them done again recently? Ill post them when I go to the doc

last time my Total ChL was 234 and I beleive my TRIg were close to 290

[QUOTE=quietone]

If you have an inherited cholesterol problem, then it is possible drugs will be the only thing to bring it down. You can do low carb and eat natural oatmeal. Depends on what kind of program you want to do. Also, these help lower it: barley, legumes, eggplant and okra. I think you can fit eggplant and okra into a low carb diet plan./QUOTE]

Yes it is inherited but I believe that I should be able to control it by LCing Hopefully

I hope you can, but please make certain you keep an eye on it as you are doing LC.

I lot of people here have lowered their's by LC, but I don't know if they had inherited problems or not.

You levels are not good, but I've heard/seen worse. Your triglycerides will defintely go down with eating low carb...probably under 100.

I would think you might want to try okra...I'm not sure about eggplant. Is that legal, everyone?

I used to eat okra breaded, but now I just cook it a very little and put on the butter, salt and pepper. yum!

Just remember, you don't have to eat red meat if you don't feel comfortable doing that. And get your fish portions in each week. It not only helps cholesterol, it adds variety.

I decided to begin taking Lipitor recently, after six months on Atkins lowered my cholesterol, but not by enough to counteract the risk factors of diabetes and a familial history of high cholesterol, heart attack, and stroke.

I have been picture perfect following Atkins, and have the weight loss AND better health to prove it. But after I talked to both my GP and my endocrinologist and read the research literature, in particular about the relationship between high LDL and heart attack and stroke in diabetics, my decision was that for me, with my particular clinical profile, a statin drug would most probably reduce the likelihood of premature death.

The decision to take--or not take--medicine has to be based on your particular medical conditions, age, family history, and expected benefits vs possible risks. I have no idea if I will be on Lipitor (or some other statin) forever, but I do know that for now, taking it is the right thing to do.

Meds seem so bizarre to me-Try to get off of them-up your exercise, take Flaxseed oil, use Rice Oil, don't eat foods that contain trans fats and watch your intake. See what happens in 6 months and you be the judge.

I'm reporting here what I did in response to a high cholesterol test, about 280 total.

I talked it over with my doctor, who ended up recommending the South Beach diet. I also got a cardiac CAT scan and a stress test. The CAT scan cost $400 and was not covered by insurance; but my insurance doesn't pay for anything anyway unless it's over $10,000, which saves my family about $1000 per month over "better" insurance. So I decided I could afford it. And it is one of the only tests that actually measures cardiac artery disease, that can be used to monitor its progression.

The stress test was normal. The cardiac CAT scan came up with an Agatston score of 25, which means that I have less plaque than 75% of asymptomatic men my age (60). I can afford to take some time to deal with the problem, if indeed there is any problem at all.

I started out on South Beach. But I also started doing research. And I discovered that Atkins really had better science behind it, as far as I could tell. And the recipes were delicious! So I went on Atkins.

I lost about fifteen pounds, I feel better, I don't think that I'm at my ideal weight, yet, particularly considering my sedentary habits, but I am not obese. However, my cholesterol shot up. Total cholesterol was just measured at 320. It's not terribly surprising; I'm drinking heavy cream in my coffee, using butter liberally, generally taking serioiusly the idea that saturated fat is an important part of the diet. My doctor saw the latest numbers and wrote me a note "Terrible! Please see me!"

So I did. We had a great conversation. He acknowledged that my risk was actually low; the only apparent risk factor was the cholesterol level, and we had not yet done a lipoprotein-A test to find out if it was *truly* worrisome. The only heart disease in my family was my father, who was also a smoker and who actually died from lung cancer. (And his favorite food was steak and potatoes.) My mother is doing quite well at 94. So if I do have any problem, it is certainly not advanced, in spite of high cholesterol numbers.

I find myself naturally backing off on the butter and cream.... My wife was originally panicked by the latest test, but she has calmed down.

I suggested to my doctor that I should see a cardiologist to monitor the situation, to play it safe. He said that it was going to be difficult to find a cardiologist who was not going to immediately write a prescription for Lipitor. But he thought of one, an academic actually, who'd really be the expert and who would have an open mind. Especially considering that I was willing to pay for a cardiac CAT scan in another year or two. And then my doctor mentioned the possibility of getting into a study.... which would certainly be interesting and which might allow free CAT scans. Anyway, I got an appointment, but the earliest available was in September.

This all got me to thinking about my mother. So I called her and asked her about her cholesterol. "I have a cholesterol problem," she said. 94 years old, no heart attacks, no shortness of breath. I can see exactly what is happening: she has high cholesterol, so the doctors have told her she has a problem. I haven't yet found out if she has been treated for the high cholesterol, but if she has, it would be a shame. Cholesterol, it seems, might be protective against some kinds of strokes, and guess what? She has had TIAs, mini-strokes.

I'm beginning to get a little ... outraged....

Abd--Shhhhh--you'll cost the medical profession $50,000 for everyone that reads this. My Mother is 95 years of age, takes no meds, eats mostly fats and protein --not sure why-she just eats what she wants like she always did--has not a cholesterol problem, because she doesn't care about it--never did, always ate what she felt was good for her, mostly meat, eggs, and a few veggies, some berries that we picked in the summer, and cucumbers and tomatos that we grew in the garden. I don't have a cholesterol problem either, because I don't care about it either--won't even let them check it.