I saw Dr. Westman and I am very, very glad I did. I'd forgotten what an overall nice guy he is to talk to. We ended up talking more about the state of attitudes towards lowcarb than my actual issues. He seemed more bemused than anything about my situation with my doctor, but was extremely reassuring. We're going to do a follow up test (I guess the particle size thing, I have to admit I really have a hard time retaining the relevant information on this topic--possibly because I wouldn't be concerned about it if the medical industry didn't want me to be, so badly). I told him I'd been falling back on old eating habits, so he gave me updated copies of their materials, the plan is to be back 'on wagon' for a short while before any labs are done.

I recognize that I'm lucky to live 15 minutes from his office and have him within my healthcare plan/system. I don't want to come across as 'name-dropping' but jeez, I've been so out of touch with lowcarb goings-on for a while that I didn't even realize he'd written the new Atkins book until he mentioned it. (I had, at least, seen the My Big Fat Diet documentary.) He also loaned me some DVDs of Taubes lectures and recommended Fat Head. And referred me to another doctor for a possible PCP switch. (He did ask if I felt my current doctor was 'trainable', I guess to the lowcarb way of thinking or at least to not going nuts over LDL, unfortunately I am not sanguine about that.)

I suppose if I were a religious person I'd be 'counting my blessings' or some such, but--I do feel vastly relieved now, and I thank you all again for listening.

I'm glad to hear that things are working out.

Didn't you wonder why I am sooooo jealous???!!!

Now I'm even more envious. I want him as my doctor!!!!

You lucky dog!

[QUOTE from cnmLisa] Maybe time to find a new health provider.

Yep. Finding out specifically if you have the dense dangerous LDL or the nice fluffy, poofy LDL. Or...if you really wanted to shut her up for good, have heart scan done and track your plaque--that should stop her in her statin covered tracks

Loved that! I had to do this to my husband's doctor. They told him "he was a heart attack looking for a place to happen." I had them order the advanced particle test (VAP) and he does have too much small dense LDL so we went and got the heart scan. It was $199 out of pocket as Feb. was heart month. He has almost NO PLAQUE - that's right - horrible numbers on the lipid panels but has a score of 4.9. Anything under 10 is excellent. I had those reports sent over to his physician.

Suddendly, no one wants to discuss this great news. But, they also prescribe my husbands pain killers since his knee replacement so I haven't made them eat the crow....yet. I will get the chance one day. At least we learned all about this subject and with my big mouth, the story has really spread around here and my husband now loves telling people all about it too!

So - it's all good!

Thinking about the OP's quandry, maybe just take the R/X, say "yeah, yeah" then say you are going to purchase it from an online pharmacy. When you go back in, and they ask "are you taking it" - respond with "yeah, oh yeah!" If you can't educate the doctor, get what you need from them and be done!