extremely high cholesterol

[Teach91]

hello this is my time posting here . Absolutely terrified .. I went to a routine check on my cholesterol and found it to be 11.5. I am 54 female 53kg run 5 times a week my diet is naughty at times but only occasionally . I am so scared what will happen .. 4 years ago I had the test and it was 5 so I am totally shocked now. My HDL was 2.5 and tri 1.3 can anyone tell me what to expect thank you .. just so scared

[BeKind28-]

Hello

I am sorry to hear about your cholesterol been so high and it sounds like you have been doing all the right things

I would have hoped they have you straight on a statin to help get this down and maybe they will run a few tests to see if they can spot anything what maybe causing it

I know it is so hard not to worry but at least they have spotted it and I am sure will get to work on getting it down to better levels

Let us know how you get on x

[dnsblr]

I understand your concern about your high cholesterol level. It's important to take action to lower your cholesterol, as high cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. However, there is no need to panic.

First and foremost is that you keep calm and overcome the stress of having high cholesterol

With lifestyle changes and possibly medication, you can lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Here are some things you can do to lower your cholesterol:

Eat a healthy diet. This means limiting saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium. It also means eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Exercise regularly. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week.

Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight or obese, losing even a small amount of weight can help lower your cholesterol.

Quit smoking. Smoking lowers your HDL ("good") cholesterol and increases your LDL ("bad") cholesterol.

Limit alcohol consumption. Too much alcohol can raise your triglycerides, a type of fat in your blood that can increase your risk of heart disease.

If lifestyle changes are not enough to lower your cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe medication. There are several types of cholesterol-lowering medication available.

It's also important to see your doctor regularly to monitor your cholesterol levels and overall health.

Here are some specific things you can do based on your current situation:

Talk to your doctor about your cholesterol levels and your risk factors for heart disease. Your doctor can help you develop a personalized plan to lower your cholesterol.

Make gradual changes to your diet and exercise habits. Don't try to make too many changes at once, or you're more likely to give up.

Find a support system. Talk to your friends and family about your goals, and join a support group or online forum.

Be patient. It takes time to lower cholesterol levels. Don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately.

With effort and perseverance, you can lower your cholesterol and improve your health.

Good Luck!

[Eewee]

Hello, firstly sorry to hear you are worried. If I was you I would now be going for a further test. Although this test was high ish there are many reasons cholesterol can spike. I wish you all the best.

[Sljp0000]

My cholesterol was around the 3 mark then a few years later was 6.8 which was too high. I ended up need bypass surgery. Is there heart disease in your family history? I suggest you make an appointment with your GP ASAP and starting increasing statins to the amount you can tolerate. I take max dosage Rosuvastatin now (couldn't tolerate Atorvastatin which you'll probably be given first as it's cheaper) and my LDL is under 2 which is what the Cardiologist wants it to be.

Don't panic, you sound like you eat well and excercise. You can't do anymore. Cholesterol that high sounds hereditary to me. It's unlikely you could bring it down enough without extra help.

Let us know how you get on.

Take care

Susie

[Lowerfield_no_more]

Your GP should be addressing the problem. In my view he/she should first be arranging for a confirmatory check on your recent test results. If you have a genuine total cholesterol reading of about 8 or above the first thing that should happen is for you to be prescribed high dose statins, and then a referral to a lipid clinic to sort you out and find the best form of treatment for you to bring down your lipids. If it's any help I was found to have total cholesterol of 9 over 25 years ago and was prescribed statins and have been taking them ever since. And apart from an NSTEMI five years ago I am still going strong and live a normal life. So my advice to you is to stop worrying, your potential medical condition has been discovered, so put your energies into getting the GP to get you sorted since there is medication out there to help. But don't believe that simple lifestyle changes alone will sort you out with the potentially really high lipids you have, medication is needed as well as I found out all those years ago. Hope you get sorted.

[benjijen]

Ask for a second test to confirm the result as it could be a blip. Then have them look at family history. You are doing the 'right' things most of the time.

[MumaLines]

Firstly, I know from experience that you will be panicking so please try not to. Usually, when you have bloods done and Cholesterol comes back over 5 your GP surgery usually text you to call the surgery as the GP would like to see you to go through the result being high.

Can I ask if you -

Fast before having your bloods done?

Have other family members with high cholesterol?

Heart conditions in the family?

I have been as high as you but my family and I have Hereditary Heart Disease.

What they should do is- ask you to have a fasting blood test, if the reading is still high then put you on a Statin, request ROSUSTATIN as it works wonders and has far less side effects. Your GP might cough and plutter but that’s because it’s expensive 👍😊

[AnnaHow1]

Hello, so sorry to hear about your high cholesterol reading. My cholesterol is okay but I had sky high BP readings that required immediate medication this year, that was a big shock and took some time to get used to.

I’m the same age as you and am menopausal now and I understand that this time in a woman’s life can raise cholesterol and BP readings as you lose the protective effect of estrogen. I certainly feel this has had an effect on my health despite being fit and active.

I hope that you can work with your GP to help bring the numbers down. It’s easy to say don’t worry but my husband also, out of the blue, had a really high cholesterol reading (higher than yours) by a lot and was put on medication, he was 42 at the time, 52 now.

The initial meds didn’t work for him but once changed he was fine. As his Father had died early from a HA at 51 the consultant did tests to see if he had familial high cholesterol which runs in families and is caused by how the liver processes cholesterol. He did and they tested his brothers and our son. Brothers were fine but our son also carries the same gene and takes statins and has done since he was 19 because despite youth and being incredibly fit his cholesterol was far too high, (over 10) he’s 22 tomorrow and it has not prevented his fitness regime, he continues to play football and cricket and go to the gym.

So, despite the shock of the high cholesterol reading for my husband initially, I’m so glad it was detected and he was treated for it and because it was so high the genetic issue was looked at so that he and my son were both able to take action to deal with the situation which they were not aware of as they were both feeling well prior to their diagnosis.

Sorry the reply is a little long but hope it might offer some reassurance for you at a time when you have had a shock, particularly as you are doing all the right things in terms of lifestyle.

[dlowell]

Get your Lp(a) tested

[Astronomyrules]

Hi, Teach91, I understand your anxiety . I was diagnosed with high cholesterol (13.7) in my late 40s never having previously had a cholesterol test. Initially I was told by my GP to not touch any alcohol for a month, despite my protestations of being a very modest drinker, and then retested. Same result. It turns out that I have inherited hypercholesterolemia from my mother. Inherited conditions are normally the culprit in very high results. I'm surprised though that your earlier tests didn't show high results and as others have suggested a retest with a fasting test would be worth doing. If it's confirmed there are now a variety of ways to medically control cholesterol levels. Statins are very important because they also stabilise any plaque which might have formed. If you are lucky you can be referred to a lipid clinic. There isn't one in my area so my drug regime is handled by my GP and a cardiologist and is now below 2.0, although it took a while to find the right mix. I hope you get some reassurance in being lucky to have the diagnosis and can begin treatment hopefully early enough to prevent any major problems and you will be in the system and monitored closely. I am now 71. As others have said, diet and exercise also play an important role. I hope this helps and good luck.

[Smitty1956]

Hi, Teach91,

Your test result does sound extremely high. My first thought was to question whether an error might have been made in reading/interpreting your results, or, perhaps, your test results might have been confused with someone else’s results. These were just thoughts, and probably all wrong.

I would agree with others who have suggested that you be retested. It sounds like you do so many healthy behaviors, so the cholesterol score of 11 seems especially suspicious. Talk with your doctor, retest, and then make a plan.

I wish you the best in getting this resolved. ❤️

[Lowerfield_no_more in reply to Smitty1956]

Unfortunately, for some of us, no matter how much we have practised all the good measures collectively known as 'lifestyle' to reduce cholesterol, whether knowingly in the past or following a high test result, our cholesterol will remain high, relative to everyone else. It's just how we are built, mostly down to genetics. And when our first test shows very high cholesterol, like mine did at 9 all those years ago and I didn't believe it, and when the retest was even higher I realised I was unfortunately ' different' to the majority. So whereas 'lifestyle' helps us just like everyone else, the most significant reduction in lipids for folks like us comes from medication.

[Smitty1956 in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

I do realize that some of us are genetically predisposed to have high cholesterol, and/or heart issues. For example, my father died of a massive heart attack alone in his truck in a parking lot. I also had a paternal uncle die of heart issues in his 50s. My paternal grandfather died of a massive stroke, and a paternal aunt suffered strokes early in life. I can likely say that I am genetically predisposed to heart issues, but I have also made poor lifestyle choices at times in my life.

I honestly was not downplaying the fact that some people will have a predisposition to having higher cholesterol. However, sometimes mistakes are also made in labs, or in interpreting results, and it never hurts to have a second test. That was simply my suggestion—to have a retest, discuss the results with the doctor, and then formulate a plan of action.

Best wishes!

[Jack2019]

If your LDL was 5 previous to this reading then logically, at least for me, you do not have hypercholesterolemia or a brewing heart attack. Take it, at the moment, for what it is, a high reading. Cholesterol is part of the healing process and is involved with every cell structure and function. You mention you run several times a week, if you have, for example, a muscle strain your cholesterol will go up as that is how the body responds to repair/heal itself. Same if you have any type of inflammation from any kind of injury, internal or external. I think you should retest in 6 months and see how it goes. High LDL indicates something is inflamed and your body is repairing, look at it as the reason we have cholesterol and be happy your body is doing it's job. Taking a statin to lower it based on a single reading may in fact hinder the healing your body is doing. This is my opinion from what I have learned about cholesterol.

[wischo in reply to Jack2019]

My LDL was 2.1 and the cardiologist thought it was way too high. Really you should not panic but get it sorted and reduced.

[valeriep]

Lots of good advice here. I'd reiterate that you should get yourself retested in case it's a misreading, but please don't be too disappointed if it still comes back high. On my first cholesterol reading, it was 13; GP was convinced the nurse had done test wrong, so redid himself - and it came back as 14.5! If your reading is still high, ask to be referred to the local lipid clinic. They're the experts and if they find it's FH (genetic, which sounds like it could be likely), have a wide battery of drugs that they can prescribe to combat it. My reading is now down to 3.2.

[Loftybob]

Sorry to hear this. Please see the doctor and get out on stations. Please don't put it off like I did. Good luck.

[Bobkins99]

Nothing to be scared of. They will look at your lifestyle, make suggestions to any changes that will help and put you on statins. Many of us have been on stations for decades. They lower cholesterol and have very few side effects😉

[jenny876 in reply to Bobkins99]

There are actually quite a few side effects from statins - some of them serious - I think you need to be careful about making such a sweeping statement. It is always advisable to do your own research before starting a new medication then you can make a more informed decision.

[Bobkins99 in reply to jenny876]

Yes, agreed. There are side effects from any drug for some users but the evidence for statins is that it is hugely beneficial for the vast majority of users. I was on simvastatin for the best part of 20 years with no side effects. The pharmacist recently changed me to Atorvastatin as it's apparently a lower dose for the same effect. Can't say I've noticed any difference. I'd rather risk side effects than have furry arteries though

[Jack2019 in reply to Bobkins99]

you might want to investigate the statin paradox, statins actually lay down more calcium. If you want to avoid furry arteries then you have a decision to make. It's an affect you are experiencing from a statin. This affect is sold as a good thing as it "stabilizes" existing lesions. However, statin lay down calcium everywhere, not just on some soft plaque you may or may not have, and eventually increases your calcium score, and in the absence of statins apparently that is a risk factor, that is the paradox as I understand it..