Blood results

[Tashadog]

I was told i had fatty liver&fibrosis, i am also diabetic type2.I took on board what the consultant advised .I have now lost 2st,5lb i do a little walking .I recieved my blood results got my blood sugars down to normal range am so pleased but now my cholesterol has raised from 5.2 to 5.6 so disappointed because i have tried so hard. Now i have been told to go on statins which i am not happy about because i am worried what they will do to my liver,my consultant wants me to go on them to for help with my liver but i worry about inflammation any advice please.

[Hidden]

A cholesterol level of 5.6 doesn't warrant going on statins. The statins themselves would stress your liver & likely do more harm than good. Statins are notorious for unpleasant side effects. Here is a list of known common side effects from the Mayo Clinic in the US:

● Muscle pain and damage

● Liver damage

● Increased blood sugar or type 2 diabetes

● Neurological side effects

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

Given that you already have liver damage & type 2 diabetes taking a drug to lower your cholesterol (which is only at the top of the normal range) that has side effects like liver damage & increased blood sugar or type 2 diabetes would be madness.

I was once told by a doctor that I needed to go on statins because my cholesterol level was 6.8. I told the doctor that I'd lower my cholesterol naturally through losing weight, diet & exercise. He insisted on me signing a waiver absolving him of responsibility if I had a stroke. I signed his waiver & then lost weight & modified my diet & my cholesterol dropped dramatically down as low as 4.0. I also changed doctors.

You could get your level down by avoiding saturated fats, limiting your carb intake to starchy carbs with a low glycaemic index, eating more vegetables etc.

There are diets that would lower your cholesterol dramatically such as the one at the following website but with your cholesterol level of 5.6 which is around the upper limit of what's generally considered okay it isn't necessary to go to extremes. Another side effect of adopting the diet at the website below by the way is that your type 2 diabetes might disappear. To verify this have a read of the success stories at the website. There's also the issue of your HDL to LDL ratio. If your HDL cholesterol is high then a total cholesterol of 5.6 isn't as bad as if your HDL was low.

drmcdougall.com/

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Great post Edward!

[Tashadog in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou fir the info will take on board

[Tashadog in reply to Tashadog]

My doctor advised and also my liver specialist i am confused.

[jazzjam]

My first doctor put me on statins. When I changed consultants he took me off them and said, he was horrified that’s doctors were still doing this as it had been proven they do not help the cholesterol when you have liver disease and they can damage the liver further.

My cholesterol improved as Edward said by changing my diet, I did get referred to a dietician for advice.

[Tashadog in reply to jazzjam]

Thankyou i am going to refuse them and carry on with a healthy lifestyle has much has possible.see what happens with my next fibroscan in july.

[Owlie in reply to Tashadog]

Congratulations on the weight loss and healthy eating, I think you will be pleasantly surprised when you get your next fibroscan. I am doing the same thing and my results have improved tremendously!

[Tashadog in reply to Owlie]

Thats brilliant news for you,I do hope i can improve thankyou so much for your reply.

[Owlie in reply to Tashadog]

You’re welcome, keep up the good work and things will get better!

[Woodystar in reply to Tashadog]

I have NAFLD and quite a high fibrosis score, I also have stage 3 kidney disease and fibromyalgia. After many tests and ruling things out my GP discussed my heart attack risk, I have a BMI of 29 so I watch my diet basing it on vegetables and a bit of fish and chicken, hardly eat red meat at all or drink alcohol. My cholesterol was still 7.9 in total with the LDL over 5. My GP asked about my family background and has suggested I have genetic high cholestrol, I am now being seen by a consultant at a Lipid clinic and having a genetic test for Familial hypercholestremia.

My GP started me on Atorvastatin 4 months ago 20mg. My Cholestrol is now 4.8 and the LDL is 2. My liver results are better than they have been for 5yrs and my kidney EGFR is stable at 59 .... statins are helping me yet because of all the negative press for them I was reluctant to start them. I now feel loads better, I sleep better and have more energy , My older sister is just starting statins and my brother and daughter are watching to see what happens with me.

My father died of athersclerosis and heart disease and it wasn't nice at all. He was bed bound for the last 2 yrs of his life after strokes.

Statins do help some people. I would definitely say eat clean first off but if that's not working then follow doctors advice.

[Tashadog in reply to Woodystar]

Wow that great,i have mixed views now thankyou for your story.I will have an appointment at the doctors again and voice my concerns.

[jazzjam in reply to Tashadog]

Yes I totally agree, go armed to your docs with your balance of information, hopefully you should get a clear explanation for the pros and cons and why. All the best.

[Casinobo]

Wow, Who knew? I have been on Crestor for years. My Cholesterol would be high if I weighed 5 lbs. I guess we have to pick heart disease, or liver failure. What are people supposed to do?

[jazzjam in reply to Casinobo]

From what I was told by the consultant. They look at different reasons,

(this isn’t everything that was said, so please ask your doc also).

patient A someone who has high cholesterol because it is genetic or caused by weight and food just for example.

patient B someone who had no other obvious reason to get high cholesterol other than getting liver disease by alcohol consumption for example. Then they look at the treatments differently. I think the experiences that people have just on this one post is an example of this as to what is the right course of action.

Really it’s best, if under any doubt, go back to the doctor because as we all know, these results we get are so confusing, some people’s are up on one test, down on another, another persons is opposite or normal. So no, I don’t think it’s a case of which one do I choose, when you go to your doc next go armed with information as I have started to do now (from the help on this forum) it will explain more things and ease your mind. All the best

[Tashadog in reply to jazzjam]

Will do thankyou

[jazzjam in reply to Tashadog]

I hope it all goes well, let us know how you get on please 🌻

[Tashadog in reply to jazzjam]

Will do

[Casinobo in reply to jazzjam]

Sounds like nothing good for your liver but Broccoli 😀

[jazzjam in reply to Casinobo]

I know 😂

[Hidden]

The people who have responded that statins benefited them are in a different category to you. Your level of 5.6 suggests that you don't have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol. Continuing to gradually lose weight combined with diet & exercise should be tried first in your case. I can almost guarantee that if you adopted the diet in the link I gave in my previous post as an experiment that your cholesterol would drop substantially because it's a no fat no meat diet. I once tried the diet for 3 weeks as an experiment before I was scheduled to have a blood test & my cholesterol dropped from its usual value of between 5 and 5.5 down to 4.0. Had I continued the diet I believe it would have dropped further. I've also tried the opposite diet a keto diet where I ate extremely low carb & mainly lean meat & vegetables during which time I consumed 4 or 5 fish oil capsules daily & my good cholesterol rose to an extremely high 1.6 while my total cholesterol stayed steady at around 5. My point is that there is much you can try before resorting to taking statins which are likely to accelerate you liver's progression to cirrhosis if the side effect of liver damage & increased type 2 diabetes happen in your case.

[Tashadog]

Thankyou for your reply ,i am looking at all options to improve my lifestyle and my liver condition.