Hello everyone, this is my first post here. After getting an urgent letter to go to my docotor as soon as possible, I was told that my cholesterol level is at 8.2 and was prescribed some pills (didn't pick them up yet).
I am 28 years old 174cm tall and I weigh aroun 77kgs - so yes, I am overweight.
Unfortunatley I do not have other numbers (good cholesterol/bad cholesterol), but since doctor didn't look too pleased with my blood test results, I assume it's not that good.
I know about diets, but since people here have experience with a lifestyle that high cholesterol brings, I would appreciate if someone could give me some info on:
Does HC (high cholesterol) cause dizziness?
Could HC be a cause of any pain on the right side of my chest - often in mix with a dull pain in upper jaw (right side)? - I get that sometimes..
How did HC change your life?
I've heard HC pills have horrible side effects - any comment?
I hope the questions are not too detailed ?
Are there bad HC days? Where you actually feel bad? How is that?
Thank you all in advance and I'm very happy that this support group exists.
Also please note, that my English is not my first language.
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NiceAndSerene
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My situation was/is comparable to yours: my cholesterol was also 8.2, and I was/am also overweight: 82 kilos at a height of 1.69! The only difference is that I am quite bit older than you: I will be 66 in a few months.
The best advice I can give you is not to worry too much about your cholesterol. The role of cholesterol in heart disease is far from clear, no matter what most doctors say. I’m not saying cholesterol is never an issue: statistics seem to show that men in their fifties and sixties who have high cholesterol have a somewhat increased chance of a heart attack. This applies only to this particular group, however. There is also a condition called familial hypercholesteraemia. It is quite rare, however, affecting 1 in every 200 people or so. You can safely assume that you fall into neither of these categories.
What you shouldn’t do is take pills (statins) to reduce your cholesterol. This is something else that most doctors don’t tell you, but these pills can be quite dangerous, with horrific side effects. Most of all muscle issues, which may be permanent - I am a member of a Facebook group about statin side effects, and many of the members there have a condition called necrotising myopathy, which means that the muscles destroy themselves, or peripheral neuropathy: nerve issues in their hands and feet. Other conditions associated with long-term use of these pills are breast cancer in women as well as other types of cancer, liver and kidney problems, dementia, etc. etc.
I am not a doctor, but some doctors who have written about all this on the internet are Zoe Harcombe, Malcolm Kendrick and Peter Langsjoen - I advise you to look them up. Good luck!
Thanks for the correction Londinium! I knew she was a nutritionist, and I thought she was a doctor as well. Anyway, she is very upbeat and also down-to-earth about the whole cholesterol thing, that’s why I mentioned her.
The diet and lifestyle that generate high cholesterol though can cause fatigue and a roller coaster effect with your energy level.
Chest and jaw pain could be a sign of angina (narrowing of arteries that triggers pain) however it could also simply be a muscular issue and nothing serious.
Dizziness could be low blood pressure, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar following a high carb meal), or it could be a pinched nerve near your upper back. There are so many possibilities - it may or may not be something sinister.
At your age, you should focus on getting your diet in order and making sure you exercise daily. Stop eating packaged foods and fast foods. The whole-foods, plant-based diet which is essentially the Mediterranean Diet, is a permanent lifestyle diet, not a designated 'weight-loss' diet (although you'll probably lose weight for a while if you follow it).
Avoid sugar, soft drinks (including the 'diet' variety) simple carbohydrates, and fried foods. Limit red meat consumption to once every other week, and base your diet primarily on legumes, vegetables, nuts (in moderation) and whole fruits (not fruit juices) for most days. Try and eat some grilled or baked fish twice per week. Limit alcohol to no more than one drink per day, preferably red wine.
Good luck.
P.S. If you want to see how I did it you can check out my posts here:
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