So after all the reregistrations and referrals (see my past blog posts), I finally reached the hospital lipid clinic about on time, a year after my last appointment at my previous clinic. I find hospitals profoundly irritating and badly-designed places and thanks in part to the confusing map they posted me, I parked about as far away as you can get and so my blood pressure was up again when they checked me in.
Quite impressed with the consultant, who spent a lot of time with me, checking things, finding out what they wanted to ask my previous clinic - they didn't realise I had had 24-hour blood pressure and ECGs in the last few years - and suggested a few questions I should ask my relatives. I really felt they acknowledged the uncertainties and wanted to prevent a coronary event and minimise any side-effects, rather than just keep upping my pills. Follow up in about six months.
But the interesting news is that I think exercise does help lower cholesterol. Due to clinical error (incomplete test set requested first time) before this appointment, I had two hospital lab cholesterol level readings pretty close together. 5.5mmol/l total cholesterol after a period of little exercise (due to all the ice), followed by 4.7mmol/l TC two weeks later after usual exercise (10-20 miles bicycle about four days a week). No change in HDL but can't say what component was reduced as TG wasn't measured either time.
