elevated cholesterol

[Froller2]

so i had some blood work done back in march as i was and currently am, being checked for heart issues following my valvereplacement back in 21. in march my total cholesterol was 3.8 (in denmark the scale goes to 5 then its bad) and now its 5.1-
my ldl was 2.4 and (goes to 3 then its bad) is now 3.3.
Im lost as to why my cholesterol has risen so much in such a short time frame, as i eat a very heart healthy diet and workout alot.
only thing i can think of with my limited knowledge, is that one of the two meds i had to take for a bit caused it.
one which was colchicin for inflammation which i took from may to april, and some anti antidepressive which ive been on since april
another note is that since around jan ive been stressed and full of anxiety that my health is taking a turn for the worse. as ive been dealing with dizzyspells and a bit of chest pain(so far nothing has been connected to the heart, except some slightly elevated troponin which was 40 now 20. and a cyst and nodule in my thyroid which i had a biopsi done on earlier this week. the doctors dont think its cancer but wont know for 10 days or so.
just to note i do have an appointment with a cardi on monday which should be my last checkup before its pretty much certain that anxiety caused my dizzy spells and chest pain

 

[Froller2]

and sorry if its a bit hard to read, english isn't my first language and im currently down with the flu for the 8th time this year:S

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi @Froller2 - what are the other results of your cholesterol profile, that is the HDL and triglycerides ? It's not a simple thing that total is "bad" above 5 and LDL "bad" above 3, it's the whole profile. To give you an example, my total cholesterol is currently 8.2 and my HDL is 3.22 which gives me a cholesterol/HDL ratio of 2.5 which is in the normal range - so my GP, endocrinologist and cardiologist are all happy. My triglycerides are 0.48 which is very protective and my calculated LDL is 4.76. LDL is always calculated, it is the only part of the cholesterol profile that isn't actually measured (although that can be done). Your cholesterol figures can change for multiple reasons.

 

[Froller2]

Hi @Froller2 - what are the other results of your cholesterol profile, that is the HDL and triglycerides ? It's not a simple thing that total is "bad" above 5 and LDL "bad" above 3, it's the whole profile. To give you an example, my total cholesterol is currently 8.2 and my HDL is 3.22 which gives me a cholesterol/HDL ratio of 2.5 which is in the normal range - so my GP, endocrinologist and cardiologist are all happy. My triglycerides are 0.48 which is very protective and my calculated LDL is 4.76. LDL is always calculated, it is the only part of the cholesterol profile that isn't actually measured (although that can be done). Your cholesterol figures can change for multiple reasons.

Heres my current bloodwork and an older one from march. Yes im aware that certain things can impact it, though I dont know what could have changed it that much in such a short time. Im pretty heart healthy though I could do with abit more salmon in my diet mostly cus it is delish

 

[Paleowoman]

Well your HDL (the so called good cholesterol) was too low at 1 last March, it should be above 1.1 so now at 1.2 it's just there. With your total cholesterol at 5.1 that gives you a cholesterol/HDL ratio of 4.25 which is within the normal ratio range of 0 - 5. I don't know if that's how they work things out in Denmark but that's how it's done in the UK. I'm sure your cardiologist will advise. Of course some doctors are paranoid about LDL so you never know what your doctor will say about that. Your trigylcerides look normal to me...not that I'm a doctor ! More salmon is a good idea, that can raise HDL as can meat (the real stuff, not the processed stuff) - I eat oily fish every day for breakfast, sometimes salmon but usually canned sardines...full of omega-3's Hope your cardiologist appointment on Monday goes well.

 

[Eva]

Stress is THE MAIN CAUSE FOR MANY CHANGES in a person’s physical and mental health!

Quote:
When a person has long-term (chronic) stress, continued activation of the stress response causes wear and tear on the body. Physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms develop.

Physical symptoms of stress include:

• Aches and pains.
• Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing.
• Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.
• Headaches, dizziness or shaking.
• High blood pressure.
• Muscle tension or jaw clenching.
• Stomach or digestive problems.
• Trouble having sex.
• Weak immune system.

Stress can lead to emotional and mental symptoms like:

• Anxiety or irritability.
• Depression.
• Panic attacks.
• Sadness. Unquote

You may read the whole article here: Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Management & Prevention

Keep us posted. Good luck.

 

[Froller2]

Well your HDL (the so called good cholesterol) was too low at 1 last March, it should be above 1.1 so now at 1.2 it's just there. With your total cholesterol at 5.1 that gives you a cholesterol/HDL ratio of 4.25 which is within the normal ratio range of 0 - 5. I don't know if that's how they work things out in Denmark but that's how it's done in the UK. I'm sure your cardiologist will advise. Of course some doctors are paranoid about LDL so you never know what your doctor will say about that. Your trigylcerides look normal to me...not that I'm a doctor ! More salmon is a good idea, that can raise HDL as can meat (the real stuff, not the processed stuff) - I eat oily fish every day for breakfast, sometimes salmon but usually canned sardines...full of omega-3's Hope your cardiologist appointment on Monday goes well.

will find out what card says on monday in regards to the numbers, and i usually eatm ackerel in tomato sauce thrice a week with salmon every other week, though i gotta start eating it weekly again

 

[Froller2]

Stress is THE MAIN CAUSE FOR MANY CHANGES in a person’s physical and mental health!

Quote:
When a person has long-term (chronic) stress, continued activation of the stress response causes wear and tear on the body. Physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms develop.

Physical symptoms of stress include:

• Aches and pains.
• Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing.
• Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.
• Headaches, dizziness or shaking.
• High blood pressure.
• Muscle tension or jaw clenching.
• Stomach or digestive problems.
• Trouble having sex.
• Weak immune system.

Stress can lead to emotional and mental symptoms like:

• Anxiety or irritability.
• Depression.
• Panic attacks.
• Sadness. Unquote

You may read the whole article here: Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Management & Prevention

Keep us posted. Good luck.

ive been having the flu monthly and others on this list has been occuring. though im not sure if its stress or simply cus i got a depression following a massive health scare

 

[pellicle]

and sorry if its a bit hard to read

didn't have a problem ... your accent didn't shine through ;-)

mine's 6 (we also use mmol/L) and every GP I see freaks but here I am

 

[Froller2]

didn't have a problem ... your accent didn't shine through ;-)

mine's 6 (we also use mmol/L) and every GP I see freaks but here I am

Havent they given you meds when its at that level?

 

[pellicle]

Havent they given you meds when its at that level?

I've managed to plead "familial" which it is ...

 

[Froller2]

I've managed to plead "familial" which it is ...

Ah but wouldnt medicin help alot then

 

[pellicle]

Ah but wouldnt medicin help alot then

I suppose ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Paleowoman]

mine's 6 (we also use mmol/L) and every GP I see freaks but here I am

Havent they given you meds when its at that level?

As I wrote, mine's 8.2 (UK also uses mmol/L) and cardiologist etc all fine with that, no meds, because they look at the whole profile, and since my HDL is 3.22 that makes the ratio good. If they only looked at the 8.2 in isolation I'm sure they'd freak !

 

[Froller2]

update 3weeks after the first cholesterol test it is now back to normal
fine needle biopsi on the cyst and nodule on my thyroid got back today and there is no cancer and im getting planned for surgery due to the size

 

[Chuck C]

fine needle biopsi on the cyst and nodule on my thyroid got back today and there is no cancer and im getting planned for surgery due to the size

What type of procedure do they plan to do to remove the thyroid nodule, typically called a goiter?

I had two very large goiters removed using alcohol ablation, followed up by radio frequency ablation a couple months later. They were very effective. The other option, to deal with large nodules/goiters, typically involves removal large parts of your thyroid, often the entire lobe, which may require that a person go on thyroid hormone for the rest of their life. Since I had a large goiter on each lobe, it would have meant total thyroid removal. I'm glad that I was able to avoid that.

 

[Froller2]

What type of procedure do they plan to do to remove the thyroid nodule, typically called a goiter?

I had two very large goiters removed using alcohol ablation, followed up by radio frequency ablation a couple months later. They were very effective. The other option, to deal with large nodules/goiters, typically involves removal large parts of your thyroid, often the entire lobe, which may require that a person go on thyroid hormone for the rest of their life. Since I had a large goiter on each lobe, it would have meant total thyroid removal. I'm glad that I was able to avoid that.

One is a fluid build cyst other is a nodule, both are on the right thyroid, and its surgery to remove the right thyroid and bridge as they dont do ethanol ablation on the cyst and radiation ablation on the nodule when they are on one side. Had hoped for that but was told so by the hospital team

 

[carolinemc]

so i had some blood work done back in march as i was and currently am, being checked for heart issues following my valvereplacement back in 21. in march my total cholesterol was 3.8 (in denmark the scale goes to 5 then its bad) and now its 5.1-
my ldl was 2.4 and (goes to 3 then its bad) is now 3.3.
Im lost as to why my cholesterol has risen so much in such a short time frame, as i eat a very heart healthy diet and workout alot.
only thing i can think of with my limited knowledge, is that one of the two meds i had to take for a bit caused it.
one which was colchicin for inflammation which i took from may to april, and some anti antidepressive which ive been on since april
another note is that since around jan ive been stressed and full of anxiety that my health is taking a turn for the worse. as ive been dealing with dizzyspells and a bit of chest pain(so far nothing has been connected to the heart, except some slightly elevated troponin which was 40 now 20. and a cyst and nodule in my thyroid which i had a biopsi done on earlier this week. the doctors dont think its cancer but wont know for 10 days or so.
just to note i do have an appointment with a cardi on monday which should be my last checkup before its pretty much certain that anxiety caused my dizzy spells and chest pain

Do you eat a lot of processed foods, potato chips, fried foods? And have they tested to see if you might be genetically predisposed to high cholesterol? Does not hurt to look at all avenues.

 

[Froller2]

Do you eat a lot of processed foods, potato chips, fried foods? And have they tested to see if you might be genetically predisposed to high cholesterol? Does not hurt to look at all avenues.

No i dont eat that, maybe 10grams of chips a week if my girlfriend eats some. Its back to normal now, but i could be though i honestly think it was stress induced. Though im getting blood work done in 3 months time and if its bad again i will get checked for being pre disposed

 

[Chuck C]

One is a fluid build cyst other is a nodule, both are on the right thyroid, and its surgery to remove the right thyroid and bridge as they dont do ethanol ablation on the cyst and radiation ablation on the nodule when they are on one side. Had hoped for that but was told so by the hospital team

Might want to get a second opinion. They will likely be removing the right lobe of your thyroid.

they dont do ethanol ablation on the cyst and radiation ablation on the nodule when they are on one side.

This was totally different than my experience and I had the procedure done in Italy in 2017 and again in the US, after it was approved in the US.

For clarification, it is not radiation, but radio frequency ablation(RFA). No radiation, but a relatively harmless radio frequency, made just hot enough to ablate the nodule tissue.

In Italy they only worked on my right side. It was very effective, but I needed a follow up. I had it scheduled, then Covid hit. So, during the first couple of years of Covid it grew back, which sometimes happens if it is not finished off. By 2021 the procedure had been approved in the US and I had it done this time at UCLA. This time they went after the goiters/nodules on both lobes. First alcohol ablation, which is effective if the goiter has a large cystic component. The ethanol ablation causes the fluid part of the goiter to basically close up. Then, the only part remaining is the solid nodule. So RFA was next and finished them off.

You see the results of the ethanol ablation after about only 30 days, as the cyst closes up. The RFA treatment on the solid nodule takes 6 to 12 months to see full results. If you have a complex goiter, cystic and nodular, this is a very effective combination treatment. I am so pleased with the results and I kept both thyroid lobes and my thyroid is fully functional, with totally normal hormone levels.

If they are telling you that they can't do this treatment because it is only one lobe, I would definitely seek out a second opinion from UCLA, Mayo Clinic or some other center that specializes in these procedures. It is old school thinking to solve the problem by removing the entire thyroid or one of the lobes. If one has thyroid cancer, then yes, removal is still the best way to go. But for benign goiters, in my view, this is a much better option and will preserve your thyroid.