When a Straight A Student Fails
For those of you who've known me for years...even back in the days of college and high school, know that I'm pretty much anal retentive when it comes to tests and what not. I pulled just under a 4.0 average in high school and college was not much different. A's were common. B's were rare. And anything else was pretty much unheard of (with the exception of 9th grade algebra and the tough Mr. Salewski). I liked to get 100%'s. They made me smile. High numbers were good. Very good, actually.
Except when it came to sports rankings where you naturally want to be as low as possible. And of course, my Jayhawks are #2, just where I like 'em (it's fun being #1 and all, but we usually manage to jinx ourselves in that position, so #2 it is!).
Well...I learned when I got back from the cruise on Friday that I managed to pull yet another high test score. Except this time, it's not so good to be scoring high.
Apparently my cholesterol is out of control.
And I'm not talking about my good cholesterol either.
My total cholesterol was 243. The "good" kind came in at 53, which is right around where my doctor wanted it. The "bad" kind, however...was...177.
Uhmm. That's no bueno.
He's giving me 6 months to get it under 100. Or else I'm pretty much sentenced to a lifetime of lipator, or whatever the cholesterol drug-du-jour is.
Now. I don't eat a TON of crap to warrant this type of number. I don't live off of fried and uber fatty foods. Nor do I eat excessive amounts of red meat or eggs. And the doc said it wasn't really a matter of exercise...cause well...he knows what I'm training for and all the other races that come in between.
Running + Clogged Arties = Recipe for Disaster
Therefore, I've been given strict instructions to watch my diet. Yesterday when we went to the grocery I thoroughly examined pretty much every label on every item that went into our cart. And about 98% of it had 2% cholesterol or less. And the thing is...we picked up the stuff we always buy. Nothing new or out of the ordinary. I'm already eating the things I need to be.
So...there's a strong chance that my super stellar failingly high cholesterol number is hereditary (Thanks, dad! Love you!). As it turns out, both my dad and my brother have high bad cholesterol, too...and my dad is even on medication for it.
Good times. At least I know I'm not alone in my cholesterol rockstarness.
Is anyone out there on any of these meds? Can I anticipate any type of weird side effect with training? Does Gu contain astronomically high amounts of cholesterol?
Stay tuned for a slideshow on our fabulous trip to the Bahamas. Also known as, how to not train for a week.
Except when it came to sports rankings where you naturally want to be as low as possible. And of course, my Jayhawks are #2, just where I like 'em (it's fun being #1 and all, but we usually manage to jinx ourselves in that position, so #2 it is!).
Well...I learned when I got back from the cruise on Friday that I managed to pull yet another high test score. Except this time, it's not so good to be scoring high.
Apparently my cholesterol is out of control.
And I'm not talking about my good cholesterol either.
My total cholesterol was 243. The "good" kind came in at 53, which is right around where my doctor wanted it. The "bad" kind, however...was...177.
Uhmm. That's no bueno.
He's giving me 6 months to get it under 100. Or else I'm pretty much sentenced to a lifetime of lipator, or whatever the cholesterol drug-du-jour is.
Now. I don't eat a TON of crap to warrant this type of number. I don't live off of fried and uber fatty foods. Nor do I eat excessive amounts of red meat or eggs. And the doc said it wasn't really a matter of exercise...cause well...he knows what I'm training for and all the other races that come in between.
Running + Clogged Arties = Recipe for Disaster
Therefore, I've been given strict instructions to watch my diet. Yesterday when we went to the grocery I thoroughly examined pretty much every label on every item that went into our cart. And about 98% of it had 2% cholesterol or less. And the thing is...we picked up the stuff we always buy. Nothing new or out of the ordinary. I'm already eating the things I need to be.
So...there's a strong chance that my super stellar failingly high cholesterol number is hereditary (Thanks, dad! Love you!). As it turns out, both my dad and my brother have high bad cholesterol, too...and my dad is even on medication for it.
Good times. At least I know I'm not alone in my cholesterol rockstarness.
Is anyone out there on any of these meds? Can I anticipate any type of weird side effect with training? Does Gu contain astronomically high amounts of cholesterol?
Stay tuned for a slideshow on our fabulous trip to the Bahamas. Also known as, how to not train for a week.
Labels: Cholesterol Drama
posted by Iron Jayhawk at 12:50 PM
25 Camper Comments:
Wow - good luck with this! I hope it doesn't come down to a life of Lipitor!
Diet and Lifestyle change (commonly referred to as TLC - therapeutic lifesty changes) are the recommended course of action first. However, since you already exercise a bunch, and you feel your diet is pretty much in order, I would not let him wait 6 months, especially knowing that you have hereditary issues. I suggest strict adherence to the diet but ask to go back in two or 3 months. You do not need to let yourself sit there with risk that is treatable if everything else is already in order. Most people tolerate the cholesterol agents very well, if you don't tolerate them well, you can have inordinate amounts of muscle soreness. If this happens you would let them know right away and try something different (this is not a side effect to just live with). Keep in touch on this issue if you want...
Nanc
Welcome to the club, I am under orders to bring mine down a bit as well. I have some things I can change, red meat being one of my downfalls. I also have added flax oil and or Flax Seed as well as uncooked oatmeal to my morning smoothie. I also have started a liquid multi and switched to soy milk. A friend swears by the GNC heart health vitimans he said just minor changes and those dropped his 50 points. Good luck.
Chad's MD said OATMEAL & CHEERIOS... I hate both of them.
Dont worry about it. I have not had that, but on occassion I do suffer from High Blood pressure but I am not on meds yet. It usually runs on the family. Just follows doctors orders and you will be fine.
Always great to see your blog.
Best of luck
Danny
Nice weblog and a good run,bike and swim site!.
Sorry fore my bad english and good luke Ironman kansas.
Groet Rinus from Holland
((hugs))
You know, I have the exact same problem. High good and high bad cholesterol. Nothing in my diet to cut out - as I was always off fat, fried, and red meat. Run like the devil - well, not quite, but good enough. Still no good.
I think it's hereditary, but we still have to do something to get it down - so the meds. I've run 3 more marathons since my last physical, and I'm due another checkup in March. If it's still high, I'll do Lipitor.
This comment has been removed by the author.
That sucks! Hope you can get it under control. If you want some help I recommend seeing a dietitian because they know all the ins and outs of food. Dawn (see my blog today) is great at using food for meds. maybe she could look at your food log and give suggestions and see if there is anything you could try if you don't want to go the drug route or to see if it is your genes.
Booooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
Sometimes genetics just bites.
I'm sorry girl. I'm probably on a stomach med for life. And while that blows (and I have to watch what I eat) I give a lot of thanks to the people who invented my lil pill!!
Good job for doing all of the right things for your cholosterol you should be.
Take care.
Sorry, and here the link o my running weblog
http://rinusrunning.punt.nl/?home=1
Groet rinus from Holland
Picking up on Bridgette's comment--eat whole grains. LOTS and LOTS of whole grains. And fiber, both soluble and insoluble, are very good for you also.
Yes, they're "icky", but it's better than a life of Lipitor or, worse, a heart attack or stroke...
Jim
Good luck with the colesterol. Not fun.
You're Jayhawks are pretty hot this year... Did I mention that my Tarheels are #1? just teasin'.
No fair. We log the miles and miles on the road and, among the many special prizes that come from being runners, we are supposed to get a free pass to eat just about whatever the heck we want. No fair at all. Good luck.
Yeah, do what you can to have a lifestyle change so that you don't have to be stuck on a prescription drug the rest of your life.
Hey! I saw this on CNN this morning and thought you might like it!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/01/23/healthmag.cholesterol/index.html
It's probably genetic then, not necessarily a product of your lifestyle.
Listen to Nancy -- she knows her shiz.
I don't care much for green tea so I make it double or triple strength and get it over with.
If you have to take statins, be sure to check out taking CoQ10 at the same time.
Weight loss is preferable to drugs.
Flax seed oil, olive oil, nut oils.
Fight for your life!!! Good wishes.
Ahhh, yes. You're right. My tarheels are down. I noticed that like 5 minutes after I had posted my comment and I wanted to shove my foot in my mouth... oops! :) Hey, I am Kansas fan too! :)
bummer. I am sure you and your doc can work out an alternative to lipitor. I have to wonder if there is some sneaky food high in cholesterol that you don't know about in your diet. Hope you are able to get it under control! Makes me realize I should get my ass in to the doc and stop assuming I am invincible.
Can't fight genetics of course but fruits, veggies, exercise CAN be controlled. You got the exercise thing going on sooooo...see what you can do with diet and go from there. Best wishes.
Especially for someone so young who's healthy and active, it's probably hereditary. That's the same reason my "good" cholesterol is too low. My overall score is like 117, which is off-the-charts low, but my LDL is 10 points below what it should be. It runs in my family. And there are no drugs for that!
There's nothing wrong with taking statins if you can't control your cholesterol through natural means. They're relatively safe, and if you don't tolerate one, there are lots of other options.
Look into alternatives, too, besides diet changes. Niacin supplementation can be something to look into as well.
My hubby did whatever he had to do to get off of Lipitor. He just hated thinking of being on it for life.
He began running and he came off the Lipitor a year ago.
Don't be afraid to ask your doc about alternative methods to lower the cholesterol.
I've been on Vytorin (for cholesterol) and Cozzar (for BP) since I was 27 (I'm now almost 35). My dad had a heart attack at 37 and a triple bypass a few years later, so it's really in the genetics for me as well.
I just started running (and eating better) to get off those same meds.
Admittedly I'm just starting to run again, but I haven't noticed any side effects that I can attribute to the meds. I would agree that doing the high fiber thing might help. You've already got the exerise thing down...
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