I saw another doctor today. "My" doctor is at Officer Training School of some sort. I was glad to see another doctor, a female doctor, who listened and understood my qualms about taking a Cat X drug. She agreed that this is not a drug to be taking at my age and with the possibility of further pregnancies. My other doc kept saying "my job is to treat symptoms as they present. I don't treat possibilities." Shew. THIS doc understood that possibilities ARE important to look at when asking someone to take a drug that could wreak havoc for years.
The good news is that my total cholesterol has dropped 90 points. I'm well below 200. My doc had said when it was below 200 I could go off the meds and try to maintain with lifestyle IF I'd have labs once a month. This doc was shocked he agreed to that - and that led to me telling her the WHOLE story about being Quiver Full and not wanting to take Cat X blah, blah, blah. She understood. She went to look for a drug that may help and that I could take if I was pregnant and wouldn't harm a baby. NO, I'm NOT pregnant....but I don't want to be taking nasty drugs.
She said the fact that my numbers didn't respond to diet and lifestyle change for 3 years and then drastically dropped after 4 weeks of Zocor shows that this is genetics. My other labs showed that I'm low on protein and calcium so she KNEW I'd not been eating a lot of red meat and whole milk. ::snort:: She believes if I do go off the drugs altogether, I will see my number rise to "dangerously high" levels again.
Her plan was for me to take a Cat C drug until I'm 50 and then go back on the Zocor. Evidently the Statin drugs, Zocor, really is the best for me to be taking....BUT she understood why I didn't want to take it with the possibility of pregnancy. I came home and researched and discovered that the side effects of gemfibrozil sound AWFUL. I guess I can try it for a month and see. I mean my liver didn't explode on Zocor. I learned to deal with the aches in my legs. I guess I'll be trying this new one for a month and seeing what happens (gallstones, nausea, dizzines, weight loss). I do NOT want to take the Niacin - she said it's like having perpetual hot flashes and from watching friends endure THOSE, I know I don't want that drug. LOL That would be JUST what a person dreams of...morning sickness AND hot flashes...the best of both worlds right there. ::snort::
I went to the gym and got in 45 minutes of cardio before I came home.
The good news is that my total cholesterol has dropped 90 points. I'm well below 200. My doc had said when it was below 200 I could go off the meds and try to maintain with lifestyle IF I'd have labs once a month. This doc was shocked he agreed to that - and that led to me telling her the WHOLE story about being Quiver Full and not wanting to take Cat X blah, blah, blah. She understood. She went to look for a drug that may help and that I could take if I was pregnant and wouldn't harm a baby. NO, I'm NOT pregnant....but I don't want to be taking nasty drugs.
She said the fact that my numbers didn't respond to diet and lifestyle change for 3 years and then drastically dropped after 4 weeks of Zocor shows that this is genetics. My other labs showed that I'm low on protein and calcium so she KNEW I'd not been eating a lot of red meat and whole milk. ::snort:: She believes if I do go off the drugs altogether, I will see my number rise to "dangerously high" levels again.
Her plan was for me to take a Cat C drug until I'm 50 and then go back on the Zocor. Evidently the Statin drugs, Zocor, really is the best for me to be taking....BUT she understood why I didn't want to take it with the possibility of pregnancy. I came home and researched and discovered that the side effects of gemfibrozil sound AWFUL. I guess I can try it for a month and see. I mean my liver didn't explode on Zocor. I learned to deal with the aches in my legs. I guess I'll be trying this new one for a month and seeing what happens (gallstones, nausea, dizzines, weight loss). I do NOT want to take the Niacin - she said it's like having perpetual hot flashes and from watching friends endure THOSE, I know I don't want that drug. LOL That would be JUST what a person dreams of...morning sickness AND hot flashes...the best of both worlds right there. ::snort::
I went to the gym and got in 45 minutes of cardio before I came home.
10 comments:
Question. Since you have searched you might have thought of this, but have you thought about going through a series of cleanses. I am currently in this mode, due to Gallstones and I don't want surgery. I am doing a combo colon/parasite cleanse now and will follow up with 1-2 liver cleanses. A friend at church did this for the same reasons. She not only boosted her metabolism, got rid of her allergies, dropped weight but also got rid of 800 liver stones and some gallstones. Just didn't know if you thought of that option before looking at meds.
If you have more ? you can email me at anytime.
Beth
De'Etta, my dad is taking the Niacin and he said it is not very pleasant. He said the flashes are more terrible, you feel so hot, but don't sweat. He is not enjoying this particular med.
Hope you can find something that you can "live" with.
De'Etta - I'm so sorry you are dealing with all of this. What a pain! I think you are so amazing in your search for a healthier lifestyle. You have worked hard to get these numbers under control and for some reason your body didn't respond enough.
Thank you for being such an awesome encouragement to those of us who wish to feed their family in a more natural, healthy way.
You inspire me!! Keep up the good fight.
EVERYONE has told me to avoid Niacin and that "flush" is a mild way of describing the heat. LOL Thanks for the confirmation, Debbie.
Beth- I'm beyond cleanses....I've literally done all that anyone suggested for 3 years....now I'm doing what the docs say as well as continuing to do everything that I read and hear about. LOL
Kathy - thank you! I've worked past my anger at being in this boat and am getting on with dealing with the cards I have.
Sis:
Sad to say but you are much like Dad. He takes a combination of 4 different chol. med's to keep the numbers down low. Of course the inactivity he has had since 5/06 and the weight he has gained do not help. He is more active now.
He takes 3 Niacin (500mg each) a day. As long as he remembers to take a small dose (81mg) of asprin with them he does not have the hot flashes. He needs some asprin anyway to thin his blood due to the congestive heart problem etc, etc. etc, so it all works out ok.
ONLY PROBLEM is at first when somehow I acidently got one of those pesky Niacin pills with out asprin. An hour into the school day and I start to itch, turn dark beet red all over and am burning up. Did we ever laugh at school........ I don't get in such problems anymore. Twice was enough. :):):)
Dad is wanting to lose weight, exercise more, eat differently to get off of meds to some degree. His surger-diab.. is coming along good and if he can lose and walk more that just may be controled and eventually without the meds.
Praying for you and asking God to PLEASE keep you kids from getting some of the stuff in our families. Seems I am the most healthy in general.
love/prayers
Mom T
Sis:
What in the world is "gemfibrozil"? sounds like a fibromyalgia med.
mom
UGH... praying they find something that will work for you and be safe!
Mom - the Zocor worked great for me - but it's not a drug to take during your child-bearing years and I'm finding the stress of taking it to be unacceptable.
Gemfibrozle is a med that lowers triglycerides and raises HGL. Unfortunately, the list of side effects aren't pleasant and all these other drugs seem to increase your risk for cancer..... so I'm not happy with this option either - though I could take it through a pregnancy.
Thanks Cindy. My original doc is sure that Zocor is the answer and refuses to consider what happens if I get pregnant - other than to tell me "don't".
The new doc says Zocor is best...but understands why I don't want to take it....
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