Dr. Doogie put me to the test. His minions poked, prodded, leached and stabbed me so often I felt like Sunday dinner on the African Queen. Saturday, I received the results of the tests and came away verily perplexed. HIPPA be damned I'll share parts of his letter to me:
"Your electrolytes, kidney function,blood sugar,thyroid hormone,urine and liver function tests were within normal limits.
"Your total cholesterol was 164 normal is less than 200. Your triglyceride result was 113 (normal <150). Your HDL was 35 (normal >45) LDL was 106. The desired LDL level is below 130.
"I would like you to start taking X (a generic statin) daily for your cholesterol. The statin group of medicines have been shown to prevent cardiovascular events in people with high LDL cholesterol."
My response was short, direct and referenced his horse. As I wrote earlier my expectations were low. I'm willing to trade smarts now for smarts later, but Doogie may have to go. We are visiting later in the week.
Toad
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10 comments:
Do more than fire him. Copy the letter to a few administrators or bosses. Did he also recommend a cast on your arm to prevent breaks?
Would you like to know what he'll recommend next? Calcium supplements for your brittle bones and a multi-vitamin with added Vitamin D because old people don't get out in the sun enough. I'm not kidding.
A yearly physical is now conducted in two parts. Why?
During my last visit, I asked my doctor to please add this to my chart: "Patient discontinuing Lipitor."
Doctors ask me to keep track of my blood pressure readings but have never asked what I eat.
Sorry, Toad, but you touched a nerve.
Gail so did Doogie. The more I think about this the madder I get.
Did you get my email a few days ago?
I'm sorry Sue, I did not. How may I be of service?
I do hope you will be reporting the results of the visit later this week.
My young whipper snapper MD made me a promise a while back: "Sir," he said, "I can guarantee that you will not die a young man.....(even if you die today!"
Toad--I have been enjoying your blog for years but have yet to comment.
Your doc made no error in judgment, his error was that he used the wrong macro.
Your HDL or good cholesterol is pretty low. Also, judging by your pictures, you probably carry a little bit too much around the middle. You didn't comment on your blood pressure.
Given all this, a statin may be the one drug in existence that may reliably extend your life. It may cut your risk of heart disease and stroke by half if he picks one that raises your HDL.
Also---your LDL can never really be too low. Check out some Framingham calculators.
By the way---most docs wouldn't send you a letter. Sadly, they would have a nurse call you with the results and tell you what to do.
Think it over.
Thank you for your comment. I will certainly probe deeper when we get together later in the week. More to follow.
BP was 112/78 Pulse 65
Congratulations on your good health. Which you obviously enjoy in spite of your doctor. Poor kid. Leave him a bit of skin to grow back, eh? Still, I agree, one does expect better.
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