General Chat

Huia Mitchell i think most doctors promote walking or exercise......for everything from backache to cholesterol......lol....which i suppose is a good thing? has anyone tried the cholesterol lowering foods and drinks on the market now? i was using most of them and told my doctor, she laughed and said you only need to use ONE.......because only the one will lower it as far as it will be lowered........i was using milk, yoghurt drinks, yoghurt, marg etc etc....lol...now i just use the little pots of drink in the morning.........due another test in about 3 months.....hopefully there will be a difference. as an after note, when i had my MI and stroke, my chol level was 13!!!...i was a walking timebomb.

yep ...when i go they normally fill 7 viles of blood....lol...sounds a lot but not really....they check for everything in one hit........ i used to hate needles but i have had so many stuck in me, that i really am a pin cushion......my veins hide now when they know another one is coming...fofl....my last needle was yesterday, for the annual flu jab.......lol

Thank you Jane, I will ask when I go, only about an hour to go, I am also being tested for diabetes. Gillie.

3 or 4 yrs ago mine was a bit high, about 7 I think. Doc told me to walk 30 mins a day, which I did. If I missed a day or 2 I did extra walking to make up for it. Fat lot of good the walking did me. Cholesterol stayed the same. Was told by somebody that 3 desert spoons of oatbran a day would stop the absorption of bad cholesterol. Doc recently put me on tablets and the cholesterol has gone down to a really safe level which pleases me no end. Dont know if it was the tablets or the oatbran or both. Dont do much walking now although I always intend to, but not in this wet weather thanks.

Charlie Chuckles no way!! i wouldn't take the risk of taking statins if my doc says i dont need them.......

test results depend on your surgery, but it is all computerised now so they can be back in a matter of days, but can take up to 2 weeks

I am off for my cholestrol test later this morning, I went to my GP last tuesday and she took my blood pressure which turned out to be high, she took it 3 times in total and all gave high readings, hence the cholestrol testing today, how long does it take for the results to come back, does anyone know? I have had high blood pressure before but it was sorted with medication and eventually I came off the tablets, now its up again,my mum has high blood pressure, not sure about dad but I'm sure he must have had as he died from a massive stroke 25 years ago. Gillie.

hi i have high cholesterol too, and no matter what i do i cannot lower it. the doc has tried me on every cholesterol lowering tab and it makes no difference. yes it is heredetory, and sorry to argue with an earlier posting, but the tests can tell the difference bewtween HDL and LDL. i have tests every 6 months for the past 13 years, when i had a heart attack and stroke at the age of 38 ! i also have diabetes, with the risk of glaucoma ( bro has glaucoma ) but luckily my BP is normal.

My doc didn't want me to go on statins as he says I'm not in the 'risk' group, but I'm wondering if I should buy some, at least until I'm sorted, I have to have a test after christmas to see if I've a hiatus hernia or ulcer, doc thinks it's a HH, funnily my mum has high cholestrol and a HH, so maybe it is hereditary!! Carol

I'm on Statins and have high blood pressure. Trouble is they keep moving the barrier that you're aiming to get your cholesterol to.

hubby had cholestral at 8.5 three years ago. he is on statins for the rest of his life and has to watch what he eats. no fatty foods,no fried foods(i george forman everything lol.) he isnt suppose to eat cakes etc but he has a mind of his own lol

Thanks Ron I dont think I have a problem with my eyes but I have tests for glaucoma every year because my mum has it and he said they think that high colesterol may be something to do with it. Jenny

If it`s a fasting one then it gives good and bad cholesterol, Ros

apparently there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, and a test can't differentiate between them!! Mum had a test done last Friday, doctor had result Tues, it was 7.5, so she sent Mum a prescription for some tablets.

I think stress has an effect on cholesterol or how your body produces it but can't remember what-(are you stressed?) Chris x

My highest was 11.6....last check 4.9 so try not to worry, and yes Caz it can be hereditery mine is. Statins are excellent for bringing it down with help of sensible eating, but Statins have side affects, but weighing it up it is best to take them if you need them.

For Jenny from Hampshire - Yes you can ask your doc for chol test and do mention when making an appointment that your optician said to have a chol test. Opticians when doing eye tests can spot other health problems so if I was you I'd get in to see your GP soonest - especially with it being so long since you saw your optician. Suggest you ask for Blood Pressure check as well. I have heart/diabetic problems so am aware how helpful opticians can be. Ron

The thing about going to the chemist`s is -if it`s high you then have to to GP for a fasting one as it`s more accurate, Ros

Thanks angela I might do that then, the optitian told me to go to boots chemist as they were doing free ones but there isnt a branch near me. Jenny

Caz, don't know about research but doctor told me it is both hereditary and diet. Some people make more cholesterol than others even though they eat low fat foods. Beryl x