Some pretty good news

[aztecan]

 I had my blood drawn yesterday and got the results for my lipids today.

Not bad, not great. but OK.

Overall cholesterol: 197 (less than 200, so that is OK.)

LDL cholesterol: 135 (A bit above the recommnded max of 130, but not horrible.)

HDL cholesterol: 35 (A bit less than the minimum recommendation of 40, but its OK.)

The thing about the above tests is they are not overly influenced by diet or exercise. They can be somewhat, but not substantially, which is where the statins come in.

There are times I wish I could take them.

Now, triglycerides can be substantially influenced by diet and exercise and, I am happy to report, I have done so.

Triglycerides: 136.  (Recomendations are for less than 200, so I have that one beat.)

Tofu and oatmeal and quinoa are our friends.

Now, the not so good news, and the reason statins are out of the question.

My CPKs are still high. Actually, they are quite a bit higher than they were the last time I had them checked.

CPKs: 949. (They are supposed to be less than 200.)

I guess I will go have some grilled tofu, steamed beet greens and a large glass of iced green tea sweetenend with stevia. Talk about living on the wild side. 
HUGS,

Mark

[AlanBama]

Mark, I'm glad your lipid numbers are looking much better!  Now if you could just get this CPK mess under control....

As you say, you're pretty much "doing it all" now, so what else is left? 

Keep us posted...oh, and any updates about the Lipo procedures you were looking into?

HUGS, Alan

[denb45]

I had my blood drawn yesterday and got the results for my lipids today.

Not bad, not great. but OK.


CPKs: 949. (They are supposed to be less than 200.)


Mark

So, are you saying that you've never been on any lipids ( or currently cannot take any of them) I've been on them for about 14 yrs. now 

Congrats on the new labs tho, not bad for not being on any lipids 

[aztecan]

Mark, I'm glad your lipid numbers are looking much better!  Now if you could just get this CPK mess under control....

As you say, you're pretty much "doing it all" now, so what else is left? 

Keep us posted...oh, and any updates about the Lipo procedures you were looking into?

HUGS, Alan

Thanks Hon,

The rough part is my muscles ache most of the time and there is some weakness, but, so far, nothing I can't handle. There is also a lot of muscle cramps, in the most unsual places, like on the side of my torso, or in my abdomen. Weird, when you think about it.

My doctor is at a loss at this point, but did order me to up my water intake. Apparently, elevated CPKs have a way of overloading and damaging the kidneys, which I really don't want to happen. So, its back to the old Crixvan water levels of at least a gallon of water, plus whatever else I drink (tea, coffee, etc.) each day.

Regarding the hump removals, I am scheduled to see the surgeon later this month. I will keep you posted on how it goes.

HUGS,

Mark

[aztecan]

So, are you saying that you've never been on any lipids ( or currently cannot take any of them) I've been on them for about 14 yrs. now 

Congrats on the new labs tho, not bad for not being on any lipids 

Hey Dennis,

Yes, I was on meds to reduce the cholesterol, several of them. They all caused the same nasty side effect. My CPKs are elevated anyway, but the statins drove them up to dangerous levels.

Instead of being less than 200, like they are supposed to be, the statins - any statin, even red yeast rice - drove them up very high. At one point they were at nearly 29,000, and my doctor called me at home (which is a rarity these days) and told me to cease all statins immediately. I can never take them again, he said.

So, I am taking time-released niacin therapy (Niaspan), fish oil and watching my diet and trying to get exercise.

At least it works on my triglycerides. 

HUGS,

Mark

[bear60]

Dang, you sure can spit out some technical stuff without blinking.  You are my hero.

[aztecan]

Just a quickie followup.

I officially saw the doctor today. We went over the lab work.

He said I was doing "OK but not great," as I mentioned above, regarding the hyperlipidemia.

My other stuff came back too.

My liver, kidneys, and other internal systems are working fine. Blood pressure was 110/70, which ain't too bad for someone who is almost closer to 60 than he is to 50. Guess the exercise really does help.

Didn't help with my hopes to lose weight, though. I have always maintained a steady weight. Back, before quitting smoking, it was about 155 lbs. Now, five years after quitting smoking, it is pegged at 185.

My weight doesn't fluctuate by more than a pound or two either direction, regardless of how much or how little I eat. Weird, but that's the way it is.

He checked my testosterone levels, cause that is what we do when we are past 50. It was normal.

Oh, yeah, the CD4, etc., are still OK.

CD4 918 - 40 %
Viral load < 20

So, it doesn't look like I will be falling apart too soon.

I do have to increase the exercise as best I can, but I have to balance it with keeping an eye on the CPKs so I don't overload my kidneys. I will continue drinking a gallow or more of water a day.

I also will continue with the Truvada/Isentress. I know it could be contributing to the elevated CPKs, but I don't have any good alternatives right now. Aside from the muscle aches, which I have learned to tolerate pretty well, I have no side effects from this "cocktail." (Had to use that term, just for fun.)

The cholesterol battle will be an ongoing thing. I must remember, tofu is our friend. (My grilled tofu is great for dinner and makes good sandwiches the next day too!  )

So,that is how things stand at the moment.

HUGS,

Mark

[denb45]

Congrats on all your Lab work Mark Wow you used to smoke, you don't look like the type 

I smoked about 25 yrs ago and quite back in 1990, I wasn't a pack a day smoker, and 1 pack lasted me for about 2 weeks 

As long as your height & weight proportioned  don't sweat it ( I sure don't)

I'm holding steady @ about 188 to 190LBS

I'd kill for a CD4 count like yours 

[bear60]

Your Cd4 count is great. 
Ya never know... but you take such good care of yourself, its no wonder.