And the winner is . . .

[aztecan]

Paula Deen and the butter express.

Or, you might think so looking at my lipid numbers.

I saw the doctor yesterday for my semiannual look-see and I had them give me printouts of all my labs as usual.

Well, on the positive side, my kidneys are functioning like troopers. There was so little microalbumin in the sample they couldn't test it.

Also, my fasting blood glucose was 89, and the hemoglobin A1c was 5.3, so those are looking good and no sign of diabetes.

My CD4 was still OK, although a tad lower than the last time. It was 945 and 40 percent, and the viral load was <20, or undetectable, whichever you prefer. The doctor was relatively pleased with those numbers. I am too.

Now, about those lipids . . .

The doctor was very polite. He said, "They suck."

Gotta love my doctor.

My triglycerides were sort of OK at 143. I would prefer them to be around 100.

But, my overall cholesterol was 220. OUCH!

My doctor wants it below 180 because of my history of having smoked and because heart conditions run in the family.

My HDL was too low at 33, and my LDL was too high at 158. There isn't much that we can do to raise the HDL, but the doc wants the LDL below 130, and preferably closer to 100.

UGH.

On a somewhat more positive note, my CPKs have come down. They are at 499, much less than the 1,100 they were the last time.

Of course, they are supposed to be less than 170, but I'll take what I can get.

I also have gained weight. I was afraid that was the case. I am back up to a strapping 187 pounds. (Just butter my butt and call me biscuit.)

So, we are upping the ante somewhat.

My doctor wants me to shed a few pounds - like 15.

I also am under orders to continue exercising regularly, but more so. Instead of two hours three times a week, he would like me to exercise five times a week.

How I am going to fit that into my schedule, I have yet to figure out.

We are also increasing my Niaspan to 1,000 mgs a day.

On top of that, I am increasing my vegetarian days from three a week to four or five., with the rest being either fish or very lean boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast.

I am still allowed 2 whole eggs a week, but only two. I am allowed all the egg whites I want.

No dairy - period.

I am allowed to treat myself to red meat once, or possibly twice, a month. But, it should still be as lean as possible and all excess fat must be removed.

I am allowed one square of very dark chocolate every couple of days, so I will get a special treat too.

But, the doctor also said I might consider having two glasses of red wine a day. Since I love Merlot, this is a definite plus and I am looking forward to this part of the new eating lifestyle I am adopting.

So, all in all, not horrible news and certainly not unexpected. But I was hoping for a bit better results in the lipid arena.

I just have to try harder, I guess.

HUGS,

Mark

[denb45]

. (Just butter my butt and call me biscuit.)

 I'll take you up on this offer, so don't temp me mark, Your place or mine, don't worry Bob won't mind @ all he may join in on the FUN 

I don't see my doc till late FEB 2012, and I know something is up    I feel like SHIT, and I've had 2 cold in the last 3 months, and I haven't had a cold in 10 yrs. I sure hope teh AIDS aint coming to really get this time, but I guess we'll see.....

I kill for 945 CD4 count but I know dam that ship has sailed, so say my doc    hang-in-there, you still have great numbers, wish I had them 

[Jeff G]

I have said before you are an inspiration for fighting the good fight and that's still true . I only wish I had cholesterol and lipids numbers a fraction as good as yours , from where I stand your progress is envyable .

I have been discussing this issue for years now with my doctor . My last visit with my endocrinologist and ID doc I asked to combine the visits so we could discuss it and try to approach it from both angles with diet , medication and lipid friendly HIV regimens . All I got from my effort was two doctors who said they would think about it and let me know but never got back to me with any suggestions .

I have felt a sense of personal failure trying to improve these labs numbers but have come to believe that years of HIV meds , genetics and my age are responsible and there is only so much that can be done . Its a difficult issue for many of us LTS . 

[Theyer]

jg speaks the truth

Have fun with Dennis and Bob

Please only think about your report after the merot

We all love biscuits

mhtv

[Miss Philicia]

We all love biscuits

mhtv

Brits don't know what actual biscuits are.

[Theyer]

US-biscuits a cross between bread/brioche/scone often served hot enjoyed with roast meats/fried chicken gravy /

Brit BIC  / a variety off flour/grain/butter/fruit/spices/flavourings/chocolate/nuts
 often crispy but can be chewy, served cold with Tea or Coffee.

Brits who grew up next to US air force bases and have US in-laws might know this.

Next week we will look at pancake and pants.

[Ann]

Next week we will look at pancake and pants.

And pissed vs pissed too. I always find myself thinking Yanks are constantly drunk when in fact they're just angry.

[Miss Philicia]

Next week we will look at pancake and pants.

One must have real maple syrup for pancakes, and as far as I know that's a New England/Quebec thing.

[Theyer]

One must have real maple syrup for pancakes, and as far as I know that's a New England/Quebec thing.

100% agreement for the US pancake.
But the crepe/pancake without any raising agent its fresh lemon and raw cane brown sugar

And a great big apology to Mark for the insensitive hijacking off a thread  about off all things diet, sorry Mark it evolved that way .