Friday, September 28, 2012

OK I'll Take the Drug

I finished up a bunch of tests with my new cardiologist and now is the time to followup to an earlier post "No Drugs Please".

Stress test - Good (I stayed on the treadmill 30% longer then is projected for a person my age (58), height (6'1") and weight (185).
Echo Cardiogram - Good
Cholesterol Levels - Good...for anyone without an history of having a heart attack.

My total cholesterol is 185 (less then 200 is desirable)
HDL 62 (greater then 60 is best)
LDL 105 (less then 129 near ideal, less then 100 if at risk of heart disease and less then 70 if at high risk of heart disease)
Triglycerides 90 (150 or less is desirable)
Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio 2.98 (3.43 or less means 1/2 the average risk of having a heart attack)

A "healthy" person would be very happy with these numbers and their doctor would give them a well done and send them on their way...not me. I had a heart attack, not a massive one as explained in my post  No Drugs Please. I now have a history and I'm suppose to have my LDL under 70. I got my diet dialed in just right for me, a diet that I can easily live with and maintain.
To get my LDL down to under 70, side effects be damned, I'm taking my doctors advice and starting a low 10mg dose of Atorvastatin (generic Lipitor) which is suppose to reduce LDL by 34% to 38%.

Next step...get off the blood thinner prasugrel (Effient) after the one year protocol which ends December 25th. The attorneys are already lining up clients who take this stuff because of studies showing increased cancer risk.

Oooooh well, ride on!