Hypercholesterolemia / High Cholesterol: your solutions, treatments and feelings

I was 29 years old when i was diagnosed with high cholesterol. The doctor put me on Fish oil at the time and to watch what I eat. I typically eat well love fruits,vegetables and salads. I was in good shape . Worked 60 hours a week and on my feet 55 of those hours. I am now 39 years old and have been diagnosed with non-obstructive Coronary artery disease. 60% and 40% narrowing. No surgical treatment was done as the narrowing needs to be 70% or greater. I also have mild carotid artery disease 40% left side and less then 20% on right side. Have elevated filling pressure and was diagnosed with Diastolic Dysfunction. Was put on Lasik . I was concerned about my health and went to see a differnet cardiologist for a second opinion at the time i was taking 9 different medicines just for my heart. He did blood work looked at my history and told me I was on medicine that i didnt need to be on most were low dose medicine and was not helping. I am taking 6 medicines now 2 are higher dose medicine one of which was a higher dose Statin. The doctor explained that with being young and having the issues that I have treatment needs to be aggresive.  Also found out that I have a hereditary blood disorder that causes increased risk of blood clots . This caused a mini stroke in 2017. I have been confused as one doctor will say stay away from these foods and another doctor says I need to eat . I have never smoked. I dont drink coffee and rarely drink sodas. Now sweet tea is my weakness. Every year I have to get a scan of my brain. Every two years I have to do a stress test. 

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Hello members, hope you do not mind me tagging you in this topic; thought you may find it interesting and want to discuss with others, if it concerns or is relative to your health.

@BeachLife18‍ Thank you for sharing your story. I am glad to see that it seems that you have found a doctor that truly cares for your overall health and well-being. Do you feel the same?

Are you doing OK since the mini-stroke? Sorry you are going through so much, but sounds like you are being strong and remaining positive.

I was diagnosed at 34. Since my diagnosis, I have defnitely changed my diet and started eating less red meat and have focused on eating good cholesterol and eliminating the bad through diet and education. I also work to exercise at least 3-4 days a week. I am lucky that this has greatly redued my levels and I am now basically in the normal range, but I must stay prudent!

I too have never smoked like @BeachLife18‍ 

@BeachLife18‍ did your doctors ever discuss what the underlying health issue that is causing your colesterol to remain high despite the drastic life-style changes at such a young age?

I am hard to hear that you have suffered a mini-stroke and I pray that all is well with you. If I can lend a hand in advice or anything, please do not hesitate to reach out.

@billbo I had some blood work done by my neurologist who stated that I had High Homostestine levels in my blood. A high homocysteine level, also called hyperhomocysteinemia, can contribute to arterial damage and blood clots in your blood vessels. High homocysteine levels usually indicate a deficiency in vitamin B-12 or folate. It most often causes high cholesterol which can lead to heart attack and strokes. On top of this I found out I have NAFLD which does not filterate properly causing increase in cholesterol . I just turned 40 . 

@Lee__R  I have good days and rough days. Sometimes I struggle with my words which is very frustrating. I get very very VERY tired sometimes. Neurologist stated its because of the microvascular disease and changes noted on my MRI. Microvascular ischemic disease is a term that's used to describe changes to the small blood vessels in the brain. ... Small vessel ischemic disease is very common in older adults. If left untreated, it can contribute to mental decline, strokes, walking and balance problems, and dementia

@BeachLife18 wow you have sure been through a lot at such a young age. A family member of mine has high cholesterol and he has really had to change everything he does in order to monitor it. I know he still trys to eat unsaturated fats, but has compltely eliminated trans fats ( I think that is what he calls it) as much as he can.

I really hope you are doing OK and continue to progress after your mini stroke.

Lowering cholesterol won't prevent heart disease, pure and simple, as explained in "The Great Cholesterol Myth" by Bowden and Sinatra. Cholesterol alone is not an indication of potential heart disease, and medications that have effectively lowered cholesterol levels in a group of patients who experienced higher levels of heart disease as a result. Statins have too many side effects to be safe, and one of them is increased risk of heart disease. Both my family doctor and cardiologist still persisted in recommending statins which I respectfully declined and they respected my wishes and I feel great. My BP is back to normal with a single medication (20 mg. Olmesartin daily) and I no longer have extreme spikes in BP because of my weight loss on the Keto diet with intermittent fasting.

Hey there, I'm new here! I recently found out that I have high cholesterol and it's been a real wake-up call for me. I've been trying to change my diet and exercise more, but it's been a bit of a struggle. It's good to know that there are others out there going through the same thing.

I haven't tried any alternative natural treatments yet, but I'm open to hearing about them. Has anyone had success with any natural remedies for high cholesterol?

Also, I wanted to mention that I found a helpful resource for those who are prescribed atorvastatin - there's a website that offers atorvastatin coupon. It's worth checking out if you're looking to save some money on your medication.

Patients who keep cholesterol at normal levels have 30-40% less risk of heart attacks, strokes.

How to lower cholesterol the very same doctor's advice:

- Increase physical activity;

- Normalize your weight. If you reduce your weight by 10 kg, you can achieve a 10% reduction in cholesterol, while taking a natural supplement for high cholesterol will also help to reduce weight;

- Follow a diet throughout your life;

- Stop smoking;

- Follow your doctor's recommendations for taking cholesterol-lowering medications.