Spring Lipid Results Are In

Picked them up this afternoon. Let's start with predictions:

• 149 CHL (within VitalImaging Recommendation)

The actual turned out 10% better. In fact, it is among the lowest overall CHL results that I have had at:

• 137 (Too Low?)

Trigycerides were not as good as I had thought, however. Prediction:

• 99 Trigycerides (within VitalImaging Recommendation)

Actual:

• 111 - well within the "Normal", which tops at 125. So far so good.

LDL was good, too. Predicted:

• 78 LDL (close to the recommended 70)

Actual:

• 69 - just below the VitalImaging recommendation of 70 and better than December.

Ah, but my HDL Cholesterol is still relatively low, given the Niaspan. Predicted

• 54 HDL - if I tolerate 4 Niaspans (ballpark with regard to the recommended 60)

Actual:

• 43 - up from 39, but with two more Niaspan! This one is hard.
  

Overall, this is a better result than December, but only marginally in my opinion, given the increase in medication. I think, however, that my doctor will point to the LDL at 69 as the key. If I can hold that, and the low overall CHL, then I'll be doing about as well as I can. I might even be able to cut back on some of the meds.

I suspect, however, that the 2.5/mg Crestor really helped bring the LDL down. (It may have retarded the increase in HDL, too.)

I doubt whether my doctor will recommend 4 Niaspan/day to get a small incremental result in HDL.

My liver functions are affected. SGOT (AST) is fine, but SGPT is high. 44 where 39 is the upper limit. I don't think this is significant, however.

But ALK PHOS at 35 is significantly low and below the 50-136 normal window. I await my doctor's input here. It may mean cutting back on one of the drugs, probably Niaspan.

I'll look at the historical range in the liver functions and will follow up after I have seen my doctor in May.