May Doctor's Visit

Good visit. Dr. confirmed I was doing as much as I could do. More statins might actually reverse plaque, but I would almost certainly not be tolerant of the dosages needed. I'm clearly in maintenance mode, however. This could be confirmed by going back to the same facility/machine (different machines "slice" in different ways). But there is still the issue of radiation. He suggested 5 years. Since last test was 2009 if I remember, that would make it 2014 or about three years from now. That's fine with me.

With the low 69 LDL it is not as important to get the HDL up to 60 -- virtually impossible for me. Anything over 45 should be adequate for maintenance however. I can tolerate 3 Niaspans and will plan to do so, though may backslide to two if my stomach is acid.

Before I returned from China I was not using any statins and still had a respectable profile: 165 Chl; 103 LDL; 39 HDL. (Triglycerides were in the normal range both times.)

That was with one Niaspan. With three Niaspan and 2.5mg Crestor, the LDL dropped to 69; Chl to 137 and HDL went up to 43. These are diminishing returns, but important.

Next tests in August.