Saw cardiologist this morning for some lingering mild hypertension. Well, not so mild when I’m in the office, but mild measured at home. Of course, PHP forwarded lipid profile as well. Dr says I have the highest cholesterol he’s seen in at least 3 years. WTH, does EVERYONE 1/n
take a statin now days? Doc said cardiac ultrasound showed mild wall thickening—probably from years of HPB (which I really haven’t had), that the carotid Doppler showed 19% occlusion, and that I have the arteries of a 70 year old. Hmm. 2/n
Got the standard lecture on how life-saving are statins, and low are the side effects they see, and how he’ll put a CYOA note in my file if I refuse statins. OK, that's fair because TREATMENT GUIDELINES. 3/n
I mentioned my HDL was higher than my TRIG, and A1c/Insulin is low, and that I didn’t seem as high a risk with those numbers (despite the LDL). He said you have plaque that can cause stroke and heart attack. I told him a two-year old CAC score was 1.2. 4/n
That seemed to surprise him, both that I had one and knew what CAC scans were, and that my score was so low. I really don’t believe he’s seen anyone like me before. He said one or both parents are likely FH, and that there was little I could do with diet to reduce the LDL. 5/n
I didn't ask if he'd heard of the Feldman protocol. He ordered another CAC (I’m happy with that), and a treadmill stress test. I am hopeful both results will be good (and likely not as bad as what he expects). I might go for a CGM + Feldman + lab next time. This will be fun. 6/6
7/6 So we're getting ready to leave and my wife, bless her heart, she goes with me, asks the doc, "So, you're saying statins save lives?" Doc says they're the most prescribed drugs on the market (duh), and they have saved more lives that he can imagine. Before statins,
… when he started practicing cardiology 25 years ago, 50 year-olds would present and then die of an event. But now, they live into their 80s. Side effects are minimal to non-existent. 8/6
Call me a skeptic 😇, but smoking and T2D are a huge confounder here, no?
And those drug trial "run-in" periods? And shelved negative result studies? And, and, and ...
Not sure whether to fight, how hard, or how. /end
And those drug trial "run-in" periods? And shelved negative result studies? And, and, and ...
Not sure whether to fight, how hard, or how. /end
