Bloodwork results - bad news
 

I met the doctor this morning after getting my blood work results. As the doctor put it, my cholesterol and sugar are "totally out of control" and apparently I now have Diabetes.

He said I am extremely high risk now and must start medication today, right now, or I can choose to regulate my diet for a month and see if there is a change for the better. After a month I have to repeat my blood work.

In the meanwhile he wanted me to do some more tests today to check for kidney problems, liver problems, thyroid and I don't know what more.

Apparently my triglycerides were so high (13.10 mmol/L where the desirable level is less than 1.70 mmol/L) that the lab could not even measure my LDL. For LDL to be measured, I believe the triglycerides cannot be greater than 4.52.

The HDL levels were 1.12 where the desirable level is at least 1.3 and optimal being at least 1.55.

Total cholesterol is 7.66 where anything above 4.20 is High Risk. Below 4.20 is Protective.

Glucose (fasting) was 16.5 HP where the optimal range is 3.8 to 6.0. Anything above 6.0 is "impaired FBG" and above 7.0 is "abnormal FBG". Anyone know what FBG means?

Haemoglobin A1c was 0.115 H where it should not be above 0.06.

Now, I have no idea what these measurements mean because all measurements in this forum are in American units and here in Canada they seem to have different units of measure for these.

I wanted to use today's meeting to talk to the doctor about Atkins but his first words after showing me my results were that if I do not cut out my fats, red meats and sugars I would be dead very shortly, so I did not broach the subject of Atkins.

I did mention to him that I have not had any sugar in my food or drink in the last five years and that my wife's cooking has very little oil or any other kind of grease and that I eat meat (white or red or fish or fowl) only occasionally, but that I do tend to overeat on my regular diet of rice and legumes and vegetables. I also only smoke an average of 5 to 7 cigarettes a day in the last 5 years.

He said it is the calories that count, not the carbs, and that eating so much of rice and legumes adds up the calories and that is why I have these problems.

The funny part is, a year ago I weighed around 4 kilos less than I do today and my cholesterol, sugar and blood pressure were absolutely fantasically normal. One year and 4 kilos later I am "high risk" and "out of control".

Sorry about the rant. My question is:

Do I start Atkins anyway in spite of my doctor's advice to cut out fats and meats and sugar - or;

Do I wait for the results of the tests I gave today for the kidneys, liver, etc., and then think about it again, or;

Follow my doctor's advice and see what happens?

Also, does any one here know how to translate the Canadian test measurements to what is more understood in this forum? I have seen posts that HDL should be above 45 and anything above 60 is protective etc., but how would that translate to my readings mentioned here?

I am not feeling too good today (mentally) after meeting my doctor, I decided to take the rest of the day off!

I need help.

What an upsetting day!! I am no doctor, but my vote is to get the weight off, period. Atkins is the ONLY way I can realistically do that. I am no exercise freak, never have been and doubt I will be in my old(er) age. I walk briskly atleast 20 minutes a day and am on Atkins Induction. It has saved my life. I could not walk "briskly" even 4 weeks ago. There's hope, good luck!

If you feel that the way you are eating now is similair to the way your Dr. is suggesting you eat to correct all these problems I would suggest getting a 2nd oppinion.

Just IMHO.

Wee

I think the medical community is quite split. I was fortunate enough to find a doctor (by pure chance) who had treated many diabetic patients and had done so by lowering the carb levels in their diets. He actually recommended me to go to Atkins to see how it worked for me. It has been almost 3 months, so I'm keen to see the results of my blood work up due in a couple of weeks.

Its up to you to make the decision, and none of us are doctors, however, I can only tell you from personal experience that my fasting blood sugar level has dropped from 17.5 to 7.5 following Atkins. Weight loss is the best thing for diabetics. Atkins will help you lose weight.

I just wanted to add, that you will NOT starve on Atkins like you would on a low calorie diet. Also, and remember I'm not a doctor, if it were me in your shoes, I would go on Atkins anyway, but that's just me. You have to do what you feel is right for you.

Good Luck!
melissa

I think you need to find a doctor who is Atkins sympathetic as a matter of urgency. This doctor you have will be unwilling to support you in your decision should you choose to go to Atkins and this will make your relationship uncomfortable.

You need a doctor who understands Atkins properly to guide you through the coming months.

But I would love to make a visit to your old doc in oh say...12 months and float those bloodwork results under his nose....

hi there,

First ... YOU'RE GOING TO BE FINE!!! :there:

OK .. check out this post, from our Cholesterol forum .. I've listed the various blood lipids, what they do and levels in both US and SI units (which, by the way, the rest of the world uses including Canada). For blood sugars, multiply the SI mmol value by 18 to get the US mg/dl value. .. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...7079#post847079. I urge you to read through that whole thread; there are links to more information about cholesterol, triglycerides and diet.


Your sky-high triglycerides are related to your high blood sugar, and will come down as you get your sugars under control. Yes Atkins will help very much in that regard .. he devotes several chapters in his books to cholesterol and diabetes. Another book you might find valuabel is Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. He is a Type 1 diabetic who normalised his own blood sugars and blood lipids with a low carb high fat diet. In fact, he even reversed his kidney disease by getting his sugars under control. You can read more at his website .. http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/

~~~~~~~

You might find this old post to be encouraging ... from a member who had sky-high cholesterol (over 9) and triglycerides after having a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery at age 46 .. yet statin drugs and low fat diet did nothing. He decided to follow Atkins diet to the letter, and successfully got off the drugs, lost weight and his levels are now normal. I can tell you he is still doing well and still on Atkins at age 53 (because he's my brother :)) .. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=4563


Don't be discouraged ... read and learn as much as you can. The various blood tests will be helpful to give you a baseline of where you're at now. One thing, you might want to ask your dr about repeating the bloodwork in 3 months instead of one. Usually it takes 10 - 12 weeks for changes to become evident .. even drugs are given longer than one month to work ;)


hth,

Doreen

What a scarey day! Please come back and let us know how you are doing.:there:

FBG is Fasting Blood Glucose. The A1c measures your "average" blood sugar level over the past 2–3 months. Your value of .115 is roughly 285 mg/dl of glucose, should be less than 110. Medication will help greatly in bringing these levels down until the weight loss takes effect.

13.10 mmol/L = 1,160.3 mg/dL (I'VE NEVER SEEN A NUMBER THAT HIGH !!!)



1.12 mmol/L = 43.3 mg/dL (ACCEPTABLE)



7.66 mmol/L = 296.2 mg/dL (VERY HIGH !!!)



16.5 mmol/L = 297 mg/dL (VERY HIGH !!!)

I used the conversion charts at:

http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/chole...erol_units.html
http://www.lifescan.com/care/tools/millimoles/

...to make the conversions.

It's a good idea to start logging EVERYTHING you eat in a nutrition journal, such as fitday.com. It is often surprising to see what we are really eating, in terms of calories, fat, carbs and protein.

If you decide to follow your doctor's advice, you may be able to make lower carb choices, such as increasing salad vegetables and only consuming brown rice and whole grain pastas and breads.

You might also look at the zone diet. It is lower in fat and protein, and higher carbs.

Have you looked into any of the other low carb diets? There are several out there that are not as restrictive with carbs as Atkins and are more restrictive with saturated fats. I'm not saying that Atkins isn't the right route for you - it's helped a lot of people improve thier blood levels and lose weight. I'm just suggesting that there are other options out there that may be just as successful for you, without having to go against your dr's advice about the fat.

South Beach is one that I particulary like. You might want to check out the SB forum here. I've done Atkins off and on for years and think it is great, but I've also done SB and lose weight just as well on it and love the extra variety that it allows.

There are a lot of great low carb diet plans out there that work. The great thing about that is that they are all based of the same basic principle, but since everyone is different we can all find what works best for us. And this forum is a great place to find a lot of people with a lot of experience and knowlegde and great support. Good luck to you!

I think ultimately we each have to make the decision about our own health care. Doctors don't always have the latest information in all areas. Some doctors are very complementary about Atkins. My sisters doctor has had several family members go on it and do really well. But others... well, they are still a little ignorant.

Unfortunately cutting down on smoking probably isn't as helpful as you may think it is for your health. You really need to quit entirely. There was a study published about that recently.

The triglycerides are a result of the high carbs, the diabetes too most likely. Although all the heart disease stuff is going to be compounded by the smoking.

I know it is tough to quit, I did it myself. But really, quitting that is probably more important than going on a diet.

I am not a medical professional but I can tell you what happened to me.

BEFORE ATKINS
140/90 blood pressure
200 cholesterol
246 triglycerides

AFTER ONLY FOUR MONTHS ON ATKINS
110/78 blood pressure
158 cholesterol
87 triglycerides

Every person is different, but I would agree with what a few others have said; get a second opinion.

-G.

After 8 months on Atkins, my overall cholesterol was 7.6, like yours, but my HDl was 2.34 and triglycerides were 0.7! And glucose normal. I didn't have a 'before' to report on here.

I agree with the others re finding a doctor who is familiar with low carb approach to diabetes.

Val