|
Questions posted in the
Heart Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Question Title: Lipid count over 5000Forum: The Heart Forum
| |
About a year or so ago I went to the doctor with evidence of peripheral neuropathy in my hands and feet, as well as skin "bumps" that turned out to be high lipid count related. My cholosterol was 535, my triglycerides over 2900. My fasting blood sugar was high, but I did bring it in check after a while (150 fasting). I was on LOPID and the skin problem went away. I slipped off my diet, off my medication, then returned to the medication but not the diet. Recently I've gone back on the diet as well. Previous to this, my fasting blood sugar was 349, and the lipid count over 5000!!!!! I'm sufficiently scared. My doctor has me on a blood sugar medication, as well as the lopid, and twice since being on the blood sugar medication I've gotten "the shakes" if I haven't eaten in more than 5 hours. I believe this is a sign of my lower blood sugar. I'm going back to the doctor next week, but wanted to know if it sounded like I was on the right track? Thanks
_ Dear Dave, thank you for your question. You have extremely elevated lipid levels and you should do everything possible to bring those levels down (especially eating a very low fat diet). If your lipid levels are not controlled, you are facing a very strong likelihood of premature coronary artery disease and heart attacks. Lopid is a good medication for you but it may need to be combined with a new medication called Lipitor which dramatically reduces the cholesterol levels (Lopid reduces triglycerides only). You need dramatic reductions in both cholesterol and triglycerides. Also, you should pursue aggressive treatment of your elevated blood sugars with whatever form of treatment your physician prescribes. At the same time, you should also follow a Diabetic diet very strictly. The "shakes" sound like episodes of low blood sugar so you should try to measure your blood sugar during such episodes and be sure to alert your physician about these episodes. Good luck! I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
|
|