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Low HDL & Coronary artery disease fear
I am male 46 years old, having mitral valve prolapse with trivial regurgitation. Two week before I did my Lipid profile test the result came Total cholesterol : 162, LDL 122, HDL 22, Triglyceride 128, VLDl 26 & Fasting Blood sugar came 98. I have severe health anxiety especially cardiophobia since last 12 years. I have different fears related to heart all this years ( I used to google about mitral valve prolapse & blood pressure, where I came to know about various cardiovascular diseases including heart blockage, heart attack, stroke, arrhythmia, cholesterol, etc & time to time different different fears). I did my TMT test in 2011, which was negative, I did my Echo in 2013, it was normal, several Ecgs including one week before it was normal. The last Lipid I did was in 2011, it was Total Cholestrol 170, HDL 43, LDL 130, Triglyceride 90, in 2010 it was Total Cholestrol 165, HDL 34, LDL 110, Triglyceride 108, in 2009, it was Total Cholestrol 156, HDL 29, LDL 120, Triglyceride 110. In 2008 it was Total Choletrol 164, HDL 42, LDL 128, Triglyceride 92. I was walking daily for 45 minutes all this years, but last 1 years I was not doing walking & lazy. I always avoid deep fried foods, but on weekend & holidays I would eat in hotels . Now I read that, Low HDL can cause cardiovascular disease & started fearing that i have my arteries blocked due to low HDL all these years. What should I Do to stop this fears. I never took seriously about low HDL, now I came to know about the importance of HDL in preventing Coronary artery disease. I stopped completely the fatty foods, taking Fish Fry in Olive Oil, avocados, walnuts, fish oils, vitamin C, Orange & Pomegranate Juice, Garlic, Flaxseed, Olive Oil etc to raise my HDL & started brisk walking for 45 days since last two weeks & 10 floor stair climbing (2 times) & jogging 10 minutes. But somewhere I have fear that, all this years I was having low HDL & it would have made plaque in my arteries. I will go & check again my Lipid after 1 month & if its normal should I worry about previous low hdl days. How to fight this fear. Plz help me. I am not able to concentrate on anything & obsessing about my low HDl. I am taking bisoprolol 5 mg & magnesium citrate 200mg x3 times supplements for my blood pressure & anxiety.
I forgot to mention that, in 2012 also i did my lipid profile test & TC was 187, HDL 37, LDL 128, Triglyceride 130. So, in 2013 i did not do my Lipid & in 2014 the HDL went from 37 to 22. I am very afraid given the high risk for CHD due to low HDL. As due to continue obsession & health anxiety i am more fearful & somewhere in my mind i have fear that, i got CHD which may be below 50% & it is not going from my mind. I also read
that, most of the heart attacks happens due to the rupture of the soft plaque & below the 50% blockage, so it is creating more fear. I am afraid to take the Calcium Scoring test, What if the
score comes above 0. I think All persons above 45 may have some calcium or plaque built up. Upto what scores it is ok or not to take statins. I have read a lot about statin drugs due to their side
effects. Like muscle damage, liver damage etc. I want to know if I am redoing the lipid profile test & if my HDL will be improved to
35-40. Do I have to worry about the heart disease about previous low HDL days? I had read about many peoples who were on Low HDL on many years & were trying to improve their HDL. Due to prolonged stress & mitral valve prolapse i always have chest tightness, chest pain & palpitation, which is creating more fear. Before I had convinced my mind that, chest pain while walking is the main symptoms of heart disease. But now I read, if the blockage is less than 50% there is no symptoms. Plz explain me how to fight this fear & obsession. How to convince my mind that, i have nothing to worry as minor blockage doesn't cause any problems, which can be stabilize by statin or aspirin. Every now & then i am getting fear that, my plaque will rapture & cause heart attack to me. I don't know how to fight this fear. Plz can someone explain me.
that, most of the heart attacks happens due to the rupture of the soft plaque & below the 50% blockage, so it is creating more fear. I am afraid to take the Calcium Scoring test, What if the
score comes above 0. I think All persons above 45 may have some calcium or plaque built up. Upto what scores it is ok or not to take statins. I have read a lot about statin drugs due to their side
effects. Like muscle damage, liver damage etc. I want to know if I am redoing the lipid profile test & if my HDL will be improved to
35-40. Do I have to worry about the heart disease about previous low HDL days? I had read about many peoples who were on Low HDL on many years & were trying to improve their HDL. Due to prolonged stress & mitral valve prolapse i always have chest tightness, chest pain & palpitation, which is creating more fear. Before I had convinced my mind that, chest pain while walking is the main symptoms of heart disease. But now I read, if the blockage is less than 50% there is no symptoms. Plz explain me how to fight this fear & obsession. How to convince my mind that, i have nothing to worry as minor blockage doesn't cause any problems, which can be stabilize by statin or aspirin. Every now & then i am getting fear that, my plaque will rapture & cause heart attack to me. I don't know how to fight this fear. Plz can someone explain me.
I'm not a health professional, but absolutely, positively guarantee that a stress test can indicate less than a 50% blockage. You will need an Angiogram to determine to refine that finding. Are you ready to have a probe enter an artery in your groin, travel to the heart and get a very clear picture of your imagined blockages?
You need to separate your anxiety from imagined heart issues. Why not worry about ingrown toenails or something less serious than your heart? I don't mean to be unkind, but those of us who have had stents, bypass surgery, pacemakers, etc. and have had much, much more serious heart issues know how trivial your worries are.
You need to separate your anxiety from imagined heart issues. Why not worry about ingrown toenails or something less serious than your heart? I don't mean to be unkind, but those of us who have had stents, bypass surgery, pacemakers, etc. and have had much, much more serious heart issues know how trivial your worries are.
Yes, I know, they don' allow one to print d-i-c-k, even though it is in the title of a famous book. Thus I used Duck
That book is Moby ****; or the Whale not Duck, i saw it online, i will definitely try to read it.
Thanks so much Flycaster & Circa49 for your post. In 2012 also i did my Lipid Profile test, which was Total Cholestrol 185, HDL 37, LDL 125. I was planning to clear my doubt by doing Treadmill test or stress echo test, but somewhere i read it shows only 50% & above. My mind is obsessing what if my blockage may be below 50% & this test will not detect them. I am unable to relax, nothing is keeping me calm, whole day & night i am obsessing & behaving like i have 50% blockage. I try to find logic that, if there is heart blockage i should get symptoms of chest pain while brisk walking or climbing stairs. still not able to calm myself. I started to get panic attack/panic disorder & taking cipralex & clonazepam to calm myself. I am unable to do many test as i don't have insurance in UAE & tests are very costly here. How to calm myself. I am always thinking that, if i have blocked arteries of 50%, it will rapture & cause heart attack. What should i do. plz help me. I know i am googling a lot for many things & gets trapped. I was just reading about how to increase your hdl, there all the things started lower hdl is high risk for chd & many things. I am very scared now thinking why i did not concentrate my hdl all these years & if the ldl had stick to the arteries & caused plaque. Plz help me to remove this fear of 50% blockage. Many people are staying with so many heart problems, with many heart attacks. but for me whenever i think about lower hdl, so intense panic attack is coming with full body shivering. What logic should i apply to fight this fear. Please give some logic. I will definitely try to search the book in Dubai, UAE & read it.
I see my reference to Herman Melville's famous book was partially blocked out for strange reasons.
It's called Moby Duck, with a i where you see the u in duck.
You know, the book about the great white whale.
Silly automated censorship.
Anyway, its one of the most respected books ever written by a American author.
It's called Moby Duck, with a i where you see the u in duck.
You know, the book about the great white whale.
Silly automated censorship.
Anyway, its one of the most respected books ever written by a American author.
You know, if you were a 46 year old male in 1994, you wouldn't be worried about any of this and you'd do just fine.
No doubt from reading your post, your most serious health problem is spending too much time on the internet defining your problems by what you read is perfect and imperfect.
Test results vary greatly from day to day. The only really low reading I see is one HDL at 22, and that one may be due to all your messing around with your diet.
You appear to be at the center of your own problems. Meaning you are creating the problems in your mind.
I don't imagine your doctors are concerned at all.
I'll tell you what you should do to alleviate your problems.
Go on Amazon, or to your local library and buy or take out the following book.
Moby-****, by Herman Melville. Read it carefully and then come back and tell us what you got out of it and how it affected your thinking about your low HDL issues.
You'll be amazed at the outcome if you'll just read the book carefully.
BTW, it is a true classic which everyone should read in their lifetime, regardless of their health concerns.
Report back. I'll be waiting for your reading experience and thoughts.
No doubt from reading your post, your most serious health problem is spending too much time on the internet defining your problems by what you read is perfect and imperfect.
Test results vary greatly from day to day. The only really low reading I see is one HDL at 22, and that one may be due to all your messing around with your diet.
You appear to be at the center of your own problems. Meaning you are creating the problems in your mind.
I don't imagine your doctors are concerned at all.
I'll tell you what you should do to alleviate your problems.
Go on Amazon, or to your local library and buy or take out the following book.
Moby-****, by Herman Melville. Read it carefully and then come back and tell us what you got out of it and how it affected your thinking about your low HDL issues.
You'll be amazed at the outcome if you'll just read the book carefully.
BTW, it is a true classic which everyone should read in their lifetime, regardless of their health concerns.
Report back. I'll be waiting for your reading experience and thoughts.
I'd rejoice if that was my echo and blood test result. Trivial means, basically, normal function as no one has a perfect heart with zero problems. Trivial is just that.
Your cholesterol reports are also excellent. I'd suggest you celebrate with a big dish of ice cream... not a good habit except on great reports like you have received. Well done.
Your cholesterol reports are also excellent. I'd suggest you celebrate with a big dish of ice cream... not a good habit except on great reports like you have received. Well done.
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