Berkeley HeartLab results

My Berkeley HeartLab test results came back and I met with the ARNP to go over them. Basically, the conclusion was that my high cholesterol is likely genetic, and that I fall into the group of people whose cholesterol can be lowered by statin drugs. This group of people is at higher risk for heart disease and heart attack, but the other group--the group whose cholesterol doesn't respond to statin drugs--while at much lower risk for heart issues, can have them develop or happen out of nowhere. Another issue (only identifiable with a test like the Berkeley) has to do with the size of the blood particles the body produces to fight the bad cholesterol. I happen to be a person who produces smaller particles than usual, so that is something else that will have to be factored into my diet and treatment regimen.

Niacin on its own has failed to improve my numbers, but it tends to increase the particle size, so the ARNP and I struck a compromise: I am now taking a drug called Simcor--500 mg niacin, 20mg simvastatin, which is the lowest dose available. (Prior to surgery, I was on 80mg simvastatin.) We will do bloodwork in three months, tweak it as needed, blah blah blah.

I am still having a hard time with the sleep schedule, though I am loving the job. I also registered for two summer quarter classes. I haven't been working out, and my weight is in a holding pattern--I may even be up a pound or two. I am cutting back on diet soda and trying to avoid the bulk candy at work, sticking to the Zone Perfect bars and only one of those per shift. I'm having a hard time with the company-provided meals, too. They offer a lot of vegetarian things, which would be great except they are awfully heavy-handed with the pepper and spices. They have great pizza and rolls, two things I should not be eating--too many carbs, plus they stick in the pouch. I've been eating some of the things that aren't so great for me, and I often don't feel too hot as a result--so the past few days, I am drinking a lot more water than anything else and sticking to my protein drinks and 'safe' foods for meals. I eat lots of plain Cheerios, and I love my Jamba Juice lunches. Sugar-free energy drinks are less fattening and easier to digest than coffee, so I usually do one of those a day. I'm trying to make better choices, and every day is a new one--that's how I try to look at it when I get discouraged.

9-month post-op with nutritionist

I saw my nutritionist today, which was interesting. I weighed 204 in their office, which was the lowest weight I've posted thus far. Our conversation was mostly the same stuff; we went over my bloodwork, and her response to my "elevated" folate and B-12 was to say, "That just shows me you're taking your vitamins like you should! That doesn't cause any adverse effects to you at all."

We discussed my still-high cholesterol; the center has an ARNP on staff that specializes in metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, and she can do a workup called the Berkeley HeartLab Cardiovascular Tests. They draw your blood (which has to be frozen and shipped to Berkeley, CA, hence the name) and do genetic testing to determine exactly how your cholesterol is high and specific treatment your body will respond to. It also makes it possible to determine how to tailor your eating habits to your genotype for the healthiest dietary choices you can possibly make for yourself. This is their website:

http://www.4myheart.com/

Their phone number is (800) 432-7889. They have a special kit to take to the lab where the blood is drawn that includes their specific vials and such. Usually detailed bloodwork of this nature is extremely costly, but apparently it is their policy that even if it is not covered by insurance, it will not cost any more than $150.00 out of pocket. It does have to be done through a participating physician from the looks of the website.

I am going to discuss it with my primary-care doctor tomorrow, but I think it would be $150.00 well spent in my case--especially since I just found out from one of my uncles that statin drugs exacerbated his alopecia areata to the point that he lost every hair on his head (including eyebrows and eyelashes) as well as much of his body hair, even leg and arm hair. He joked that it made him look like he had mange! I really,really don't want that to happen to me! Apparently, cholesterol and hair are intrinsically linked in general. I had no idea--and his doctor prescribed Lipitor and didn't bother to share that particular side effect, if she even knew about it herself!

The one thing that made me nuts today at the nutritionist was the calorie-counting conversation we had. In yesterday's vent on this blog, I said I would have to eat 1500 calories a day for the rest of my life. When I said something to her about it, she told me she actually recommends that people try to stay between 800 and 1000 calories during the first two years after surgery and between 1200 and 1500 calories per day thereafter for maintenance. I politely blew my stack. 800 CALORIES A DAY? What is that, like four protein drinks and half a banana? I've been on as low as 1000/day and that urged me to kill (of course, I was a teenager and living mostly on SlimFast, but still). I told her I'd shoot for the 1200 but that was the best I could do, as I have to live in the actual world. She said something along the lines of, "Well, if you get dizzy or anything, you should eat more." I (barely) refrained from spouting, "DUH!" I just reminded her that as a former eating-disorder sufferer, I knew all too well about how it physically feels to starve myself. Sheesh!

Since my weight is still going down, we basically concluded that all is well. That was basically it. My next appointment with both her and the surgeon is my year surgery anniversary.