Phew - another positive result

[Jenny65]

Just had my result of the NHS eye screening - "Your test result appeared normal. This means you are at very little risk of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy at this time" - So just the cholesterol to get on top of, which is being persistently stubborn. I have my consultation about it this week but will accept statins if he recommends them. Just wanted to share some positives as I seem to be moaning a lot lately.

Hope everyone's day is going well

 

[Vonny]

Nothing wrong with a moan @Jenny65! Good for the soul imho 😉 And great news about the retinopathy results 🙂

I eventually accepted statins...but it may take a few tries to find one that suits you. For instance the one I'm on my partner couldn't tolerate, and vice versa! Since they never contacted me about my last cholesterol test I'm assuming the 40mg simerverstatin I'm on is doing the trick.

 

[Bloden]

That's great to hear @Jenny65. I'm about to try my 4th statin LOL but there are other options according to my consultant. Good luck with the stubborn cholesterol!

 

[Sharron1]

Just had my result of the NHS eye screening - "Your test result appeared normal. This means you are at very little risk of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy at this time" - So just the cholesterol to get on top of, which is being persistently stubborn. I have my consultation about it this week but will accept statins if he recommends them. Just wanted to share some positives as I seem to be moaning a lot lately.

Hope everyone's day is going well

That's great to hear @Jenny65. I'm about to try my 4th statin LOL but there are other options according to my consultant. Good luck with the stubborn cholesterol!

This is one of my problems with taking statins, I know I will eventually take them but if there are issues I can never get to see a GP. How do you all organise any change of statin? Do you simply stop taking them? At my surgery the GP s are very prescription happy but loathe to make any change downward. Hence my dose of Metformon the very same as my first diagnosis but my Hba1c is constantly at non diabetic levels but at my review when I mention trying a reduction to see what could happen she says better keep at this level with 'if it ain't broke...' argument etc etc. Odd.

 

[Deb_l]

Nothing wrong with a good old moan, I’ve had a day of whinging today!!

Well done on the eye result. I’ve had a good result with the eye screening last week as well so I was really chuffed.

I have so far resisted statins, mainly because I don’t have an up to date cholesterol test. I do however appreciate type 2 and statins often go hand in hand but really didn’t want more tablets.

Have you tried the usual suspects like oily fish and foods that are supposed to reduce cholesterol?

 

[Bloden]

This is one of my problems with taking statins, I know I will eventually take them but if there are issues I can never get to see a GP. How do you all organise any change of statin? Do you simply stop taking them?

I had to stop taking them because I was in so much pain. Obviously, not everyone gets side effects and I’m not discouraging people from taking them - my mum takes statins with no problems whatsoever and with the intended benefit of lower cholesterol. To answer your other question, every time I made the switch to a different statin at my next diabetic review. 🙂

 

[Jenny65]

Nothing wrong with a good old moan, I’ve had a day of whinging today!!

Well done on the eye result. I’ve had a good result with the eye screening last week as well so I was really chuffed.

I have so far resisted statins, mainly because I don’t have an up to date cholesterol test. I do however appreciate type 2 and statins often go hand in hand but really didn’t want more tablets.

Have you tried the usual suspects like oily fish and foods that are supposed to reduce cholesterol?

I dont have oily fish, I dont really eat any seafood at all, I may take the supplements instead, see if that helps, I do have porridge and a benecol everyday, my fat levels are so good now and was hoping that my cholesterol would benefit too but it seems more likely its inherited as my slim healthy family all had or have it. My visceral fat is 6 now and was 16 in July and I really thought with less visceral fat I would see an improvement in my cholesterol too. Having said that on reading up on it, inherited cholesterol levels start at slightly higher than mine, and I have got it down from over 9 to just over 7 in 6 months, its just not lowering any further. I suspect the biggest change for me as well as diet and exercise was stopping smoking. Its just a shame as my son keeps telling me to avoid statins if I can, but he also has strange ideas about the vaccines etc, (reads a lot on the web, he basically said as much as I can do without tablets the better, but my other son couldnt cope without his meds for asthma, some are life saving, like insulin for type 1 etc)

 

[Jenny65]

I had to stop taking them because I was in so much pain. Obviously, not everyone gets side effects and I’m not discouraging people from taking them - my mum takes statins with no problems whatsoever and with the intended benefit of lower cholesterol. To answer your other question, every time I made the switch to a different statin at my next diabetic review. 🙂

You see that is exactly my concern. I have no pain at all, feel healthy, energetic, pain free and now I have sorted out my constipation I am feeling so good, I dont want to take a tablet that makes me feel like lying in bed all day hugging hot water bottles. I am having a consultation with my GP on 9th March to discuss this but my lipid clinic appointment in June where they will test me to see if its genetic etc may be the time I suggest taking them, its just another 3 months and gives me a shot at lowering them using diet etc.

 

[Jenny65]

Nothing wrong with a good old moan, I’ve had a day of whinging today!!

Well done on the eye result. I’ve had a good result with the eye screening last week as well so I was really chuffed.

I have so far resisted statins, mainly because I don’t have an up to date cholesterol test. I do however appreciate type 2 and statins often go hand in hand but really didn’t want more tablets.

Have you tried the usual suspects like oily fish and foods that are supposed to reduce cholesterol?

Brilliant news about your eye result Deb, its so nice to have something come back with a good/normal result isnt it. Can I ask what your cholesterol level is if you dont mind? I am hoping to avoid them for a little while longer too.

 

[Jenny65]

This is one of my problems with taking statins, I know I will eventually take them but if there are issues I can never get to see a GP. How do you all organise any change of statin? Do you simply stop taking them? At my surgery the GP s are very prescription happy but loathe to make any change downward. Hence my dose of Metformon the very same as my first diagnosis but my Hba1c is constantly at non diabetic levels but at my review when I mention trying a reduction to see what could happen she says better keep at this level with 'if it ain't broke...' argument etc etc. Odd.

My thoughts are the same, seeing a GP face to face is impossible, and you have to wait 8 weeks to have a telephone consultation too. I was lucky that they agreed I could avoid medication for my diabetes, despite my initial HbA1C being 80, they said I could try diet and exercise and its now 40 so I have managed to swerve that one, as a previous IBS sufferer that would go to the loo up to 12 times a day, I really didn't want anything that may aggravate it, or would have to camp out in the toilet! Oddly changing my diet to 130g carbs a day sent me the other way and I was constipated but have found the right balance of carbs/fibre etc to get myself regular again (apologies for TMI) Hope you manage to persuade your GP to let you come of the metformin as your HbA1c is consistently so low now it would only seem fair to let you at least trial it with diet alone.

 

[Jenny65]

That's great to hear @Jenny65. I'm about to try my 4th statin LOL but there are other options according to my consultant. Good luck with the stubborn cholesterol!

4th Statin! wow I had no idea there were so many, is there a natural alternative to Statins do you know?

 

[Jenny65]

Nothing wrong with a moan @Jenny65! Good for the soul imho 😉 And great news about the retinopathy results 🙂

I eventually accepted statins...but it may take a few tries to find one that suits you. For instance the one I'm on my partner couldn't tolerate, and vice versa! Since they never contacted me about my last cholesterol test I'm assuming the 40mg simerverstatin I'm on is doing the trick.

Glad its working well for you, I guess its trial and error for what works, did you find you gained weight and your BG levels increased when you first went on them x

 

[Sharron1]

My thoughts are the same, seeing a GP face to face is impossible, and you have to wait 8 weeks to have a telephone consultation too. I was lucky that they agreed I could avoid medication for my diabetes, despite my initial HbA1C being 80, they said I could try diet and exercise and its now 40 so I have managed to swerve that one, as a previous IBS sufferer that would go to the loo up to 12 times a day, I really didn't want anything that may aggravate it, or would have to camp out in the toilet! Oddly changing my diet to 130g carbs a day sent me the other way and I was constipated but have found the right balance of carbs/fibre etc to get myself regular again (apologies for TMI) Hope you manage to persuade your GP to let you come of the metformin as your HbA1c is consistently so low now it would only seem fair to let you at least trial it with diet alone.

Thank you . I don't really mind taking them but I find the attitude a bit odd. I keep on asking but don't really get an answer . Tbh it worries me if I start on Statins and have problems and not know what to do. I also didn't realise there were so many different statins. I was put straight on Metformin without any discussion, I hadn't a clue what was going on it all happened so quickly. I have learnt to ask more questions

 

[Bloden]

4th Statin! wow I had no idea there were so many, is there a natural alternative to Statins do you know?

I don’t know about natural alternatives, but my consultant mentioned “other alternatives” that are just as good but not as commonly prescribed. I think fibrates are in this group, but don’t quote me!

 

[Leadinglights]

I don’t know about natural alternatives, but my consultant mentioned “other alternatives” that are just as good but not as commonly prescribed. I think fibrates are in this group, but don’t quote me!

I have heard of something called Zetia which apparently has less side effects but not often prescribed.

 

[Deb_l]

Brilliant news about your eye result Deb, its so nice to have something come back with a good/normal result isnt it. Can I ask what your cholesterol level is if you dont mind? I am hoping to avoid them for a little while longer too.

I don’t know what my cholesterol level is…….just yet, that’s why I’ve been reluctant to start taking statins.

My diabetes nurse has said my HbA1c is due for review at my next visit so they will also do a cholesterol check then. She’s was happy if that result was heading in the right direction then I could avoid statins, yay!!

 

[trophywench]

For info - Zetia is just a brand name of ezetimibe.

 

[Leadinglights]

I don’t know what my cholesterol level is…….just yet, that’s why I’ve been reluctant to start taking statins.

My diabetes nurse has said my HbA1c is due for review at my next visit so they will also do a cholesterol check then. She’s was happy if that result was heading in the right direction then I could avoid statins, yay!!

There is a theory that in reducing carbohydrates it not only reduces blood glucose but also cholesterol so you may find it has helped to do that for you.
I take a low dose atorvastatin with no side effects and it keeps my cholesterol at about 3.5 even though I have a fairly high fat but low carb diet.

 

[trophywench]

PS - statins typically have much more of a lowering effect on cholesterol than does ezetimibe. However if you don't have a result that needs reducing so are just wanting a protective effect - like my husband who now has an AAA but not increased blood cholesterol - the vascular consultant was quite happy for him to start taking e rather than insist he needed a statin. He merely said that he was a bit worried about starting statins because of the bad effects I'd suffered - though he would have to if there was no other alternative. Nobody has tried to persuade him any different and the AAA so far hasn't budged hardly since. (Next ultrasound middle of March)

 

[nonethewiser]

I don’t know about natural alternatives, but my consultant mentioned “other alternatives” that are just as good but not as commonly prescribed. I think fibrates are in this group, but don’t quote me!

Not as powerful as statins but diet rich in soluble fibre is known to help reduce cholesterol levels.