Each Day Already is a Challenge

Health stuff - me and you

I had my physical on the 13th, remember? This afternoon I talked to my doctor's nurse. I think she was surprised when I argued with her on the phone.

Back when I was still in Michigan, my doc decided that my cholesterol was a bit high, just borderline, actually, and put me on a drug to lower it. The doc scheduled me for more blood tests two weeks later, at which time my liver function tests came back looking really bad. That doc told me to never take the cholesterol lowering drugs again.

Two years ago when I had my first physical with my current doc, she said my cholesterol was a bit high, nothing serious, and tried to put me on those same drugs. I told her what the doc in Michigan said, and she changed her mind.

Today, the nurse called to inform me that my cholesterol was even higher than last time and that my doc had called in a prescription for me. I told the nurse that if the drug was in the class of drugs that lowers cholesterol, but affects liver function, I was not going to pick up the prescription.

I asked the nurse what would cause my cholesterol to raise, if I wasn't eating lots of fat (not much at all) and no one in my family suffers from it (it's not genetic). She couldn't answer that.

Since then, of course, I've been on the internet to see what causes it and what I might do to lower it by diet and/or supplements/vitamins. The next time I talk to someone at the doc's office, I'll have to find out what my exact numbers were. But even without knowing, what I determined - plugging higher numbers than my last readings into formulas I've found, it looks like my risk factor is low to moderate. So why the rush to medication? That really bugs me. The first - and usually only - answer for doctors today is to prescribe a drug. Gosh golly gee whiz. I already take so many medications. Grrrr.

Oh, I know that high cholesterol means that one is more at risk for having heart disease. But I also know I don't want my liver to be affected by taking a drug I don't absolutely need.

I have heard - on commercials (another grrrrr) - that there is at least one cholesterol lowering drug that does not affect the liver. I'm wondering...if they can make one that way, why in the world are they still selling the others?????!!!!!!

Yeppers, I think my doc's nurse was surprised that I didn't just say, "Yes, m'am. I'll run right out and get that other prescription to take." And you know what? If I didn't have fibromyalgia, I probably would have done just that.

Having something that some doctors still don't even recognize has a "real" malady has made me so much more aware of my own body and what it likes and doesn't like. I guess it's the same for anyone suffering a long-term/chronic illness, though. We sort of take control of our health, out of the hands of the medical people. And I don't think they like that. Oh well.


Did you see the news about canned meat products that might be connected to a botulism outbreak? When I logged on just now, my Yahoo front page had an update.

"Castleberry's Food Co. of Augusta recalled more than 80 types of canned chili, beef stew, corned beef hash and other meat products over the weekend, in addition to the 10 brands it recalled Thursday.

Brand names of the recalled products include Austex, Best Yet, Big Y, Black Rock, Bloom, Bryan, Bunker Hill, Castleberry's, Cattle Drive, Firefighters, Food Club, Food Lion, Goldstar, Great Value, Kroger, Lowes, Meijer, Morton House, Paramount, Piggly Wiggly, Prudence, Southern Home, Steak N Shake, Thrifty Maid, Triple Bar and Value Time. The recall also includes four varieties of Natural Balance dog food."

Now, that's scary.

Here's the whole article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070723/ap_on_re_us/chili_sauce_botulism