So, I saw the kidney doctor on Friday for my bi-annual (yay!) check up. All my blood tests look great, and my creatinine is holding at 110-112-115, which is high, but stable, and the doctor is pleased. But he tested my cholesterol and it’s high, which could cause a problem because youngish people like me with auto-immune diseases are apparently at a greater risk for heart disease.
So I said, “What do you recommend?”
He answered, “Well, we’d tell people to stop eating so much red meat and fried foods, and to control their drinking.”
Considering a) I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 14 and b) I drink once a month at the most, figuring out where the high cholesterol is coming from is a bit tricky. It could be my diet, it could be genetics, it could be anything. What’s even odder is the fact that my blood pressure is perfect, so he doesn’t even have that test to go by.
Funny how I can’t go a single doctor visit without something! But in the scheme of things, it’s a pretty common test result, and maybe it just means I might have to alter my diet more than usual. No more muffins. God, I LOVE muffins. Anyway, he’s sending me to a dietician. Who will tell me to eat more vegetables. I mean it’s not like I don’t know how to eat; it’s just a matter of finding the energy to be more organized about it all. Therein lies the challenge.
For once it might not be the disease causing the wonky test results: it could be age-old genetics. Now that is something new.
I’m so glad you’re relatively okay. And your post below, incidently, is a testament to your skill as a writer as well as a reader.
Happy Monday!
Kerry
It was determined that my elevated (not too high) cholesterol was genetic. (I’m on meds.) Change of diet, etc., didn’t do enough. However, eating almonds did reduce it a bit – just a small handful of sliced almonds a day. Very doable. A doctor at UofT discovered this – and, of course, I forget his name.
It never ends, huh?
Almonds, really? I eat a fair bit of them already — but I can absolutely do that.
Apparently, too, taking garlic helps. Which I’ll start this week too.
The last thing I want is to take more medicine. So thanks for the tips.
I sympathize about finding the time to be organized about your eating. I have all these weird food allergies and so I eat the same five things over and over – they of course are the easy ones to prepare. There is more I could eat but they would involve prep work. (I have a great squash recipe I could share with you!)
We are big fans of squash! Please send it along!