Triglycerides?

[Kathy]

I did all my pre-op stuff this week and got my results back. My EKG, x-ray and bloodwork were all good. The nurse did say my triglycerides were a little high, 160 and should be below 150. I read on the American Heart Association website a little about them; but still don't 'get it'. Anyone have an easy explanation of them? I have high cholesterol that is controlled with Vytorin and am in good health (other than back stuff), my BMI is normal, although I don't get much exercise because of my back pain. So, anyone else have this issue? What causes it? I'm sure, or at least hope, it is not a surgery deal breaker.

[labeng]

Hi Kathy,
Triglycerides are one of three components that make up your total cholesterol report, the other two being HDL (high density lipoprotein, the good), and LDL (low density lipoprotein, the bad).

It’s my understanding that triglycerides basically indicate how much fat is in your bloodstream. Don’t confuse that with body fat, though being overweight can increase your triglycerides, a slender person can also be high. The higher the reading, the thicker your blood will actually be. Which, given enough time, can contribute to fatty deposits in the artery walls and increase the risk for stroke.

There is a ton of info on the net on how to decrease your triglycerides. Most of which will point to exercise and reducing your trans fat and carb intake. Actually 160 is high but not extremely high, <150 is recommended, closer to 100 is excellent. Carbs are converted to glucose and excess glucose can end up as fat in the bloodstream. One of the reasons that exercise helps is because your muscles use up more of that glucose as fuel, leaving less behind to get converted into fat, whether it be around the waistline, in the bloodstream or both. Having back pain, I can relate to how hard it is to exercise sometimes.

Regards,
Larry

[Eastex]

Kathy,
Ask your doctor about taking Tricor for your triglycerides. Mine were super high. I can't remember what they were exactly, but I am pretty sure they were a couple hundred more! It scared me to death. Stay away from fast food if you eat it presently. One thing that I have noticed after my surgery is that my blood pressure is about perfect. I have taking Micardis HCT for it the last few years. It helps, but before surgery it was always high. Can anybody explain why it is better now?

[Kathy]

Larry, thanks for the information. I wonder why it is not controlled by Vytorin, since that is for cholesterol?
Eastex- Is that a drug just for triglycerides? Maybe your blood pressure is lower because your body is more relaxed (from not being in so much pain)? Just a guess, bet Justin will know or have a good idea.

[labeng]

Kathy,

It’s my understanding that much of the cholesterol meds do also help to lower triglycerides, including Vytorin. Just how much varies from one individual to the next and also by what your dosage is. Your triglycerides were probably higher before you started taking the Vytorin.

Triglyceride levels do however respond well to diet and exercise, even more so than the HDL and LDL…so as I’ve been told.

Regards,
Larry

[Terry Allen Blackburn]

I have been on Zetia for cholesterol and Tricor for triglycerides for years. They do a great job getting my stuff under control.

Terry Newton

[Gil Denis]

Hi All
I you all know I stopped taking Lipitor to calm down nerve pain and burning in my legs.
Now I no longer have the burning but still have nerve pain.
I was put on a new cocktail for high cholesterol,Fish oil, B12 injections, and CoQ10 to replace what the Lipitor removed from my body.
I am hoping that this helps my ratio HDL, LDL and TRI.
Exercise daily, eating healthy,and feeling better.
I`ll keep you posted to see how this plays out
Take Care

Gil

[Maria]

Hi Kathy,
As you've seen in another thread I too have elevated cholesterol and my LDL is high so I'm supposed to be taking a statin drug and guess I better get on it as per the cardiologist's input.

I don't like what I read about potential side effects of the drugs but I realize that building up plaque in my arteries isn't a good option either and potentially a fatal one or devastating in the way of a stroke...

With a family history of high cholesterol, hypertension, stroke, heart attack pretty heavily on my mother's side of the family (and cancer) I know I have to guard my cardiac health.

My father's mother died early in life (age 45-50) and the cause sounded like CHF but per my father's report it was "I don't know"... still the symptoms sounded very much like congestive heart failure and/or conditions caused by it.

So here we go.. got to be a responsible adult (ugh).. I just finished a bag of blue chips last night for dinner with melted swiss cheese over them~ yep, I was partying in my own way before I restart my meds and a very watchful nutritional pattern (with an occasional fling thrown in here and there!)!!

[treefrog]

Larry, great explanation on triglycerides. I won't go into all my beliefs on cholesterol, but I will say that eliminating sugar and reducing the amount of starches that I eat, has reduced my triglycerides and increased my HDL. It also helped me drop 42 lbs, though about 5-10 of those have come back with the pain meds and lack of better eating from being in pain (I just can't cook for myself the way I used to, so am frequently at the mercy of my boyfriend).

[Maria]

Congrats on the weight loss! I too am working on changing my diet with similar eliminations as yourself and some big changes in what I eat~ I really do watch fat grams as well as what I eat.

[treefrog]

Thanks Maria. It has been about 5 years since I started to lose the weight. I would say it took me about a year and a half to do it. I'm kind of bummed that I have put on these pounds over the last few months. But I know once I am out of pain, and back to doing everything I used to do for myself, that I can easily lose it again.