High cholesterol? Statins? Uggg

Congrats on the 27 lb wt loss (and high HDL="good" cholesterol) plus being thru BC chemo twice!

I assume you are reporting fasting lipid levels. Did the lab also calculate a ratio?

With any family history of cardiac issues, statins might offer protection against heart attack, etc. Their anti-inflammatory action is a potential advantage. You could try a low dose taken at bed time for best results.

A coenzyme Q supplement may be something else to consider especially if muscle achiness develops

Hi ladies. Slv, yes I did get high cholesterol after chemo/hormonal treatment, but managed to get it down by cutting out ALL fat for several months. It never went back up, but I was also no longer on hormonals at that time. Could have been a coincidence. I actually use a statin, combined with metformin as an actual cancer treatment. Not a decision I expect everyone to be comfortable with, but I am curious about thoughts on the COq enzyme. Yes, statins deplete that, but I'm unsure that that's not the point when it comes to battling bc. I have read that supplementing the enzyme does more harm than good, but all of this is based on my family physicians opinion. A little Google research seems to confirm that but it's the internet , so..... Anybody have any thoughts? Just spitballing while I do my own review of stuff I should/shouldn't be taking long term.

slv - I had cholesterol that climbed from a normal-low reading for total number to above 200 after a total hyst/ooph at 45 - nine years prior to breast cancer diagnosis. I was put on a statin about half way through that time period - so I had been on it for several years prior to BC treatment. I did not have regular glucose readings during that time. My glucose readings were high throughout chemo, which also involved steroid use - which can raise blood sugar, and continued to be high afterward. I continued on the statin for a couple of years post-chemo, while also being on an AI. I did have muscle/joint pain (probably mostly due to the AI drugs), and my glucose remained in the pre-diabetic range. I asked my primary care if I could go off the statin and I started a step-down in dosage with the admonition that if the numbers went up I needed to stay on. I weaned off and the number remained stable enough that my PCP actually said that due to my ratio he was not sure I should have ever been put on a statin. I did not notice a measurable decline in muscle/joint pain, but I was glad to be taking one less med. I have remained stable on the cholesterol and ratio, but my glucose has remained relatively high. I did change my eating habits and actually dropped the total cholesterol number by 30 points, did decrease my joint pain because this eating change is anti-inflammatory, but my blood sugar remains higher than I would like. I attribute this to taking the statin, and am now going to pursue asking my MO about metformin. I had asked him previously and he said I should consult my PCP, they declined putting me on it because of the GI side effects and not enough data yet on benefits for breast cancer patients. I recently had the BCI test done to determine whether remaining on an AI past five years will provide benefit. Despite my recurrence risk coming back high on the test the drug benefit tested low, so I will be looking for answers regarding any ways I can mitigate future risk.

slv - there is more discussion lately regarding cholesterol levels being less of a cardiac factor, and inflammation being more of one. That was yet another reason I decided to change what I eat, and I was quite surprised that both my glucose and A1C didn't fall lower - which may be more of an argument for me to try metformin. I did experience less joint pain though and did lose weight. Are you on any meds for the blood sugar issue? It seems like you would be a good candidate for trying metformin. I also have had some symptoms of thyroid symptoms, and test normally. At my last MO visit I had high blood calcium, he looked at my parathyroid - also normal test result.

slv - lol! It is more what I don't eat I follow the Virgin Diet (written by J.J. Virgin, definitely doesn't turn one back into a virgin, ha!) and you eliminate, and I mean completely, dairy, sugar, eggs, soy, corn, peanuts, and gluten - according to this diet for 30 days. Then you can add things back in one week at a time to see what things you react to. The only thing I added back was eggs, and I only eat them sparingly. I originally tried this because I had been unable to lose weight with old-school calorie counting and sensible eating combined with exercise, 5-6 miles daily and some gym work. I lost absolutely nothing and I was very frustrated as brisk walking daily with the South Beach diet had always worked for me in the past. My former boss tried the Virgin Diet to try to help arthritis in her hands - she is a blood banking medical technologist and her license requires her to be manually dexterous and she was really struggling with synovial cysts and pain. So, she tried this and could make a fist in less than a week! She was probably a size 8-10 prior to the diet and was not to lose weight, but she started losing, and she kept going until she was a size 4-6! She did not exercise at all. I started the diet in Jan 2014 and had three back to back surgeries in Mar/Apr/May so was not exercising and I still lost 22 lbs by the end of May. My LE was better, my joint pain was better and I just felt less bloated and slow, and dropped the cholesterol points - but not my blood sugar. This is a HARD diet, I will not lie. You have to be committed and really be a detective about labels and eat very little processed food. I found the best way to follow it is to eat whole food in its most natural form, and have go to condiments that you have researched and know are suitable. If you are interested I can certainly provide those. Here is a link to a blog that gives a good summary. I did buy the books, but if I had it to do over I would skip her first book and go straight to the cookbook because it explains enough about the premise of the diet.

http://www.chewfo.com/diets/the-virgin-diet-by-jj-virgin-2012-what-to-eat-and-foods-to-avoid-food-list/

Eeesh on the primary care not knowing what TN BC is - that makes it hard to be confident. I have a revolving door of primary care as I am seen at a military base - sometimes I get a new one and I haven't even met the outgoing one yet, lol! The saving grace is a women's health nurse practitioner that has been through BMX and recon, and the person who handles my referrals - who is also a nurse - who is the bomb, love her to pieces. I even took her flowers, she has been a great help.