The Old Folks Home

[Hermits Garden]

Morning all!

Went to the doctor yesterday. Told him how good I was feeling and about my inability to take statins and what did he do? RX me another statin drug to try.

Sigh. Sometimes I wonder about the medical profession.

I tired one tablet last night. Glad that once again I didn't tolerate it, upset stomach, bowel cramps, fatigue, feeling ill..danged RX is over 300$ He gave me samples but if he thinks I'm paying 348$ a month for a drug that makes me feel like heck, he's got another thing coming. If I'm going to feel miserable, I'd much rather have fun doing it, like partying with friends, too much good food, too much good drink, etc to the tune of 348$

You're going to think I'm nuts (okay, I am, but aside from that) but I have a weird diet that completely controls my cholesterol, and it's one that just about makes the doc's head explode. It's not for everybody, but you have to be as desperate as I was: strict carnivore.

For seven years this March, I haven't eaten a single bite of any plant food. No lettuce, nuts, no fruits, veggies, or grains. My cholesterol went down 20 points in the first six months! At first it was hard to do, but now I don't even think about food til my belly growls. Then I go eat meat, eggs, and cheese in some form or another, and go about my life. Almost forgot to add: I don't take ANY vitamin or mineral supplements.

I'm not recommending this as an answer, but as counter-intuitive as it sounds, cutting starches, sugars, and refined carbs (flour, rice, pasta, bread, etc) makes more progress against the cholesterol than cutting saturated fats. Hugs--hope you feel better.

 

[microchick]

You're going to think I'm nuts (okay, I am, but aside from that) but I have a weird diet that completely controls my cholesterol, and it's one that just about makes the doc's head explode. It's not for everybody, but you have to be as desperate as I was: strict carnivore.

For seven years this March, I haven't eaten a single bite of any plant food. No lettuce, nuts, no fruits, veggies, or grains. My cholesterol went down 20 points in the first six months! At first it was hard to do, but now I don't even think about food til my belly growls. Then I go eat meat, eggs, and cheese in some form or another, and go about my life. Almost forgot to add: I don't take ANY vitamin or mineral supplements.

I'm not recommending this as an answer, but as counter-intuitive as it sounds, cutting starches, sugars, and refined carbs (flour, rice, pasta, bread, etc) makes more progress against the cholesterol than cutting saturated fats. Hugs--hope you feel better.

Actually, I don't think you are insane at all. I have heard of that before and yes, it does work for some people.

One of the things is that I've read that the incidence of coronary artery disease in the Eskimo population has had a lower incidence of CVD until recently. Once their diet was mainly mammal meat high in Omega oils. They have begun to 'westernize' their diets and the incidence of coronary vascular disease is on the rise in that group now.

My problem is that I'm juggling two different diets now. One for Diverticulitis, which means no red meats, no seeds no nuts-plus I'm allergic to tree nuts- Plus limiting or eliminating sugars and white flours to help keep inflammation down. Along with that I have chronic gastritis. I eat lots of chicken seafood and poultry in general along with veggies. Can't even eat all veggies thanks to the diverticular disease. I brought my cholesterol down over 20 points just switching to the current diets. My stomach won't tolerate rich foods, pastries, deserts, etc so that limits the sugary snacks.

Dinner for me is chicken breast or skinned leg quarter. Baked or broiled. No fried foods at all. With a veggie on the side. Once a week I have sweet potatoes which are allowed and hand cut baked French fries. My guilty pleasure are wheat thin snack crackers or cheeze it snack crackers and jello.

My stomach won't even tolerate ice cream right now but it's such a pleasure to have my stomach NOT hurting that it's worth the price I'm paying with the diet.

So I'm walking a fine line with what I can eat and have to stay away from to keep flares from happening

 

[CapricornFarm]

And here we am wishing I still had eggs to collect...anywhere. Miss having chickens. Sometimes.

Come collect some of mine, lol.

 

[Hermits Garden]

Actually, I don't think you are insane at all. I have heard of that before and yes, it does work for some people.

One of the things is that I've read that the incidence of coronary artery disease in the Eskimo population has had a lower incidence of CVD until recently. Once their diet was mainly mammal meat high in Omega oils. They have begun to 'westernize' their diets and the incidence of coronary vascular disease is on the rise in that group now.

My problem is that I'm juggling two different diets now. One for Diverticulitis, which means no red meats, no seeds no nuts-plus I'm allergic to tree nuts- Plus limiting or eliminating sugars and white flours to help keep inflammation down. Along with that I have chronic gastritis. I eat lots of chicken seafood and poultry in general along with veggies. Can't even eat all veggies thanks to the diverticular disease. I brought my cholesterol down over 20 points just switching to the current diets. My stomach won't tolerate rich foods, pastries, deserts, etc so that limits the sugary snacks.

Dinner for me is chicken breast or skinned leg quarter. Baked or broiled. No fried foods at all. With a veggie on the side. Once a week I have sweet potatoes which are allowed and hand cut baked French fries. My guilty pleasure are wheat thin snack crackers or cheeze it snack crackers and jello.

My stomach won't even tolerate ice cream right now but it's such a pleasure to have my stomach NOT hurting that it's worth the price I'm paying with the diet.

So I'm walking a fine line with what I can eat and have to stay away from to keep flares from happening

I know about the diverticulitis--had a third of my color removed in 2010--from chronic acute attacks. Started the carnivore diet in 2015, but up til then I did Atkins. The "franken-foods" on that just tore me up, all the artificial sweetners, and I discovered I felt soooo much better when I left off the veggies. That's how I got curious about eating only meat, eggs, and cheese, and decided to research to see if it was a thing. It is! I've forgotten what sweet tastes like, and I sure don't miss it.

 

[Sally PB]

I tired one tablet last night. Glad that once again I didn't tolerate it, upset stomach, bowel cramps, fatigue, feeling ill..danged RX is over 300$ He gave me samples but if he thinks I'm paying 348$ a month for a drug that makes me feel like heck, he's got another thing coming.

After reading about the crap people are dealing with with their doctors, I know my doc is going to get an earful if he does anything like that. Should he ever suggest statins, I will flat out tell him NO.

A friend of mine is a doctor, and I read her the numbers on my last blood test. She was impressed with how good they are. I asked, even though my overall cholesterol is 202? Yes, because the individual numbers are fine to excellent. She asked what some numbers were last year, as a comparison, and said, it probably means that that is you.

She says she is disgusted with our medical care system.

 

[microchick]

After reading about the crap people are dealing with with their doctors, I know my doc is going to get an earful if he does anything like that. Should he ever suggest statins, I will flat out tell him NO.

A friend of mine is a doctor, and I read her the numbers on my last blood test. She was impressed with how good they are. I asked, even though my overall cholesterol is 202? Yes, because the individual numbers are fine to excellent. She asked what some numbers were last year, as a comparison, and said, it probably means that that is you.

She says she is disgusted with our medical care system.

Like I said, I dropped my overall numbers to 217 from 237 but my individual numbers weren't good. Good Cholesterol was okay, bad was up a bit and the triglycerides were up a bit. Not much. Just enough to be off. normal under 150 and mine were 159.

It's like, tell me what NOT to eat and I won't eat it. That's what I asked but came out with med.

Not happy. Not taking any more of it. The end.

 

[microchick]

I know about the diverticulitis--had a third of my color removed in 2010--from chronic acute attacks. Started the carnivore diet in 2015, but up til then I did Atkins. The "franken-foods" on that just tore me up, all the artificial sweetners, and I discovered I felt soooo much better when I left off the veggies. That's how I got curious about eating only meat, eggs, and cheese, and decided to research to see if it was a thing. It is! I've forgotten what sweet tastes like, and I sure don't miss it.

Oh WOW! You understand. Aren't those acute attacks fun....Not.

So far I have been doing well since I went on the strict diet. No acute attacks in the past 8 months. I was having them pretty regularly before that without even realizing what was happening to me. Some chronic stuff but no more bleeds and that is what I was shooting for.

The gastritis keeps me in line as to what I can and cannot eat. Too rich, too sweet definitely a no no. Too greasy the same.

Last weekend I got ravenously hungry for some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies so I made up a batch. Set down with 4 warm from the oven and a big glass of cold milk gobbled them down and after that my stomach went....okay, you got that out of your system. No more or else. So that was that.

I can tolerate Stevia and Sweet and Low but nothing else as far as sweeteners are concerned. I feel better if I avoid sugar so I avoid it. Low fat on everything. No fried, no cruciferous veggies.

Chicken, poultry and fish/seafood I love so no problem for me sticking to that. Not that hot on beef or pork so I don't miss it.

What I miss is being able to take anti inflammatory NSAIDs for my arthritis pain. Two doctors have told me no. They used to give me steroids/oral and that is a no also. My gastritis I was told had some 'oozing' of blood in places so I don't need to have a major bleed there any more than I need another from my gut.

Every time I get the urge to eat something I shouldn't I remember laying on the bathroom floor vomiting and almost unconscious from the severity of the pain and the way my stomach can feel when it is in a bad flare and suddenly eating whatever I want at that moment isn't nearly as appealing.

I'm sorry to hear that you have gone through what you have. It isn't fun at all.

I'm trying to transition over to whole wheat with pastas and the like. But I find that if I stick to that diet I do pretty well.

 

[ronott1]

Like I said, I dropped my overall numbers to 217 from 237 but my individual numbers weren't good. Good Cholesterol was okay, bad was up a bit and the triglycerides were up a bit. Not much. Just enough to be off. normal under 150 and mine were 159.

It's like, tell me what NOT to eat and I won't eat it. That's what I asked but came out with med.

Not happy. Not taking any more of it. The end.

My LDL and Total Cholesterol jumped from total cholesterol: 187 to 217 and LDL from: 118 to 144 in a short time as a side effect of Thiazide diuretics. They wanted me to take statins instead of stopping the diuretic. I stopped the diuretic and got:

Total Cholesterol did the same thing. Some people have this reaction to thiazide diuretics.

 

[microchick]

My LDL and Total Cholesterol jumped from total cholesterol: 187 to 217 and LDL from: 118 to 144 in a short time as a side effect of Thiazide diuretics. They wanted me to take statins instead of stopping the diuretic. I stopped the diuretic and got:

View attachment 3091157
Total Cholesterol did the same thing. Some people have this reaction to thiazide diuretics.

They pulled HCTZ from me about 8 years ago after taking it for years. They said it was dehydrating me and throwing off my blood chemistry.

 

[Back 30]

I see you lurking there!

Okay, lets start a discussion. I have 45 or so chickens and three guineas. I want everything else I see, goats, geese, llamas, donkeys. I am conflicted between my love of my animals and the concessions my family has to make for me to have them. There is the time I must devote to them, the money I spend that could be put elsewhere and the emotional attachment I develope. Is there anyone else who worries that they are not being fair to the rest of the clan?

Every day... we have to carve out time for the mains... The dog, the cat, our persons.. but spring time is a very busy time. The more you have to love, the less everything gets loved. That or sacrifices get made and even if it's not... Sure does feel like neglect.