Stroke effects

[6.7 CTD]

I take Xarelto. I wonder if that would have prevented the stroke my brother had.

I’m sorry to hear about your brother and wish him a speedy recovery. Anticoagulants aid in the prevention of blood clots, not the dislodging or movement of arterial plaque. I work in healthcare, if you’re wondering about my input. Prayers for you and your family during this difficult time.

 

[Cujet]

Stroke is a cardiovascular disease. Cardio is caused by one and only one thing, crap diet. Processed foods and animal products. It is impossible to get cardiovascular disease if you eat a starch based, whole plant food diet.

See 2016 JAMA US Burden of Disease Assessment. #1 cause of premature death and disability, "Diet".
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2678018

Utterly incorrect.

Egyptian mummies had calcified arteries, and plenty of vegans die of CVD.

EPIC-Oxford (2021): Vegetarians had a 22% lower risk of ischemic heart disease than meat-eaters
Adventist Health Study-2 (2019): Vegans had a 19% lower risk of CVD mortality

Interestingly, ethanol in very small quantities reduces CVD risk substantially. More than diet can do, with a full 20% reduction in all cause mortality and 34% reduction in CVD , benefits are equal between 24cc and 175cc (one glass of red wine) wine per day.

 

[Shrike9]

Stroke is a cardiovascular disease. Cardio is caused by one and only one thing, crap diet. Processed foods and animal products. It is impossible to get cardiovascular disease if you eat a starch based, whole plant food diet.

See 2016 JAMA US Burden of Disease Assessment. #1 cause of premature death and disability, "Diet".
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2678018

Totally wrong, plant based starch diet is garbage while eating meat is good for you and you can live off of meat forever & stay very healthy

 

[Lubener]

Stroke is a cardiovascular disease. Cardio is caused by one and only one thing, crap diet. Processed foods and animal products. It is impossible to get cardiovascular disease if you eat a starch based, whole plant food diet.

See 2016 JAMA US Burden of Disease Assessment. #1 cause of premature death and disability, "Diet".
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2678018

I disagree...Genetics also must be considered.

 

[bbhero]

I am sorry to hear of this and I hope he recovers well. A friend of mine is back driving and living his life, although he does use Tesla's Full Self Driving quite a bit now.

Stroke is very common and we need to be honest about it. Diet and exercise do not eliminate the risk. It has been said that a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of stroke in older men about 30%. While a 30% reduction in risk is not insignificant, it means we have a long way to go towards preventing cardio-vascular issues. They are a leading cause of disaster.

I've had my health issues, and the journey has been eye opening.

Some sobering thoughts:

By age 70, ~75–80% of men have already had a cardiovascular event or diagnosis
Nearly 100% of men who reach age 90+ will have at least one diagnosed cardiovascular condition
After age 50, 25% of men will experience some form of stroke, ischemic or hemorrhagic.


Reality check: Egyptian mummies with preserved hearts showed heart disease and calcification with levels similar to today.

Exactly ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In this real world.. One can technically do “ all the right things”…. And something bad happens.

A statin is nice but doesn’t do but so much.

A daily baby aspirin is not a bad idea if not contraindicated for men over 60 years old… And candidly I think a dose of 325 mg of aspirin a day may well be needed by certain people with certain family histories…

My step father as diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in 2008.. Had open heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic..

One physician took him off his daily aspirin… And he clearly was not right cognitively and it was obvious to my mom and me he wasn’t doing well… Mom got mad as hell and had him see another physician. Got him back on his aspirin and voila… back to normal.

Guys… little changes in your medication can absolutely make a HUGE difference… Do t take that lightly… Your ability to feel well or feel bad can be changed drastically sometimes by small changes in your medications…

Pay attention to those changes…. LISTEN to your significant others…

It could make all the difference in how things go for you.

 

[bbhero]

I take Xarelto. I wonder if that would have prevented the stroke my brother had.

Donald… yeah I think that possibility is definitely there.

 

[Donald]

My brother moved from ICU to regular hospital room and is now cleared to go to a rehab place. So waiting for a bed at a rehab place in Boston.

 

[wavinwayne]

I hope your brother makes a full recovery!

 

[alarmguy]

Stroke is a cardiovascular disease. Cardio is caused by one and only one thing, crap diet. Processed foods and animal products. It is impossible to get cardiovascular disease if you eat a starch based, whole plant food diet.

See 2016 JAMA US Burden of Disease Assessment. #1 cause of premature death and disability, "Diet".
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2678018

This is not entirely true. I eat an amazing healthy diet and I have for a good portion of my life, decades, I have avoided heart by-passes and diabetes (so far)
The male side of my is a train wreck, they did not follow the same lifestyle as me. My dad died at 69, at 62 he had a quad heart by-pass and diabetes, My brother currently alive has the same as my dad, modern technology allows him so far to live a fairly good and active life. It regulates his heart beat and also the beat between the two chambers as well as a built in AED all the size of less than a pack of cigs. Inside his body.

Me? Stellar blood lipid levels, (I have posted them in here before and can again if doubting me) Stupid low LDL levels, cholesterol numbers, you name it, I am typically less than half the recommended maximum on everything. Whats more is I avoid all processed foods as much as I can, that means NEVER any fast food, NEVER any fried food. My wife is a good cook and we eat at home 6 nights a week and when we dine out, I dine on food that can not be overly processed. Actually I eat a fair amount of broiled (NEVER FIRED) wild caught fish too.

SO what I am I getting at? I am VERY knowledgable in the heart and circulatory workings as I ALWWAY swore I would do everything not to go through my father or older brother experiences. Around 2020 I did have a PVC issue. PVCs are known as harmless and many people have them but mine got to the point of excessive. I had an ablation, in the hospital and out the end of the same day. They went through my veins and burned the short circuit inside my heart. This gets rid of the short circuit, Really like a spark plug, when the plug fired it was taking a short cut.

Ok, so being so knowledge able, before the above I always complained to my doctor about sensations in my chest that were freaking scary all the time in the middle of the night. After reviewing my terrible family history they used a stress test I did as an excuse to do an ANGIOGRAM because I WANTED one. It's the gold standard to check for blockages around your heart. Actually AMAZING, you are semi awake while they run wires from your leg artery and thread them up to your heart. I vaguely remember looking at the wall of large display screens as they injected the dye.

Bottom line? Doctors comments were I "have plaque all over the place" however at low levels of 20% which is the lowest an angiogram can detect. To give you an idea, a stress test can only detect blockages in the 70% + range. SO I encourage ANYONE getting a stress test, take the option if offered by your doctor to go that extra step for an angiogram.

Which leads me to this. Why do I have plaque all over my body, (also revealed by lastest scans for prostate cancer) I have HIGH LIPO A and NOTHING can be done about it. 20% roughly has high LIPO A, Its heredity and affects roughly 1/5th the population. LIPO A is known as the other bad cholesterol/ They are on the "cusp" of drugs to control it other then that there is no way. Anyway, my good cardiologist told me about it two years ago and wanted to test me for it because soon there will be a drug. He was right on the money, my LIPO A was around 15 double what it should be and no way to bring it down. There are two ways being used to measure it at the current time.
So what we are doing, its trying to go to extremes bring down the LDL which I run typically below 70 to as close to 0 as possible with 20 the goal. That will make sure at least the LDL wont be contributing anything since it can be controlled to the bad LIPO A that cant be controlled.

I would encourage EVERYONE to ask their doctor to also run a LIPO A test only if you are motivated and have the low levels of the other bad Lipids under control first. You can research on your own but this is a good start with even more links in the story.
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/genetic-conditions/lipoprotein-a-risks

"How do I lower my Lp(a)?
While lifestyle changes don’t affect your Lp(a) numbers, doctors recommend people with high Lp(a) stay active, eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, avoid smoking, and maintain a healthy body mass index, or BMI."
...

@Donald best wishes for your brother.

 

[Leo99]

It's important to realize that "no-one gets out alive".

The main causes of death vary by age but for the Bob group (statistically speaking) most people will die from heart attack, stroke or cancer. A small number could die from accidents, drowning, overdoses or other misadventures.

All we can do is try to put "that day" off for as long as possible. A sensible diet, not smoking, exercise, control of blood pressure, etc all help to put that day off. But nothing stops the march of time.

At 77 I've lost a number of friends and to be honest, very few of those deaths could be chalked up to poor lifestyle choices. Most died of cancer or heart attacks, but suicide, accidents and uncommon and untreatable medical conditions (ALS, inclusion body myositis) also put in an appearance.

Many people fear cancer more than stroke or heart disease. It's almost like cancer is something scary and that other people get. Heart disease and strokes are what a lot of our loved ones died from so we're familiar with that.

I take Lipitor and Eliquis and hope for the best.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

How do most feel about taking the drugs they called statins?

I have been placed on a once a week shot for type 2 diabetes around a little over a year ago. It is working out perfect as far as blood sugar A1C etc... even lost about 30-40 pounds in that time. Feeling much better.

They also reviewed my blood work with me. When I first got the report in the mail I told the wife "they messed up and sent me someone else's blood work results. It was entirely too good for me to accept until I made them do another one within 6 months and it came back almost identical (near perfect).

Issue I am dealing with now is newer medicines.

They have me following up with an intern in the endo's office who deiced to place me on Statins.
Reason is they say because it is just what they do for folks my age with type 2. I instantly had bad reaction and side effects. Severe joint pains definitely not needed for a fellow who has suffered from chronic pains along with messed up spine and joints across my entire body for the past 15 years or more. Inoperable for years with opinions from (4) respected neurosurgeons who told me the TRUTH. Thank GOD. I was told I have 51 bad spots from neck to tail bone. Sacroiliac joint back to the neck where I have a fusion.

Spine Surgeons told me" Sam, we can do surgery. Sure. BUT we do not want to or advise it. We would need an entire day. A tool box full of metal, screws and plates etc... then the issue is the TRUTH you will not like. We can not say at all if you would even be one per cent better off and most like you end up in more pain.

So the path forward has been - pain meds since I can take ZERO NSAIDS due to bleeding too easy. Pain meds and trigger point injections as needed due to the fact the usual epidural injections they normally give with some success to patients do more to hurt me than to help my conditions. Spine is said to be twisting with many pinched nerves and some herniated spots along with arthritis from top to bottom. I do occasionally take injections of Toradol for inflammation when i can not stand the pain. I am able to take the Toradol shots because it does not enter thru the digestive tract without the possible cause of any bleeding. So that is a good thing at times.

Anyway. I have had a couple very good E.R. Doctors as well as a couple cardio guys tell me they too have been urged to take the "precaution doses" of statins and they too have refused to take them due to all of the unwanted problematic side effects that they feel it is not worth it to put up with to take the statins.

Who/How are some of the others here @BITOG dealing with statins? I realize some have a serious need (heart/blood work wise) to reasons that must require taking them daily. Just curious what others are dealing with in regards to the statins.

 

[ripcord]

My great grandmother had a bad stroke at 74, spent a couple of weeks in the hospital and then went on to live into her late nineties. She kept a huge garden and stayed active and relatively healthy for most of her remaining years. Praying your brother has the same outcome.

 

[69GTX]

Just what is a healthy diet today? Our food is grown in depleted soils compared to decades ago and often laced with chemicals........meaning less nutrients. Same goes for our water.....the air too.....more chemicals, toxins than ever. There are nutrients that we are almost certainly deficient in unless you supplement at least part of the year......like Vitamin D3 for example. And there are many others that unless you eat an incredibly varied and dense diet of natural foods, you just can't get all the nutrients you need for optimum
health. And we're not getting any help from our PCP's as most don't know very much about peak nutrition.

 

[shortyb]

How do most feel about taking the drugs they called statins?

Who/How are some of the others here @BITOG dealing with statins? I realize some have a serious need (heart/blood work wise) to reasons that must require taking them daily. Just curious what others are dealing with in regards to the statins.

Sammy, been on Atorvastatin (a generic for Lipitor) for over a decade now with no cardiovascular side effects. After my bypass (CABG x5), my cardiologist implored me to take a CoQ-10 supplement to help prevent those side effects. Been doing that since and have really good results from taking it. It has basically kept the cardio side of me chugging right along. Liver enzymes took a slight hit initially, but have been in the "normal" range for 9+ years. The typical endo "male" side effects have not manifested and basically pole vault out of bed each morning. Only thing that is cautiously troubling is my kidney function. Last eGFR was 54, but doc doesn't know for certain if it's from the statin or that my kidneys were beat up so much with my uncontrolled blood pressure pre-heart surgery. Or both. Either way, it has been stable right at that rate post surgery and my statin dosage has remained the same so probably more BP related than statin. Doc says BP meds usually cause more kidney function issues than statins do anyway, so is not concerned about them (statin) or my current dosage. The benefit of way lower "bad" lipids (ldl, vldl, triglycerides etc.) on the statin has far outweighed any side effect otherwise for me. Until that changes, I plan to motor on.

 

[alarmguy]

.... LIPO A is known as the other bad cholesterol/ They are on the "cusp" of drugs to control it other then that there is no way. Anyway, my good cardiologist told me about it two years ago and wanted to test me for it because soon there will be a drug. He was right on the money, my LIPO A was around 15 double what it should be and no way to bring it down. There are two ways being used to measure it at the current time.
...

Replying to myself in order to correct a typo in my post #29 (I suck at typing many times*LOL*)

Should say "my Lipo A was" 116.5 when they look for it to be lower than 75. Actually some suggest lower.

 

[alarmguy]

...

Who/How are some of the others here @BITOG dealing with statins? I realize some have a serious need (heart/blood work wise) to reasons that must require taking them daily. Just curious what others are dealing with in regards to the statins.

First I am really glad to hear that you lost weight and also have your blood sugar uncontrolled. Great news!

Yeah, my doctors staff put me on at first Atorvastatin as a precaution even though I didnt want one.
I agreed to it ...
It was a min low dose so I did it. As you see in posts in here my family history is a train wreck. However I had an issue with Atorvastatin. It was messing with my digestive system. I called the cardiologists office and so they switched me to 5mg Rosuvastatin. I have been taking it for a few years now and my LDL has been at their target of below 70 and it's been perfect in the sense no issues at all. FYI My LDL was always in the good range but we are shooting for EXTREME lows.

Last year, after finding out I have the dreaded uncontrollable, inherited High Lipo A my cardiologist suggested trying to get my LDL as close to 0 as possible, even 20 though normal is 100 or less. So in that suggestion even though I was below 70 already it was suggested in 2024 to up my Rosuvastatin from 5 mg to 10 mg. Still considered a dose at the lower end. I said lets wait a year and see what I can do with controlling my diet even more...
Anyway, even though this years LDL was wonderfully low at 59 on the 5mg dose even while undergoing treatment for prostate cancer I reminded him we were going to try 10mg, so I started taking it a month ago. I will find out next year if I get closer to an LDL of below 30, 20 would be great. I have no side effects at all.

This was my 10/2025 LDL result taking 5mg Rosuvastatin he did say increasing it to 10 MG does not have the same effect as if I started at 10mg ... I'll find out in about six months the new number. Typically it would be next 10/2026 but I have a medical oncologist who checks my blood every six months right now so I think next April I will find out.

After typing all this I am on the fence now if I should have increased it to 10mg as my LDL is so low as it is... I could go back to 5mg at anytime. Im not big on taking drugs if diet can change things but nothing currently can change High Lipo A so by getting the other bad stuff as low as possible at least should help.

10/2025 result taking 5mg Rosuvastatin while undergoing prostate cancer treatment for 9 months starting 1/2025 Pretty good number.

 

[alarmguy]

Just what is a healthy diet today? ... And we're not getting any help from our PCP's as most don't know very much about peak nutrition.

Whole Foods prepared at home. No fast food, no soft drinks or juices, just water, unsweetened tea,. No snack foods, a snack should be a nice crispy apple or yummy sweet orange. Common sense clean whole foods. I have been thinking about this stuff a long time and when you think about it, break it down, it really is simple. If nature makes it, eat it unadulterated by corporations. It will be hands and feet above what a corporation makes.

If one can do that, forget about the perversion of what they do to natural grown food if you buy whole foods and prepare yourself, no chemicals it is still mountains better for you than any manufactured corporate food.

Interestingly a year or two or three back my daughter told me about an app for my phone. It's called YUKA and it's fantastic for those who want to eliminate all the manufactured chemicals added to products in supermarkets. (FYI I do not pay anything for the app or any options and it it still very "clean" no spam etc) You just scan the bar code on the product that you want to buy and as fast as you can snap your finger it rates that item on a scale of 100. It will also tell you what the problem with the product is based on the listed chemicals it gets from the bar scan and lists them one by one, it is quite shocking.
It is quite scary all the crap Americans put in their body, even stuff banned in the E/U is in our food here. (and let's not even get into what you are ingesting in restaurants or fast food)

YUKA is available on Google Play and Apple Play
One can find criticism on anything healthy. YUKA in a snap of a finger tells you what is in the product and what chemicals. My belief is any criticism is funded by the food industry. Simply because clean unadulterated food that you prepare does not have the loads of Chemicals that corporations use in food.

It's a fun app. There is no "magic" here. The app simply reads the bar code of the product which tells it what is in the product. You will be shocked. Example, go try to find unadulterated loaf of bread. Yet decades ago that would not have been hard to find. At Costco the other day, I scanned a loaf I was going to buy, it was rated ok I think and a score of 49 out of 100... it lists the bad ingredient in the product. Then I go over to a two pack of "Daves Organic Bread" Its the only item I ever saw score a 100. Amazing. I do not eat a lot of bread or buy it often. I freeze it. Sometimes I will have a homemade tuna or chicken sandwich for dinner leaving my wife free to eat something that might be a bit too fatty for me. That's another subject regarding fat, we all think it's all bad but is much more complicated than that even though I avoid it there are ways where it isnt bad. Most of it again comes down to UNPROCESSED food vs what it is you are eating. I dont know enough about the fat thing, I know another in here does.

 

[69GTX]

Whole Foods prepared at home. No fast food, no soft drinks or juices, just water, unsweetened tea,. No snack foods, a snack should be a nice crispy apple or yummy sweet orange. Common sense clean whole foods. I have been thinking about this stuff a long time and when you think about it, break it down, it really is simple. If nature makes it, eat it unadulterated by corporations. It will be hands and feet above what a corporation makes.

If one can do that, forget about the perversion of what they do to natural grown food if you buy whole foods and prepare yourself, no chemicals it is still mountains better for you than any manufactured corporate food.

Example, go try to find unadulterated loaf of bread. Yet decades ago that would not have been hard to find. At Costco the other day, I scanned a loaf I was going to buy, it was rated ok I think and a score of 49 out of 100... it lists the bad ingredient in the product. Then I go over to a two pack of "Daves Organic Bread" Its the only item I ever saw score a 100. Amazing. I do not eat a lot of bread or buy it often. I freeze it. Sometimes I will have a homemade tuna or chicken sandwich for dinner leaving my wife free to eat something that might be a bit too fatty for me. That's another subject regarding fat, we all think it's all bad but is much more complicated than that even though I avoid it there are ways where it isnt bad. Most of it again comes down to UNPROCESSED food vs what it is you are eating. I dont know enough about the fat thing, I know another in here does.

Bread, pasta, most seed oils, sugars......there really aren't any good options. Best is not to eat them.....or at least minimize them. I started my research back in 2009 when I went on the first "health" kick in my life at age 55. Learned a ton....went from 225 to 170 lbs and superbly fit with low body fat. My body inflammation markers were very, very low. Did lots of fruit back then including apples. These days, I don't think you can find a "healthy" apple anywhere....even ones claimed to be "organic." There are approved organic pesticides and chemicals too. These days I don't even bother with apples. The veggies I eat are advertised as organic, who knows if they are truly healthy. You'd have to grow everything in your garden to be sure......or from a local farm you know to be 100% legitimate. Same for the meats and eggs. As always, just do the best you can.

There's also the risk of having "too low cholesterol"....which might lead to earlier dementia. You can overdo a "good thing." I think I did that at my "healthiest" when my LDL, Triglycerides, and other "bad" Lipid markers were "in the weeds." Just like taking blood pressure meds when you are "over 120/80." I've seen reputable studies where for those over age 70-75, your optimum BP for the lowest mortality risk is around around 130-140 / 80-90.....you do still have to pump the blood back from your extremities, and it takes more pressure as you get old......or so I've read. Consult with your own Dr....who will no doubt suggest 120/80 even if your 90 yrs old. These days I'm ok with 130-135/80 as being about right for me.....no longer obsess about getting to 120/80. Taking meds to get to 120/80 or <200 total chol might increase your mortality risk in some cases. 50-70 yrs ago the recommended upper limits for for those was 150/90 and 300 chol. Science and medicine are filled with a lot of quackery.....as we've been finding out the past 6 yrs. Where's Steve Martin when you need him?......the Barber of York.......LOL.

 

[alarmguy]

Bread, pasta, most seed oils, sugars......there really aren't any good options. Best is not to eat them.....or at least minimize them. I started my research back in 2009 when I went on the first "health" kick in my life at age 55. Learned a ton....went from 225 to 170 lbs and superbly fit with low body fat. My body inflammation markers were very, very low. Did lots of fruit back then including apples. These days, I don't think you can find a "healthy" apple anywhere....even ones claimed to be "organic." There are approved organic pesticides and chemicals too. These days I don't even bother with apples. The veggies I eat are advertised as organic, who knows if they are truly healthy. You'd have to grow everything in your garden to be sure......or from a local farm you know to be 100% legitimate. Same for the meats and eggs. As always, just do the best you can.

There's also the risk of having "too low cholesterol"....which might lead to earlier dementia. You can overdo a "good thing." I think I did that at my "healthiest" when my LDL, Triglycerides, and other "bad" Lipid markers were "in the weeds." Just like taking blood pressure meds when you are "over 120/80." I've seen reputable studies where for those over age 70-75, your optimum BP for the lowest mortality risk is around around 130-140 / 80-90.....you do still have to pump the blood back from your extremities. These days I'm ok with 130-135/80 as being about right for me.....no longer obsess about getting to 120/80. Taking meds to get to 120/80 or <200 total chol might increase your risk in some cases. 50-70 yrs ago the recommended or limits for for those was 150/90 and 300 chol. Science and medicine are filled with a lot of quackery.....as we've been finding out the past 6 yrs.

Good post, some varying opinions which would be normal.
So you as well as I we do what motivates us to take care of ourselves. 1000% better than the population. I suspect neither one of us will lose the battle.

For me, I trust the words of various sources to get my LDL as low as possible. One recent one is my Cardiologist who is a bit more up to date as far his younger age. (maybe 40s) and interned at the Cleveland Clinic (heart) Another was from past doctors. I also read a lot of publications that come out of the Mayo and Cleveland Clinics and I suspect you too with your sources.
Anyway. High Lipo A is REALLY bad and my doctors do not subscribe to such as thing as too low Cholesterol. Since I cant control High Lipo A next best considered for me is ultra low LDL. Im not sure I will ever get it to 20 but if I did I would most likely cut my statin from 10mg back to 5mg and see what happens from there. Not because of a fear of too low LDL but to see if I can maintain close to that with a 1/2 dose of the current statin. I think I can. Right or wrong its a challenge with some medical backing. Im not big on taking any drugs and really a statin a day is my only significant drug.

AS far as what "may lead too" those words by publications are to me like empty calorie foods. "may" isnt proven. But all good, we are still in the dark ages. I dont think I will be alive for the day we know all the facts. The only fact I have right now is I am the only male in my family with inherited High Lipo A and constant low traditional lipids, along with low BP that has not had a heart by-pass and follow up multiple stents that needed placement. So I have to go with what works for me. I am also the only male with no diabetes.
Then again, I just finished a round of treatment for prostate cancer so go figure!

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...expert-answers/cholesterol-level/faq-20057952

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.064041

Actually since your post I would most likely be happy with an LDL of around 40. Currently it was 59 with a 5mg statin and a bad year for my eating, put on massive weight under treatment for prostate cancer. I am now on my own imposed fasting diet of only a 4 hour window per day to eat and 20 hours with my food except water. I suspect maybe I can get to 40 with a 5mg next year. We will see.
IN 20 years or less, medicine today will look like the "dark ages" with AI moving forward fast a lot of answers will come about in a a short period of time. Hopefully sooner rather than later *LOL* not sure how long I can hang on! *LOL*

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

First I am really glad to hear that you lost weight and also have your blood sugar uncontrolled. Great news!

Yeah, my doctors staff put me on at first Atorvastatin as a precaution even though I didnt want one.
I agreed to it ...
It was a min low dose so I did it. As you see in posts in here my family history is a train wreck. However I had an issue with Atorvastatin. It was messing with my digestive system. I called the cardiologists office and so they switched me to 5mg Rosuvastatin. I have been taking it for a few years now and my LDL has been at their target of below 70 and it's been perfect in the sense no issues at all. FYI My LDL was always in the good range but we are shooting for EXTREME lows.

Last year, after finding out I have the dreaded uncontrollable, inherited High Lipo A my cardiologist suggested trying to get my LDL as close to 0 as possible, even 20 though normal is 100 or less. So in that suggestion even though I was below 70 already it was suggested in 2024 to up my Rosuvastatin from 5 mg to 10 mg. Still considered a dose at the lower end. I said lets wait a year and see what I can do with controlling my diet even more...
Anyway, even though this years LDL was wonderfully low at 59 on the 5mg dose even while undergoing treatment for prostate cancer I reminded him we were going to try 10mg, so I started taking it a month ago. I will find out next year if I get closer to an LDL of below 30, 20 would be great. I have no side effects at all.

This was my 10/2025 LDL result taking 5mg Rosuvastatin he did say increasing it to 10 MG does not have the same effect as if I started at 10mg ... I'll find out in about six months the new number. Typically it would be next 10/2026 but I have a medical oncologist who checks my blood every six months right now so I think next April I will find out.

After typing all this I am on the fence now if I should have increased it to 10mg as my LDL is so low as it is... I could go back to 5mg at anytime. Im not big on taking drugs if diet can change things but nothing currently can change High Lipo A so by getting the other bad stuff as low as possible at least should help.

10/2025 result taking 5mg Rosuvastatin while undergoing prostate cancer treatment for 9 months starting 1/2025 Pretty good number.
View attachment 310880

Glad you can take a med that is working for you. My last two blood work results were so good I actually thought they sent me the wrong patients info! LoL. My number bounces from 65 to 75 without me taking the statins. I had two Emergency Room physicians tell me they refuse to take the statins due to all types of other side effects. My latest that they wanted me to try (PCP gave to me) was the same 5mg Rosuvastatin that you mentioned. I am probably going to wait until I have another blood test to see if mine is staying put or not. If it is rising I will likely make myself begin to take the 5mg Rosuvastatin like you.

So- Take care and be well - All of you guys are in my daily prayers each morning. I never start any day without giving thanks that I WOKE up again!