Question about a family member with very high cholesterol

[Meld256]

My niece recently had a battery of blood tests done by her PCP.  She has lots of recurring UTI's, sinus infections, yeast infections, etc.  Seems like she is sick every couple of weeks with something.  She is 26 years old.   Her doc finally insisted on some blood work to try to get to the bottom of some of this.

I'm not sure of every test that was run, however, her cholesterol readings were at about 1,000!!  It was so high the doc called her the next morning when the test came back and wanted her in the office. She refused to go. 

Finally, she talked to her doctor on the phone and they told her she must try to get this lower on her own for the next 2 months and come back.

I'm shocked they didn't do more right away.  And my niece seems like she is totally unaffected by this. I'm very worried for her!  Any of you with this experience/ and/ or some of you wonderful nurses have any ideas how I might be able to talk to her about how important this is?  Or should I leave it alone?

I don't think she's made any lifestyle changes.  She is quite overweight, she works in an office sitting at a desk, and gets no exercise.  She and her hubby eat out a lot, and it's always pizza, big fried meals, etc.  I'm not going to criticize her for that lifestyle but with this *crisis*  I don't understand why she doesn't seem to take this seriously. 
Any ideas?  Please?

[Joe S.]

An A1C test may tell the story. 2 oz of walnuts per day may help. I know of no real solution for this. Pulling fat out of your digestive track may help. Change of oil in cooking may also help. Day off food preping for a week. Smaller plates, for smaller portions.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/CL00002
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/features/11-tips-to-cut-your-cholesterol-fast

[Meld256]

Thanks, Joe.   

Those are some good ideas.  I appreciate the links, too!  I'll try to gently talk to her about this and see how it goes. 
She's such a wonderful lady and I want her to be as healthy as possible for a long time. 

Melinda

[Linda196]

Although I'm not familiar with the scale used in the US, that does sound high (especially since here normal for a female 20 -30 is something like 2.6-4.3 LOL), but a simple cholesterol reading on it's own doesn't tell much of the story. The really valuable number is the cholesterol panel ratio...comparison of the total, high density and low density lipids, and the triglyceride reading.

The doctor may not be jumping all over this because he has compared those numbers and the overall picture doesn't present as much of a threat as the single high cholesterol value seems to.

He also may realize that a patient who won't even come into the office isn't really likely to comply with a medication regime, and is trying to give her time to realize the importance and shift her mindset to one that will be more agreeable to treatment.

By all means, please continue with your gentle approach to make her understand that you are concerned and want only the best for her, but at the same time, remind her that her actions do not affect only her.....there's a whole family who would be deeply affected if anything were to happen to her. I hate to say it, but sometimes when common sense fails, guilt will work!

Joe's suggestions are excellent, but I'd also like to suggest the possible addition of niacin as well....there is a "non-flush" version available, since most people who stop taking niacin do so because of the unpleasant flushing that can accompany it. Ground flax is another valuable addition to the diet of people with cholesterolemia (really good when combined with oatmeal and a touch of cinnamon).

[SjoDry]

With regard to adjusting diet (medical conditions), I wanted to share my ongoing/recent experience.
In June of 2011 (this past June) I had been dealing with a huge flare with every rotten sjo-symptom we all experience.
Also, my husband had been previously diagnosed with Afib (not well controlled) & then, with Sleep Apnea. At the time, I was getting very worried for his health. I had sworn to myself
that if his Sleep Apnea test came back positive, that was it, we were both going to go on Nutrisystem together. So with a very determined attitude for both of us to drop some weight & hopefully
have some positive changes to our combined health issues, we started NS on June 7th, 2011.

It was the best decision we have made in a very long time. My husband has lost about 42 lbs & I have lost about 36 lbs. But that is small in comparison to a response that I did not expect. Following the food
plan drastically reduced my inflammation, pain and flare. Now I don't know if your niece is of the mindset to lose weight..but this food plan is awesome & incredibly easy to follow. My daughter (who also has a lot of weight to lose) just came home & was so shocked at the amount of weight we had lost, she just signed up. I eat chocolate at least 3 times a day; have pizza & most anything else I want. I am not trying to do a commercial for NS, I am just shocked at the response that I have had on my medical issues. And as we all know, anything that helps our symptoms is a blessing. 

[GeorgiaGirl]

Maybe it's just a number to her?   She may not know (or may not want to admit she knows) the long-term risks of high cholesterol.  It might be helpful if someone could share with her just how dangerous it is & how it affects all of the vasculature leading to heart attack & stroke risk among a host of other health problems. 

[Narablueeyes]

Krill oil caplets help with this and other organs.

[Meld256]

Thanks, everyone. 

I appreciate you sharing your experience, SjoDry. (such a clever name) That's wonderful that you and your husband have seen such good health benefits from the Nutrisystem program!  Isn't that amazing?  I've always tried to eat healthy, but recently I've "stepped it up" by adding more fresh fruit and veggies.  It seems to have made a definite difference in the way I feel overall.

Linda, thanks for your wise input. 
I understand about the cholesterol panel ratio.  It may well be that her doctor has decided the overall picture is not as severe as it sounds to me.  At least, it's not immediately serious. 

What you say about them possibly giving her some time to accept and take action on her own makes perfect sense.  She tends to be a person who "sticks their head in the sand" in regard to anything of a serious nature.  She may very well be afraid and in some denial.  She's a very intelligent person but also may not really know where to start to help herself.

I'll take a gentle approach. I've had some luck with her grandmother (my MIL) in regard to her diabetes and heart issues.  Maybe some easy goading and humor will go a long way. 
Thanks for your advice, Nara and GeorgiaGirl.   
Wish me luck! 

[Duchess]

Oatmeal, fiber and water will help to flush the system.


Duchess

[Meld256]

Good ideas, nurse Duchess!   

Encouraging her to use those things is another story.  Not much fiber in her diet, and the only oatmeal she's tried is McDonald's (and then she picked out the apple, and said raisins are "gross").  *sigh* She WILL drink water more than some people.

I think part of her problem is that her mother fixed lots of cheap convienence foods as she was growing up; she never learned how to eat properly.   :(Now that's she an adult and has a lot of disposable income, she goes out wherever she wants and eats what she likes. 

I wish she'd grown up eating like our children. Our daughter would rather have a fresh pear or plum, some cheddar cheese and an apple over most any packaged dessert.