Post
by Alafairsmom » Fri May 26, 2017 10:16 am
Sorry in advance for the long post, but I put my labs out here. If you read this, Johnwen, could you comment?
Owen, yes, I have been following the trials that have kept you so very busy. It's been quite a ride, yes? Sigh.
Ken, your cells absolutely must have CoQ10 in energy production/use in mitochondria (energy factories in your cells). People who take statins have their CoQ10 stores sucked right out of them. The heart is muscle. It needs the cells to be working properly. Without energy, or with inadequate energy cells can't function or die. Disease is almost never as simple as what we think it is, and there are a lot of interrelated processes.
Pamojja, I do take two 100 mg CoQ10 (ubiquinol) in the AM and PM. I follow PT at max except when I can't get the C higher right now, but keep trying. (I'm an RN; if I am at my desk job I can and do take C every 3 hours or so. On days I am driving some distance to several patient visits, I don't dare do that, but as soon as I feel comfortable that I won't have an undesirable bathroom emergency, go back to the doses. I usually do 1500 mg at a time.) Liposomal C does not give me cramps or gas, but still results in loose BM in the AM.
I developed stable angina in November of this past year, and it felt like out of the blue. I saw a cardiologist, and I'm lucky that while he makes only standard medical recommendations, he kindly tolerates my persistent refusal to follow them. I only agreed to med management: Imdur (long acting nitroglycerin) 15 mg daily to start with Nitro SL, now up to 60 mg Imdur every 12 hours. I have never had an MI according to all the tests, no stents, no cardiac cath, no bypass. I'm 60, female, obese (160 lbs, 5'5") and once I can increase any activity without angina, I really will work on adding exercise to bring the weight down.
Here are my labs since then:
12/16/2016
Total Chol 533 mg/dL
HDL 82 mg/dL
Trigs 93 mg/dL
LDL (calc) >350 mg/dL
Chol/HDLC ratio 6.6
Non HDL (calc) 451 mg/dL
Hgb A1c 6 (5.8 on 3/14)
Magnesium RBC 5.6 mg/dL
2/13/2017
CAC Total Score 1426.93 (made me throw up a little in my mouth)
L MCA 0
L AD 292.66
L CCA 0
R CA 1132.28 (made me want to lie down, and my pulse increased quite a bit on seeing the score)
EF 42% ** ** given 300 mg Metoprolol and 10 mg Ivabradine to brady heart rate for test (over 4 hours)
3/14/2017 Magnesium 2.2 mg/dL
Phosphate/Phosphorus 4.0 mg/dL
PTH, Intact 42 mg/dL
TSH 2.77
PTH-RP 18 pg/mL
HS CRP 9.4 mg/dL
Fasting Glucose 110 mg/dL
BUN 16 mg/Dl
Creat 0.69 mg/dL
eGFR Non-AA 95 mg/dL
Sodium 140 mmol/L
Potassium 3.6 mmol/L
Chloride 104 mmol/L
Carbon Dioxide 27 mmol/L
Calcium 10.0 mg/dL
Ion Calcium 5.4 mg/dL
Total Protein 7.1 g/dL
Albumin 4.3 g/dL
Globulin 2.8 g/dL
Alb/Glob Ratio 1.5
Total Bilirubin 0.4 mg/dL
Alk Phos 48 U/L
AST 12 U/L
ALT 16 U/L
Hgb A1c 5.8
Vit D3 36 ng/mL
Vit D2 <4 ng/dL
Fructsamine 230 umol/L
Creat, random urine 65 mg/dL
Microalbum/Creat Ratio 3 mg/dL
Random
I'm not due for scheduled labs until September, but the cardiology PA is very accommodating, and I think he will order anything I ask. I plan to ask for Cardio IQ advanced lipid/inflammation profile, which will size and count particles; homocysteine; Vitamin K, and repeat D2/D3. Anything else important?
I am no expert, but I think my thyroid scores indicate some hypothyroidism. These were ordered by my endocrinologist, and I am surprised he didn't want to tweak it. He is abhorrent of supplements, even a multiple vitamin, but genuinely thinks metformin and high dose statins should be in public drinking water. I keep him because ever 3-6 months he orders labs by filling out the lab slip and sending it home with me. I usually add labs to the slip; while he doesn't really like that, he hasn't fired me over it. So far.
I appreciate any supplement feedback. Feel free to email or PM me if that is safer/easier. Again, am on full PT protocol from PMWAL. I recently added tart cherry extract capsules (1 carb vs 28 carbs for the juice), green tea extract, and am about to start Niacin (extended release nicotinic acid) at 250 mg a day and titrate up slowly. I don't like starting a lot of new things all at the same time (if there's a problem, which one caused it?) but will add with a few days in between. If there are supplements that conflict, please let me know. I do take the water soluble apart from meals, and the fat soluble/needs food at meal times. I typically eat twice a day, often once, but if only once, take fat soluble with one or two BabyBel cheese or the like.
Thanks everyone. I really appreciate this forum. It has helped me process a lot of information, and some distressing labs/tests, allowing me to navigate it on my own terms.