Stayin’ Alive

I’m still alive, although today I feel as if I’m on the verge of knowing what it’s like not to be. I had my cholesterol levels tested at a clinic yesterday after church. It was very very high. Enough to really scare me. I know you want to know, so here are the numbers: overall cholesterols was 314. HDL (good) level was only 30. LDL (bad) was way up at 244. My triglycerides are at 200. Very very bad.

I have a lot of people in my family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, my dad, who have had or do have heart problems and stroke issues. I’ve made an appointment to see my primary care physician and will be going in on Monday of next week to talk about how serious this is or isn’t. The nurse practitioner that drew my blood and tested it said that if it wasn’t for the fact that I have really good blood pressure (115/87 which is right on track for me) and that most of my family history is not early aged heart problems, I have the potential to have a heart attack by 40. Boy, that’ll stop you in your tracks.

Have you had your cholesterol tested? There are usually several places around that do free screenings throughout the year. I was lucky enough to get a postcard in the mail. It came just as I was thinking about having it done. And being free, it’s really what got me in.

Get tested! I’ll keep you all updated on what I find out from the doctor next week. In the meantime, I’m doing what I should have been doing for a long time which is gettings some exercise, reading about living healthier, planning and eating healthier meals and learning to deal with stress. It’s only been one day, but the idea of it all has sobered me enough that I’m determined to lower my cholesterol, drop a few pounds and hopefully feel better.