Blood Test Results

As the saying goes... what you don't know, won't hurt you...  how true it is... but when you do find out, it is normally catastrophic.

It's been two weeks since I had my chest pains and I just received my blood test results. Unfortunately, it is bad news. It has been confirmed that I have HIGH CHOLESTEROL.

Total Cholesterol: 7.7 mmol/L or 300.3 mg/dL (240 mg/dL and above is high)

LDL Cholesterol: 5.8 mmol/L = 226.2 mg/dL (190 mg/dL and above is very high)

HDL Cholesterol: 1.55 mmol/L = 60.45 mg/dL (60 mg/dL and above is good)

Triglerides: 0.8 mmol/L = 71.2 mg/dL (100 mg/dL and below is optimal)

Blood glucose: 6.2 mmol/L = 138.6 mg/dL (ideal is 3.9 mmol - 5.6 mmol)

This is where I got my information from... Cholesterol here and blood sugar here.

Here's one of the pages from my results... the bad page where all the bad news are.

Let's start with my blood sugar level. My test was done after 8 hours of fasting. So my results suggest that I have Impaired Fasting Glucose which basically means bordering on being diabetic. Hmmm... that probably explains why my wounds take time to heal these days. If you do further searching you will probably find that one of the causes for IFG is high cholesterol.

That brings us to my cholesterol levels. I have always suspected that my cholesterol levels were high as the signs are there around my eyes... called Xanthelasma.

Ok... I have high cholesterol and bordering on being diabetic... life goes on... I will need to deal with it just like everything else in life. Am I scared? Of course I am but like life... you never know what happens... life goes on. We cannot think about the what ifs all the time. I met my doctor before I left for KL and when I get back we will start with my medication to reduce my cholesterol levels. My doctor didn't spend too much time explaining my need to change my lifestyle and eating habits as he knows I have already done so.

Here is the scariest part... I started the change in my lifestyle and eating habits on my own during Ramadan. It was not motivated by any illness... just the desire to lose fat and be healthier and even after exercising and cutting down on all my sugar I am still high on blood glucose and cholesterol. 

So, here's my golden question... what would my levels have been if I didn't change? Would I still be blogging here?