topic going to talk about my blood labs----🙄 in Wellness

going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

wagirl — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 17:50:42 GMT

Had lipid labs done this week and jeepers--they are not good!!! Seems like the repatha I was taking for the last 2 years has stopped doing its thing. Also a kidney issue as well as A1c issues have popped up. Was doing very well for several months too. Have revamped my diet, done more walking and generally cleaned up my act as well as dropped a few pounds-----blood pressure an issue too. Holy cow!!! Am pretty stressed out about it all. Great for the bp!!

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

smoochy — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 17:56:17 GMT

@wagirl wrote:
Had lipid labs done this week and jeepers--they are not good!!! Seems like the repatha I was taking for the last 2 years has stopped doing its thing. Also a kidney issue as well as A1c issues have popped up. Was doing very well for several months too. Have revamped my diet, done more walking and generally cleaned up my act as well as dropped a few pounds-----blood pressure an issue too. Holy cow!!! Am pretty stressed out about it all. Great for the bp!!

what is your doctor's plan to address these problems?

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

GingerHead — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:52:40 GMT

@wagirl

Sorry to hear that.

Unfortunately many of us who've gone through menopause and lose our estrogen see our lipid profiles (along with other things) take a turn for the worse.

It happened to me even though I changed nothing and I try really hard to be healthy.

On top of that some of us have a genetic predisposition to have high cholesterol and LDL (me).

Even if you do everything right.

Hopefully you can find your answer!

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

Sooner — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 19:17:53 GMT

@wagirl I'm sorry to hear your numbers didn't come back better. And oddly sometimes when we make positive changes it takes some time--been there done that! I think when you keep doing the best you can it will start to show up.

However, my mom's numbers were never great no matter what she did with the diet and the tests numbers weren't great but she lived to 100. So keep doing the right things, listen to the doctor, stress less about it and focus on your blessings. Because fortunately our life isn't just about the numbers, and doesn't depend on chartes and scores! Prayers for you and keep going in the right direction and have fun!!

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

jlkz — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 19:35:39 GMT

@wagirl

First things first: cholesterol #'s may be genetic as we discovered with DH who cooked his own food with strict ingredients and his numbers actually increased....yes, he did his jogging daily as well. He took a statin that finally worked for him.

You can't work on all numbers at once and know what is driving the #'s. The A1C....perhaps your PCP can look at a drug to get it moving in the right direction.

Follow your diet and exercise with the above and let us know how it works for you. Good luck !

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

Shelbelle — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 20:40:38 GMT

Happened to me too 2 years ago, I lost 30 pounds and my chol, shot up, even my doc was shocked.

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

BlueFinch — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 21:39:05 GMT

@wagirl Yes, @jlkz is right. You will need your PCP to help determine where to start. It looks like a chain of changes that could have started in one system, now affecting others. Increased Insulin resistance will often raise cholesterol numbers. Sadly, I can attest to this.

Revamping diet and activities seems to be the answer. The problem is, that with type two insulin resistance, there's often a gradual increase in resistance, that can go on for a lengthy period, then suddenly the numbers will jump up when less expected. It can be a lingering time-bomb.

Good you've been doing all the right things. Don't stop, but get the guidance from your medical team about getting those numbers down.

Try not to stress too much. You can get it under control. I dealt with the same health issues. So far, so good, but it does take a bit of work. I keep a daily journal of exercise and intake. Keeps me honest... LOL.

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

SilleeMee — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 23:47:04 GMT

Repatha can cause A1C levels to rise but usually blood glucose levels rise before it shows up on A1C results if it shows there at all. The ongoing rise of blood glucose can lead to kidney damage and impaired kidney function. You probably already know these things if you've been on Repatha.

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

juanitalinda — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 22:52:23 GMT

@wagirl

So frustrating when you are doing everything right ... and it doesn't seem to help.

Do you think the insomnia is worse than before? Could that be a factor? Or ... maybe all the stress you went through with Echo?

Hopefully you keep doing the right things ... and the numbers get better.

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

mrshckynut — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 22:54:36 GMT

@wagirl wrote:
Had lipid labs done this week and jeepers--they are not good!!! Seems like the repatha I was taking for the last 2 years has stopped doing its thing. Also a kidney issue as well as A1c issues have popped up. Was doing very well for several months too. Have revamped my diet, done more walking and generally cleaned up my act as well as dropped a few pounds-----blood pressure an issue too. Holy cow!!! Am pretty stressed out about it all. Great for the bp!!

@wagirl assume by the title of your thread you are going "talk about my blood labs" with your doctor(s) stressing about it?

mrshckynut

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

wagirl — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:51:00 GMT

UPDATE--

So, as usual, I am stressing over things that may look awful on paper or on screen-my chart---but are really not that bad. I am going to resume the Repatha injections for another 3 months, so that is 3 shots in 3 days each month, then got my BP meds increased and the kidney issue--is nothing--still in the normal range so nothing to do about that, and the A1c, continue to re vamp my diet, my activity level. Will go back in January for lipid labs and then if things don't improve, onward to something different.

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

wagirl — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:58:45 GMT

@juanitalinda --wow--am surprised you remember all that? Yes, insomnia is still a thing and even more so, especially after the last 2 months with a very sick cat and then having to euthanize her a few weeks back--still makes me cry. So that is hanging over me too. Sadness and stress-----hard to get under control I guess. But at least knowing what those dang results actually mean, helps.

thanks----

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

wagirl — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 15:05:17 GMT

@jlkz --I do have familial high cholesterol and have been doing battle with that for decades-----can't take any statins at all and is the reason for the Repatha, which did very well for me the last 2 years. Nothing I can do will improve those numbers either--diet, exercise or any natural supplement--have tried all that. My A1c is due more in part to the repatha but diet will improve that too. It's more about my lack of sleep and then let's throw in stress and there you are!!

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

wagirl — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 15:09:55 GMT

@GingerHead ---yes that is me too, but I also have a better than average HDL--also a hereditary thing so that is going for me. Had hormone driven breast cancer, so estrogen is not my best friend. Been on this cholesterol thing since I was 22---am 71 now.

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

wagirl — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 15:10:41 GMT

@smoochy ---we have a plan of action ----will see him in January.

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

GingerHead — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 15:16:27 GMT

@wagirl

Well, at least you have the higher HDL thing going for you, thankfully I do too.

Yes, once that estrogen goes many women see their lipid numbers shoot up.

Hope you/we can get those numbers decent!

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

wagirl — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 15:18:55 GMT

@GingerHead --am interested in what other hormones I am low in. Maybe that is the area I need to look into. I know my testosterone is low----but what others are too?

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

GingerHead — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:25:12 GMT

@wagirl wrote:
@GingerHead --am interested in what other hormones I am low in. Maybe that is the area I need to look into. I know my testosterone is low----but what others are too?

@wagirl

Oh my, I am no expert in hormones but do know that the loss of Estrogen during menopause has been a big thing that effected me for the worse and then went on to learn that this is common.

Hormones are the messengers that regulate virtually every physiological process in the body and

if one is out of wack the whole system is affected.

"Estrogen in particular is protective, helping to lower LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol by making LDL receptors in the liver work more efficiently." (copied and pasted that, haha)

Which makes sense because if you think about it most of the chronic diseases and cancers hit us once we go through Menopause (heart disease, osteoporosis,cancers, etc).

Progesterone might have some lesser effects, thyroid hormones (if you're low it can increase LDL and trig), also high cortisol (stress hormones) can definitely effect your lipids for the worse.

Also stress hormones can trigger changes that may lead to higher blood sugar and inflammation (something else it sounds like you're dealing with), causing the liver to produce more cholesterol and triglycerides.

It sounds like you have been put through the ringer lately with the loss of your sweet love Echo. I'm so sorry about that. Just that stress alone and lack of sleep would wreck havoc on you and your whole system!

One thing you can do today that doesn't take any medicine or doctors orders is to just try to take extra care of yourself and concentrate on de-stressing in any way you can, deep breathing and getting good quality sleep. Sleep is soooo underestimated in it's importance to our health.

Take care of yourself! And keep us updated

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

GingerHead — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:38:42 GMT

@wagirl

Also you mentioned Testosterone. Supplementing with that could be helpful or harmful depending. That could be something you could look into and experiment with as well, with your doctors help.

Re: going to talk about my blood labs----🙄

jlkz — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 17:08:59 GMT

@wagirl

I can deal with most things but the lack of decent sleep is difficult. When I worked the midnight shift in the computer room of a large corporation, the weight came on....it seemed food tried to compensate.

Then I just decided to forget the clock and if I was getting sleepy from reading, then I went to bed in a darkened room. Needed earplugs to quiet the regular daytime noises.

Grieving imposes another layer of stress to all the other stresses you're dealing with. Even " good " stress is a stress that impacts us.

I hope things stabilize / even out for you soon !