Not to miss the injection fun that Dana has

[bill_schubert]

Turns out that there are two tests I had that my cardio doc does not like. Both come up as unflagged but the combination is a bit dangerous. Because I smoked a long time ago my regular doc started me on an annual ultrasound of my abdominal aorta. Turns out the aorta of a smoker has a tendency to blow out so he wanted it monitored. I get my ultrasound and they say it has not changed. BUT they also noted some atherosclerotic plaque in the aorta which dr internet says is a bad thing to have especially in the aorta kind of tubes. But the doc that read the ultrasound was not concerned since it didn't look bad.

The other test is my LDL cholesterol reading which is 125 flagged as near optimal.

The combination of these two is not good. I'm on a low level statin that keeps the LDL down. They don't even ask about diet anymore. The medical community has given up trying to get people off meat and into a diet that would fix all this. Not that I'd do it. But since they didn't ask, we're moving on into more chemistry.

The docs of the world, including dr internet say that people my age should have LDL down to 70. The way to get there? One of those injectors like Dana has for Humira. They are all the rage now. Mine will have Repatha in it. Why the hell Repatha is not advertised on the evening news, I don't know. It seems like Amgen is missing something. Maybe there's not enough profit on it. No doubt it will cost me $30 or so a month but Tricare will pay a lot more, I'm sure.

But my doc says it will work way better than any of the alternatives and my arteries will be happier for it. We'll see.

Once I start taking it I'm not allowed to get pregnant or breastfeed any more. And I can't take it if I'm allergic to it.  Really.

Nor can I use a hammer to hit my foot if that is something that has in the past shown to have a negative effect.

Just the way things go, I guess.

I've actually seen in my information flow that I needed to have a ridiculously low LDL so my cardio is on top of it.

I'll have to find another way to die. My preferred method is to ride my bicycle down the PCH for my 90th birthday and see what happens:



Meanwhile, I'll be at home shooting up with Dana.

Comments

[susandennis]

My cholesterol turned on me this year, too. Wonder what the deal is? I got a different pill and I'm assuming it's working cause I'm NDY*. But I do need to get my blood tested next month to make sure.

I do not like the idea of you injecting yourself with a drug that does not even advertise on the evening news. That's just not right.

*Not Dead Yet™

[bill_schubert]

Without the commercials I could not discuss it with my doctor. When she brought it up I had to sit there and act like I didn't know everything about medicine. It was embarrassing.

Being NDY is, IMHO, a good place for you to be.

[msconduct]

New Zealand is the only other country other than the US where they're allowed to advertise drugs. People tut about it here and call us the wild west, but I quite like it to be honest. Of course I can use the information responsibly, not like those other idiots.

Sorry to hear about your pregnancy interdiction. That must be crushing. Worth it though to have a squeaky clean abdominal aorta. I only discovered this year that the abdominal aorta, which I'd imagined as a narrow little thing, is actually humongous. Who knew. Fingers crossed for the efficacy of your stabby stabby.

[bill_schubert]

I've only known about the abdominal aorta thing for three years and think I would not have known at all but for the exceptionally good Internist I used to have. He put it on the radar so now I'm a yearly visitor. I don't know anyone else who gets them but he told me that anyone who smoked is in danger of the aorta swelling later in life and bursting.

[taz_39]

If it makes you feel any better I'm 39 and my LDL is 108. But I've been told that's ok because the "ratio" between my HDL and LDL is "right".

Well, who knows. Hope that the injector they're giving you actually works/is helpful.

[bill_schubert]

Thanks. Yeah, they have been changing the recommendations for cholesterol. The standards are pretty age dependent but way lower than they used to be and generally lower than can be managed with diet.

[mollywheezy]

I LOLed at all of your drug commercial comments. ;) How do you know if you are allergic to something if you've never had it?!

Hope the new med works out for you.

[bill_schubert]

Yeah, the way they have to advertise on TV and the fact that they do it at all is ridiculous. But we'd just have more truck commercials without it.

Not positive I'm getting the drug yet. They are getting prior approval which indicates to me that is is expensive for the insurance people. SO we'll see.