Thursday, August 8, 2013

The joys of post-menopausal womanhood...

Got a call from my doctor's office yesterday. Seems my cholesterol is slightly elevated. So, like the good little nurse I am, I hop on over to Google to see what I can do. I'm already taking Pravachol, so, based on the cholesterol content of various foods, I figure I'd better stop eating egg yolks and eat more fiber. Then I see a a link to an article about foods that lower cholesterol. So I click on that and discover that the red grapefruit half I'm eating every day is supposed to lower my cholesterol.

I'm thinking, great! Why isn't it working? Then I read further and discover that grapefruit not only interferes with the action of the "statin" drugs, which include Pravachol, it also inhibits a molecule that helps metabolize estrogen hormones, thereby increasing estrogen levels and increasing the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women. http://www.life123.com/health/nutrition/lower-cholesterol/cholesterol-lowering-foods.shtml

My first inclination is to wonder why I didn't know this stuff already. Is this some new finding, or was it something I missed? So I go to Web MD and try to find anything on Pravachol that warns you against eating grapefruit. The closest thing I found was that it works best if taken in the evening. Okay. I take mine in the morning. Guess I can change that.

But maybe, just maybe, the interaction actually occurs in the stomach, so that if you take the pill in the morning, which is when most of us eat our grapefruit, it DOESN'T WORK! Of course, nobody tells you practical stuff like that, and that's only my theory.

So, here's the plan. Eat more oats, beans, and tofu, and stop eating egg yolks and grapefruit. Got it.

Oh, and stop going to writer's conferences where people buy me margaritas and ridiculous desserts that raised my Hemoglobin A1C from 6.3 to 6.5.


Yeah. Like someone (this means you, Sara!) really had to twist my arm to make me eat some of that.

I'm visiting my sister Bonnie and some family friends on Sunday. Bonnie asked me to make a chocolate pie.



Sorry, Bonnie. No can do. *:( sad

11 comments:

  1. You know I've realized too that in today's modern society it is really hard to eat well easily. It's just easier to eat really bad. LOL.

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  2. You got that right! Imagine grapefruit being bad for you!!!!

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  3. FYI, Unrivaled went live on Amazon and ARE today! Still waiting on the other vendors.

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  4. I know we should be carful of what we eat, we only have one life ya know. And with that said, we only have one life, so dammit! I'll what I want, enjoy it, and well, we only have one life, we only get one shot, so go for the gusto! lol

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  5. Yeah, there comes a time when you've just got to say "Screw it! I want to eat those egg yolks!"

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  6. More fiber, less fun. Ok, I knew about the Grapefruits. I had read that on the warning labels that came with the Blood pressure meds. I didn't actually know what it all did, if you ate it. I never could eat grapefruit or drink orange juice on a empty stomach. too acidic. But I miss grapefruit. But I had a stress test. And now I was told the stress test was inconclusive. I possibly could have blocked arteries or just to much fleshy tissue in my breasts. Or too much stress do to lack of naked eye candy daily. So I need to go in for a fun Angiogram. I'd rather eat more oats, beans, and tofu, and stop eating egg yolks and grapefruit. But I need to know, if I must demand to view naked men daily or have a stent put in. Or have breast reduction.

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  7. Inconclusive, huh? That's never fun. It's best to know for sure. Good luck with the angiogram!
    Do you suppose daily eye candy is good for your heart? Someone should do a study. I'm sure they'd have lots of volunteers!

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  8. Cheryl...Isn't it just sad that we are reduced to talking about food and medical concerns instead of how many inches on that fine, fine penis; how big around it is and whether we like the way his balls dangle or even that fine ass we're checking out...I could just cry. Oh and to add to our general shallowness, whether dude turns us on or out;) There has to be a solution to our mutual dilemma. Sigh.

    Maybe we could just talk about sex:) That's always an interesting subject.

    Not that your chocolate pie isn't to die for because truly it is:) I licked my screen.

    As far as Pravachol (generic Pravastatin)...I started taking it in 1995 when it was determined that my diet wasn't the issue with my higher cholesterol level (worked with nutritionist and recorded every morsel I ate for like a month or so) but rather my body was producing too much on it's own so I was prescribed Pravachol (it was extremely expensive at the time - later changed to generic Pravastatin)

    I've had no issues with the drug and have annual testing to check liver functions etc. before the endocrinologist renews the prescription. I'm on 20MG and take the pill at night...no grapefruit involved. As you know, the medication is not a cure for high cholesterol but will control it as long as I also watch my intake of high cholesterol foods, which I do. My test every year shows good numbers...overall as well as LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL (good cholesterol).

    I'm not fanatical about cholesterol percentages because our bodies do need some but I do check labels on foods before purchasing so I can avoid really high numbers or at least choose the product with awareness. I also have an egg (good protein source) or so a week and a few daily chocolate nuggets w/nuts and even a steak on occasion. I shoot for moderation and not driving myself insane and since my numbers are good, I must be doing okay.

    I try to balance by also incorporating exercise (walking) as often as I can put a foot to ass;)

    [I know, I know. This conversation was not nearly as stimulating as looking at one fine dick with a fine body attached to it. *snort*]

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  9. Drs are not gods and they don't know everything. Am I going to be struck dead by lightening for saying that? LOL. I find your best friend is your pharmacist when it comes to what interactions to be careful of, timing of taking meds and food issues. I take 17 prescriptions and my pharmacist has given up on the interactions between meds. I can't go off any of them and half I have to go to Mexico to get because I can't afford US prices of them with my insurance. I'm hoping Obama Care comes to my rescue. Not holding out on that though.

    I'd kill for your A1C. I'm a Type 1 Diabetic on an Insulin Pump and that alone is a full time job. Again it's expensive keeping that up and with Obama Care I'm not sure how often I'll get to test and how I will afford the pump supplies. My advise, enjoy eating what you want once in a while as everything out there will kill us eventually, lol.

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  10. Looks like you've got a pretty good handle on this cholesterol thing, Nancy. And I know what you mean about the hunks and danglers because I'm crying right along with you. I may have to bite the bullet and start a totally erotic blog with hunk pics and a disclaimer and do the more family-oriented stuff here. Unfortunately, it's tough maintaining one blog. Not sure I can do two.

    Wait a minute... Would that be a threesome????

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  11. You're right about pharmacists knowing more about meds than the doctors, Glittergirl. After all, it's their business to know those things.
    Yikes on having to go to Mexico for your meds! I feel like doing that when I pay for mine every month. It's a bundle even with insurance. Aciphex and Onglyza are the culprits. The rest of them cost about a buck a bottle. There's something very wrong about that...
    I hope the healthcare reform will help you and others in similar situations, but I'll believe it when I see it. There are too many companies trying to make money off sick people.

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