Any healthcare professional can explain my cholesterol level please!

Margaritangai
Margaritangai Posts: 1
edited October 2014 in Introduce Yourself
My cholesterol report a month ago was:
Cholesterol. 96L. 140-230(mg/dl)
HDL Cholesterol. 38. 35-55(mg/dl)
LDL Cholesterol. 34. 0-129(mg/dl)
Triglycerides. 117. <150(mg/dl)

This month I took another test, the test results are as follows:
Cholesterol 133mg/dl. (100-199)
Triglycerides. 163mg/dl. (0-149)
HDL Cholesterol. 50mg/dl. (>39)
LDL Cholesterol. 50mg/dl. (0-99)

The first test are from the insurance company stating that my insurance application was declined due to low cholesterol. The second tests was done a month later at my family doctor's. The nurse told me my cholesterol level was a bit high and the triglycerides was high.

I'd like to know how can these two tests are so different within a month period? What is the normal cholesterol level? I had my body check last year and they said both of my LDL and HDL were low. I'm so confused. Please help

Replies

  • FatJockSing
    FatJockSing Posts: 164 Member
    MFP forums are NOT the place to ask for advice on medical issues . . see your GP. this place is full of unqualified fruit Loop know-it-all meddlers who could kill with their poor advice. Good Luck!
  • Cassie_DE
    Cassie_DE Posts: 58 Member
    ^ agreed
  • hhmb8k
    hhmb8k Posts: 49
    Margaritangai wrote: »

    The first test are from the insurance company stating that my insurance application was declined due to low cholesterol.

    This is uncommon, but not unheard of. You can have your family doctor review your medical history (which it looks like you did), do a good exam and exclude the conditions that the insurance company is concerned about, and then write a letter (or fill out a form) to your insurance company. At least that is what used to be standard procedure for any red flag on a screening exam.

    The affordable care act should have limited issues like these from preventing you from getting insurance if you live in the USA.
    Margaritangai wrote: »
    The second tests was done a month later at my family doctor's. The nurse told me my cholesterol level was a bit high and the triglycerides was high. I'd like to know how can these two tests are so different within a month period?

    Well, they can be different a day apart let alone a month apart. There is absolutely nothing unusual about that. The causes are as varied as are the people getting the test, but the most common reason for an unexpected variation is diet. The biggest diet issue (next to what you eat obviously) is the length of time you were fasting before the blood draw.

    Margaritangai wrote: »
    What is the normal cholesterol level?

    There is no "normal". Just a recommendation for what would be best for you to keep your cholesterol below to reduce your risk of heart disease. That recommended level is different for different people based on their medical history and other risk factors. And there is active debate in the medical community on what the best recommendation is for different groups of people. As more studies are done, and more is learned, those recommendations will likely change in the future.
    Margaritangai wrote: »
    I had my body check last year and they said both of my LDL and HDL were low. I'm so confused. Please help

    LDL low (within reason) is good.
    HDL low is not good.

    Insurance companies use screening tests to flag any abnormality that could potentially cost them money, not to diagnose a medical condition. They red flagged your cholesterol panel and then it is up to your doctor to determine if it is a valid medical issue, a spurious reading, a lab error, or something else.

    While some of the results on your test may not be perfect, overall it looks better than average to me. If your doctor evaluated you and thought things looked good, why the worry?

    I'm not even sure what the confusion was about. Was it just that you didn't know blood test results change from time to time and you thought they would always be the same each time you got a blood test or was there something about the way the results were explained to you that worried you?
  • hhmb8k
    hhmb8k Posts: 49
    Cassie_DE wrote: »
    ^ agreed

    Yep, in general I agree wholeheartedly as well, but I think there is a difference between giving general information about a test or procedure and trying to diagnose or treat a condition. I kinda think doing the first thing is all about trying to be understanding and helpful and doing the second thing is all about being arrogant and foolish.

    You can get much more information about cholesterol blood tests than what she was asking on any reputable and professionally ethical medical website (e.g. Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins have good resources online). But none of them will diagnose you or recommend treatment.

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