Approaching 40s is where we start facing lifestyle illnesses and talking about ailments becomes a natural and common part of our usual conversations, a friend said to me when I told him the good news on Tuesday that my internal medicine doctor referred to my latest laboratory tests and told me that my cholesterol and sugar levels have decreased to the range where it is acceptable and puts me out of danger from a situation such as a heart attack or stroke.
But this news was all too soon complicated with a lot of questions and other issues: My doctor said that my body does not naturally produce a chemical whose role is to bring down cholesterol levels to the acceptable range and therefore I have to take lifelong medication. This led to some friends advising me that I should seek a second or even a third opinion whether this is true while some others opined where to draw the line in choosing which number of opinions I should seek?
Some friends said that I should seek the opinion of “good doctors” but I am not aware of doctors been given awards in Maldives. When I expressed this opinion a friend said that I should ask around for a social opinion, meaning a doctor who has built a good reputation with his expertise that was personally experienced by his or her patients.
In the end, one friend, who is also a doctor, told me that even though my blood pressure is just fine, high levels of cholesterol and sugar do need lifelong medication. Another friend gave me the name of a reputed doctor and one of the clinics where he consults at. So, as much as this situation seems complicated for me, I guess in the end I will have to seek a second opinion at least from a socially trusted doctor and stop right there - as long as the current medication and my daily one-hour brisk walking does its job.
Thursday, March 30, 2023
My cholesterol and sugar levels have stabilized but other questions have emerged
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To my knowledge, these meds are to be continued even if your levels go down to help keep it that way. That's why most doctors prefer not to start meds right away and ask you to control cholesterol and sugar through diet and exercise first. My cholesterol has been higher than it should be past couple of years but since I live a healthy lifestyle and don't smoke or have other underlying problems like heart disease, my doctor is not worried and has refused to put me on meds still.
ReplyDeleteIf you're considering another opinion, I can wholeheartedly recommend him. Dr Shaheed at Primax clinic. Everyone loves him hehe
Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and recommendations ☺️
ReplyDeleteThe first doctor I consulted refused to put me on medication and asked me to go on a certain diet and an exercise program like brisk walking. He never mentioned anything about my body been unable to naturally produce the chemical which controls my cholesterol level.
While I had no problems with my blood pressure, my cholesterol and sugar levels were extremely high, so rather than wait for a heart attack or stroke to strike me at any unpredictable time, I sought the second opinion and the latter doctor put me on medication.
I understand I have to continue the meds even when my cholesterol and sugar level have gone down to the acceptable level in order to keep it that way. So right now I prefer to be on meds rather than suffer cardiac arrest or a stroke just because some doctors think I can bring down my high cholesterol and sugar level in such a short time through diet and exercise only.