My path to heart disease and this lipid journey began in the spring of 1980.  I was not feeling well and hadn’t been feeling well for some time.  I was tired all the time.  But the most discouraging symptom was the fact that my mind felt groggy and sluggish; within me was a little voice that that told me something was not right.  I didn’t know what I just knew I didn’t feel right.  I though that perhaps my situation would improve with some B-12 shots or other vitamins.  Another issue was the fact that some very strange icky yellow looking bumps had begun to appear on my arms, buttocks and thighs.

I finally made an appointment with a dermatologist who took a very careful look at those icky looking bumps on my body, which seemed to excite him. He left the room, returned a few minutes later with a brochure in his hand and informed me that in his 20 years of practice he had never actually seen a case of what was affecting me but that he distinctly remembered going over it in med school.  He proceeded to give a brochure to me and explained that I needed to see an internist.  He said that what I was exhibiting was called “Eruptive Xanthomas” caused by extremely high blood serum lipid fats.

I had heard of cholesterol, everyone had heard of it by then, but this was the first time I had ever heard the words, lipid fats, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, my head was spinning!

Fast forward 25 years to October 2005…

For the previous  2 or 3 years I had become increasingly tired, and the least amount of exertion caused me to become short of breath often accompanied with chest pain. These symptoms would subside after a few moments if I stopped whatever it was that I happened to be doing that precipitated these events. 

I KNEW it was my heart...there was not a doubt in my mind of that but I didn’t have time for that...I had a family, a home and garden to tend to, you know, the usual stuff of living a life… so I ignored every episode. 
 

It was getting worse.  These episodes were occurring more and more frequently.  Also my symptoms now included nausea every time I ate and any sort of exertion would cause this very weird upper chest sensation that I can only describe as similar to the feeling one gets from breathing in very cold air.  It felt very weird.  

I knew I couldn’t ignore or put it off any longer, I would have to finally tell my husband that I was having chest pain and some associated problems and that I would have to see a cardiologist.  I actually was already a patient of a very fine female cardiologist, Dr. Cara East, and had been one of her patients for a number of years...I was not however seeing her for heart trouble, she was doing intensive research into lipid fats and as a very unusual case I had been referred to her years before to see if she might like to include me in any of her research projects.  As it turns out my case was too severe to risk receiving a placebo but she was so interested in my case that she took me on as one of her patients.

I revealed my symptoms to her.  She immediately scheduled a host of tests...echo stress test, heart sonogram, the usual sort of tests.  Nothing showed up.  From all of these tests my heart looked perfectly normal. 

She nor I believed this could possibly be the case.  She told me that women are notorious to have blockage in an artery that is on the backside of the heart and these tests just can’t look at that area.  She then scheduled an immediate angiogram.  Cara, thank you... you saved my life! 

One of doctor East’s associates performed this service. During the angiogram procedure it was discovered that indeed, I did have a problem with one of those arteries on the back side of my heart, in fact, the problem area was over 99% blocked!  Dr. East told my daughter that she didn’t know how even a single drop of blood had been getting through! 

They opted to put a medicated stent in my heart to open up that area.  During the procedure I began experiencing some very severe chest pain which I thought was probably normal and related to the procedure.  As the pain was increasing I finally asked the surgeon if it was suppose to hurt to put the stent in.  He inquired, “How much does it hurt”?  I said, “it hurts really, really bad”, as it turns out I was having a heart attack!
 

Now, how lucky can one get...what better place in the world could someone be when having a heart attack than on an operating table with a heart surgeon at attendance, an IV in place and a catheter already in one’s heart?  Of course, he immediately began drug intervention and took all appropriate measures to bring me to safety. 

The stent was a miracle for me.  I felt a very profound and noticeable difference and improvement in my health and performance almost immediately! Within a very short amount of time my energy levels were improving daily and the other symptoms were just GONE! 

Within a few weeks I realized how truly wonderful I was beginning to feel and admitted to myself that I had forgotten what feeling really well was like. 

Prior to the stent I had been on the drug Lopid since 1980. Lopid is prescribed for high lipid fats.  I’m sure it may have helped but as you can see from my labs that my lipid fats were on a roller coaster ride.  I’ve scanned in some of my lab reports from over the years and have included a chart of what they have been, despite drug intervention. If you are interested in seeing actual copies of my reports I will be happy to provide that information upon request.

After the stent Dr. East decided to change my medication and put me on the following drug therapy program. 

1.           Crestor

2.           Tricor

3.           Plavix

4.           Metanx

5.           Aspirin

6.           Verapamil

7.           Synthroid

8.           Altace

9.           Wellbutrin XL

10.         Nitroquick

11.         Lisinopril (This is the one that I never filled. It was the final "straw" for me)

I continued on this daily drug program for the next two years.  I guess I could have gone on like that for the rest of my life but I had begun to have some new symptoms and wanted to get off of some of the medications as I was sure some of them were doing damage or otherwise affecting my liver. 

I had developed discomfort in my abdomen and my brain was feeling “foggy” and I was developing fatigue again a had developed a constant, low grade headache.  It seemed that though I gratefully no longer had the chest pain and shortness of breath I had developed new symptoms which were in some ways even more troubling.

I felt that I wanted to cut back on some of the drugs I was taking.  Dr. East had retired from private practice in the summer of 2007 so I was unable to discuss this with her so I made an appointment with one of her associates.  

When I saw the new doctor I liked him.  He was young and seemed to care, but as it turns out, not only did he not recommend cutting back on some of my medications he WROTE ME ANOTHER PRESCRIPTION!

I was stunned and terribly disappointed.  I didn’t have the prescription filled...I just couldn’t.  After giving it serious thought I finally decided that there had to be a better way and that if I were going to find it then I would have to do it myself. 

Over the next month I made it my mission in life to find a better way.  I researched, I read reports, and documents, and testimonies, and health newsletters until my eyes were nearly crossed.  But I began to see a clear path.  I spent the better part of every single day reading and researching until I felt I could create a starting plan for myself which could be “tweaked” as I went along.

Some would say my next step was foolhardy.  Some would probably say stupid or even dangerous. 

Cold turkey I stopped taking all of my prescription drugs with these two exceptions, my thyroid medication and the Metanx (Metanx is a prescription vitamin that has a unique formulation which provides the active forms of folate, vitamin B₆ and vitamin B₁₂).

There was a method to my “madness”.  I knew that in 6 months I would be seeing my new cardiologist and having all the required blood work, I also felt reasonably sure that I wouldn’t kill myself in 6 months even if I did nothing so it was a calculated risk on my part.

I want to make this part perfectly clear I am NOT recommending that anyone reading this testimony do the same thing.  I am merely stating what I did and why.

You will have to make your own heath decisions and pay whatever consequences, if any, that result from your decisions.  Please discuss this with your own doctor then evaluate your own situation.  I felt comfortable with my choices and am THRILLED with my results.  I have not felt this well in years but my results may not be the same for you and I am not here to persuade anyone to follow what I have done.  I would like to persuade you to become informed and to know that you are not alone in wanting to know the best possible way to take part in your own health!

This plan works for me.  If you choose to follow a similar plan for yourself please discuss it openly and plainly with your physician. 

I have the worse case of Hyperlipoproteinemia Type IV I have ever heard of.  My triglycerides have been as high as 5065 and my cholesterol as high as 2000.  These are not typos.  These are my actual lab results.

If I have not bored you too much please read the next few pages to hear about what I am doing now and how without drug intervention my triglycerides are currently 135 and my cholesterol is 170.  I feel and look GREAT! 

On my web site I have also provided a few photos of some of the wonderful soups, stir fry dishes and salads that I eat everyday...not only are they healthful they are delicious and pretty.  It is important to me that my food look PRETTY!  If you are interested in having any of my recipes please just ask.

For those that may wonder, I will be 60 years young this year on my birthday in October.  I was born in 1948.

Chart showing a few of my lab reports from over the years:

Date         Triglycerides       Cholesterol     Comment (if any)

05/1980               5065                    2000     When I was first diagnosed

08/1980               3650                    1500                     
07/1987               2100                      329
04/1989               2640                      368
11/1989               1380                      329
10/1995               1826                      341
03/2000               1150                      216
06/2002                 698                      221
12/2005                 135                      123      2 months after getting the stent
02/2006                   92                      126      New meds working just fine for lipids
02/2007                 259                      126      Triglycerides a bit high despite meds

11/2007                                                        This is when I rebelled & quit meds &
                                                                    started using my own program

01/2008                258                       171       Using CardioChek to self check lipids
02/2008                188                       185
02/2008                145                       170
03/2008                135                       169
04/2008                182                       180 
04/2008                135                       170 

02/2009                139                       179       

I feel I am doing GREAT!  My lipid fat numbers still go up and down but that is
normal but you can see that it is still in a wonderful and healthy range. I am as
please as punch! Can't you just see my big "kool aide" smile?

A fringe benefit about my program is that I have had a significant weight loss since I began it in November of 2007. 

Fast enough to be significant and gratifying but slow enough to allow time for my skin to shrink along with the weight loss!  Wax on Wax off!

I remind myself that I didn't put on weight overnight and should not lose it that way either!  Slow and steady is my motto!  Be a turtle not a rabbit!  Our skin is an organ and it will respond to you just like the rest of your body!