Below is a conversation between a 56 year old male and his doctor. The patients’ favorite activity is sitting on the couch watching sports while eating snacks. He tends to be sitting down a lot and does not participate in any physical exertion. Until today he was unaware of his cholesterol situation and how it can affect him.
Doctor: Good Morning, How are you today?
Patient: Good, I’m here today to get my bloodwork results.
Doctor: Ok, Great. Let’s take a look. I see that we did a cholesterol panel test last week and I have the results right here. It looks like your triglycerides came back at 145 milligrams per deciliter. All cholesterol tests are measured in milligrams per deciliter. According to the Mayo Clinic (2015), “Normal is less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), and …show more content…
Some common side effects are headaches, dizziness, nausea, or diarrhea. Seldom are any of them severe. But if there are any unexplained muscle, joint pain, tenderness or weakness it’s important that you call us as soon as possible.
Patient: Do the benefits of lowering cholesterol outweigh the risks of taking medication?
Doctor: At this point in time, I feel it’s very important to get you started on some medication to get you to healthier cholesterol levels. If we don’t and it gets worse, you could be looking at clogged arteries, a stroke or even a heart attack. I see in your chart that you aren’t on any other medications, so we don’t need to worry about anything counteracting and until now all of your blood tests have come back looking fantastic.
Patient: What options exist for a person to try and reduce his/her cholesterol without taking medication?
Doctor: Daily exercise and a healthy diet are very important. Are you a smoker?
Patient: I haven’t smoked a cigarette in 22 years.
Doctor: Ok great, because if you did, smoking can lead to unhealthy cholesterol levels as well. Do you have any other questions or
Doctor: Good Morning, How are you today?
Patient: Good, I’m here today to get my bloodwork results.
Doctor: Ok, Great. Let’s take a look. I see that we did a cholesterol panel test last week and I have the results right here. It looks like your triglycerides came back at 145 milligrams per deciliter. All cholesterol tests are measured in milligrams per deciliter. According to the Mayo Clinic (2015), “Normal is less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), and …show more content…
Some common side effects are headaches, dizziness, nausea, or diarrhea. Seldom are any of them severe. But if there are any unexplained muscle, joint pain, tenderness or weakness it’s important that you call us as soon as possible.
Patient: Do the benefits of lowering cholesterol outweigh the risks of taking medication?
Doctor: At this point in time, I feel it’s very important to get you started on some medication to get you to healthier cholesterol levels. If we don’t and it gets worse, you could be looking at clogged arteries, a stroke or even a heart attack. I see in your chart that you aren’t on any other medications, so we don’t need to worry about anything counteracting and until now all of your blood tests have come back looking fantastic.
Patient: What options exist for a person to try and reduce his/her cholesterol without taking medication?
Doctor: Daily exercise and a healthy diet are very important. Are you a smoker?
Patient: I haven’t smoked a cigarette in 22 years.
Doctor: Ok great, because if you did, smoking can lead to unhealthy cholesterol levels as well. Do you have any other questions or