I fully understand how you feel and I have stopped my gym when going to the
gym has been a way of life for me for over half my life.  I have replaced it
with walking and I have a couple of machines that have not been used enough.
The secret to using them ENOUGH is to listen to or watch something while
using them.   The length of time used goes way up.
   One thing you and I must accept is that we can be our own worst enemy.
It is not OK to continue a lifestyle that is killing us.   Patting ourselves
on the back while making excuses or explaining to ourselves why today is not
a good day to do what is best for ourselves must be faced for what it is.
Good luck with it all Diane.  Putting this post in the newsgroup is the
first step to a better tomorrow.
Harv

That's getting up there, though I've heard of much higher.  According to my
recent PCPs (the ones since my cholesterol has been high) those kind of
numbers are indicative of a genetic element at work - not just diet.  Don't
beat yourself up about those numbers, your cholesterol would have been high
even with a good diet and lots of exercise.  Probably not quite as high, but
still high.  In my case this was supported by both of y siblings (both of
whom eat more healthily than I, though my diet isn't THAT bad) also developed
chol. probs around the same age.

My total cholesterol was around 240 - there's a hole where the LDL was stored
in my brain - about this time last year.  After a couple of months on 20 of
Lipitor, my total was 170 and the LDL/HDL split needed just a slight tweak to
be ideal.  And at that point I'd been eating LOTS of eggs as we'd been
visiting up here interviewing for this job and kept being given farm-fresh
brown eggs.  Yum.  We agreed I'd achieve the needed further tweaking with
diet changes as the numbers were so clse to good.  YMMV, of course, but I
betcha it looks equally good for you.

No.  My sister did have the achiness that is listed in the side effects, but
it went away as soon as she stopped the statin she was on.  And it was a
different type of achiness - she's a former dancer (belonged to the local,
now-though-not-then professional, ballet company) and gymnast so she's
accustomed to ahing muscles but said this just didn't feel right and she was
all-over achy rather than localized as someone (Rosie?) said.

As for the liver effects, heck, you're already being watched for liver probs,
the same tests will pick up probs from the lipitor as well.   and I forget
what else is there in the way of side effects........

I'm curious as to why baby aspirin?  Is he just anticipating cardiac problems
from the high cholesterol?  It does seem to me that there should be a solid
reason for adding it with your other NSAID use and with your GI probls in the
picture.

well, you know all too well that neither of these can hurt you any!  heehee  
And improving your diet even some and getting more exercise will really help
you a lot in dealing with stress too.  Lord knows you've had enough of that
lately.  And I bet once you get back into the gym, you'll be glad you did.  
(A good gym is probably what Mike and I miss most where we live now.  We have
a new resolution to drive the 50 miles RT into the mediocre gym more often if
we ever get over this respiratory bug, but we wouldn't have to push ourselves
into doing it were it a GOOD gym.  When we were visiting back home, we got
pases to the gym we used to belong to and it was so glorious to be working
out more again, even for that brief time.)

And remember, while a "perfect" diet might be nice, it usually isn't
necessary.  Whatever changes you can make will be good.  And this is the
right time of year to be eating more fresh fruit and veggies anyway.  If you
all do make the move to NC, you'll most likely have some really good farmer's
markets around you, too.......

nah, don't waste time and energy on that.  Just look at this as additional
motivation to do some stuff you've wanted to do anyway.  And put that
deprecctory energy into the diet and exercise instead.  And remember that
genes are part of the picture, now it's time to try to balance out the
effects of those genes...........

((((((((((((Diane)))))))))))))

(and a hug to John as well........)

{{{{{{Diane}}}}}  We love you enough for all of that!!  I strongly believe
in moderation in all things.  I'm not getting out of this world alive so I'm
gonna go happy.  You can have the cheese danish....once a year on your
birthday.

DeeTee
________________________________
DeeTee and Bob Taggart
http://www.marykay.com/dtaggart3
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze8fwov/
________________________________

It seems to me I heard somewhere that Diane wrote in article
<1114054489.510921.61950@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>:

[. . .]

[. . .]

My opinion, based on several years of reading the statin wars in
sci.med.cardiology and seven years on statins (mostly Lipitor at 80mg,
apparently a high dosage):  rather than being scared be alert; the
truly serious side effects like neurological symptoms and
skeleto-muscular problems including rhabdomyalysis, occur at a very
low rate.  The more common effects are less apt to be serious or
disabling, but include tiredness and muscular weakening.  Most studies
consider the reduction of cholesterol and triglycerides to be
effective enough to outweigh the risks of statin side effects but most
also caution about being aware of potential problems.

I'm on 325mg, the adult dose, but have never been on any other blood
thinners, so I can't offer anything.

Good luck with these changes!

South Beach. It dropped my Cholesterol 50 points. I
added Lipitor and it came down another 50 so I am in a
good range now. Gentle hugs to you.
Duckie

(((((((((((((diane))))))))))))  i don't really have any good advice and
everybody has seemed to cover most of it.  but . . .

i'm going to share a secret with you, so don't tell anybody else, ok?

did you know that in most doctor's office suites there is a private room
where the walls are literally covered by dart boards?  uh-hunh.  it's true.
i noticed a door< labeled "private"< left ajar one day, peeked into its room
and watched a doctor doing what i'm about to tell you about.  and then, i
was caught and was rushed into an exam room.  well, that got me curious.
so, i went snooping about for that kind of room at every other doctor's
office wherever and whenever i had appointments.  and all of the doctors'
suites had such rooms!  and i even located such rooms in hospitals!

on each of the rings and wedges, of each and every dart board, there was a
particular syndrome, disorder or disease labeled.
the doctor begins his or her day by taking the charts of patients, for that
day's schedule, into that office (or he or she suddenly disappears from your
exam room, for a few minutes, while you await his or her return).

the patients' charts are color coded, and that's how the doctor knows how
many darts to throw for that particular patient that day.  so, if your color
coded chart indicates 4 darts are to be thrown for you, then the doctor
throws (while blindfolded, of course, and after spinning himself around so
he doesn't know which wall full of dart board illnesses he's aiming at) four
darts at the dart boards.

sometimes, the darts miss a board completely and either fall to the floor or
hit the wall between the dart boards.  each dart that misses its mark is one
less thing the doctor can scare you with or rag on you about.  and in fact,
because the dart missed entirely, the doctor has to tell you a positive
thing about yourself and/or your heath.  darts that land on lines, mean the
doctor has to tell you that something hasn't changed, neither for the better
nor for the worse.  and darts that hit a bull's eye, mean the doctor is
allowed to make you feel guilty about any other dart that hit a labeled
spot.

i've studied all of this very carefully and very discreetly over the last
few years.  the medical profession is very, very careful about protecting
this secret and that's why so few patients know about it.  but i'm a nosy
kaprosy, so i don't miss noticing stuff like this.

anyway, i guess what i'm trying to tell you, by sharing this secret with
you, is not to be too hard on yourself, cuz it's not your fault that your
doctor throws darts the way he does!

feel better, hon.  you'll do what you know you need to do.

kate

freak out number...felt ashamed of myself because this past year i've
lived on cheese danishes and  toffee almond bars (damn starbucks!)

Hi Diane,
  I know the feeling :(  But, try not to be ashamed. Our diseases put
us in a bad place about taking care of other stuff. A skinny, active
person with that level would likely have a genetic propensity towards
high cholesterol. However, people like us (me!) who are typically
sedentary and 'fluffy' (that's what I call my overweight :), usually
can lower our cholesterol quite a bit with some lifestyle changes.
  When I was 33 (14 years ago), my RA was out of control; no physical
activity except taking care of my kids. I was overweight after 3
pregnancies in 4 years. My first fasting cholesterol was 252. Yikes! I
was terrified...scared, sick, upset...and, ashamed. But, I wasn't
willing to go the meds route at that point.
   I made some changes which ended up being not too difficult and the
'work' really paid off. First, I stopped eating ice cream every night
LOL. Changed my cooking oil to canola or olive oils only. Cut way back
on frying foods. Added a lot of fiber to my diet...more fruits and
veggies. Big salads were a staple at dinnertime. I wasn't willing to
give up red meat or eggs. We just ate a bit less of them. I also added
exercise, which was hardest of all, as my pain levels were great and
mobility was low. I started slow. Short walks around the house...10
minutes at a time, a few times a day. When the weather got better, I
started walking up and down the block. The longest I was ever able to
walk per day was 20 minutes. On the days when the pain was too great, I
made sure to spend 20 minutes, even if it was broken up, doing
stretches and light calisthenics. On days when my knees felt okay, I'd
go up and down the stairs 5 times, twice a day. With 3 small kids, I
had to find things that were simple and kept me near them. As an
adjunct, recommended by my ob/gyn, I added daily Evening Primrose oil
for it's cholesterol lowering benefits. These changes were all easy and
not too life-altering. Over the course of 6 months, I lost 25 pounds
and had a bit more energy, too. My cholesterol tested at 190! No meds
for me! Apparently, my raised cholesterol wasn't the genetic type. It
was due to my illness, overweight and sedentary lifestyle.
  Over the years, I'd gained back the weight and more. But, I kept up
with the diet changes and exercise. I also switched evening primrose to
flaxseed oil. I'm now thinking of changing to Omega's as Jeff and
Jeffrey take them for their bipolar with no side-effects. Omega's have
been shown to help cholesterol a lot. My switching to Omegas would lead
to one less pill bottle in this house : ) My cholesterol never went
over 200 again. In the past 5 months, due to some awful life-stressors,
I've lost almost 60 lbs. I don't eat much these days. Not a good way to
lose weight. Still, it's helped my joints to feel better and my
cholesterol is now 150. But, even without this big weight loss, I was
able to get my cholesterol down to a manageable level. It is possible,
without too much hassle. Since you've already started meds for it, it
should be even easier. I know you really did not need one more thing on
your plate. But, as things go, this one is doable. I just know you'll
be fine once the shock wears off : )  Please take good care of you and
don't feel too badly. Our RA makes us feel badly enough. We can't help
that we have it. And, sometimes it consumes us so much that we forget
we have other things that need caring for. Maybe, this was just a wake
up call saying: Diane! Start taking good care of YOU! : )  Sending
prayers and hugs to you!
--
Patty
Hoping your hills are never too steep.