Pat’s Polemics

Sent to a friend just before my appt with the doctor last Friday, 4/27.
Tomorrow I see my doctor’s PA. Here’s my dilemma. The doctor put me on statins over 3 weeks ago. She said I had a fatty liver. She also put on my records (which I sent you) ‘hypertensive heart disease’. She referred me to a pulmonary specialist b/c the problem was pulmonary hypertension affecting my heart. He put me through some tests and showed me the results that said my condition was just fine. No problem.
The doctor had me get blood work done April 17 to see “how I was tolerating the statins”. A short time later her office called me to say my liver was clear, just fine, no problems. Could the statins have worked in 3 weeks to clear up a problem so serious that she’d put me on this strong drug? One clue is that I argued that my blood donation cholesterol readings had always been below 200, supposedly the standard. She explained that those were done not fasting. The fasting reading was what counted. That the statins may have acted that quick was bolstered by my most recent donation reading of 124, far below any previous reading.
That still leaves me with wondering what the doctor saw that made her put me on statins. Since going on them I have been light-headed, not good when you’re throwing weight overhead. More disturbing, my fatigue level is reaching epic proportions. I get so tired and I sit or lie down and fall asleep. Complication: Jaden moved in with us 6 months ago and just the first of this month, he was cut off his therapy, meds, doctors, etc. Only his pediatrician is left and the psychiatrist treating the family on Ray’s insurance. So since the first of the month we’ve been dealing with weaning Jaden off these drugs and trying supplements, vitamins and food choices to buffer the effects. This is so hard to deal with it could account for my fatigue. Sweet feels the same, but we don’t feel we have a choice.
I am hoping someone can give me some guidance on this statin thing. I don’t want to be a difficult patient, but it shook me when the doctor referred me to the pulmonary specialist after explaining how my heart works harder and enlarges due to the pulmonary hypertension and so on only to find out the specialist says my heart and lungs are in great shape. What about my liver? Anything to justify these statins? I have read also that statins are not all that easy to come off of. I would imagine it’d be easier if I quit them now.
STOP
Follow-up post:
The PA was great, again. She suggested my episode Wed a.m. (feeling really bad after a bit of light work before breakfast) was due to hyperventilation, which made sense in terms of situation and symptoms. She said fatty liver is very common and at 76 I’ll probably die of heart failure before I die of a fatty liver. She also has no idea why people have fatty liver, esp me with my history of reasonable weight and little drinking. She said I could stop the statins any time I want to see if the light-headedness and fatigue abate, and then start them up again. I can quit them altogether if I want. So starting today I’m going off them for 2 weeks and then back on. In early June I see my cardiologist and then later my GP.
She also talked to me about Buddhist teaching, showing me how to breathe and attributing the technique to the Tibetans. Hardly what you’d expect. Great lady.
STOP
Now it’s the fourth day off the statins and my energy level is back to normal and I went into the gym and did just fine. Tomorrow I’ll go in a do my old work-out to see if I’ve dropped off any in performance. It is said that statins affect muscles.