Be what you are.
~ Julius Charles Hare
This is the first step toward
becoming better than you are.
English – Clergyman; September 13, 1795 – January 3, 1855
Porte Musings:
This week is full of birthdays in our family, today my niece, born 1 day after my grandson in the same hospital, celebrates her 11th birthday. I think we just wanted an excuse to eat cake everyday the first week of September. 😉
Familial Cholesterolemia type II runs in our family as well. Although diet does play a small part in high cholesterol levels, our DNA is a much bigger contributor. My mother had her first cardiac arrest at 38 and died with her second at 43. Her Cholesterol and triglycerides were high, but there were very few options to reduce it. Her father died with his first cardiac arrest at 36 after a short walk to his brother’s house (with no previous indications that he had a cholesterol problem). My younger sister had a DNA test to confirm she has the gene, so at 57 after taking cholesterol medications, she was prescribed Repatha, an injectable to help lower her LDL numbers. Since I have a significant family history; high levels even with 40 Mg Crestor and 10 mg Ezetimibe; and I have a confirmed immediate family member; I will also be starting Repatha. Hopefully my LDL will go below 0.5 and I can reduce the other 2 medications. I hate needles, but today and every other week I’ll be taking this shot to help reduce the effects of high cholesterol.