What could cause my good cholesterol to go down and my bad cholesterol to go up and how can I lower my sodium and Cholesterol? If it was not for the General Surgeon that I seen I would not have known. Please let me know. Also about 2 years ago I was finally able to get out of the wheel chair but I still have problems with my legs going dead when I twist a certain way. I had to have an L-4 L-5 spinal fusion due to trauma to my back, I do have spinal bifida occolta (spelling?) could that be causing my legs to still go dead? Where I have no feeling or movement in them for the shortest time is a few hours to a few months at a time. Since I have been out of the wheel chair I have been trying to exercise regularly until my back starts to hurt again (aporox 3 blocks of walking) Cancer does run really high in my family but according to my primary doctor I do not have any of the signs. My mother went undiagnosed with her gall bladder leaking for years, my general surgeon is looking into that for me as well. I am due to have an ultra sound sometime this week. I had asked you about my D-Dimer and the stomach pain. I am going for my colonoscopy tomorrow at 11:45am Hopefully it can show some answers.
Diet and exercise are the best ways to lower bad cholesterol, lower sodium, and increase good cholesterol. You should eat a balanced diet low in fat, salt, and processed foods; decrease you intake of red meat and sugary/greasy snacks and increase your intake of fish, vegetables, and fruit.
It is certainly possible that your history of spina bifida occulta is contributing to your leg problems. However, there may be some underlying issues regarding your spine either from the trauma or from vascular insufficiency. If you haven’t been worked up for your legs becoming dead, you should be evaluated by your primary care physician, a neurologist, or a vascular surgeon.
As each patient is different, your primary care physician or neurologist should be able to tailor a regimen for you to improve your lifestyle.