Originally Posted by Nancy LC

I had been using a lot of coconut oil.

Originally Posted by khrussva

I am pretty much in the same boat as you. I posted my numbers on THIS PAGE of my journal (post 760). My LDL and TC went through the roof eating a very low carb diet and my doctor was pretty alarmed about it. Even though many have said that I have nothing to worry about eating this way, I am still concerned about it. My uncle died of a heart attack at age 61 - so I do have a history of CVD in my family. I'm trying to figure out how I can still eat the way I need to eat (LCHF) and yet still get those cholesterol numbers down -- if for no other reason than to get my doctor to stop thinking statins. I won't do statins, either.

I did a lot of searching on this subject and I did find one source of information where someone with the same issue managed to do something about it. She did an initial blog about it HERE and then a follow-up blog regarding her progress several months later at THIS link. These articles are a good read. Her arguments for taking action made sense to me and as I said, she did manage to make her cholesterol numbers change for the better (if there is such a thing) with a few diet tweaks.

I applied a few of those tweaks to my diet a few months ago. I have cut back on the saturated fat just a bit, I eat more fatty fish, I use more olive oil, and I eat more fiber (flax, cocoa & chia seeds). But I am still eating a very low carb/ketogenic diet. I will be going in for my next cholesterol test tomorrow. I'll be interested to see if my dietary changes have made any difference. I'll post the results to my journal when I have them.

Originally Posted by DelaneyLC

How do you get blood drawn to send them in for labs on your own?

Originally Posted by Merpig

You don't. You go to the lab to have the blood drawn as usual, with the paperwork from the testing site you are using.

Originally Posted by DelaneyLC

HDL is 54
Trigs are 122

I expected trigs to be lower and HDL to be higher. Really bummed out about my numbers.

Originally Posted by DelaneyLC

Ok, I would have to find a lab to go to. Does the lab do the testing or send the blood to the testing site I have the paperwork from?

I can't actually use the lab I go to cause its on a military base and they don't allow outside paperwork. It's also why I can't just switch doctors. It's also why they won't do tests I ask for.

Originally Posted by JEY100

Each of the Direct-to-Consumer labs has a contract with one lab to do both the blood draw and analysis. Some use Quest Labs, I use Direct Labs, whose contract is with LabCorp. Everything but driving yourself to the nearest lab for a blood draw (you can even make an appointment there on-line) is completed on-line. Often the doctor's order arrives within an hour, the test results in one day. The test results are executed by the exact same lab techs who analyze the blood drawn at my doctor's office by the nurse, or even the exact same free-standing LabCorp blood draw facility for the doctor's who do not have their own.
Check DirectLabs nearest lab location, if none near you, then check Save-On-Labs, HealthCheckUSA or others who may have a different lab for the draw closer to you.

Probably different for you in the military, but the cost of Direct Labs is cheaper for me than my co-pay using a regular doctor, the same lab, and with BC/BS insurance.

Same question..I have nothing but water for at minimum 12 hours before a blood draw, but usually try to not eat more like 18 hours before it.