Question:
I just got my blood work back

I had complete blood work done. I was just wondering if anyone had the same results. I am 7 months post op and down 75 lbs. My cholesterol in Jan. was 226 and my bloodwork from 2 weeks ago showed it dropped to 124! this seems so drastic. Of course I am very happy it came down, but I always heard that the desired numbers should be about 150 to 160. I also read that if it is very low it can cause depression. That's all I need. All the other numbers dropped a lot lower also. I of course didn't think to ask about this until after I got home from the dr. I just wondered if anyone else had these results from their blood work. Also I am on lipitor because my dr. said my cholesterol was still too high after surgery and it was probably heriditary. thanks for any info.    — taterbug898 (posted on June 27, 2005)

June 27, 2005
I dropped from the low 200 to 119 when I was 4 months PO. You are getting a lot less of the fattening foods in than you were in the past. At 2+ yrs PO I am still at the low number of 123. My internist did not feel that it was too low. What you need to check to see is if your LDL and HDL are with in normal ranges.
   — ChristineB

June 27, 2005
Since you are now malabsorbing some fats/oils, having lower cholesterol is expected. You might want to flag this for your doc and point out that you are still taking Lipitor. Mine went from 270 or so pre-op to 168 in 3 months, too, and now hovers around 120-130, and has for many years. High cholesterol runs in my family, too. My skinny little dad has ultra high cholesterol, as did my semi-chubby mom. I SHOULD have had it, but the bypass eliminated the fats so thoroughly that I never had to take meds. Your doc might have noticed the low # and not "clicked" that you are malabsorbing AND on Lipitor.
   — vitalady

June 27, 2005
Call your doc and question still being on Lipitor or at least the dosage you are. Cholesterol of 124 is awesome and right about where mine hangs, give or take a few numbers. My highest tended to be in the high 160's so for me the 120's to 130's is very expected, but it still is not uncommon for anyone increasing their exercise and eating tons less fat to drop like a stone. However, I would not take meds in order to keep it that low unless without meds you cannot keept it below 200. <p>The bigger concern than total, is what was your HDL (good) abd LDL (bad). My HDL was always at the very botton of normal (35) for a female, but because my total wasn't high they did not worry about it too much. The last bloodwork I had (2 yrs PO) it had climbed to 58, which I was thrilled about. My LDL was down to 70 and my total was 134. As far as depression I do not think it will be a factor unless you are prone to depression. I have under treatment for depression for 10 yrs and thins were never affected by how high or low my cholesterol was. Don't sweat the number and be glad your body has responded so nicely. But do call the doc and question the meds.
   — zoedogcbr

June 27, 2005
JUST SO YOU KNOW THE STANDARD FOR CHOL IS 90 TO 120 SO DON'T BE TO WORRIED. THE FACT THAT YOU DROPPED SO MUCH IS A GOOD SIGN THAT YOU ARE EATING CORRECTLY AND THAT YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR DOC AND SEE IF YOU CAN STOP THE LIPITOR. ONE LESS PILL TO TAKE IS A GOOD THING.KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
   — nans

June 29, 2005
My cholesteral actually dropped below 100 at one point during my first year post-op. My blood pressure was also low (as in, "tap tap tap . . . are you alive in there?" kinda low). My B-12 tanked (sublinguals took care of that). My liver enzymes shot up. The obvious explanation was the fallout from the WLS. By the end of the second year, my values were normalized, and those that weren't were promptly supplemented for with extra vitamins where appropriate. Not to worry overly . . . just watch carefully.<P>You don't mention what other levels of yours dropped, but some things, you shouldn't wait around for if they're tanking (such as B-12). It might be worth a call to your doc if levels have dropped in areas that you can supplement for (such as, again, B-12. Or Vitamin D. Or whatever might be in your labs . . . just suggesting some things are a watch-n-see situation, and others might be better dealt with proactively).
   — Suzy C.