With respect to cholesterol: how much weight do I need to take off to get it down without needing to use medications? What medications should I take? What are the side effects of the medications that I need to look out for? What are the goals of therapy? How often does my lipid profile need to be checked? How often does my liver function need to be checked?
With respect to obesity: How much weight do I have to lose? What is the target goal for me to get to an ideal weight for my height and size? What is my body mass index? What body mass index would be appropriate for my size, shape and age? Can you help me get the weight down? Do I need a nutritionist or an exercise program?
What can I do to decrease the stress in my life?
I have heard that there are tests that may further help determine if I am at worse risk for incapacitation or death, should I have any of the following?
Blood tests such as homocysteine levels, Lp(a), fibrinogen, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and apoprotein E levels. Laboratory and radiology tests such as stress test (with or without imaging), echocardiogram, carotid non-invasive studies, ultrafast CT angiography, electron beam CT, or MRI.
In order to best understand you results, you should know them. Therefore you should ask what your result of any test is, and what the normal is for that particular test.
Your doctor may give you a general sense of his/her impressions regarding the tests below; however, be certain to request and understand the results of each test. You should also know when these were last done, and whether they have gotten worse or improved. This is especially important with cholesterol and LDL. If the numbers get better when you lose weight and exercise, this will be an incentive to continue. If the numbers get worse if you gain weight and stop exercising, it will encourage you to recommence. As much as we doctors like to think that we control everything, which is not the case. You have more control than we do with medications that we may order (and you may not take).
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