Fasting lipids

Monday morning we dragged everyone out of the house to finally get Rip's fasting lipid panels repeated... as we'd been procrastinating doing for several months, because let's face it, fasting blood tests involving a ferry trip are really no fun. (We'd hoped we might be able to get the tests done on-island, but the phlebotomists there are not up to the challenge of a blood draw with even a somewhat bigger baby, by our doctor's own admission, and the in-city hospital always has two very good people who can handle little veins there in the morning, so in the end competence won out over convenience.)

In the end, the test was worth it, because we have all around good news!

The results:

• Total cholesterol: 163, yay! (Last time, was high at 211, but now it's come down to normal!)
• LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol: 98, even more yay! (Was formerly elevated at 145, has also entered normal range.)
• HDL, or 'good' cholesterol: 52 (Last time, was 47.)
• Chol/HDL ratio: 3.1 (was 4.5).
• Triglyerides: 66 (were 97 - both is fine, but there's a family history of elevated triglycerides so we're happy to see this number even lower.)

What I conclude is that the dietary changes over this time period (from all boob to very little boob in a well balanced diet) were beneficial! Furthermore, this really sets my mind at ease at treating Rip dietarily like a normal kid from here on out.

Looking back at my earlier post from this winter. I am really struck by how lucky we've been to have the medical drama ebb considerably since then. While it's still something I think about, it's now much less fraught with terror.

And, here are my most recent values for comparison, ha.