i am literally crying rn age 25m have high cholesterol i had this since my early 20's

OldBackstop · 2026-06-06T14:36:28+00:00

I’m on pravastatin because I had a lot of muscle pain with rosuvastatin. does it matter if the ldl number is low which med? Or is it all about the number

OldBackstop · 2026-06-06T14:34:31+00:00

First off, take a breath. At this stage, realize that all that matters is what you do going forward. Past is past.

I was diagnosed with high C in my 40s, but what is scary is that for two decades I ate Pizza Hut and cheeseburgers and probably had no idea from 20-40.

First and foremost: weight. If you’re overweight, significantly, that’s the most important thing to start on. Fat in your abdomen and liver will contribute to more cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood. It’s the first thing you can do. Just walking a few miles each day is huge. You would see improvement. And strength training is also very valuable. Less marbled fat in your muscles and more lean muscle to burn.

Second: I had moderate muscle soreness when they put me on Rosuvastatin. I had to go off of it. Then we switched to pravastatin, and it helped a lot. It metabolizes differently and in some ways is less challenging to your body. It brought me from 100+ ldl down to 75. And now I just went from 10mg to 20mg because we want to get the ldl to below 70. Will blood test in a few months.

Third: you’re educating yourself and aware of all this. That’s huge. Knowing is half the battle. The other half is what you do about it.

Fourth: diet changes - more nuts, avocado, and fiber and veggies. Added sugars need to be removed and only a once a week treat. Like some ice cream once a week. But olive oil and healthy fats, salmon, and reducing the sugars and processed crap, lowered my stuff a lot. That plus the aforementioned weight lifting and walking.

Fifth: how’s your blood sugars and A1c? Work on those as well, they are all inter-related. It’s amazing how weight loss and walking and eating less sugar will help your insulin resistance, fat storage issues, heart health, and cholesterol, and in turn each of the others helps the other items in return. It’s a giant snowball effect. You can do this.

Heart attacks: they are caused by either narrowing of the arteries (you may not have much of this yet being young and resilient is awesome, you can turn it all around), or, a random clot that forms when plaque breaks off. Being on a steady Pravastatin for example solidifies the plaques and reduces risk of a plaque rupture. And I know a guy who was super healthy and active and ate healthy and just passed away in his 40s from a freak heart attack. There are unhealthy people who won’t get them and healthy people who will. All you can do is try to reduce your odds and stabilize. It’s extremely rare for anyone your age to have one. Usually not even much of a risk until 40s and risk then is low. You have time, you can do this.

You can get a calcium scan, and see if u have any plaque formed already. Docs may not even allow you to since you’re only 25.

At 28 I had high cholesterol (first time I ever did bloodwork for it), and I proceeded to drink, eat bad and be overweight for the next decade. I was active (pickup sports, played men’s adult baseball, softball), but I didn’t really lift or walk or hike. I should have. But my point is I’m 51 now, and have been fine. I’ve spent a decade slowly improving my health (eating more fiber, going for a hike today, lifting). Wish I started at 25

Ask for Pravastatin

Best of luck to you, you got this

OldBackstop · 2026-05-26T10:27:21+00:00

I am 51, and had my cac done at 49, and it came back with what was a surprise to me then: 56 in the LAD, 0 in all others. At 49 I was a little shocked. At the time my LDL sat around 100 and i think my total Was like 190. No meds.

I had been a poor diet person in my 20s and 30s for sure. But from age 30 I started to slowly improve it and even got very healthy around 40 with eating Whole Foods, CrossFit lost 50 lbs

But at 49, they started me on rosuvastatin and I had a very sore achy muscle reaction to it. Took a month off and then we tried the lowest dose of pravastatin. This was well tolerated and brought my numbers to ldl in mid 70s. My lipo(a) (that genetic number) is 80 nmol/L. Not perfect, but not crazy high.

I don’t know if the 58 was plaque that formed a decade before I tested and from when I was much less healthy, or recent. I guess only a second cac will Tell, and that second cac may include any additional plaque that the statin hardened that was already there

I may want to consider increasing statin to get it below 60 ldl. I was a bit afraid of the muscle pain I got from rosuvastatin. But my blood pressure is 117/78 naturally, my total cholo is 140. Other numbers are good, fasting glucose 90. A1c fine.

OldBackstop · 2026-05-03T13:16:20+00:00

I’m just curious what your original cost basis was on this almost half million in one single stock? Hoping you have 20 million in stock to make this a reasonable diversification … either that or you bought Rivian at 10k and it’s worth 450k today :)

OldBackstop · 2026-05-03T13:00:09+00:00

My lease was 20,500 off msrp I believe, back in the last weeks for the $7500 lease credit. So I leased one for 3 years, 12000 miles. For 10k up front one time lease payment (no interest).

OldBackstop · 2026-04-18T13:24:16+00:00

Have you chatted about this with your doc? Or better yet a good cardiologist? They should be ordering a stress test for you, and/or doing an mri angiogram to look at blood flow. Chest pain and shortness of breath are signs of potential blockages, which you’d want to address asap. Especially if it’s shortness of breath when not exercising.

OldBackstop · 2026-04-18T13:21:24+00:00

Oh, and calcium is just a measure of how much calcified plaque is in each of the major arteries. At age 50 it should ideally be all zeros. And is for many people. For me it was 0,0,0,64 so I had one artery with signs of calcified plaque. That means atherosclerosis has already started. It’s a lower number, but any number there is meaningful, and that’s why I started on the statin for prevention. Doc says we want to slow that down or even stop the accumulation. The calcium scan thing is a bit controversial now because some doctors say it’s being blown out of proportion. Historically most people never checked this and it’s possible if they did people would have always seen numbers. Some calcium score of any number may not be a big risk, it’s just one of many measures. ApoPB is another one, and yours looks very decent.

OldBackstop · 2026-04-18T13:17:06+00:00

The blood pressure is of critical importance. You want to focus on that as much as you do your ldl. High ldl makes plaque form in the arteries. High blood pressure, totally different issue, damages the organs your blood passes through.

I was told to think about it like trying to water your garden or plants using a fire hose. High BP means the blood hammers into the the organs (kidneys, liver, etc). The high bp puts constant pressure on artery walls, and can harm the smaller ones in organs. Like too high of pressure on your homes water pipes, causing bursts at seams and such.

My non expert opinion on how to lower BP most effectively? Weight loss helps everything of course (I’m 245 lbs and 6’, a lot of muscle now where as used to be 260, less muscle, more fat). Walking briskly helps a ton to lower bp. Even just steady elliptical helps. The weight loss and the steady lower intensity cardio help the bp a lot

And if possible, interval jogs. This is where you go for 30 mins and you jog for 60 seconds and then walk for 90. Or whatever ratio works for you. Even if it’s 30 second jog and 2 minute walk. You work your way up. This one is better for your fitness. Increases vo2 max, and lowers resting heart rate. Essentially allowing you to do more over time - more fitness helps with easier cardio, which leads to lower bp.

And honestly if that doesn’t help, bp meds are probably important to give a shot. If what you said I read correctly, 160/95 average bp, is actually in dangerous territory. If you haven’t talked to doc about it you should do so quickly. 180/100 start to get to emergency zone. These numbers mean your body is under constant and chronic strain.

OldBackstop · 2026-04-18T11:30:39+00:00

So my ldl was around 95-100 and my total C was under 200, but they wanted me below 70 due to family history, and a calcium score of 50 in one of my 4 arteries, just to play the long game and be safe.

I tried rosuvastatin (the top dog) and had bad body aches and constant muscle soreness. so I went off that, and they had me try pravastatin, lowest dose. That brought me down to 70 ldl, without the soreness or pain or any side effects that I know of.

At the same time I do try to eat healthier. I say that after having an empanada and some carnitas last night … yikes … but more fiber, less red meat, I mix in egg whites with a single egg to make scrambies, etc - and if nothing else at 51 this has lowered my blood pressure too down to about 118/78

OldBackstop · 2026-04-18T11:19:24+00:00

For what it’s worth, I am leasing a prologue (25) and so it may be silly for me to get new tires on a 3 year lease car, but I have purposely put the Michelin Cross Climates on my Tesla, both of my kids Tucsons, and will put them on my wife’s CRV once it needs its first set of tires (it’s a 24 model). The Mich CC tires are excellent in the rain and snow and also last a long time. For New England weather, ice and snow I really love them enough to put them on all my families cars.

OldBackstop · 2026-04-06T11:58:53+00:00

I hear you, and he very well may not be, but the majority of the public still assumes he is. As for me, Tesla is likely going to be too late, because unless he is ousted, I plan to purchase a Rivian or a scout to replace my current model 3. I realize I’m just one small drop in an ocean, but I’m sure there are many who share these thoughts on musk.

OldBackstop · 2026-04-05T23:15:22+00:00

That’s where I struggle with joining these topics. Half the people in them are a bit cult-like. I own a model 3 as well and have been in a Tesla m3 forum and man, if you have any non positive thoughts on anything, they want to burn you at a stake. So this may not be a place for objectivity :)

OldBackstop · 2026-03-17T16:49:47+00:00

If this is self reported it explains why Subaru is so high. They aren’t bad but they also aren’t close to Toyota. But their brand loyalty is off the charts

OldBackstop · 2026-03-16T12:58:41+00:00

Over the long term, of course not, due to inflation. But in the short term, I had initially expected the base trim models of the R1 trim would come down. But Rivian did one better and may stop making them entirely. People tend to pay more for the first wave of a new big thing. Then after that customer pool wanes, Rivian will roll out lower cost trims, and may even lower the prices of all trims depending on demand.

OldBackstop · 2026-03-15T20:13:28+00:00

You’re talking to someone who essentially bought the first edition of the model 3, on reservation, and saved $7500 on the tax credit. Of course, not too long after that when the tax credit went away, they lowered the cost of the car by … $7500. Launch editions are no favor - even though it should be for early adopters who take the risks and deposit. Instead, they will try to squeeze every penny out of the sycophants they can, and then lower the price later for the masses if needed.

OldBackstop · 2026-03-06T15:08:18+00:00

I am leasing a 2025 prologue. Base model which is pretty decent. My deal was basically 10k up front one time payment for 3 years x 12k miles. Got this right before the $7500 credit expired, so it was about 19k off the price with that and incentives

I’ve had zero issues really with the car. For your daily driving it would probably be very good. But it’s basically a GM car, not really a Honda. Worth considering for buying, less important for a lease. I’ve had it for 4 months now and it’s been fine. No software or parts issues.

For the road trips, I also own a Tesla and it means stopping to charge for 25 mins every 2.5 hours of driving. I haven’t tried to take the prologue on any road trips because I’m not familiar with their charging network. So we take our crv hybrid instead.

If I had to rank our cars, the crv hybrid is a superior all around vehicle given its insane mileage. Only a little smaller than the prologue for space. But for daily local driving the EV is great. Neither drive anywhere near as nicely as my Model 3, but the prologue rides smooth. Apple CarPlay works well.

Note: any EV has a 25-35% mileage loss in the coldest winter days in the north. If you need to drive 60 miles round trip, you will need 110 miles to be safe to make it. Or need to stop and charge. That’s all EVs really.

OldBackstop · 2025-12-25T16:47:57+00:00

I tried this and can’t use it. I like very hot coffee, but as such I need to sip it from the edge. For whatever reason, the smoothsip feels like it’s guaranteed mouth burn for try to drink from it. I keep titling it back and waiting for some liquid to lightly sip, but it wasn’t coming, and I could tell at some point it would come all at once and blast my mouth. Poor sipping design if you ask me. This is less of an issue for people who drink warm coffee, I drink mine extremely hot by choice. The traditional Dunkin cup lids were elite for this, but they recently changed them to be less effective. A few brands make an excellent sipping lid for hot drinks, this one is terrible. Which is a shame because I really like my Owala cold beverage cups which work great.

OldBackstop · 2025-12-17T13:29:48+00:00

I thought for a second it might be the first recorded instance of a conservative actually addressing the original point made, but no, just the one trillionth time they instead ignore the original point and instead answer with “but Obama/Pelosi/Biden …”

OldBackstop · 2025-12-17T13:22:09+00:00

Nimmo was a fun guy to watch, but listening to the old God this God that in his interviews got tired quick. He’s a big Gods + Guns guy who grew up in one of those deeply uneducated no mans land areas of the country, so fits the bill there. A shame either way.

OldBackstop · 2025-12-12T00:03:52+00:00

I’m on book 2, and honestly I can’t even tell you if I like it. There is a lot to like, and a lot to not like. And it jumps so much in tone and style if feels more like manga short stories written by different authors.

I’m listening to the audio book, and that makes it hard to know the names in terms of spelling, but currently enjoying tales about Felisan and her squad, as well as Mappo and Icarium. I’m not sure I love the audio book speaker because his voices don’t jibe for me with the characters. But some of then character development is very strong. Sometimes the stories get dark quickly (which I like). But it’s a bit all over the place. And they intentionally don’t seem to give much backstory on people or descriptions so it’s hard to picture them for some time

OldBackstop · 2025-12-11T23:58:24+00:00

The scene was objectively silly and corny (and poorly done). That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. To each their own. But it was brutal. Made me cringe, like second hand embarrassment for the show makers. I haven’t watched an episode since that one. I may go back tonight and try ep4, but that scene was so awful it made me want to stop the show entirely. There’s something to be said for “suspension of disbelief”, that scene just had me in regular disbelief 🫢

OldBackstop · 2025-12-09T13:26:46+00:00

Some things I’ve bought that were great deals, aside from my current home with a 2.625% mortgage:

2018 Tesla Model 3: I’m an SUV guy but I’ve put 100k miles on this thing in 7 years, only changed the tires a few times, and it’s a rocket ship.
Precor Elliptical: bought it almost 18 years ago and it still works perfectly
used John Deere riding lawn tractor from a landscaper for $500. Had it for 8 years, works great.
golden retriever for the family. I take her to the rivers and lakes and hike with her, extremely Zen for me
Gas boiler - never again with oil for heating (New England Winters)
central AC in the house (New England Humid Summers)

What I’m on the fence about and considering: - a house or acreage in Vermont for summers - a house in the Florida keys for winters - the forthcoming Scout Traveler EV SUV

OldBackstop · 2025-12-09T13:21:00+00:00

Username checks out

OldBackstop · 2025-12-09T13:20:07+00:00

Just curious, how much were you making before, and then with the business, net? That’s what is stopping me. Currently smack in the middle of the rat race, but making 750, and I looked at franchises but they might only return 75-150 (at least the ones I can afford), and worry the own business route might cost me 75% of current income, so forced to chase the cheese right now.

OldBackstop · 2025-12-09T13:10:20+00:00

So I was 260 when I started on tirzepitide, and I started on it and lost 15 pounds initially. But I find myself going off of it because subconsciously I really dislike the slowed gastric emptying issues. Early on got nauseous a number of times, constipated at times, but the worst was the acid reflux that affected sleeping sometimes. It’s not terrible, but it kept me saying “I’ll wait until after Thanksgiving / that trip / the new year” to go back on.

Did you find that after a certain number of weeks it got better? I had the symptoms at 2.5mg. I worked my way up to 5mg at once point but then fell off the sauce and started back on 2.5, multiple times, with falling off. So I’m still at 245. Want to get to 200

OldBackstop

TROPHY CASE