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Can polycythemia cause iron deficiency?

Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Dec 31, 2023 | Replies (4)

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@loribmt

I’m happy to hear your liver enzymes are back to normal. Our livers can be remarkably resilient. My cholesterol stayed in the ‘oops zone’ even with steep measures to drop it naturally. My liver had taken a hit during many months of chemo and even though it’s back to normal it’s felt that this may have something to do with my elevated cholesterol.

Two modifications I made in my diet that dropped my cholesterol and triglycerides was to watch my intake of saturated fats and also, decrease my unnecessary carb/sugar intake. I’d always been mindful of my diet which is basically the Mediterranean diet. But I took extra steps with watching sat fats. Now, I try to keep intake at no more than 5 gms per day. Not the 15-20 gm in the recommended daily allowance. That saw cholesterol numbers plummet. But still not where they need to be. So I did end up on a very low dose statin which is helping to keep levels in the happy zone.

But sometimes no matter what we try, genetics win. Did your parents have high cholesterol?

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Replies to "I’m happy to hear your liver enzymes are back to normal. Our livers can be remarkably..."

@loribmt Yes, both of my parents have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Weight loss has not impacted my high blood pressure in the past. My doctor believes it’s definitely genetic, as I could stand to lose a few more pounds, but I’m not significantly overweight. The Mediterranean diet is how I recently lost 10 pounds, that’s why I was surprised to see my cholesterol increase so dramatically. It looks like I’m going to have to pay closer attention to the fat intake. My pcp did just put me on a statin. So, between the two, hopefully that gets my cholesterol on track!