Welcome Lipitor and Fish Oil

I met with my endocrinologist Dr. M. yesterday at my university hospital and was pre-interviewed by a new resident. He was soooo very young and looked surprisingly similar to Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. He was a former drummer who's brother plays numerous instruments and was raised in a musical environment. We talked music for a bit.

After his interview and a quick listen to my lungs, Dr. M. joined us. He asked what I knew of the issue at hand: the possibility of drug therapy to treat my high cholesterol. I told him that the liver doctor felt that even through my extreme weight loss, my cholesterol numbers failed to change. Because of that, he felt it was a genetic issue and, due to future lung transplants, we should be aggressive about treating it so it doesn't become an issue later during the lung transplant process.

Dr. M. agreed. But, he feels that the cholesterol issues are caused by prednisone and its continuous dosage since 2005. So, he wants to begin a two-prong attack:

1. Fish oil - He told me to buy 500 mgs of Omega-3 fish oil with a blue and green label from Trader Joe's. One is to be taken with food at breakfast and another with dinner. After a week, an additional pill will be added to the breakfast pills. After an another week, a pill will be added to the dinner pills for a total of four pills a day. He said fish oil is also anti-inflammatory and he would be interested to see if this helps my lungs. Interesting.
2. Lipitor - We are beginning with a small dose of 10mgs once a day for three months. Blood tests will determine if we need to adjust the dosage after the three months period. He feels that there will be a dramatic change in my numbers by then. 

Side effects? Surprisingly, he said that I will probably have them with the fish oil and not the Lipitor! He said most people feel the fish oil in their stomachs. I have a feeling burps are involved. I don't know if that will be an issues for me since I have a Nissen and really don't burp. The Lipitor can cause muscle pain or weakness or hair loss (!) but that is very rare. He said the muscle pain or weakness could be a symptom related to a kidney problem so, stop the drug and call him immediately.

So, we add a new drug added into the mix. A new experiment. I will report back to you, dear reader.