how to get your cholesterol test?
June 18, 2010 by admin
Filed under cholesterol fact
Before you get a cholesterol test, you will be told by doctor or nurse to fast for at least 9 – 12 hours before the test. You cannot eat any food. If you do eat food within the period, this will affect the accuracy of the cholesterol test. You can only drink plain water that does not contain any sugar or any additives.
Normally, you do a cholesterol test by getting a blood test. The doctor will inject a needle with tube into the middle part of your arm between your upper arm and lower arm to get a small sample of blood. Of course, this is a bit painful when the needle is injected. If the blood flow is slow you may need to hold a small ball firmly to increase the flow of the blood.
After the sample of blood is taken, it will be sent to a laboratory for analysis.
Normally, the analysis report will be completed in 1 -2 days. You will be asked to get the report from your doctor.
Inside the cholesterol test results, you should be able to see 4 statistics, your total cholesterol number, your HDL cholesterol number, your LDL cholesterol number and your triglycerides level.
Your doctor will interpret your cholesterol numbers which include other risk factors like age, family history, smoking history, any heart related diseases. If your LDL cholesterol number is high, or your total cholesterol number is high, your doctor will start to advise you to change your diet habits and start a healthier life style. You may be required to go for a second test in 3 – 6months after you start trying to lower your cholesterol naturally. If after a few trials your cholesterol level does not go down and stays at a very high level, your doctor may ask you to take medication.
Hence, it is better to change your life style and stick to a healthy diet plan and life style to reduce your cholesterol naturally.
