Recent content by forza

Dirtbiker, thank you very much for contributing to the discussion as a trained doctor, as frustrating as it may be given the amount of anti-statin zealots out there. I am a 51 year old 6’1, 175lb nonsmoking athlete who blew off dangerously high cholesterol levels (290 total, LDL 189) for years...

Answering a couple of questions - diet in my 40’s was the standard Mediterranean diet of fish 10+x per week, a few servings of pasta, some wine, mindful of saturated fat intake, etc. my HbA1c results were excellent...no pre-diabetic issues whatsoever. As my cardio said, there’s nothing else...

That is excellent news!

Always love a good cholesterol debate. My story: Back in 2014 at the age of 46 I was on top of the world. Successful career. Well trained athlete. 6’1”, 175. Top runner, 6x week workouts, non-smoker, no diabetes, no high blood pressure, pulse rate of 50. Yearly James Bond day-long...

Dash man, Those are extremely good lipid #'s for having the best shot at stopping the plaque from escalating (LDL 38!). I've been on the highest dose 40mg of Crestor for a few months without side effects and I'm at LDL 59, HDL 63, Trig 40. 6' - 175lbs right now. My cardiologist is satisfied...

The best thing about the test is that I no longer have to guess about which arteries are clogged and the amount of plaque. I know exactly where the trouble spots are and my cardiologist can retest in a couple of years to see if those spots got worse or stabilized. I'm obviously concerned about...

I had to pay $800 out of pocket as insurance did not cover the test...it was performed at Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Dash Man, please consider getting a non-invasive Coronary CT Angiogram (CTA). I am 48, in excellent shape, and have had yearly treadmill stress tests since 2012. Only issue was a high LDL of 170-190 that I spent a few years unsuccessfully trying to lower with diet, etc, even though I was...

Many thanks to everyone for such great advice and follow-up questions for me to work through. I'm gathering information (e.g., I have a journal of expenses/costs of goods and services from my past trips to Puglia, Sicily, Calabria and the Naples region of Southern Italy where the house is...

Yes, Southern Italy has a lower cost of living so using the home as a base for 6 months in summer/fall with the rest of the year renting in other low cost areas (Southeast Asia, etc) would help keep the withdrawal rate at 5%. Basic healthcare would be included as part of residency. Double...

Thank you to all of the posters who provide great advice on this forum...I've learned quite a bit about the psychological aspects of cutting the cord early but I would like specific opinions from like-minded folks about my situation. My background: - 20 years current legal experience at West...