Video~ The Ins And Outs Of Getting Your Cholestrol Tested
So I went and had my Cholesterol checked- did you?
The process was as easy as could be. I made an appointment, for what I was told would be an 8 minute procedure, and it would have been less than that; but I got carried away chatting with the pharmacist.
The process involved having to fill out a questionnaire. The questions were along the lines of:
- Age?
- How many times I exercised in a week?
- Weight (over, under etc)?
- How many drinks I consume in one week?
- Sleep habits?
- Family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, high cholesterol?
- Stress Level?
After the questionnaire was completed, it was time to take blood. This involved pricking my finger and drawing the blood into a dropper of sorts; I will admit, the prick hurt, they have to get deep in order to extract enough blood for an accurate reading. Once extracted the blood is placed into a fat reading machine. Two minutes pass, in my case it was more than two minutes, because this is when I was chit-chatting with the lovely pharmacist about Dr.Oz and how much of babe he is!
The machine beeps and displays the lipid reading; and although, I consider myself healthy and I make a point of eating for heart health, I was a little nervous- you just never know; however, I am happy to report that my cholesterol number is…
3.71mmol/L!
A healthy range is anything less than 5.2mmol/L, which puts me in a very good position! Moderate risk numbers range from 5.2-6.2mmol/L; and high risk is anything above 6.2mmol/L. If you have any of the symptoms of heart disease and high cholesterol you are at SERIOUS risk.
Now, the reading I received measured the overall lipid content in my blood; it didn’t break it down into LDL and HDL. However, if you go to a lab, on the recommendation of your doctor, their tests offer a complete assessment.
Because Becel is offering these tests free of charge for the month of February and in honor of Heart and Stroke Awareness month, my test was free; but I asked the pharmacist and she said the price would hover around $15- $20. But it isn’t too late to find a participating testing station near you!
