A year ago, my total cholesterol was 228, and it had been in that area pretty consistently, for years.
On April 13th, (on a regular annual CBC test), it was down 17 points - at 211.
22 days later, on May 5th, (when I had the TIA), it was down another 20 points - at 191.
I thought that was incredible enough, (down 20 points in 22 days), but get this:
27 days later, (yesterday), on June 1st, it was down another whopping 46 points - at 145.
That's 46 points in 27 days. When I pointed that out to my doctor, he nodded approvingly, and said, "yep, those statins really work well". My response was, " I don't think they work that well, something else has to be going on". So after he thought about it for a few seconds, (he spent most of his career as an abdominal surgeon), it dawned on him that my ileostomy was a factor, since bile acids, (fatty acids - the stuff of which cholesterol is made), are absorbed in the terminal ileum, (and my terminal ileum is MIA).
So then I pointed out that if the current rate of decrease continues, it won't be long before my cholesterol level goes to zero. So I asked, "So shouldn't I be worried about my cholesterol level getting too low?" In typical "doctor fashion", his response to that question was, "We never worry about cholesterol levels going too low." His father died of a heart attack, so he has always been concerned about cholesterol, and he keeps his total cholesterol around 120. I can understand his concern, but there's no history of heart problems in my family. Anyway, there you have it, FWIW.
According to my calculations, if the current rate of decline continues, in 85 days, 2 hours, 36 minutes, and 31.3 seconds, my total cholesterol level will be exactly zero.
He wanted to do another blood test in 4 months. I requested one in 1 month. Since he takes a vacation every year around July 4th, the next appointment will be July 8th, so I'll have the blood drawn on the 7th, (36 days after the last test). If my cholesterol is down by some ridiculous amount, again, (if it follows the same pattern, it could be down as much as 61 points, by then), then that is when I will stop taking statins, forever. In the meantime, I'll take it for one more month, just to humor him.
The main reason why I want to do another blood test in a month, though, is because my alkaline phosphatase, (ALP), level has been slowly increasing for several months, and it's nearing the upper limit of the normal range. Elevated ALP levels can indicate blocked bile ducts, but if it were a liver issue, my AST and ALT levels should be elevated. since my AST and ALT levels are mid-range, there's a possibility that the ALP increase could be connect with a bone issue, such as bone resorption. Whatever the case, I plan to stay on top of it, before it gets out of hand.
So what have we learned today? If cholesterol is a problem, that can be easily remedied by having a surgeon remove a few inches of your terminal ileum.
The bad news is that I'm slowly running out of body parts to experiment on, but the good news is that I'm learning a lot, as they're removed.
Tex
Tex, your comments got a good big belly laugh from me... You are are a very funny guy! And your are also one with a magnificent attitude. I know you were none too happy about going on the statins so if you can get off of them in month or so, well, that would be great news.. eh? (I just had to say it 
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