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The cards I was dealt: my life with familial hypercholesterolemia.
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Ames, Mackenzie |
| Copyright Year | 2015 |
| Abstract | I don’t remember a time in my life without the word cholesterol. The images, explanations, and feelings over this word have changed through the years, but it’s always been there. I have familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). My low-density lipoprotein (or “bad” cholesterol) levels have never been “desirable,” and I have xanthomas—yellowish cholesterol deposits under my skin–around my eyes, behind my knees, and under my arms. My grandfather had a fatal heart attack at 30 and my mother had open-heart surgery at 42. These are the facts, but just writing those simple statements brings tears to my eyes and puts fear in my gut. This story isn’t about the facts, though. This story goes beyond low-density lipoprotein, PCSK9 inhibitors, and statins. This is my story as a person dealing with the cards I was dealt. My first blood test was when I was ≈9 years old. It wasn’t good. While the exact breakdown escapes my memory, I am certain the total cholesterol level was ≈420. My mother cried, which made me cry. I had no idea why this was sad, but when you’re a kid and your mommy is crying, you cry with her. I don’t remember the doctor being sympathetic, because they usually weren’t. Growing up in Florida, my parents never had health insurance. Luckily, the state offered a health plan for children of low-income homes called Healthy Kids. While it meant I could go to the doctor, the parameters of the program meant I could simply visit the hospital and whatever doctor was in their pediatric residency at the time. With each new doctor and new set of laboratories, we met disapproving shakes of the head and lectures on my diet. My parents tried to take care of it with the knowledge they had. My mother lost her father as … |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| PubMed reference number | 25737486 |
| Journal | Medline |
| Volume Number | 8 |
| Issue Number | 2 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/circcvoq/8/2/218.full.pdf?download=true |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/circcvoq/8/2/218.full.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.115.001695 |
| Journal | Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
