How I Became A Victim

Hello, my name is Joe Baddick and I am 57. I am a veteran and just recently retired from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections as a Lieutenant. I am also a victim of cholesterol drugs. My association with cholesterol lowering drugs began approximately 12 years ago. My nephew was a pharmaceutical rep and told his dad to start taking Pravachol to lower his cholesterol.He suggested to me that I get some blood work done to have mine checked. I did, and it came back around 250, so my nephew told me to start taking Pravachol. I decided to give it a try. I was working as a correctional officer for the state of Pennsylvania at the time and my job involved a lot of standing. As time passed, I began to notice a tingling in my feet, and the more I stood, my legs would begin to throb. I was on Pravachol for about 8 years. After I finished my shift at work, I couldn't wait to get home and sit down for awhile and get off my feet.

The state, in it's infinite wisdom, decided to change our medical benefits and I found out that Pravachol was no longer covered. My cousin, who is a doctor, said he would switch me over to Lipitor, which was covered by my insurance. It lowered my cholesterol considerably, but the side effects got worse. It was a real chore for me to stand for long periods, and my job required it. The tingling in my feet got worse, and when I sat back in my recliner, my feet would start cramping. The worst thing was that at night, when I went to bed, I would get terrible leg cramps. They were so bad I would literally be crying in pain. I told my doctor and he said to stop taking the Lipitor. Well, 6 months later, my legs weren't cramping too often and I was feeling a bit better, but my cholesterol was back up to around 230. My doctor told me to try Vytorin, and on the third night the leg cramps returned. I called the doctor's office and told them to tell the doctor I wasn't taking anymore statin drugs, ever.

I tried to keep my cholesterol down on my own with the aid of niacin, but that didn't work too well. After about 6 months, I went back to my doctor and asked him what I could do. He suggested I give Red Yeast Rice a try. I started on the RYR and decided to really watch my diet. I also wanted to start exercising on a regular basis. I used to jog 4 miles every other day when I was younger, but I knew my legs wouldn't hold up to anything like that. So I decided to buy a recumbent exercise bike. I put it in the basement in front of a small tv we have there. I rode the bike every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning for about 45-50 minutes. That, along with taking one Red Yeast Rice capsule in the morning, three Omega 3 fish oil caps throughout the day, and watching my diet, lowered my cholesterol to 225, a 5 point drop, and I knew I was on to something.



It is now 6 months later and I am getting ready to have my blood work done and my cholesterol checked. I still occasionally get cramping in my feet and legs but it is few and far in between. I feel that the statins have done irreparable damage to my legs, but I think I have regained some control and halted anymore damage. Can I rebuild what damage has been done? I don't know, but I will tell you on the following pages the things I have done to make my life easier and my legs better.

http://www.mymoxxor.com/?ID=Badman