It's official...

Saw my doc' this morning; my cholesterol is terrible and I have no choice but to significantly alter my diet, continue to exercise (or in my case, stay on the bike) and take a little statin drug called Prevachol. As of this evening, with my first dose, I am now one of the millions of people taking anti-cholesterol statin drugs.

My family history is thick with all kinds of heart problems ranging from high blood pressure to high cholesterol to heart attacks. Given that history and the fact that my first high cholesterol reading came nearly six years ago, my doctor and I agreed that there was little reason to put off the inevitable- so I am on statins now. I am going to be improving my diet and getting back on the bike as much as my schedule will allow... and now I have doctor's orders to exercise!

The terrible crash I had at the end of April nearly killed me... but it didn't. I don't plan to let high cholesterol kill me either. Ultimately, I have too much I want to live for. Life is tenuous at best and I got a lot closer to understanding that fact than I would like to ever get again.

So now my desire to return to riding full-time and losing weight takes on a whole new level of importance for me. I'll certainly have breaks in the riding again and again, especially with all the travel I normally have to do, but I am hoping I can keep my commitment to myself to stay healthy and stay alive.

We'll see what happens...

Tim