My Journey with Cholesterol, Statins, and Trusting My Health Choices
I’ve been advised to go on statins since I was a teenager.
Like many people with a family history of high cholesterol, my numbers have always sat outside the “ideal” range. From a clinical perspective, the recommendation was simple: lower cholesterol equals lower cardiovascular risk. The solution offered — repeatedly — was medication.
But I didn’t feel comfortable starting lifelong medication in my teens or early adulthood when I felt healthy, active, and deeply committed to preventive lifestyle habits. That decision hasn’t always been easy or popular in medical conversations, but it has been thoughtful, informed, and intentional.
A few years ago, I had a cardiac calcium score done. The result came back as zero — meaning there was no detectable calcified plaque in my coronary arteries. This was reassuring. It suggested that despite elevated cholesterol markers, there was no evidence of existing coronary artery disease at that point in time.
Even so, my GP still recommended starting statins. The logic was understandable: cholesterol is a risk factor, and prevention matters. But risk is multifactorial. Numbers on a blood test tell part of the story, not the whole story.
In December 2025, I decided to take the investigation a step further on my doctor’s advice and had a CT coronary angiogram. This is a more detailed imaging test that looks directly at the coronary arteries themselves. The results came back showing my arteries were pristine — no narrowing, no plaque, no early signs of disease.
For me, this confirmed what I had believed and worked towards for decades: that my lifestyle choices were making a meaningful difference.
I’ve always prioritised healthy eating — avoiding fried foods, minimising trans fats, focusing on whole foods, good quality fats, and consistency rather than perfection. I stay active, manage stress as best I can, and value long-term health over short-term convenience. These habits aren’t about chasing perfection; they’re about stacking the odds in your favour over time.
This experience hasn’t made me anti-statins or anti-medicine. Statins save lives. For many people, they are absolutely the right choice and an essential part of managing cardiovascular risk. But what this journey has reinforced for me is that healthcare should be individualised, not automatic.
Guidelines are built on population data. Individuals live in nuance.
We are complex systems influenced by genetics, movement, nutrition, sleep, stress, environment, and behaviour. A single biomarker — even an important one like cholesterol — should rarely be the only driver of a lifelong medical decision.
What mattered most to me was being willing to ask questions:
· What is my actual cardiovascular risk, not just my cholesterol number?
· What does imaging show about my arteries today?
· How much benefit would medication realistically provide in my specific case?
· What are the risks, side effects, and long-term implications?
· What role do lifestyle factors continue to play?
Importantly, I wasn’t rejecting medical advice — I was engaging with it. I sought more data, more clarity, and more personalised insight. I took responsibility for understanding my options rather than defaulting to fear-based decision-making.
Standing up for what you believe in doesn’t mean being stubborn or dismissive of expertise. It means being an active participant in your health decisions. It means recognising that you know your body, your values, and your risk tolerance better than anyone else — and that these deserve a place in the conversation.
It also means accepting responsibility. If you choose not to take a medication, you also choose to be diligent about the lifestyle behaviours that support your health. You can’t opt out of both.
One of the most valuable lessons from this experience is that reassurance doesn’t come from blind compliance — it comes from evidence, dialogue, and informed choice. Seeing my arteries on imaging, knowing the objective reality rather than guessing, gave me peace of mind and confidence in the path I’ve chosen.
Healthcare works best when it’s collaborative. Doctors bring expertise, training, and population-level evidence. Patients bring lived experience, values, preferences, and daily behaviours. When those perspectives meet respectfully, the outcome is far more powerful than either alone.
My story won’t be the right template for everyone — nor should it be. Some people absolutely should take statins. Some people may need medication earlier, longer, or more aggressively. But everyone deserves the right to understand their options, weigh the evidence, and make choices aligned with their health philosophy and real risk profile.
If there’s one message I hope others take from this, it’s this:
Be curious. Ask questions. Seek clarity. Advocate for yourself respectfully. Invest in your daily health behaviours. And don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe in — especially when it comes to your own body and wellbeing.
Robyn Rix
PAA President
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