I Chose the Statin.

What Perimenopause, Pride, and Family History Forced Me to Face About My Health.

Photo by James Yarema on Unsplash

Let me tell you something.

If you know me, you know I am the supplement queen.

Do you have a headache? I have magnesium.
Is your gut off? I have probiotics and something herbal in a glass jar.
Hormones acting funny? Let me send you a link.

I believe in minerals. I believe in food as medicine. I believe in healing the body from the inside out.

So imagine my face when my doctor said, “Your cholesterol is high.”

Not slightly. Not borderline. High.

And here is the part that messed with me.

You would not look at me and think unhealthy. I am relatively active. My husband has me back in the gym. I am fighting the perimenopause and menopause weight shift like every other woman I know. Yes, I have fallen off a little. I will own that. A little more comfort food. A little less discipline. But nothing wild. No fast food addiction. No red meat every day. I gave up red meat years ago. A steak once a month crept back in. I love fish. I do not cook with seed oils. I eat shellfish, yes. Guilty. But I was not reckless.

So when my numbers went up the first time, I said fine. I will tighten it up.

I cut back. I dieted. I went to the gym once or twice a week. And let us be honest. That is more than the average person.

I go back for labs.

It is higher.

Now I am confused. What is happening?

They send me to a cardiologist. He orders a scan to check for plaque in my arteries because the numbers were concerning enough to raise an alarm.

I do the scan.

Zero.

No plaque.

I am thinking, see? I knew it. I am good.

But the cardiologist sits me down and says something that shifted everything.

“There are two types of plaque. Hard plaque that shows up on the scan. And soft plaque that does not. The soft plaque is the dangerous one. The kind that can latch on and cause a stroke.”

That sentence did not let me sleep.

Because we all know someone.

You open Facebook, and it is another post. Another heart attack. Another stroke. Another person “who was so healthy.” Another funeral GoFundMe.

And here is the truth. My first reaction was immediate.

“I do not want to take a statin.”

I had heard the horror stories. Muscle pain. Liver issues. The debates. The internet doctors. The wellness influencers.

That was me. I was ready to decline.

But then I had to get quiet with myself.

Would I rather protect my ego or protect my life?

Because this is what it really came down to.

Lowering my risk of a stroke or heart attack with one small pill versus rolling the dice because I want to prove I can fix it naturally.

And here is the twist.

When I finally opened up to my family about it, every single one of them is on a statin.

My parents. My siblings.

All of them.

The same issue.

Photo by Rendy Novantino on Unsplash

And out of all of us, my brother and I are the most fit. The closest to our BMI range. The most active.

So this is not just about diet.

This is genetics.

And we do not talk about genetics enough in communities of color.

We talk about looking good. We talk about eating clean. We talk about the gym selfies.

But we do not talk about the silent things passed down from generation to generation. The inherited risks. The numbers you cannot see in the mirror.

Some of the healthiest looking people I know have collapsed in gyms. Passed in their sleep. Had strokes out of nowhere.

It is not always what it looks like.

There is research that shows statins can significantly reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, especially for people with elevated LDL and family history of heart disease. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have both emphasized that for certain risk groups, statins are not about vanity numbers. They are about prevention. That word matters. Prevention.

I am not telling anyone what to take. I am not your doctor.

I am telling you why I chose.

I chose life.

I chose prevention.

I chose to use the insurance I pay for. Because let me say this plainly. If you have health insurance and you refuse to go to the doctor because you think it is unnecessary, what are you paying for?

There are people who would give anything to have coverage. To have access to a cardiologist. To have a scan that says zero plaque.

Do not waste access.

And no, this is not blind faith in pharmaceuticals. I am still adjusting my diet. Still in the gym. Still fighting this hormone weight shift. Still taking my vitamins. Still drinking my water. Still believing that discipline matters.

But I am not going to ignore science because it bruises my pride.

Some things we can control.

Some things are inherited.

Wisdom is knowing the difference.

We are here to live life. Abundantly. Fully. With our kids. With our partners. With our dreams still intact.

I am not interested in being the strong one who ignored the warning signs.

I am interested in being here.

So yes. I chose the statin.

And I am not ashamed of it.

Choose life.

Choose information.

Choose prevention.