just want to thank everyone for the great ideas/suggestions/information.i really appreciate the attention you all have paid to this issue.

so true that the culprit is inflammation...my crp was elevated. don't recall how high.

i wish there were a dietary equivalent of the exercise program i'm enrolled in. my eating habits are getting better but i need some kind of ongoing hand-holding support to help with food choices.

to call the doc's attention to the newest cholesterol thinking & other current research would most surely not go over.

maybe a brand new cardio would be a first step out of the statin dilemma!! but
i hate to start a search for someone new...i picked him so i would have access to the hospital he admits to. unbelievably, this hospital does not permit doctor-shopping so i could not switch from the current one.

thanks again for all the help!