--for a guy as big as he is, I don't think that Alan's cholesterol numbers are in very dangerous territory. Not yet, anyway. And probably not enough to go on a statin--I would think exercise (when he can), diet (do I hear oat bran?) and Niacin would be better options to try first, especially since he has documented neuropathy.

Would it be possible to explain the above to the physician? Do you think he'd be receptive?

I suspect that the automatic "statin" response is due to Alan's heart/circulatory history. And those triglycerides need to be lowered, which may have factored into that decision. But, as indicators of potential cardiac problems, inasmuch as he is on Plavix and aspirin (which very well could be affecting his platelet numbers, BTW--and the numbers are not that low, yet, and may also be related to Alan's autoimmunity situation), I'd be more interested in his C-reactive protein level (did they do those tests?). This is a better predictor of possible cardiac vessel problems than mere cholesterol readins--one needs inflammation to form clogging plaques, not just high cholesterol levels (and the very reason Alan is on aspirin and Plavix, I'm assuming, is to keep inflammatory factors reduced).