Hdls symptoms and conditions

I am a 52 year old female and my bad cholesterol is fine but my good cholesterol is low. I have been taking Lipitor now for a few years and have numb hands and feet to the elbows and knees. My feet are extremely sensitive, worse at night and now I'm getting sharp pains that feel like a bug just bit me. My tongue is also always numb and I do get migraines.I have insane stomach issues and food intolerance. I also take medication for high blood pressure, acid reflux, & thyroid. I have now been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes but control that with diet so far. Until four years ago I had nothing wrong with me. I am slim and healthy. I had a lump in my thyroid which was removed and there was a trace of cancer. Then like dominos all the other conditions lined up. I have had MRIs and all the tests and doctors insist that I am not a severe enough diabetic to have neuropathy. I can hardly wear shoes now and it hurts when I wear runners while I walk and exercise. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? I hate that my health has become so much a part of my daily life. Does anyone have neuropathy as a result of Lipitor and am I even taking the the right medication since I don't have high cholesterol?

Followup to my June 7th posting. I have since started Simvastatin again, and was actually off of it for a week. I have had a comprehensive blood test, been to the doc, and everything is ok, except my LDLs are high and total Cholesterol is still 204. The weather here has finally dried out and all my aches and pains have subsided. I'm walking briskly 3 miles a day after work, hiking on weekends. I'm adding foods to lower my LDLs and raise the HDLs in addition to 80mg Simvastatin. Also I'm eating less, and have cut most of my red meat and fatty foods from my diet. I'm 6', 187 lbs. and 59 yo. I actually feel good now, and nothing has changed except I'm getting more exercise, eating less and healthier, and it quit raining.

I recently lost my brother Marty to ALS. Marty asked me to tell everyone about his experience and I promised I would. Marty began taking statin drugs in his early 40's. He took them off and on at the suggestion of his PCP. It began with Lipitor and progressed to Crestor. In Dec of 06 tests revealed elevated muscle enzymes, he was also having pain in his left leg. His PCP called and told him to discontinue the Crestor, which he did. The pain continued and other symptoms began to materialize. Symptoms included muscle weakness, toe drop, fasciculations and continued pain in his leg. In June 07 after many tests he received the diagnosis of ALS. He passed away in August 08 at age 52. He believed as I do that statins caused this most horrible disease in him. He also believed that cholesterol is a symptom not the causal agent of heart disease. Now you must decide.

I'm crying reading these posts. I thought there was something wrong with me. I'm 41 years old - and my family has a health history of "making" cholesterol. Both parents were on statins. My total cholesterol was 267 a few months ago - LDLs were 171 and my HDLs were 42. I started taking flaxseed meal every day - and within a few months, my cholesterol dropped to 193, my LDLs were 117 and my HDLs were the same.
My doctor's didn't think it was the flaxseed - they had prescribed Vytorin which I reluctantly took for about a week. They attributed my lowering numbers to the statin, not the flaxseed - so I followed their advice and started taking the Vytorin about 3 weeks ago......
Now I don't know if it's coincidence, but I have developed a severe left ear problem....and have taken 2 separate antibiotics, but to no avail. I have also developed a severe pain in my left shoulder, the back of my left arm and sometimes it shoots into my chest.
I suffer from anxiety attacks, so of course, to me, this is a heart attack, but since I've been tested so many times and I'm a healthy woman, I know that's not it. I thought I'd log onto google today and search out what could possibly be causing these troubles. I read these posts and I literally have been crying for about 15 minutes. My doctors have told me that Vytorin is almost a "magic" pill. They said if someone could tell you that you could take this pill and it would reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke by 50%, why wouldn't you take it? Given the history of your parents, it would be foolish to not.
I have also been given instructions to lose about 25 pounds (not bad), and I know that if I could just exercise, eat well and take my flaxseed as well as making sure I eat 2-3 meals of fish a week, then I have to be better, don 't you think?
Do you think statins are the only way to go? I'm so happy to know I'm not alone - I'm not going crazy - I'm not experiencing any heart attacks....my anxiety is ten-fold lately - I wake up after a full-night's sleep feeling exhausted. I have four wonderful children and a wonderful husband - I live for them - and I feel so sad and depressed lately.
Oh my gosh everyone - do you really think that the Vytorin would have such an incredible impact on all of our lives?????