Hi @bayhorse , I’m not a doctor, so I’ll just share what I know as someone who has been through two RCA Calcium CT Scans.
I’ve heard of what may be other tests (or different names of the same test). These include Coronary Calcium CT Scans and Heart CT Calcium Scans. It’s clear, though, that all involve a CTs and aren’t options for you. Have you and your doctor considered a Sonogram? A Sonogram of my heart allowed for the diagnosis of my calcified aortic valve before I ever had an RCA Calcium Test.
One thing that may help allay your concerns is that my GP, who is very thorough, didn’t recommend an RCA Calcium Test until he saw elevated scores in my Blood Calcium levels. After my RCA Calcium CT, he referred me to a cardiologist and put me on a statin prescribed a High Protein/Low Carb Diet. Even with that, I started to have frequent irregular heartbeats and AFibs (Atrial Fibrilations).
In other words, there are other tests and physiological indicators that your doctor can use to assess coronary plaque build-up. I also had a genetic predisposition for coronary plaque, which affected both my grandfathers and my father.
Through my cardiologist, I’ve also worn a heart monitor for two weeks, to get an assessment of any irregularities. The monitor did turn up other concerns for me.
I just want to emphasize, though, that people encountering any heart-related issues while on Tymlos are in the minority. I can’t even say that Tymlos caused the calcification of my aortic valve, or arteries, given my family history. Doctors have successfully diagnosed and treated cardiovascular plaque deposits long before there were RCA Calcium CT’s available.
Wishing you all the best with your Lupus and Osteoporosis. I hope that you can get the right information to hopefully allay any concerns you might have about Tymlos.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. It did help allay my fears. My cardiologist had ordered a nuclear stress test last year to determine how well blood was moving, and even though I have a 20 percent blockage in one artery, the test came out within normal parameters. He felt that since blood was moving well, there was no need to check further where calcifications & blockages were concerned. I just accepted his word on this, but I got very worried this week when I saw the posts about Tymlos, because at the time of the visit I was unaware that the drug could affect RCA calcium levels. I wonder now whether I should talk to him about the Tymlos since I've been on it for yet another year, but truth is, I'd hate to repeat that stress test. It was one of the worst I've ever had to undergo!