High Coronary Calcium Score: How do others feel emotionally?

This is davej and my score was 2450 I think I eat right dont drink or smoke ride bike or walk every day eat veggies and fruit try to eat wild caught fish and grass fed beef limited and free range chickens nobody knows why score is so high maybe statins I'm takin

Hello @elwood

To find out whether the CT for a calcium score is standard or low dose would be a good question to ask your cardiologist. Are you currently having symptoms that have concerned you, or your doctor, about your calcium score? Is there a family history of heart disease?

I also generally opt for an MRI over a CT as well but for some diagnoses, the CT is still the better choice. The risks from procedures are something that we all have to decide for ourselves. Often the risk of not knowing what might be going on in our body is greater than the risk of radiation i.e., the possibility of having an undiagnosed cardiovascular disease (which could lead to very serious heart problems) which could be treated if you understood what the problem is by doing a scan.

I'd be interested in hearing from you again.

Perhaps there is a family history of heart problems, @davej. If there is, this might explain why your calcium score is so high in spite of your healthy lifestyle.

Hey everyone. There is a Facebook private group. Coronary Artery Calcification. Lots of great info, Studies, etc. also physicians with great input. Come check us out.

Thanks. I wish that info were on this forum because I don’t Facebook!

Try researching NIH.gov (National Health Institute). They have several studies showing that Vitamin K2 MK-7 helps reduce cardiac calcification.

This looks like a old discussion but will reply and add my details and comments. I am a 67 yo f and recently had a ct ld calcium scan after I noticed a cartoid artery blockage on ultrasound. My scan result was 1852. I then ordered a NMR to evaluate the makeup of my LDL and just like I suspected my small dense LDL was over a 1000. I had been taking 40 mg of pravastatin for over 20 years. This was shocking to me as my LDL Total was always in the 70's as was my HDL with my triglycerides almost always under 100. This was a enigma. I consulted with my cardiologist and endocrinologist about this and inquired as what would be a good treatment plan. The cardiologist told me that they don't normally test for particle size and do calcium scans as if they find something there is no FDA approved treatment. Here I had been going along fat dum and happy thinking all my cholesterol testing done over the past 20+ years indicated that I had 1/2 the risk of a Mace and now to find out it exceeded 10x+ the
risk. The medical "standard of care" is a broken model. If I had not taken it on my own to grab my own care by the horns I would not know I was a walking time bomb. Addionally it is a little known secret buried deep in the bowls of the medical literature that statins INCREASE arterial calcium.

I now fear this calcium is also effecting my renal system as my eGFR has been falling and Creatine has been increasing. I have now scheduled a complete parathyroid and renal ultrasound and laboratory work up. To see if my suspicions are again correct.

PLEASE DON'T LET YOUR CARE BE ON AUTOPILOT.

To reinforce the medical "standard of care" model is severely broken I argued in great detail why stopping the PSA test was such a hairbrained idea. They eventually brought it back and told the medical school profs a big I told you so. You have to realize the standard of care model is nothing more than a crude attempt at a cost versus benefit and utilizes a VERY BROAD basket of individuals with no understanding of the fact we're unique!

Sincerely

Roberta Holmes

I have tried all the vitamins with no results. You may need megadoses of V-K to see results but wasn't willing to go that far. Most likely will try next the biophosphates. BTW there are very few true experts on this phenomenon in the world.

Hello @robertaholmes and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Your message is a good one to advise other members to be very present and aware of their care and treatment plans. It sounds as though you have done considerable research that has kept you on top of both your level of health as well as what your lab results mean.

I see you mention that you have ordered a complete parathyroid and renal ultrasound and laboratory work up. When is that appointment?

I have not been following this thread but then I read your post above and boys does that open my eyes! I have had high cholesterol all my adult life, very high. But every time I tried statins I had horrible leg pains etc. so refused to take them. In 2018 I had a calcium score done and it was zero, much to my surprise. Then in 2019 I was diagnosed with diastolic dysfunction started seeing a new cardiologist who put me on Pravastatin and Zetia. I do not seem to have the symptoms I have had in the past from taking statins so I thought OK, this is great I will lower my cholesterol and not have a lot of bad side effects. After reading your post I researched this information about statins increasing arterial calcium and boy are you right! Talk about deep dark secrets! And then I found an article that said people with a zero calcium score are found to not benefit at all from taking statins. I’m stopping today! I hate all of this stuff. Thank you so much for posting that obscure bit of information and I’ll bet there are plenty of other people out there that are unaware of this fact

I have not set up the appointment yet as I am debating whether to get it done in Port Arthur 35 miles or Houston 130 miles. I am leaning towards PA due to covid but the radiologists are not as experienced. I will post my results once received.

Roberta