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Coronary Heart Disease
Hi. I am new here & hoping by sharing my experience I can gain some insight as to my situation and if I’m doing things correctly and where to go from here.
I’ve been on 50 mg Statins for the last eight years for high cholesterol. It lowered to 190. My good cholesterol is very high. But my LDL was 160 and I got it down to 120. Meanwhile, in February, I did the coronary CAT scan and my number was 1459. So they did a catheterization and found out I have three blockages 50% in my main artery and 2 others at 30%. Yes of course I was freaking out… But in my favor, I always worked out 3 to 4 times a week and I ate healthy. I was always within A Good weight. That is what probably saved me if I’m already having a heart attack or stroke. I was put on a blood thinner and another medication for heart-Zetia. Soon afterwards, I developed iron deficient anemia. They did an endoscopy and nothing shows up in my stomach… They are unsure where I am losing blood. They recently stopped my Plavix and Zetia to see if my iron levels will go up on their own. And they added Repatha to my medication plan…. I will be redoing my blood work July 8. Praying that my iron goes up and that my LDL goes down as the doctor wants it close to a 40. And in all thoughts would be greatly appreciated. And one less fun fact….. just found out my LPA is a 518
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Statin is 40, not 50
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3 ReactionsHi, @susane1121. I'd say I have a somewhat similar history: high CAC and elevated Lp(a) despite regular exercise, a decent diet, and only non-obstructive disease. My numbers are substantially lower than yours, though (CAC around 600 and Lp(a) around 170).
From my admittedly non-expert perspective, it sounds like you and your doctors are doing the right things to slow the progression of atherosclerosis. I also suspect that your healthy lifestyle may have helped keep things from becoming much worse.
I mainly wanted to mention that there are now medications available that can lower Lp(a) to some degree, and there are newer therapies in clinical trials that appear capable of lowering it much more dramatically. Ongoing studies are looking at whether these reductions result in fewer cardiovascular events. If those trials are successful, these treatments may become more widely available.
One other thought: if you aren't already seeing a preventive cardiologist, it may be worth learning how their approach differs from that of an interventional cardiologist and considering whether adding a preventive cardiologist to your care team would be helpful. They often focus on reducing long-term cardiovascular risk and may pay attention to factors such as HbA1c, inflammatory markers, ApoB, and other risk indicators in addition to LDL.
Good luck. From my perspective, you're handling a very difficult situation exceptionally well.
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4 ReactionsEight years ago my Calcium scoring test was 1350. I was on 40mg Atorvastatin daily.
I had a triple by-pass. Watched my diet and got the LDL down to 40, Now I take 1/2 of a 10mg Atorvastatin every other day. I had post op AFIB after 3 of my operations-otherwise no sign of it. The cardiologist still wants me on Eliquis blood thinner/anti-coagulant. I get the generic, Apixaban, from a Canadian pharmacy.
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3 Reactions@bitsygirl
Hello and thank you so much for sharing your story with me…
That is an interesting point about the preventative cardiologist. Are you treating with Mayo Clinic ?
I just switched to a new Cardiologist because I feel like my last one should’ve been on top of my situation and maybe Things wouldn’t have gotten this far…!!
It’s all rather complicated but right now I have to stick to the plan in the hopes that my iron goes back up in the next month and my LDL goes down.
I will certainly update you in a month or so. Thanks again for your time and advice.
Be well
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1 Reaction@lenmayo
Thank you for sharing… That’s amazing that you got your LDL so low!!! That is what I’m trying to do right now! My doctor wants it at 40.
Stay strong… seems like you are on the right path. I wish you all the best.
Hi, @susane1121 How frustrating and confusing. You have a lot of information to process and I am so glad to see you create this discussion. Connect is a good place to share and learn. You are already getting good thoughts from others.
I have treated my genetically high cholesterol for decades and got into a circulation crisis several years ago. I ended up at Mayo Clinic, MN and they have helped me make continual progress since. Their integrative approach and ability to look at how my unique body functions has made all the difference. Reading your post (and recognizing several similarities) I would recommend them in a heartbeat.
I also want to tag @dlkreps who may have more to share from his experience.
If you are interested in checking Mayo Clinic Cardiology out there are a couple approaches. You can ask your doctor to refer you or work directly with them yourself. Go here to pursue and appointment: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
Keep in mind I am absolutely not a medically trained person. However, from personal experience I get concerned when I hear you comment about making so many drug changes at one time. I am not sure how you know what change has which results.
How are you feeling, physically and emotionally?
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2 ReactionsAsk your Dr about Repatha to see if it would help lower blood levels. I isn't a statin and does have bad side effects for some people; just a thought
@asolidrock Hi… thank you for reaching out. I just started Repatha 2 weeks ago. Take my 2nd injection tonight. Dr. Doing my labs in a few weeks… fingers crossed that my numbers go down. It has a great success rate. I hope It works for me.🤞🤞🤞
Thx again
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1 ReactionWell I just pray you don't have side effects from it. Hope you have a great day!@
@asolidrock
Have you heard people struggling with side effects of so what would they be?