Questions about carotid artery disease (Carotid Stenosis)

Hi Keith, I'm tagging fellow members @gorkii @kariulrich @book8 @degarden_girl @lioness and @predictable who have talked about carotid artery disease.

Keith, with bilateral carotid blockages of 20-39%, what treatment options and lifestyle changes are being considered?

I just received the test results, and they said that the doctor didn't indicate any treatment at this time. I have a 7 day holter monitor test coming up so maybe he will address both results at the same time.

@keithl56, treatment for arterial stenosis is usually done at much higher percentages, such as 70% and higher I believe, it also depends on symptoms. I would discuss this with your physician, each person is different. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/16819-medical-management-of-coronary-artery-disease

@keith65 Hi Keith Lioness here I had a triple by pass due to blokages but never experienced any symptoms till they where in the 80% catagory. Mine at that point I had some pain in chest and L .arm but nothing to alarm me . When it got worse my Dr. sent me to the cardiologist and he at that time did a stress test when I couldnt pass it he sent me to the hospital for a heart catherization that showed the blockages of 85%,90% and 95% but before this I never had any symptoms that the Dr. found . After the bypass the Dr. told me to get of red meat ,the bad fat instead have the good fats of olive oil in salad dressing ,no buttermilk dressing. Now I had this in 1996 so food has changed but it is important to eat more vegetables ,no red meat,exercise minimum I pray they wont find anything on the heart moniter for you . I havent taken any extra calcium pills since the 80,s my count in blood test was o.k. our bodies make all the minerals we need so there in no need to take extra calcium unless the Dr. tells you its needed . I say al this as Im a retired nurse ,after my by pass I started to study herbs,homeopathic med. I dont take many perscriptions at all Im active and 75 my by pass is 23 yrs old now and I dont have any problems with my heart.

@lioness Did the doctors ever tell you that you could possibly need a revision of your bypass? I am curious if bypasses are now a lifetime cure or if they need to be redone after so many years. I know each person is different And it depends on the graft, what was used. I need to update myself in this area! Thank you for sharing your experience! Always good to have a fellow nurse to talk too!!

@kariulrich I'm sorry I never checked back till now Yes after my by pass the Dr said I might have to have another one in 10 yrs but haven't had any problems since then I changed my diet More fruits ,vegies no red meat now only occasionally. My Dr had me go for a test to see how my blood was flowing through the arteries can't remember name but it looked good those tiny valves where doing great I'm 78 now before Covid started I started a chair exercise program now do on u tube I give God all the credit in keeping me here Sorry for long delay

You remind me that I need to get moving after “close down” virus time!
Thank you!
Keep up the healthy eating .. and I will too...
I am trying. It helps when I keep a bowl of fruit Or carrot sticks in sight on the kitchen counter.

An article I read suggested that blockages in the 70 percent and above range should be considered for surgery. Since your blockage is below those numbers, maybe your doctor could suggest you eat a healthy diet. Also if you are not on a steady exercise program designed specifically for you, he or she might suggest you get on one. If you have high cholesterol, they may even suggest you take a statin drug to help control it. I was recently diagnosed with 80 percent blockage of my right Carotid Artery. My Cardiologist says test indicate that the blockage is in my right neck. He told me that a preferred procedure called carotid angioplasty and stenting was not applicable in my case. So I must have a surgery called carotid endarterectomy that is performed by a specialist. It involves making an incision in the front of the neck to get to the artery and clean it out.

How can I have 90% RCA blockage with no plaque or coronary artery disease. I had a stent placed yesterday for a 90% blockage of RCA. When doing Catherization they found no coronary artery disease in any of my arteries. They want to treat me with medications for CAD, my calcium score is zero. A stress test found the blockage. I have coronary vaso spasms to. I had been telling my doctors for the past three months that something was wrong, pressure and pain in my chest just brushing my teeth or washing up. My doctors said they really do not know how this happened.

Hi @marciabl and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I posted some reference information below to help with your question.

"Such blockages are clearly not causing restriction to blood flow and therefore very ...
Heart Blockage – Moderate Coronary Artery Disease ...
there is a 100% blockage at the beginning of the right coronary artery stopping blood ...
Tiny eccentric calcific plaque in mid circumflex artery causing minimal lumina narrowing." ---
Heart Blockage: Explained with Pictures: https://myheart.net/articles/heart-blockage-explained-with-pictures/

You will notice that I moved your inquiry to a discussion that was already discussing the same diagnosis.

Did you receive the stress test due to the pressure and pain? Did they perform any other tests?