I have a very high calcium score. What next?

Hi @pslitton19 and welcome to Connect! You may have noticed I moved your post to this existing discussion on high calcium scores so that you can learn from what others have said about their scores as well as interact with them and receive and offer support. Simply click VIEW & REPLY in your email notification to get to your post.

I want to thank @pcspetpro for welcoming you and also wanted to introduce you to @predictable @thankful @ch246cf10 @bigbern and @bluesdoc as they may be able to offer you support while you look to lower your score.

Back to you @pslitton19, I'd like to repeat the question @pcspetpro posed, what is your diet?

Stress may be a very important cause of cardiovascular disease. Stress is the external force placed on an object, or a human being. Strain is the resulting deformation or damage that can occur. Therefore, it is the resultant strain that is the driver of CVD or ill health.

Hello everyone. Just turned 65. Very active. Play competitive singles tennis 3 times a week. Had two guys at our club in mid 50’s drop dead. A third had the calcium ct scan. 606 score, failed nuclear stress test. Cath showed major blockages. He had a triple bypass.

So I went. Score of 724! Then had nuclear stress with negative results. No symptoms, no chest pain. Stress test was easy.

Cholesterol levels very good past 4 years. Doc put me on 10mg Crestor, 50mg Toprol XL and baby aspirin. BP usually 134/82 average so started me on the ToprolXL.

Haven’t been able to get to the other specifics of the tests because of the coronavirus they are not able to see other patients until mid April.

I’m thrown for a loop as all of this has happened so fast when I thought I was in great shape.

Hello everyone. Just turned 65. Very active. Play competitive singles tennis 3 times a week. Had two guys at our club in mid 50’s drop dead. A third had the calcium ct scan. 606 score, failed nuclear stress test. Cath showed major blockages. He had a triple bypass.

So I went. Score of 724! Then had nuclear stress with negative results. No symptoms, no chest pain. Stress test was easy.

Cholesterol levels very good past 4 years. Doc put me on 10mg Crestor, 50mg Toprol XL and baby aspirin. BP usually 134/82 average so started me on the ToprolXL.

Haven’t been able to get to the other specifics of the tests because of the coronavirus they are not able to see other patients until mid April.

I’m thrown for a loop as all of this has happened so fast when I thought I was in great shape.

I understand how you feel. I am in a similar situation after getting a 1014 score two years ago. Unless or until you become symptomatic it is unlikely that that other than your drug regimen and healthy lifestyle recommendations that there won't be any other medical intervention. The scary thing is that you never know if you are going to have a plaque rupture and end up like your two friends. However, most studies seem to show that negative outcomes are similar whether you stay the course or have stents or bypass. The best course is to just follow your doctor's lead and try to keep a positive outlook. Make sure you recognize the mental toll this can have and talk to your doctor if you think you may need anti anxiety or depression medications until you can cope with your situation.

I had high calcium score not any where near yours Checked parathyroid have they mentioned that to you? Had mine removed and it has stayed in normal range. Just letting you know may
Be totally different than your problem

I believe that you are confusing blood calcium with plaque calcium

I want to thank everyone in this thread for your posts and the excellent references that are included. I just had a CT evaluation and my Agatston score was 2082! It put me at the 97th percentile for someone my age (65). I just found my score from July of 2005. At that time, I was 50 years old and my score was 544. That placed me at the 90th percentile. But hey, at least I'm a top achiever in something...

The new score was a little frightening, but reading your stories, I've mellowed out a little. I'm doing everything I can to stay healthy. I eat a reasonable diet, keep my blood pressure under control, take a statin, don't smoke, and minimize alcohol consumption. I exercise most days of the week and try to avoid stressful situations.

I did have one stent placed in an OM artery in 2006. Over the years, I've had coronary catheterizations done to rule out additional blockages, and they've all indicated the plaque is primarily in the artery wall, and not causing issues.

I've been living very well with high calcium scores for 15 years. And I'm feeling pretty darn good now. So if you get diagnosed with a high score, don't panic, take care of yourself and hopefully you can stay healthy too.

I just want to back up the advice you got above from @654321, because you have not mentioned tests for parathyroid gland function. That gland controls calcium levels in the blood as it relates to calcium needs of various tissues in your body. I add my support for testing your parathyroid, starting with a simple lab test on blood drawn in the laboratory. The test gave me a lot of confidence in my primary care physician and cardiologist. Martin

Your post made me feel so much better.
I had Calcium Scan 5 yrs ago at age 71.
My score was 1,910 and it really scared me.
I am asymptomatic and feel great at age 76.