High calcium score: I'm in shock

I respectfully disagree that comments from people who are not “medical professionals” but who are touting “ the latest book or podcast by the latest YouTube doc” are whacky.
I’m a registered nurse with a 25-year history of CCICU and SICU experience. That does not make me an MD, but puts me in a position to see the benefits of conventional medicine and it’s failures in this specialty.
I would venture to guess that most people who find their way to this site are not anti-conventional medicine and can think for themselves.
For myself, I explore answers to health issues from a wholistic perspective and I know many doctors who do the same.
I have very high cholesterol and before agreeing to statins I asked for the
CAC and ultrasounds of my carotids and jugular veins. All were perfectly clear. I suspected they would be because decades ago I read an article in the NYTs that the problem with cholesterol may not be the amount of cholesterol but the size. Remembering this, when my cholesterol went up I paid out of pocket to discover the size. They were the large, fluffy kind known not to stick to the arteries.
Now we know of a simple calculation that will indicate the size of your cholesterol:
Divide your triglycerides by your HDL. Lower is better and you want to be below 2 and closer to 1. Mine, with a total cholesterol consistently over 300 is 1 or just below 1.
I offer these comments in the spirit of encouraging people to keep an open mind and in hopes that people will continue to offer information they have come across that they think make sense or would like feedback on.
BTW, I think that Vitamin K2 has played a part in keeping my arteries clear.

My CAC score decreased from
199 to 18 after I started Vitamin K2 mk7. I have high cholesterol, high LDL, and high HDL. My TG/HDL is 0.9. I don’t like to take statins because they have caused worsening neuropathy in my feet in the past. However, I am back on a very low statin dose because I have soft plaque developing according to a recent CT Angio, and a low carb diet. I need to lose a few pounds.

I order my advanced lipid labs through Ulta Lab Tests. https://www.ultalabtests.com for a big discount. You can shop on their site for discount coupons. They do not bill insurance and you don’t need a doctor’s order in most states. The CardioIQ panels are run at Quest Cleveland Heart Lab. Most doctors are reluctant to order the advanced CardioIQ labs because Medicare and many other insurers won’t pay for them.

The Quest Cardio IQ advanced panels give you a more detailed breakdown of your particle size. I am Pattern A. I order panel 94220 which includes hsCRP.
https://www.questdiagnostics.com/healthcare-professionals/about-our-tests/cardiovascular/cardio-iq-report
This may be a helpful option. I have a strong immune system and LDL plays an importent role in the process. I don’t want my LDL too low and I like the option of monitoring my own lipids. I have been able to order a simple cholesterol panel for $15 with a coupon plus a $8 lab draw fee. I do the more advanced panel once a year, which is more expensive.

Hi Jane,
What brand of k2/MK7 do you take? I take Thorne d3/ k2-as mk7.
I had been taking it for years prior to having my CAC.

There are people who simply cannot tolerate statins. I'm one of them. I have tried every one on the market and all of them caused horrendous leg cramping. I mean the kind of cramp where the ankle bends forward so toes are trying to reach shinbone and knee bends so severe that my heel was essentially trying to reach the thigh back. Essentially, my leg accordion pleated and the pain was frightening. I almost called 911 once because I was afraid that I could permanently damage muscles or tendons. (I later found that severe enough cramping can actually do that. ) My cardiologist has other patients who've had the same reaction to those drugs.

I never had a leg cramp in my life before playing with statins. It's been four years since I last took one and the cramps have, slowly, become less severe and less frequent. Buy they're not 100% gone yet either. I've never found the explanation for how/why statins can do this, but it's not uncommon.

For others who have this issue, I've found that I can stop a cramp if, at the very first twitch/sensation, I immediately grab an ice pack and essentially 'pet' (think stroking a puppy) the whole length of the leg. IF I can ice the area soon enough, the full cramp never materializes and muscles slowly reverse the seizing-up process. But the fact that statins caused this intense trigger reaction that is tenacious enough to still cause a problem after this much time is curious to me.
What else do those drugs do?

Given your knowledge of potential side effects, your last quest is perplexing callalloo. You are asking what statins "do?"

This was directed at someone whose doctor has suggested starting statins. A good question to ask the doctor, in addition to the known side effects, is exactly how do the drugs work and what do they actually do...what causes the not uncommon side effect of muscle cramping and worse?

Well, sure, but the first thing to do is to read the various major, independent studies that have been conducted - compare the basic findings to your particular circumstances - in order to have a substantive conversation with your doctor.