High calcium score: I'm in shock

nany123,

First - calm down. There are many folks with know numbers that high who are in good health, otherwise - and asymptomatic

But, it is time to assess your health more formally - you need advanced lipids panel to determine meds, stress test and echo with the stress test. A CTA (different from CAC - unless you and cleerlyseeker mean you have already had one, then what he said.

Thank you for your response. I am challenged to calm down - I can’t get into a cardiologist for 2 months for further tests. I am calling daily. I am very healthy and active until this came up 4 days ago. Now I’m scared to move…

I had an appointment with a cardiologist yesterday. I am asymptomatic but have a calcium score of 2300. I requested an angioplasty. My doctor wasn’t excited but agreed to do it to see the extent of the calcium build up and put in a stent if needed. Why would I not do this? It seems like the next smartest step.

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.

You are absolutely kicking it!! The trick is the K2. Also, when taking D3 and K2 together, the D3 will win on the uptake and only about 40% of the K2 is absorbed. Take a good D3 supplement (10,000 IU) in the morning and then a good K2 with MK4 and MK7 with lunch. Both are fat-soluble vitamins and your Kerrygold will do just fine! Here is the study for this D3/K2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_1-13ATOOVDbEFBQXFtZlItSDQ/view

My cardiologist told me that he'd allegedly learned that calcium testing revealed nothing useful (so he wouldn't order it). Reading CONNECT as relates to my conditions, I see this is far from a universal. belief. About to go out of town to cardiologists (second trip to a top arrhythmia specialist at the Cleveland Clinic who will give me tests – I'm glad as I believe my heart needs a thorough going over .)

I originally made the appointment to look into his attaching a "Watchman" for me for an unusual reason. I have spontaneous AFIB, and want very much to get off the oral anticoagulants, Why? Because my research (also common sense) revealed that they hasten the advent of blindness caused by wet macular degeneration (sadly, currently incurable but at an uncertain rate.). I'd have thought all retinologists would give a heads up about this to patients taking this medicine (after all both affect the same age group), but not so. I had to do considerable research and consults to find an interventional cardiologist willing to proceed with this "left atrial appendage" to block off that heart pocket where most clots form. That would allow me to discontinue the oral meds. (Yes, they DO hasten the movement toward blindness – plenty of reason to find an alternative approach to. protect against clots for those with AFIB. Just one more reason to do ones own research!)

Meanwhile, looking forward to a more enlightened approach to analyzing my heart issues – among them, the calcium score.

PS to explain for anyone interested, wet macular degeneration, causes blindness by the leakage of blood and toxic fluids from tiny (fragile) abnormal capillaries forming behind the retina. This causes irreparable scarring destroying central vision. Do you wonder that I wanted to get off the oral anticoagulants? Anything preventing clotting, I figured would be dangerous for this eye disease (and I was right, though it took a lot to prove it to the two specialty areas – cardiology and retinology.)

Supposed to addressed to sjy70 @sjy70, Jun 14, 2021

@jkluv7

10,000 IU is extremely high. The daily recommended dose is 600 IU and most reputable websites I read recommend no more than 2,000 IU / day. I can't post full links at this time (this website won't allow me), but if youy go to ods --dot-- od --dot-- nih --dot-- gov or newsnetwork --dot-- mayoclinic --dot-- org and search on vitamin D, you can read for yourself. That high of a dose can cause side effects like nausea.

Hello, can you tell us how long it took for your CAC score to drop from 199 to 18? I was just told this past Tuesday that my CAC score was 2534!! Quite shocking given I've exercised all my life, have always maintained a healthy weight (155 lbs. at 5'7"), hiked for the last 30 years, very rarely ate red meat the last 10 years, non-smoker and non-drinker. I started taking 100mcg of K2 today after reading it could help reduce calcium build-up in the arteries (not remove, but just keep it from building up).

Thanks,

Andy