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I have a very high calcium score. What next?
Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: Dec 5 11:11am | Replies (384)Comment receiving replies
I am in the same boat, 60 yr. Old female, have always been healthy, CAC of 585, (472 in my LAD) of my total score, statins have not agreed with me at all, I am doing red yeast rice 600 mg/day, my chol. numbers have decreased in 6 weeks, cholesterol is 201 down from 238, LDL 126, down from 151, I walk 36 miles a week and quit smoking 8 weeks ago, and cut out diary. I wish I had never taken the test, I live in fear of a cardiac event daily (certainly no way to live). I asked my cardiologists if we should do a cath or stent, he said no, Cath’s are too dangerous and no symptoms to indicate needing a stent, sadly when you have symptoms it might be too late. There seems to be a big void in testing AFTER the calcium test to know if you are actually okay. They don’t want you to repeat the test, but they say the score can only get worse, it cannot decrease no matter what medications you take. The scary thing is that you can hopefully keep it from progressing but if you are already at a “high risk” level you just feel like a walking time bomb, there has to be a better way to test patients at high risk levels on a monthly basis so that we don’t live in fear. Does improving your numbers really help? I have seen where people have normal Chol. numbers but have high CAC scores, and no real explanation. Also, testing for hard plaque versus soft plaque would be helpful after you get a high CAC score. I really enjoy this forum as I find it very informative hearing from others that are enduring the same health issues. Has anyone had good results from the red yeast rice?
Replies to "I am in the same boat, 60 yr. Old female, have always been healthy, CAC of..."
Sorry you're living in daily fear. I cannot say I am but it seeps into my mind every few days. I'm a fatalist. I do all I can to help my heart....swim, take the right drugs, try to lose weight etc....and if it's not enough, well, then it's not enough. I try to put it out of my mind. But obviously I'm still here and find this forum helpful as well so it's not totally out of my mind 🙂
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A CAC score is just informing you about your arterial health. Soft plaque (which is usually the stuff that will get you in the end) doesn’t show up on a CAC score, but what lights up is the hardened calcification. Since a high CAC score is a proven predictor of increased CAD events, it should just be used as a guide to make lifestyle changes. My doctor has told me repeatedly he has patients in their 90s with CAC score in the 1000s.
Elevated CAC scores have also been associated with increased risk of other noncardiovascular diseases including cancer, kidney disease and obstructive pulmonary disease.
So a high CAC score is not a death sentence. It’s just an informative tool to nudge many of us into a healthier lifestyle. And your LDL still seems on the high side, ideally get it under 70, if you had issues with a statin before try another manufacturer and lower dose and try to ride out any muscle spasms for a few months to see if they go away.
So any of us with calcified arteries should just go about our lives but make necessary lifestyle choices and forget about it. Exercise, quality sleep, low blood pressure, minimal stress, a plant based diet when possible, a statin to lower LDL and no smoking are simple ways to live to 100 with a high CAC score.