1. < Heart & Blood Health

High calcium score: I'm in shock

Posted by sjy70 @sjy70, Jun 14, 2021

Hi everyone... just wanted to share my last few days - I'm scared and lost and was just hoping to hear from some people who have been in my place. Long story short - I went in for a "routine" checkup at age 50 to make sure my heart was okay. I had a stress test two years ago that was fine. But I do have a family history, and somewhat high LDL and blood pressure so the doctor sent me for a cardiac calcium score. It came back at 407 at age 50!!! That's like the 98th percentile for my age, which is shocking. I do Crossfit and have done half marathons so it was totally unexpected. Now I'm going for another stress test in two weeks to make sure no blockages are over 70%, and I'm not sure of the steps after that.... I'm terrified of needing open heart surgery - I've gotten myself into a place of being okay with a stent if needed. I know it's better to know than not know, but I just feel like my life was suddenly ripped out from under me and to be honest I'm spinning right now... every waking second I feel like I'm going to drop over..

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realitytest | @realitytest | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @hikerguy62 "Wow! I'd ditch that cardiologist. Shocking he'd say that." + (show)
@hikerguy62

Wow! I'd ditch that cardiologist. Shocking he'd say that.

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I commented elsewhere the factor of age in calcium testing (and some cardiologists POV).

I WOULD like to know the age of those posting their calcium scores. Evidently is does have a major effect.

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realitytest | @realitytest | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @hikerguy62 "Wow! I'd ditch that cardiologist. Shocking he'd say that." + (show)
@hikerguy62

Wow! I'd ditch that cardiologist. Shocking he'd say that.

Jump to this post

We have kind of a shortage of cardiologists around here (other specialists too) and I'll bet others would tell me the same thing.

I'm 77 and in the words of one cardiologist, at your age, of COURSE you'd (and anyone) would have elevated calcium! The rationale in medicine (especially per insurance coverage) is don't test anything you can't do anything about*. For example C+reactive protein (another cardiac marker). The thing is, there's no remedy for it so insurance won't cover it. (I said I'd out out of pocket but he still refused.)

I see reading here there are astronomical differences between calcium scores, though and I'd very much like to know what end of the range I fall in!!

Makes me mad.

* Another reasons doctors often refuse tests is if they carry any intrinsic harm. In this case the calcium test does zap you with a lot of radiation.

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realitytest | @realitytest | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @hikerguy62 "Hello, can you tell us how long it took for your CAC score to drop from..." + (show)
@hikerguy62

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

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This probably doesn't apply to you (owing to age or other) but this is as good a time as any to remind anyone taking blood thinners that Vitamin is pretty much poison for such.

That would apply to people with AFIB for which they'd be taking an anti-coagulant.

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2 replies
hikerguy62 | @hikerguy62 | Apr 1, 2023

Understood. Thanks for letting me know.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @hikerguy62 "@jkluv7 10,000 IU is extremely high. The daily recommended dose is 600 IU and most reputable..." + (show)
@hikerguy62

@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.

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@hikerguy62, I noticed that you wished to post a couple of URLs to websites with your post.
You will be able to add URLs to your posts in a few days. There is a brief period where new members can't post links. We do this to deter spammers and keep the community safe. Clearly the links you wanted to post are not spam. Please allow me to post them for you.
- Vitamin D Factsheet from NIH https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Vitamind-Consumer/
- Mayo Clinic Q and A: How much vitamin D do I need? https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-how-much-vitamin-d-do-i-need/

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hikerguy62 | @hikerguy62 | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @realitytest "My cardiologist told me that he'd allegedly learned that calcium testing revealed nothing useful (so he..." + (show)
@realitytest

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

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Wow! I'd ditch that cardiologist. Shocking he'd say that.

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2 replies
hikerguy62 | @hikerguy62 | Apr 1, 2023
In reply to @jkluv7 "You are absolutely kicking it!! The trick is the K2. Also, when taking D3 and K2..." + (show)
@jkluv7

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

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@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.

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1 reply
hikerguy62 | @hikerguy62 | Mar 31, 2023
In reply to @janet23 "My CAC score decreased from 199 to 18 after I started Vitamin K2 mk7. I have..." + (show)
@janet23

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.

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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

REPLY
1 reply
rxw1853 | @rxw1853 | Feb 14, 2023
In reply to @nany123 "I had an appointment with a cardiologist yesterday. I am asymptomatic but have a calcium score..." + (show)
@nany123

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.

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nany123, when you say your doctor "wasn't excited", did he or she offer a different view of advisable next steps? I recently did calcium score screening ("mild" CAC with 50% stenosis in my mid-LAD - male, age 65), and I've read that coronary intervention like an angioplasty should NOT be performed on an asymptomatic patient unless stress testing or FFR testing shows a moderate or severe degree of ischemia. Have you done those tests in addition to your CCTA, and by the way what degree of stenosis was shown by the CCTA, in how many vessels and in which segments?

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nany123 | @nany123 | Feb 14, 2023

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.

REPLY
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