High Coronary Calcium Score: How do others feel emotionally?

Your cardio's response regarding "go home to die" was appalling. He said that in order to convince you to take a statin. Scare tactics.

Taking calcium supplements have been of concern about CAC scores. I don't think they actually know for sure if they do increase the calcification within the arteries.

I understand our bodies (livers) make the majority of our cholesterol (only 25% from diet) and cholesterol makes the plaque that calcifies in the arteries.

I think you are wise to seek a second opinion from Mayo clinic where they will likely do the tests your cardio is resisting. I suggest in the mean time you not get a catheterization unless you are having some symptoms of a heart attack or the warning signs which I am sure you have researched. (There are risks with the cath procedure.) I do think that Mayo will also suggest statins as the first line of defense. They not only reduce cholesterol numbers but also are heart protective and reduce the possibility of a heart attack.

And if this puts your mind at ease, I have a friend who had a CAC about 10 years ago. The score was about 2100. He went on a statin and continued on with his life. He is now 81 and still no sign of a heart attack.

I wish you good luck. You have taken a pro-active approach to your health.

Wow, I’d get someone with a better bedside manner. He sounds brutal and, judging on what you say and the way you’ve lived your life, I think his comments were unnecessary and certainly he’s not treating the whole patient. He’s not ‘seeing’ you. Move on to another doc. As you’ve read here, a lot of doctors, mine included, do not think the test indicates all that much and that’s why insurance companies do not pay for it.

I would like to comment on how I feel emotionally, since that was the original intent of this particular forum.

In a word, "devastated."

I had a CAC score of 1444 back in early December. The reason I agreed to the CT Heart Scan test suggested by my endo was just to rule out remote chance cardiac issues amongst post-COVID health ups and downs.

It took me four months to see a cardiologist at a major university hospital due to scheduling. No one seemed overly concerned about my high score, and after reading a lot of the comments on this forum it seemed reasonable to put one foot in front of the other.

Today, the cardiologist took me apart for questioning the validity of the CAC score. He literally told me that there is no possibility of any error in the CAC number, as it is all automated.

After I suggested that I did not want statins or stents, he basically told me that I needed to go home and die, and that was my choice. He told me that based on the numbers alone that I likely had at least one artery occluded, but then he was unable to find any signs of a heart attack with the fresh ECG.

I suggested a conventional stress test with echo and ECG, or a nuclear perfusion test with stress, and he said that I would likely pass both and that it provided no information. Further, that he could cath me (if I made the request) and look first hand to assess for blockages, then create an action plan. He thought it would rather require open heart surgery (bypass) based on my CAC score if a blockage was found.

This is a cardiologist that teaches upcoming doctors cardiology.

All of this from a single CAC test score. I am 63-years old, dont smoke, dont drink, havent eaten red meat in most of a decade (like NONE), and have no family history of heart disease. I have almost an ideal BMI for my age. What I do have is a wildly increasing number of kidney stones (calcium oxalate). I feel like there is a possibility of hyperparathyroidism, but my blood work does not indicate it. The cardiologist said that there is no possible way for calcium to play any roll in the high CAC score and it is impossible to have calcium on the outside of the arteries and not in the walls and inside.

I couldnt even get him to consider for a moment the results of the JAMA meta study on statin effectiveness released last spring. Nor a study done that showed that four different types of CT scanners showed huge positive errors when patient heart rate was over 75bpm---mine being more like 120bpm at the time (I hate tubes).

Needless to say, I am going to seek a second opinion, and that will be at Mayo. I am shaking in needless fear right now. As so many of you have experienced yourselves, a CAC score is just one view. But today, it was presented as a certain death sentence with only the possibility of slowing the inevitable.

How is one suppose to sleep??

Pete

genetics....but those individuals could have had high CAC scores...and they appear to have done pretty well.

I have not been tested for Lp(a) . My doc never suggested that. I know I have a very high CAC score, moderately high TC (total cholesterol) and have two tests scheduled at the end of May. What would the Lp(a) tell me?

Good question. The last 10 (if not 15) years, I've eaten very little red meat. I've very rarely eaten steak (at most 3x a year) and burgers maybe 15x a year (if that much). It's been primarily organic chicken (unless eating out), pork chops, fish (primarily salmon), and on occasion I'd have crab cakes or shrimp. I eat plenty of vegetables (mainly broccolli, asparagus and carrots, but sometimes cauliflower and brussel sprouts). I do have a sweet tooth and drank my share of sweet tea, but that's been scaled WAY back since I found out my CAC score. I've always maintained my weight right around 155 (I'm 5'7"). BP has always been good (typically 120/80 at the doc's office or when donating blood. I've only just recently started testing it at home with an Omron BP machine and it's been averaging 115/70. Not sure if the tea and sweets did me in or just genetics. Don't think I'll ever know.

A lot of drs would like your cholesterol under 150 and your LDL under 70. Have you been tested for Lp(a)? I've heard our genes load the gun and our lifestyle pulls the trigger. What were you eating to have your cholesterol and LDL high? Cholesterol is found only in animal products.

I'm currently 60. Just got that news in March of this year. I wish I was at 170 lol And the only "negative" in my life is/was my total cholesterol (221) and LDL (126) as of this past March.

I've always maintained my weight (5'7" / ~150lbs.), non-smoker, non-drinker, no diabetes, exercised throughout my life starting at 16, no family history other than my father died of a heart attack at 84 (and had a HORRIBLE diet) and an uncle who was a heavy smoker and had a heart attack (and survived) in his 50s. Some people are just unlucky. Probably just something in my genes that caused this. Thankfully I have zero symptoms as of now.

@hikerguy72. how old were you when you received that calcium score? I was in panic with a 170 score! I actually saw my PCP today and he was reassuring now that I am on meds and other tests came back good. My cardiologist...who I referred myself, said he put my overall at low risk based on some testing, but gave me the option of a Nuclear Stress Test...but he said technically I didn't meet the qualifications...but it may help me sleep at night.

Every ones journey is a bit different...even with similar scores...people have different results. Maybe bacause of age.

I though I was high at 2536. I hope you're in touch with a cardiologist. With a score that high, they should be having you do testing such as an echocardiogram and nuclear stress test to see if there's any significant blockage.

With a CAC of 3611 on your RCA (right coronary artery), it's possible you have some blockage there (mine was 1694 on the RCA). If you're really lucky, the calcium will be inside the walls or on the outside of the artery. I'm scheduled both tests mentioned above on May 30. Best of luck to you.

Stay positive, were you on statins before your scan and if so how long? That could be a reason also to keep in mind since statins increase calcium score.