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High Coronary Calcium Score: How do others feel emotionally?
I have a calcium score of 1,950 which is extremely high which means I am at a very high risk for a cardiac event,heart attack,stroke or sudden death.
I take a statin and baby aspirin. I have never been sick, have excellent cholesterol, low blood pressure and I am not overweight. I have no other health problems and I have never been sick. But I feel like a walking time bomb which has caused me a lot of stress. I am 70 yrs old.
I wonder how others with this condition feel emotionally?
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Hi @ stanimal
May I ask what age you were at the time of your first scan? Did you have the 2nd scan exactly two years after?
Stressing never helps…everyday you’re alive is a gift.
I've looked into this and statins make your calcium harden, thus making your score go up. I'm assuming you're on statins. If you're not, then never mind but if you are and your score has gone up, that's probably due to statins but here's the thing--that's what statins are designed to do, at least in part. The theory is that hard calcium is much safer than soft calcium which can cause a heart attack. I hope this helps put your mind at east somewhat. I've never read anything anywhere from a person who said his/her calcium score went down.
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1 ReactionAnd now we know that marathon exercise increases CAC. Yeah, I'm done checking mine. At >2600, nl stress treadmill and perfusion studies (can't do angio unless my life depends on it 2/2 bad contrast reaction) and age nearly 77, and NO carotid plaque, I'm just going to carry on using pitavastatin, ezetimibe, and optimism (still working MD, play lead guitar in a rock band, gym rat).
jon
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1 ReactionOh yes. That’s what I do all the time:)
Early dinner, home made food, vegan whole food plant based diet, avoiding sugar, dairy and wheat, avoiding anger and criticising, good sleep hygiene, regular physical activities, pranayam, loud laughters,some form of meditation, good simple companies, self help book reading, some passion in life and avoiding over thinking/ judgements.. these my key recommendations. I try to do these as well.
Lastly, One should also consider why should one live longer & at what cost to nature? 😊
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2 ReactionsDo you talk to your patients about making lifestyle changes?
I have a score of 642 and am 70 yo. LDL went down to 22 with a new injectable my cardiologist put me on plus 10 mg of statins. I'd taken statins 10-20 mg for about 20 years prior and I attribute that to my high Calcium score but I've come to think it's not a bad thing. From everything I read, statins are designed to transform soft dangerous plaque to hard not-as-dangerous plaque and I believe that's what happened to me. I did take a nuclear stress test after passing a normal stress test with flying colors (in fact, I broke the machine at the 9 minute mark). Nuclear stress test showed good blood flow, my cardiologist told me. I also had a sonogram of my heart. I was worried before the nuclear test and sonogram but they and the cardiologist put my mind at rest. I should say that I live in NYC where I believe the best doctors in the world are. I asked around for a top cardiologist and was referred to one affiliated with Cornell Weill who does not take insurance. I went anyway and I'm glad I did. I realize I'm fortunate to be able to do that but wanted to give you the full picture.
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3 ReactionsThank you, doctor, for your illuminating post. I've just had my first calcium score, at age 66, which came in at 61 but with my cCTA showing 50% stenosis in the mid-LAD (and no other vessels). My PCP referred me to cardiologist and they're both urging me to get stress nuclear or stress CMR-tested. Like you, I'm asymptomatic, have no risk factors, and am a lifelong endurance athlete -- these days, I'm running, rowing, hiking and working out vigorously at least two hours per day. So I was very interested to read that you got stress nuclear tested. My cardiologist tells me the purpose is to test for "silent ischemia" due to my stenosis, which they think may now or will soon require stenting. I've been reluctant to go ahead, fearing a false positive followed by an intervention; since you are asymptomtatic and low-risk, yet got stress nuclear tested, and you're an interventional cardiologist yourself, I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts as to the considerations that favor stress nuclear or CMR testing. Thank you very much!
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1 ReactionYou are taking statins and aspirin?
1. What brand of statin are you taking?
2. How many mg of Statins each day?
3. Are you taking 81 or 325 aspirin
My new and 5th cardiologist just put me on warfarin 20 mg and 10 mg of statin. He said that with AF and now being 65 yeas and with a CAD score of 583 I had to go back on warfarin. Oh, boy.
Now sure if I should really go on Warfarin or continue with aspirin.
Thoughts?
Thank you for your post. Very informative and helpful from a Cardiologist.
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1 ReactionI'm 67 and my score was 573, I'm on statins and zetia along with a baby aspirin.
I'm not going to worry about my high score. I eat right, exercise and have no symptoms. My brother who is not on statin's was 37 and he has high cholesterol.
That explains it.
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