1. < Heart & Blood Health

High Coronary Calcium Score: How do others feel emotionally?

Posted by mcphee @mcphee, Dec 14, 2016

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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jasper1072 | @jasper1072 | Mar 17, 2023
In reply to @keithl56 "61 yo" + (show)
@keithl56

61 yo

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Glad your doing well!

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dma053 | @dma053 | Mar 17, 2023

I’m in similar position as you. High score - 1602 - good cholesterol, sugar and weight. Age 63. I eat well for the most part. I was very upset too but my doctor explained that it’s just one marker for risk. I have been taking a statin and he added Zetia. He didn’t seem terribly concerned about it. I have also read that statins can raise your calcium score. Doc really wouldn’t comment on that. Makes me wonder if the test is the best option when you’re taking a statin. Causes a lot of anxiety if it comes back with a high score.

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1 reply
keithl56 | @keithl56 | Mar 17, 2023
In reply to @jasper1072 "Hi @keithl56 Sounds like you are doing well! Good for you---I think many people often for..." + (show)
@jasper1072

Hi @keithl56

Sounds like you are doing well! Good for you---I think many people often for good reason panic and look for every pill to take to reduce their risk. What ever someone wants to do in my book is their business--it seems like you took some stress out of your life by being balanced and taking a prescribed med. Out of curiosity---what age were you with a CAC of 1014 in 2018?

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61 yo

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1 reply
jasper1072 | @jasper1072 | Mar 16, 2023
In reply to @keithl56 "My initial CAC score was 1014 in 2018 and I had a CTA with FFR a..." + (show)
@keithl56

My initial CAC score was 1014 in 2018 and I had a CTA with FFR a few weeks ago (not to get a new CAC score but that is part of the test) and I had a modest increase to 1185. No crazy diets or supplements, just a balanced diet and moderate exercise in addition to my rosuvastatin and zetia (LDL is 50). Unfortunately, the FFR in my LAD is down to 0.76 and my cardiologist said it is most likely unstentable. I just have to keep on doing what I'm doing and he'll continue to monitor me.

Also, if you have high CAC you may have the same mechanism affecting your cerebral arteries. I have been diagnosed with chronic microvascular ischemia in my brain and MRI's show areas of brain cell death as well as lacunar strokes. You also might want to have your carotids checked, I have up to 39% blockage there as of 2018 as well.

Good luck!

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Hi @keithl56

Sounds like you are doing well! Good for you---I think many people often for good reason panic and look for every pill to take to reduce their risk. What ever someone wants to do in my book is their business--it seems like you took some stress out of your life by being balanced and taking a prescribed med. Out of curiosity---what age were you with a CAC of 1014 in 2018?

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1 reply
maryecox | @maryecox | Mar 12, 2023
In reply to @writer418 "try Praluent also or look into it. i had a high calcium score (462 and I'm..." + (show)
@writer418

try Praluent also or look into it. i had a high calcium score (462 and I'm nearly 70) and doc put me on Praluent which is a twice-monthly injectible and my LDL dove down from 77 to 22 in one month. from what i know the trick is to get the LDL down so....so far, so good. i don't notice any side effects

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The key to good health is a good doctor you feel comfortable with. Please make sure your doctor supports your good health! If not, find another one.

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jasper1072 | @jasper1072 | Mar 11, 2023

I think for me getting a calcium score was a wake up call--my was not horrible compared to many, but it made me think about the bigger picture. Their is a saying by Confucius “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” I modified this quote a little bit in my mind. I believe we have two lives---the first we are born into, the second is when we learn we are not immortal. For me that 2nd life opportunity is eating better, exercising, taking meds when necessary and trying not to stress too much. CAC scores is but one part of the equation.

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1 reply
writer418 | @writer418 | Mar 11, 2023
In reply to @spk "Same here. I'm 65. Had a score of 110 when I was 55. Retested this week..." + (show)
@spk

Same here. I'm 65. Had a score of 110 when I was 55. Retested this week and now 490. I can't have lived a healthier diet and exercise routine, so am at a loss and feel discouraged. I hear words like risk and probability, but don't know how to translate that to what will happen to me personally. So I'm going to go on statins again even if there is muscle soreness, keep exercising and eat well. And hope that I'm not a person that contributes to the probability number.

Jump to this post

try Praluent also or look into it. i had a high calcium score (462 and I'm nearly 70) and doc put me on Praluent which is a twice-monthly injectible and my LDL dove down from 77 to 22 in one month. from what i know the trick is to get the LDL down so....so far, so good. i don't notice any side effects

REPLY
1 reply
daniel777 | @daniel777 | Mar 10, 2023
In reply to @spk "Same here. I'm 65. Had a score of 110 when I was 55. Retested this week..." + (show)
@spk

Same here. I'm 65. Had a score of 110 when I was 55. Retested this week and now 490. I can't have lived a healthier diet and exercise routine, so am at a loss and feel discouraged. I hear words like risk and probability, but don't know how to translate that to what will happen to me personally. So I'm going to go on statins again even if there is muscle soreness, keep exercising and eat well. And hope that I'm not a person that contributes to the probability number.

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If you have good insurance and/or can afford the injectable cholesterol lowering medication like Repatha it should remove the muscle soreness issue and work better than oral statins on most individuals.

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spk | @spk | Mar 10, 2023
In reply to @missy123 "Yes I feel exactly like you. I am 53 and at 1000 already . On statin..." + (show)
@missy123

Yes I feel exactly like you. I am 53 and at 1000 already . On statin and aspirin. I read and read journals and feel worse . I read "high risk" "decreased life expectancy" and 10 year risk of an event . They say if u are asymptomatic then just excercise, eat well, and what wait to have a heart attack. Now every twitch I get makes me wonder . So yes I feel very anxious 🙁. I have been trying to decrease anxiety with distraction and I even tried mindfulness meditation . Idk but you are not alone . What do you drs say?

Jump to this post

Same here. I'm 65. Had a score of 110 when I was 55. Retested this week and now 490. I can't have lived a healthier diet and exercise routine, so am at a loss and feel discouraged. I hear words like risk and probability, but don't know how to translate that to what will happen to me personally. So I'm going to go on statins again even if there is muscle soreness, keep exercising and eat well. And hope that I'm not a person that contributes to the probability number.

REPLY
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