High Coronary Calcium Score: How do others feel emotionally?

fwiw - I'm the owner of an astronomic CAC score - over 2600, but, BUT I have a normal stress treadmill and the ultrasound of my carotids shows no atherosclerosis. Point being - I'm NOT in line for a stroke. And as I've mentioned before, I don't think that those of us with extremely high CAC scores have coronary atherosclerosis in proportion to that score. So, we really don't know our risk for heart attack without coronary angiography. I'd do that if I weren't hypersensitive to contrast material. So it goes.

This looks like a old discussion but will reply and add my details and comments. I am a 67 yo f and recently had a ct ld calcium scan after I noticed a cartoid artery blockage on ultrasound. My scan result was 1852. I then ordered a NMR to evaluate the makeup of my LDL and just like I suspected my small dense LDL was over a 1000. I had been taking 40 mg of pravastatin for over 20 years. This was shocking to me as my LDL Total was always in the 70's as was my HDL with my triglycerides almost always under 100. This was a enigma. I consulted with my cardiologist and endocrinologist about this and inquired as what would be a good treatment plan. The cardiologist told me that they don't normally test for particle size and do calcium scans as if they find something there is no FDA approved treatment. Here I had been going along fat dum and happy thinking all my cholesterol testing done over the past 20+ years indicated that I had 1/2 the risk of a Mace and now to find out it exceeded 10x+ the
risk. The medical "standard of care" is a broken model. If I had not taken it on my own to grab my own care by the horns I would not know I was a walking time bomb. Addionally it is a little known secret buried deep in the bowls of the medical literature that statins INCREASE arterial calcium.

I now fear this calcium is also effecting my renal system as my eGFR has been falling and Creatine has been increasing. I have now scheduled a complete parathyroid and renal ultrasound and laboratory work up. To see if my suspicions are again correct.

PLEASE DON'T LET YOUR CARE BE ON AUTOPILOT.

To reinforce the medical "standard of care" model is severely broken I argued in great detail why stopping the PSA test was such a hairbrained idea. They eventually brought it back and told the medical school profs a big I told you so. You have to realize the standard of care model is nothing more than a crude attempt at a cost versus benefit and utilizes a VERY BROAD basket of individuals with no understanding of the fact we're unique!

Sincerely

Roberta Holmes

I have tried all the vitamins with no results. You may need megadoses of V-K to see results but wasn't willing to go that far. Most likely will try next the biophosphates. BTW there are very few true experts on this phenomenon in the world.

The CAC score is just one variable in a total picture of your total risk for CAD. With a calcium score gt 1k you tend to have a more stable plaque. This could lower your risk for stroke and certain coronary events. If you have unstable plaque and undergo angioplasty you may have a greater risk of a adverse event. The calcium score also breaks down where the calcium deposits are located which indicates where and how pathogenic the calcium may be. The bottom line is you must be cognizant of all the details that are included in cardiovascular disease. A few factors not mentioned is family history, genetics, lifestyle, lifetime blood pressure and any other cormobid conditions.

Roberta

fwiw - I'm the owner of an astronomic CAC score - over 2600, but, BUT I have a normal stress treadmill and the ultrasound of my carotids shows no atherosclerosis. Point being - I'm NOT in line for a stroke. And as I've mentioned before, I don't think that those of us with extremely high CAC scores have coronary atherosclerosis in proportion to that score. So, we really don't know our risk for heart attack without coronary angiography. I'd do that if I weren't hypersensitive to contrast material. So it goes.

Thanks! It wasn't very hard because to me I didn't really have a choice. I wish it didn't take a high score to finally get my health under control. Im 45 and weighed 237 2 months ago and now weigh 218. I feel a lot better and don't have any plans on slowing down on my healthy journey, I just fear that its too late and I waited too long. I feel like Im just waiting out a heart attack or a stroke with the score I have

@achilles50, congrats on taking charge and making healthy lifestyle choices for your heart's sake. I bet you're experiencing benefits beyond a healthy heart. Was it hard to make the changes? What benefits keep you on track?

Im in the same boat, just got my calcium score of 384 a few months ago. My cardio had me get a stress test done and it was excellent. He upped and my to 40 from 20 and told me to see him again in a year. Im relatively healthy but started working out more and eating a lot healthier. Im cutting out saturated and trans fats from my diet, and weight loss is a secondary thought to heart health. I wish you well.

I am 45 with a very high calcium score (a brother that had a heart attack at 45 and ended up needing a heart transplant and a cousin that just had a heart attack at 48, I am in the same boat- i have been taking lipitor for 8 years and they doubled it and added zetia, but i want more answers. I had a stress test and echo and it was normal. I feel like everyone is just waiting for something to happen.
For the rest of the group, this test measures buildup of plaque in the arteries of the heart not free floating calcium in your blood. It is used as a way to predict an elevated risk of heart attack and stroke. An elevated score shows a risk for a major event such as heart attack.or stroke within the next 5-10 years

Btw a little more technicolor. I started my adventure at the medical center in Houston after having a respiratory viral infection in August of 2013. (In retrospect now reminds me of covid) and it was the worst virus of my life. I had no cormobid conditions and was only taking pravastatin for moderately high cholesterol total 224. On September 4th I went in to Walgreens and received my flu and shingles vaccinations. In two to three weeks I developed ataxia, unstable blood pressure and pulse, hypothermia, pseudohypoxia, CFS, hypothyroidism,spacisity,hyperflexia,tremor ...etc. Many more details to mention. I had consults with cardiology,neuroontology, neurology, movement disorders neurology..etc I underwent twelve weeks of physical therapy focused on learning to walk again. I finally determined what I needed to do to develop new neural pathways and added my therapy to the"standard of care". At the medical center I asked for a very experienced Internist to be assigned to coordinate my care with my specialist's and subspecialists. I was told by the largest medical complex in the world if I required that level of care I would have to go to either the Cleveland clinic or Mayo. The physicians in Houston apparently operate in silos and are not utilizing team medicine or coordinated care. It was at this moment I decided I would take on the complex technical role of coordining my care. I really didn't want the stress and learning required dealing with my own internal medical issues. My neurologist thought my condition most likely had a genetic makeup. I set off on educating myself in genetic engineering which I now feel confident in discussing the various detailed aspects of this developing subject. I took my genetic information discoveries to my various physicians and the overwhelming comments were this is not clinical but rather research and could tell by the light in a deer's eyes look I was not connecting.

I could go on and on about my medical center adventures. My current understanding of my condition (self diagnosed) is after having my URVI and stimulating my immune system with the vaccinations I developed Gillian's barre syndrome that consequently adversely effected my cerebral vermis and pungie cells as well as potential brainstem in involvement.