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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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2mg/d of pitavastatin (Livalo). I'd do an angio in a 'heartbeat' but I have a very bad reaction to contrast (delayed systemic hypersensitivity reaction - like systemic poison oak - lobster red skin and unmitigated itching for a month - totally disabling and unresponsive to everything). I must work and cannot be disabled or it'll be economically disastrous. Plus, as chief of my hospitalist service, I have to do all that this entails. Obviously, should I have a coronary event, I'll have to have an angio, and I'll pre-treat with high dose steroids, having to accept the risks inherent with that. Story of my life - lots of rocks and hard places....
Also, I had a high CAC score before I started statins. I know about the statin - calcification effect. So it goes.
What dosage of Statin are you taking? For many statins will actually increase the CAC score. Got a CAC Score of 979, passed a stress test but a CT Angiogram showed 4 mild 4 medium and 1 severe plaque.
OK, some results here. I had a stress treadmill and perfusion study, and they were fine. I did another CAC score and it is unchanged from a year ago at ~2600. I apparently wasted 3K on 20 chelation treatments. Oh well, I had to give it a try. I saw the article on minocycline possibly mitigating vascular calcium deposition. I assume most of you have come across it. I'll think about it. In the meantime, as I approach 73 years of age, I continue to take my statin and work out a lot. I'm otherwise going to do my best to not dwell on things I can't do anything about. None of us are gettin' out of here alive, so, carpe diem.
jon
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3 ReactionsNot yet. Will be having a stress treadmill next week. I'll decide from then about getting the repeat study. Stay tuned.
jon
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1 ReactionBluesdoc--How was your repeat CAC score?
Yes. Same here
There are also those that have a heart attack from an arterial spasm. I use to hike and not take my cell phone ……….. not anymore 🙂
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1 ReactionAbsolutely true. I had a heart attack from an artery dissection with no plaque, a SCAD heart attack. When it was
Happening I was in denial because it was so out of the blue for a healthy 50-year old. My artery was too tortuous for a stent though they tried. My artery tear healed on its own with the help of many cardiac meds. Just be very aware of any symptoms. ❤️
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1 ReactionAbsolutely! Thanks for pointing that out. Unfortunately a stent does not necessarily protect one from a heart attack, I have heard of people getting a stent and having a heart attack a couple of months later.
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1 ReactionI would be very hyper aware of any unusual fatigue, sweating,Nausea, arm chest jaw or upper back pain and quickly call 911.