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?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart & Blood Health Support Group.

keithl56 | @keithl56 | Aug 19, 2018

I just got my bloodwork results back after doubling my Crestor since my cardiologist wanted to get my LDL down from 50 to 20 after my 1014 calcium score.. The good news is that I'm now down to LDL of 38, but my liver enzymes which have always been in the normal range are off the charts - AST of 148 and ALT of 232 (both should be under 40). I feel like I can't win! I'm sure I'll have another interesting conversation with my doctors tomorrow.

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lioness | @lioness | Aug 18, 2018
In reply to @dpframing "Just joined the site and I'm looking to share with others who have had a high..." + (show)
@dpframing

Just joined the site and I'm looking to share with others who have had a high calcium score. I found out today that mine is 2960 and I am past being saddened by this. I am 61 and I am totally asymptomatic. Now I feel like a walking time bomb.

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@dpframing its always good to get a 2nd opinion . Losing weight will bring down B.P.Cholesterol and make you feel better but if your gut is telling you get a 2nd opinion

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dpframing | @dpframing | Aug 18, 2018
In reply to @dpframing "Just joined the site and I'm looking to share with others who have had a high..." + (show)
@dpframing

Just joined the site and I'm looking to share with others who have had a high calcium score. I found out today that mine is 2960 and I am past being saddened by this. I am 61 and I am totally asymptomatic. Now I feel like a walking time bomb.

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He put me 4 medications: a BP medication, a statin, a calcium absorption drug, aspirin, and vitamin B2. I am thinking of getting a 2nd opinion for more extensive testing. The main thing he stressed was to lose weight. I have to lose 40 lbs.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Aug 18, 2018
In reply to @dpframing "Just joined the site and I'm looking to share with others who have had a high..." + (show)
@dpframing

Just joined the site and I'm looking to share with others who have had a high calcium score. I found out today that mine is 2960 and I am past being saddened by this. I am 61 and I am totally asymptomatic. Now I feel like a walking time bomb.

Jump to this post

Welcome to Connect @dpframing
You'll notice that I moved your message to an existing and active discussion where members are talking about having a high calcium score. Click VIEW & REPLY in the email notification to scroll through past messages, ask questions and read what others have written like @botexas and @luckyg who had a score as high as yours.

You may also wish to view some of the conversations taking place in this other discussion on Connect:
– High Calcium CT Scan Score of 1925 – Anyone Else Experience This? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/high-calcium-ct-scan-score-of-1925-anyone-else-experience-this/

Here is a great journal discussion by Mayo Clinic cardiologists about the basics and significance of coronary calcium score: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/842348

DPFraming, Has your doctor suggested any "next steps" to help lower the calcium score?

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dpframing | @dpframing | Aug 18, 2018

Just joined the site and I'm looking to share with others who have had a high calcium score. I found out today that mine is 2960 and I am past being saddened by this. I am 61 and I am totally asymptomatic. Now I feel like a walking time bomb.

REPLY
5 replies
botexas | @botexas | Aug 13, 2018
In reply to @nyartist "I've been an athlete all my life and have been exercising vigorously for over 55 years..." + (show)
@nyartist

I've been an athlete all my life and have been exercising vigorously for over 55 years (I'm 74) my HDL has been very good, I always surpassed the benchmarks for my age in all the stress tests I've taken over the years, my diet is healthy and I have no other risk factors and am asymptomatic. So imagine my surprise and shock to find a calcium score of 2300! My cardiologist put me on 20 mg Lipitor and baby aspirin a week ago and I have been in touch with a reputable herbalist (the same herbalist my wife has used since her ovarian cancer diagnosis 4 years ago - and she's doing absolutely great). I'm going to start on his program of supplements to go along with the statin and aspirin. I've read conflicting facts. For example one states that anyone with a score of over 1000 has a 25% chance of having a major cardiac event within a year. I've also read that because the calcium has most likely been developing over many many years the score might not be a true indication of risk. What I would love to know and will ask my doc when I see her next week is how do we know how much blockage I have? They say stress tests results will show blockages if the blockages are over 70%. The score might not necessarily reflect the severity of narrowing. Maybe I oughta stop reading about all this and just get to the gym!

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Got my results back and was generally good news. No blockages with mild stenosis.Flow rates were good at .91,.87 and.87. They start to worry at .75. May put me on
Crestor rather than Zocor to try and get my ldl down to below 50. Took more blood test to measure sizes of LDL and HDL and to check a certain protein in blood. Said to keep exercising and eating plenty ol tuna and salmon. No fried food or red meat. An eat elk in moderation. Avoid sugar as it is toxic and a major player in CAD. Hear results from blood test in a week.

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botexas | @botexas | Jul 25, 2018
In reply to @nyartist "I've been an athlete all my life and have been exercising vigorously for over 55 years..." + (show)
@nyartist

I've been an athlete all my life and have been exercising vigorously for over 55 years (I'm 74) my HDL has been very good, I always surpassed the benchmarks for my age in all the stress tests I've taken over the years, my diet is healthy and I have no other risk factors and am asymptomatic. So imagine my surprise and shock to find a calcium score of 2300! My cardiologist put me on 20 mg Lipitor and baby aspirin a week ago and I have been in touch with a reputable herbalist (the same herbalist my wife has used since her ovarian cancer diagnosis 4 years ago - and she's doing absolutely great). I'm going to start on his program of supplements to go along with the statin and aspirin. I've read conflicting facts. For example one states that anyone with a score of over 1000 has a 25% chance of having a major cardiac event within a year. I've also read that because the calcium has most likely been developing over many many years the score might not be a true indication of risk. What I would love to know and will ask my doc when I see her next week is how do we know how much blockage I have? They say stress tests results will show blockages if the blockages are over 70%. The score might not necessarily reflect the severity of narrowing. Maybe I oughta stop reading about all this and just get to the gym!

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Hello,Bo from Texas. In same boat as you. 2400 calcium score but did great on stress test. I had another 256 k heart scan two weeks ago that my Doc. Says will show blockages. Going to him for results next Wednesday. Have not stopped exercising about 75 minutes every day. Will post my results and recommendations next week.

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botexas | @botexas | Jul 23, 2018
In reply to @nyartist "I've been an athlete all my life and have been exercising vigorously for over 55 years..." + (show)
@nyartist

I've been an athlete all my life and have been exercising vigorously for over 55 years (I'm 74) my HDL has been very good, I always surpassed the benchmarks for my age in all the stress tests I've taken over the years, my diet is healthy and I have no other risk factors and am asymptomatic. So imagine my surprise and shock to find a calcium score of 2300! My cardiologist put me on 20 mg Lipitor and baby aspirin a week ago and I have been in touch with a reputable herbalist (the same herbalist my wife has used since her ovarian cancer diagnosis 4 years ago - and she's doing absolutely great). I'm going to start on his program of supplements to go along with the statin and aspirin. I've read conflicting facts. For example one states that anyone with a score of over 1000 has a 25% chance of having a major cardiac event within a year. I've also read that because the calcium has most likely been developing over many many years the score might not be a true indication of risk. What I would love to know and will ask my doc when I see her next week is how do we know how much blockage I have? They say stress tests results will show blockages if the blockages are over 70%. The score might not necessarily reflect the severity of narrowing. Maybe I oughta stop reading about all this and just get to the gym!

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Hello,Bo from Texas. Iam 75,exercised all my life and always ace the treadmill test. Found out,trying to do some preventative test,discovered my calcium score was 2450. Had a nuclear stress test and had a METS score of 14, equivalent to a 24 year old. My HDL is 80 and my LDL is 76,triglycerides is 60. Being a southern boy,sure I have had too much fried foods and steaks. My liver makes too much cholesterol and I am on 40 mg of simvasatin. About 5 years ago,tried getting off and my total cholesterol went from 170 to 280 in three weeks. I believe in satin drugs. No side effects for me. Will get results from a 256k high resolution scanner next week. By the way,Medicare would not pay for scan,so $1200 out of pocket. On my own,starting taking K2(MK7)+D3. 180 mg K2. Will post results of my meeting with Doc. Next week. Still exercising 75 minutes every day. Good luck!

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zino | @zino | Jul 23, 2018
In reply to @zino "My first Calcium score was in 2004 at the age of 47 and it was high,..." + (show)
@zino

My first Calcium score was in 2004 at the age of 47 and it was high, 702. I opted to just watch what I eat and stay active and took the test again this year 2018 and my score is now 1740. I do well on echo stress tests, and have borderline cholesterol numbers and high triglicerides. My doctors both cardio and generalists want to put me on statin drugs. I am resisting because I see tenuous benefits at best from the statin studies I have read. Most of those studies seem to include baby aspirins which tends to confuse the studies. I do take a baby aspirin a day. The other reasons is the side effects of statins are high, when I've tried them I had muscle pains. My other reasons for is that I've seen two elderly relatives on high dosage of statins and they both subsequently developed type 2 diabetes. I've tried to do a lot of research on the topic of high calcium scores and the only thing I found that might be of interest to this population is K2 vitamin, the claim is that it takes calcium from the arteries back to the blood stream and to the bones where it belongs. I am very skeptical, so I brought it up to my cardiologist and he had heard of it and recommended I get on it. So now I am on K2 vitamins and baby aspirin. I might get on the statins if I can find compelling research on their benefits. I would be interested in any article references on statins impact on calcium score and of survival benefits of statins for people with high calcium score.
Thanks and best of health to all with high calcium scores...

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I visit UK occasionally... What should I be looking for?

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Charlie | @ca426 | Jul 21, 2018

I'm not recommending anything and have never had cancer but you should take a look at the 4-herb tea and the story behind it......http://www.herbalhealer.com/

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