mcphee
@mcphee
@mcphee
Posts: 5
Joined: Dec 14, 2016
Coronary Calcium Score (Heart Scan)
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 wonder how others with this condition feel emotionally?
I am 70 yrs old.
Liked by sgarelick
bluesdoc
@bluesdoc
@bluesdoc
Posts: 16
Joined: Oct 16, 2018
@pcspetpro 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.
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.
tim1028
@tim1028
@tim1028
Posts: 38
Joined: Oct 14, 2018
pcspetpro
@pcspetpro
@pcspetpro
Posts: 46
Joined: Nov 17, 2018
@bluesdoc 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.
Yikes! That's a nasty reaction. The advantage of Livalo is that compared to Atorvastatin it doesn't change blood sugar levels. My Cardiologist wants me om 80mg of Atorvastatin, but I'm reluctant to take that high of a dose.
bluesdoc
@bluesdoc
@bluesdoc
Posts: 16
Joined: Oct 16, 2018
@pcspetpro Yikes! That's a nasty reaction. The advantage of Livalo is that compared to Atorvastatin it doesn't change blood sugar levels. My Cardiologist wants me om 80mg of Atorvastatin, but I'm reluctant to take that high of a dose.
My liver and muscle enzymes went up on 40 of lipitor. They're fine on pitavastatin. fwiw…..
@bluesdoc 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
Bluesdoc, I am sorry that your CAC score did not go down. I wish you all the best and, if you come up with a way out of the mess that we all wade in, please let us know.
@bluesdoc 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
I just did a bit of research on Minocycline and found a current paper by Muller et al. (June 11, 2019, Cell Reports 27, 3124-3138). It can be found at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.05.038. It is very technical and long, but seems pertinent to our discussion. The authors conclude that "Inhibiting PARP enzyme activity blocks calcification in vitro and in vivo. They write that Minocycline is the best PARP inhibitor. It would be great if Bluesdoc, or anyone else with an appropriate background could take a look at this major, current study and comment. Looks to me that Minocycline may be helpful in halting the progress or even reversing atherosclerosis.
Came across this article that may be of interest too.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419141523.htm
keithl56
@keithl56
@keithl56
Posts: 28
Joined: May 25, 2018
@keithl56 I have to be skeptical of any study with only 20 subjects that is funded by the company making the supplement!
I believe the study was funded by NIH. (The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health. MitoQ Limited provided supplements and some financial support.) It was very small, you are correct. If dramatic results were achieved, maybe a larger, expanded study will follow?
bradmm
@bradmm
@bradmm
Posts: 38
Joined: Feb 28, 2019
@bluesdoc 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
"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."
This has been my constant call to my wife who, as a result of chemo from CLL, now has MDS. It was all very easy to sit back and play cheerleader until I passed out at a sub shop which led to a series of cardio tests and discovered my CAC at 662. Then i was the one freaking out! The stress test looked ok when under stress but, afterward, something looked odd so did a heart cath on Tues. My world changed again when that came back with 25% blockage except for a small spot on LAD with 40%. I was and still am elated!
I'm 65, have eaten pretty well and exercised religiously for at least 20 years but, just like my wife, somethings you can't control. Mine is most likely genetics but I never knew my father and maternal grandfather died at 66 from a heart attack. The MD who did the procedure said simply "keep doing what you're doing" meaning he thought I looked pretty good. So now my focus is to further improve on my diet and exercise. Admittedly, after I retired a year ago, I'd been slacking off somewhat but now I need to get back on track for the long haul.
@colleenyoung Welcome @mcphee. Such a good question to ask the community. Several people have used your exact phrase “I feel like a walking time bomb which has caused me a lot of stress” when talking about heart complications. I’m tagging a few members who may be able to share some of their experiences with high calcium levels, heart complications and the stress this causes. Please meet @jrismyname @hopeful33250 @predictable @michellr. I’m sure others will jump in as well.
In the meantime you may be interested in watching this video Q&A with Dr. Brott on stroke prevention.
– Let’s talk stroke prevention with Thomas Brott, M.D. http://mayocl.in/1sS5xvN
MacPhee – what has your doctor suggested to help lower the calcium score?
How do you get a calcium score? Is it part of blood work?
@heartbreaker How do you get a calcium score? Is it part of blood work?
No, it’s a CT scan of your coronary arteries.
virginni
@virginni
@virginni
Posts: 2
Joined: Jun 06, 2018
@tim1028 A year ago I had my first CAC CT scan with a resulting score of 1560. This year I had a repeat scan done at a different facility. The score is 250. What to do now? The original radiology group is no longer in business so I can't get a repeat there. My PCP is asking the cardiologist who read the most recent scan to review for discrepancies. Even if the 2nd scan is correct, it likely means that I will need to be on a statin. Any suggestions?
Take a statin and count your blessings!
tim1028
@tim1028
@tim1028
Posts: 38
Joined: Oct 14, 2018
A year ago I had my first CAC CT scan with a resulting score of 1560. This year I had a repeat scan done at a different facility. The score is 250. What to do now? The original radiology group is no longer in business so I can't get a repeat there. My PCP is asking the cardiologist who read the most recent scan to review for discrepancies. Even if the 2nd scan is correct, it likely means that I will need to be on a statin. Any suggestions?
@pcspetpro
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.