I have a very high calcium score. What next?

@cher51

@riflemanz64
There are not as many doctors. I understand there are fewer going into the medical field.

Btw I use to love The Rifleman tv show.

I’m having sob and palpitations and I have to wait until late November for my echo. My stress test is October 14. They’re really booked for appointments. They don’t get you in fast unless you’re having major problems.

@njx58
I have texted her through our clinic and she has not responded. The cardio might be after echo. I could have a heart attack by the time I see her. 😗

@cher51 An echo? I would have thought they'd do an angiogram.

I had my calcium CT scan and LAD is 486. I have to wait until 11/25 for an echocardiogram. At the end of November I see my cardiologist. I live in a small town near Olympia, WA. If I am told I need a stent or anything else I may just get a 2nd opinion. I have had high cholesterol since my early 20’s. Even when my body fat was 22% I had high numbers. I have been on statins a long time. For the last 8 years I have had high blood pressure. On my paternal side there are no more cousins (15). My mother will be 98 in 10 days. I will be 74 end of December. I am worried.

Thanks for that….did not think of checking anywhere else!

As others have said, there's nothing you can do about the ultra-high CAC score. Sounds like you are doing what you are supposed to do. Increase the statins and get the LDL down to 50% if possible (mine's still up around 70). The Zetia is supposed to quicken the pace of dropping the LDL. Keep the sugar intake down (to avoid complicating things if he gets diabetes), and keep a close eye on BP - if it regularly creeps up over 130/80 see the cardiologist for advice. I'm glad I did the CTA (with contrast dye) as it gave me some reassurances about the heart situation, but with a high CAC score, there could be stenosis (blockages) anywhere in the vascular system, which is a bummer still of course. I'm now checking my neck and head with TDC (Doppler ultrasounds of the head and neck). Knowing what's going on with blood flow there is as crucial as it is in the heart area (to avoid a stroke and/or blindness from blockage or occlusion of arteries leading into the brain). If its bad I'll do another CTA for that region and take whatever action I need to take. Good luck!

I ignorantly ignored a calcium score of 912 and suffered an NSTEMI in March of this year. My local hospital found 85% blockage in my RCA and were unable to expand it for the stent. I had to go to the main hospital in Nashville to get the calcification reduced so plasty would be successful and stent placed.
My cardiologist ordered Repatha injections every two weeks and Brilinta 2X daily. I cannot take statins or anything that affects the pancreas since they cause acute pancreatitus.
So far so good...no angina to date although I keep my nitro handy and I quit vaping nicotine realizing it was probably the reason for the NSTEMI.
I too had no symptoms prior to the attack save for dizziness that I associated to the BP medicine I was and still on. I had just been given a clear bill of health with unremarkable EKGs, ECOs, and both stress tests when the attack occurred.
So, to make an almost tragic story shorter, I should have looked into the calcium score results more seriously.

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"Long-term statin therapy is associated with severe coronary artery calcification"
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10374064/