1. < Heart & Blood Health

I have a very high calcium score. What next?

Posted by dpframing @dpframing, Aug 24, 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 2996 and I am scared by this. I am 61 and I am totally asymptomatic. Now I feel like a walking time bomb. I am thinking of requesting an angiogram to see if there's any narrowing anywhere and if it can be corrected with a stent. After a second heart doctor told me that the plaque buildup might be uniform over the course of years with no big problem areas, I am encouraged. But the score still freaks me out, specifically my LAD at 1333. I don't smoke or drink but I have to lose 40 lbs.

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oldkarl | @oldkarl | Apr 20 9:09am
In reply to @writer418 "There are doctors out there who say that what you eat has nothing to do with..." + (show)
@writer418

There are doctors out there who say that what you eat has nothing to do with cholesterol. I’ve read the initial tests for cholesterol were done on rabbits and have nothing to do with humans. This is from a credible source (a heart doctor) but look it up yourself.

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I have fought high calcium levels most of my 84 years. In the past few years I have learned that various readings in Multiple Myeloma have much to do with the calcium levels. you might ask about MM (Amyloidosis, etc.) oldkarl

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1 reply
agb | @agb | 3 days ago
In reply to @writer418 "Ok but I also know you can limit your eaten cholesterol a great deal and your..." + (show)
@writer418

Ok but I also know you can limit your eaten cholesterol a great deal and your body can still produce high levels. Depends who you are but I agree generally that one should avoid saturated fats and a lot of red meat but, even if you do, there's no guarantee your cholesterol levels with go down anywhere near what they will with medication IMO and that of many others. 🙂

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True. Mine is inherited and both of my kids have abnormal cholesterol levels, so it's not just diet. My diet is plant based, I'm at a good weight and exercise daily, and it still takes 3 drugs to get the cholesterol numbers down and to where I'm told over time, it will start to reverse what my body has done for the past 68 years. I've researched this for years: diet can lower your cholesterol numbers by around 20% at most. Your mileage may vary

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1 reply
christianzane | @christianzane | 3 days ago
In reply to @agb "True. Mine is inherited and both of my kids have abnormal cholesterol levels, so it's not..." + (show)
@agb

True. Mine is inherited and both of my kids have abnormal cholesterol levels, so it's not just diet. My diet is plant based, I'm at a good weight and exercise daily, and it still takes 3 drugs to get the cholesterol numbers down and to where I'm told over time, it will start to reverse what my body has done for the past 68 years. I've researched this for years: diet can lower your cholesterol numbers by around 20% at most. Your mileage may vary

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Nothing can reverse calcification of the arteries except for some surgeries using artery sized blades or lasers that scrape it off and a catheter using sound waves which breaks it up, although I have read about some people having natural calcification regression with LDL levels below 60. The main thing you can do is take a statin to stabilize the plaque and harden up that gooey soft stuff which is what breaks off and causes all sorts of problems. Exercise/diet/low BP/low inflammation all help arterial health as well.

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1 reply
agb | @agb | 2 days ago
In reply to @christianzane "Nothing can reverse calcification of the arteries except for some surgeries using artery sized blades or..." + (show)
@christianzane

Nothing can reverse calcification of the arteries except for some surgeries using artery sized blades or lasers that scrape it off and a catheter using sound waves which breaks it up, although I have read about some people having natural calcification regression with LDL levels below 60. The main thing you can do is take a statin to stabilize the plaque and harden up that gooey soft stuff which is what breaks off and causes all sorts of problems. Exercise/diet/low BP/low inflammation all help arterial health as well.

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My cardiologist has told me that yes, calcium regression is possible if you live to 150 as it's glacially slow, but low LDL along with a statin lowers the risk as you describe

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kaym24 | @kaym24 | 1 day ago
In reply to @oldkarl "I have fought high calcium levels most of my 84 years. In the past few years..." + (show)
@oldkarl

I have fought high calcium levels most of my 84 years. In the past few years I have learned that various readings in Multiple Myeloma have much to do with the calcium levels. you might ask about MM (Amyloidosis, etc.) oldkarl

Jump to this post

Have you checked PTH lab?
I had that high plus hypercalciumia of 10.5 or higher . I had a 2cm tumor adenoma removed on my parathyroid. Also had osteoporosis -3 as calcium not going into bones but bloodstream making one feel ill omus excruciating psin unsble to be upright more than 4 hours so had yo lie flat. Applied for SSDI but too hard to do.

2 weeks after removal my bone pain was gone as gland working again so dexa scan with wrist has improved some!

Plus have high MGUS labs so annual checks for multiple myeloma sent to Mayo!

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