bigbern (@bigbern)

To NY Artist, thank you so much for your reply. I will effort to round up those items and incorporate into my day !so you really cut down the mg’s on your statins and your lipids look good. Maybe 80 is too much for me.i have had three cardiologist tell me that they don’t put a lot of credence into the CAC score , they say it doesn’t accurately define the true situation hard vs soft plaque etc. but yet they all want you to get the test. I don’t know. Scary. I try everyday to block it out lol. So happy to hear your wife is great ! Have a great weekend and thx again . Seriously. That. B.

Hi everyone. I’ve been on here for a while and want to say I very much appreciate how open, sincere and caring all of the posters are. I am like most 59 year old male when with just high bp, cholesterol levels all over the place but healthy, CAC score was 693 my cardio put me on 80 mg stat amd baby aspirin. A year later I got another test ( Doc told me not too) my score was 1100. Doctors won’t do anything say it’s too risky to get into my arteries and get the plaque . So we just wait for something to happen seems to me that’s unacceptable. Is there anything we can take maybe from a health food store to slow progression of this plaque? I hear of vitamin k frequently. Good luck to everyone

Hi Seaera and jimk849. So I had a cac score of 693 last year no symptoms I’m 60 great , well good shape, cardiologist put me on 80 mg statins and baby aspirin. Everything I read that’s not great so this year I decide to get another cac scan to see if statins work amd it was 1139. What? Freaked out went to another cardiologists at well known hosp he told me won’t do a catch says too risky and that the therapy I’m on is what I should trust. Unless I go on a run , usually run 3 every other day, and feel different than I’ve ever felt then come in to hosp. My question to him was isn’t it odd that my cac went up over 60% in a year while in stats maxed out ? I’m uneasy wondering if something else makes calcium so high . Also my thyroid is fine cholesterol is 70/41. Good luck to all I mean it! Best, B.

Thank you so much for that post sharing is so important to me . Thank God you pulled through Jim that is a great story. You must have a new appreciation for that sun coming up every morning! God bless ya ! Bern

Thank you Teresa! I am only in this for a year. Last year out of no where my cardiologist gave me the news , it was the beginning of the summer , I went dark for almost two months .. then I realized that it is what it is , I don’t like that saying at all but for the first time I realized it was for me lol .. anyway now I’m just mad at the fact that all I’m ever told is basically take the meds , watch your diet , and if you don’t feel right or if you think your having an ‘Event’ get yourself into the hosp! Not for me. I deal with it this way Teresa.. I am so thankful my cardiologist said to me there’s one text I want you to get, it’ll cost you out of pocket but I think it’s worth it and that was the cac ct . If he hadn’t suggested I get that text .. who knows I could have bitten the bulletproof already. I’ll never forget him for that . But now I and all of us in this community have to not lay down and wait for a piece of plaque to chip off and we’ll you all know what’s next . So Teresa in answer to you I cope with this now as I’m mad as heck that there’s no real proactive answers or therapy that makes me wake up in the mornings and say oh yeah I’m on that regiment. But I can tell you for certain I’ve just begun figuring this out and the fight has just begun! Best to you and everyone . I’m here for anyone to reach out . Best Big Bern

I love your positivity!! I was just telling my wife I posted some feelings on this forum and not certain what would come of it . Thank you so so much for your words. I hope everyone with this crazy unexpected disease out of nowhere can get it fixed. Me , I’m going to go get at it I’m not sitting back waiting for a myocardial event or whatever they call it . I am not willing to wake up everyday or after every run thinking I’m going to have something happen to me , really .. it’s not for me it’s for all my fam that I’m totally in love with and connected every minute of the day with most of these kids way to young to deal with big old Dad , coach etc having some medical problem they won’t understand . I think we need to get proactive as a community of those who have been given this news and do everything we can to fix this and get to living the next 20 or 40 years like we should!

I’m not sure how this forum works as to protocol so.. apologies in advance .. I too have elevated cac score. Last year 714 this year 1200, I’m on 80mg statin , baby aspirin. My blood work is all good, nuclear good, stress no problem. My doctor says live your life , have a burger once a month , continue running if you feel like a heart attack is coming get to the hospital. Geez! There’s an unsettling feeling every day I wake up as I’m sure everyone else feels. So do we wait around for a particle of plaque to break off and go upstream or downstream? I told my guys I’m open to anything catherization anything they say it’s too risky . Everything I read seems to lead to same ending.. this is a big a symptomatic waiting game . Best to all if you .