Another Calcium score thread, if you can stand it

[Koolau]

Update: I spent over an hour and a half creating a patient portal yesterday - including waiting on hold, and having assistance with a customer rep. I did see the test, and copied something from a summary, but when I tried to log back in, not even my e-mail was recognized and I could not reset the password. I copied a line from the visit summary before I found the test which read: EKG normal sinus rhythm within normal limits normal PR QRS and QT interval. Exercise stress test was performed today on September 3, 2024: The patient had an excellent exercise tolerance normal blood pressure response and no EKG changes.

I am not going to try calling customer service again for a few days. The whole experience gave me a headache.

I have two health care systems I interact with. One's portal was pretty simple. The other totally impossible. I feel your pain.

 

[ratface]

Updating on my latest developments. The nuclear stress test was actually pretty easy for me, they let me go to 95% capacity and I achieved a 12 METS. I got an excellent score for physical capacity function. They injected the dye and I sat for 25 minutes. Then onto the scanning machine for 8 min of pictures. Then onto the treadmill, while still a few minutes from all out exertion they gave me the second injection of dye got to 95 percent capacity at which point they stopped the test and I sat for another 25 minutes and then about six minutes of pictures. The test results were not so good, the dye suggest an area in the left ventricle which is not getting a sufficient amount of blood indicative of ischemia. My ejection rates from the left ventricle are perfectly normal which puzzles me. Met with cardiologist yesterday and he said he was actually relieved the test was abnormal, stating that it was previous protocol to send everyone with high Calcium scores for angiogram and the result in essence should satisfy insurance that angiogram is needed. Said chance of error on the nuclear stress was around 10 percent so I'm not holding my breath. Angiogram scheduled for Tuesday and I suppose I will finally know something definitive. Cardiologist said they will look at all arteries and determine what if anything is causing low blood volume in the left ventricle. He said they could just find a sheen of calcium and clear arteries, or something needing a stent or I'll need By-pass surgery. So the journey continues and I'll post back after the angiogram. I'm still puzzled by the my first cardiologist consultation in which he basically told me I was at very low risk and did not even think a second visit was necessary. I guess we will soon know which one of them was right?

 

[joesxm3]

Well our two cardiologists are reversed. My first one wanted angiography but the second one did not. I hope the second one is right.

Good luck with your angiography. May it be a simple take a look and over with deal.

 

[ratface]

Had the angiogram on Tuesday thru the wrist. Overall the results were promising with one exception. The procedure is very tolerable, you remain sedated but awake through the entire procedure and can hear and answer the technicians, you can also see the wire snaking through your arteries on a very large screen. No pain during the procedure, only pain was to catheter wrist site which remains for several days, still can't use the right hand to lift anything for a few more days. So here we go, (RCA) Right Coronary Artery, 10-20 percent blocked, (LCA) Left Coronary artery 30-40 percent blocked, (LCX) Left Circumflex 20-30 percent blocked. For a 65 year man that probably wont kill me before my time. Now on to the exception which is that I have an extra artery know as the "Ramus" artery which Trifurcates from the LCA and LCX. A variation in up to 30 percent of the population, and this one is blocked at 50-60 percent. This is why my stress test came back abnormal. No stents or surgery at this time but the Ramus has me very concerned as it can lead to a heart attack down the road. To further compound the issue the blockage is concentrated at the intersection of the the other two left arteries, kind of like a three way stop sign, This makes stenting very difficult as you would need to place something like a T shaped stent into three separate arteries , a tricky procedure that might cause obstruction in the other two branches. At the moment it is not blocked enough to take any action but I sure would like to know how they handle this, I'm thinking it would most certainly have to be some sort of bypass surgery? So the journey is not over. If anyone has had any repairs done to their Ramus artery I would love to hear your take on it! Overall I'm glad I had the angiogram and know what I'm dealing with. Wont see the cardiologist till next month, the guy who did the procedure wasn't too concerned about the Ramus but that really isn't very reassuring in the long run.

 

[joesxm3]

You seem in pretty good shape plumbing wise.

The risk of heart attack is driven by the plaque rupturing and more than half of heart attacks are in the low plaque group.

I recommend that you read the book "unho!y trinity" and watch some of Dr. Brewer's YouTube videos on the PreMed channel. The majority of his patients are similar to you and are working on diet and lifestyle to reduce the risk of plaque rupturing and causing a heart attack.

Glad to here that your trip to the catheter lab was uneventful and that your blockages are not too severe.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[ratface]

I have watched a lot of Dr. Brewers videos based on your recommendations. I was thinking the Ramus artery issue could be concerning and am encouraged by your categorization of it as not too serious. Will get more clarification at my next cardiologist appt. I am also considering starting a regiment of supplement K2, lots of promising research pointing to how it serves as a transporter of calcium away from the organs and into the bones and teeth, especially keeping it out of the arteries given my calcium score.

 

[MarieIG]

You seem in pretty good shape plumbing wise.

The risk of heart attack is driven by the plaque rupturing and more than half of heart attacks are in the low plaque group.

I recommend that you read the book "unho!y trinity" and watch some of Dr. Brewer's YouTube videos on the PreMed channel. The majority of his patients are similar to you and are working on diet and lifestyle to reduce the risk of plaque rupturing and causing a heart attack.

Glad to here that your trip to the catheter lab was uneventful and that your blockages are not too severe.

Thanks for sharing.

Coincidentally, I am actually listening to Dr. Brewer's latest video now (re the CIMT) - but will jump back on the stationary bike to finish listening to it.

 

[aja8888]

I had the "after stress tests" meeting with my Cardiologist yesterday. No stenosis identified and the results of the treadmill 5 minute run were very good. She was pleased that an 81 year old guy like me came out so well on the tests.

It's kind of strange to me that one of my carotid neck arteries got to 70% plugged and had to be stented over a month ago.

Because of the neck artery issue, I have to now take Lipitor forever, even though I do not have elevated cholesterol. Oh well. things could be worse.

 

[joesxm3]

Coincidentally, I am actually listening to Dr. Brewer's latest video now (re the CIMT) - but will jump back on the stationary bike to finish listening to it.

That was the woman that did my CIMT. I thought she did a good job both with the CIMT and the interview.

 

[joesxm3]

I found rosuvastatin lowered my D from 70 to 54.

I am supplementing D3, K2/MK4, K2/MK7 and magnesium glycinate. They are all related. I a!so take CoQ10 since statins are said to interfere with this affecting muscles.

 

[MarieIG]

That was the woman that did my CIMT. I thought she did a good job both with the CIMT and the interview.

I thought she did a very good job explaining the CIMT and she really seemed to care about the patients.

I found rosuvastatin lowered my D from 70 to 54.

I am supplementing D3, K2/MK4, K2/MK7 and magnesium glycinate. They are all related. I a!so take CoQ10 since statins are said to interfere with this affecting muscles.

Well no statin yet, but D3, K2/Mk7, magnesium glycinate and CoQ10 are on my agenda as well.

 

[ratface]

My only concern is that K2 will interfere with the blood thinning properties of my baby aspirin, but as far as I have researched only K1 is a coagulant and have even found some cardiologist prescribing K2 to their patients on Youtube.

 

[joesxm3]

I also take aspirin. I had not considered that K2 might interfere. I asked the Grok AI and it said the information is inconclusive and best to consult your doctor rather than some guy on the internet. I will ask a chat message next week on the Dr. Brewer live youtube.

Some have said that K2 helps to direct calcium away from the arteries and that this action may allow healing of arterial plaque without adding to the calcification.

Thanks for pointing out the blood thinning angle.

 

[Koolau]

I also take aspirin. I had not considered that K2 might interfere. I asked the Grok AI and it said the information is inconclusive and best to consult your doctor rather than some guy on the internet. I will ask a chat message next week on the Dr. Brewer live youtube.

Some have said that K2 helps to direct calcium away from the arteries and that this action may allow healing of arterial plaque without adding to the calcification.

Thanks for pointing out the blood thinning angle.

This points out that there are still a lot of questions about heart health and the answers tend to be all over the place. I've mentioned that two different cardiologists (same basic health system) put me on different sets of meds. My research suggest they are both "correct" in that there is no exact way to treat coronary artery disease. There is still a certain level of "art" as well as science so YMMV.

 

[ratface]

I agree that two separate cardiologist can have two separate approaches and be somewhat correct. In my journey as I mentioned early in the post, my first consultation was with a cardiologist who pretty much concluded in one office visit, that I need not come back and see him again. Now after months of testing I know a lot more about my individual heart health but in reality the conclusion is somewhat the same. For the moment there is not much more that needs doing Granted I feel much better knowing exactly what I am dealing with and it has influenced some significant lifestyle changes which I probably would not have otherwise instituted. I also feel better having a cardiologist to pose questions to about general topics like supplements, medications or diet. At the end of the day you have to do your own due diligence and be your best advocate for yourself to receive the best care possible! Dr. Google is a part of modern life and I know most physicians cringe when we refer to some online information, but used correctly can be be an important piece of the puzzle and care plan. It's a delicate balancing act between patient and Doctor at best.

 

[MarieIG]

I actually started K2 after I read about a Japanese study wherein K2 which led to K2 being prescribed in Japan to treat osteoporosis. I certainly agree that Dr. Google is not a substitute for a medical professional, but some due diligence on the part of the patient can lead to more informed conversations and participation in one's own medical care.

 

[joesxm3]

Dr. Brewer has said that the main reason he does so much testing with his patients is that the test results give them the motivation to stick with the lifestyle changes whereas when he just told them they did not do it.

In my case having some concrete evidence has been highly motivational.

 

[joesxm3]

Dr. Cromwell is pretty good at explaining. He is a lipidologist but not a rabid statin pusher.

 

[MarieIG]

Dr. Cromwell is pretty good at explaining. He is a lip idol other but not a rabid statin pusher.

I will watch it tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[Ian S]

So this past week, I had a calcium score test done and the results have been posted to my portal. A little background. I'm male, 73 y.o., no symptoms of heart disease, father's first heart attack at 58 (second at 65 killed him), mother had heart attack in her 80's and stroke in her 90's. I've been on a low dose statin and aspirin for about 15 years. When I was in my late 40's (late 1990's) there was a flurry of publicity about getting a "heart scan" so I did. They even provided me with images on a VHS cassette! My calcium score then was 0. Today my calcium score is 119. I imagine my PCP, who ordered the test after I broached it at my most recent checkup, will want to discuss the results with me.

I guess I feel somewhat lucky compared to others in this thread with much more threatening scores but I wonder what more might be done in my case? From what I can tell there's a significant risk (20-25%) of a cardiac event in the next 5 years but that's not far off the norm for someone my age anyway. I walk at a decent pace between 5 and 5.5 miles pretty much daily. Besides the statin, I'm on a low dose of metoprolol that has eliminated the PVC's I used to have while lowering my BP and my heart rate. My BMI is on the high side of normal so maybe I could stand to lose some weight. Other than that, I'm not sure there's much to be done. Thoughts?

 

[aja8888]

So this past week, I had a calcium score test done and the results have been posted to my portal. A little background. I'm male, 73 y.o., no symptoms of heart disease, father's first heart attack at 58 (second at 65 killed him), mother had heart attack in her 80's and stroke in her 90's. I've been on a low dose statin and aspirin for about 15 years. When I was in my late 40's (late 1990's) there was a flurry of publicity about getting a "heart scan" so I did. They even provided me with images on a VHS cassette! My calcium score then was 0. Today my calcium score is 119. I imagine my PCP, who ordered the test after I broached it at my most recent checkup, will want to discuss the results with me.

I guess I feel somewhat lucky compared to others in this thread with much more threatening scores but I wonder what more might be done in my case? From what I can tell there's a significant risk (20-25%) of a cardiac event in the next 5 years but that's not far off the norm for someone my age anyway. I walk at a decent pace between 5 and 5.5 miles pretty much daily. Besides the statin, I'm on a low dose of metoprolol that has eliminated the PVC's I used to have while lowering my BP and my heart rate. My BMI is on the high side of normal so maybe I could stand to lose some weight. Other than that, I'm not sure there's much to be done. Thoughts?

Ian, eat right, exercise, no booze or tobacco and get a good night's sleep. That's all you can do as I have done over the years (now at 81), and it all caught up with me in July (stent in neck artery, pacemaker). So now I am taking the drugs people with the symptoms have and I still don't have the symptoms!

 

[Time2]

Dr. William Brewer demonstrated an at home plaque test. Obviously, this is not a substitute for, or meant to discourage visits to, your cardiologist. I am going to to try this over the next few days, and also inspired by this thread and some long standing - long ignored issues - will be following up with my PCP as well.

Update: I did try the "test" and obtained the following results:

Lt arm 94/65 Rt arm 95/72

Lft ankle 122/83 Rt ankle 120/77

end result was:

(left) 1.28

(right) 1.26

I just performed the "at home test to find clogged arteries". My numbers were very close, except my right arm was low), which when lying on the couch was against the back my sy, thisstolic was 115, so I rotated 180* so my right arm was free. Then the stystolic went up to 128, this then compared to the other high high systolic computed a score of 1. But I don't know how the arm slightly pinched between my body and the couch back affected my BP in that arm. I did take the rest, before I took the second test. I'll try it again later today. I had an upper torso CT scan for something else and was told I had some calcium around my heart, but there was no recommendation for it.