Newest Lab Results not quite what I expected
Replies
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Hi, Just got back from my doctor's. He has switched me to regular dosage of metformin, 2 500s twice a day in order to reduce my dependence on metformin gradually. He does not want to see me for another YEAR!!! Happy Happy, Joy Joy!
As for my lipid profile, he agrees there is no necessity for lowering my LDL with statins at this time, and has ordered a Coronary Calcium Scoring test.
This diet is awesome and so are the people on this forum. Thank you!
Does your doc want you to dump metformin specifically, or do you personally want to take as few meds as possible?
Good luck with the CAC!
He wants me off the metformin gradually, hence the change to regular metformin, changing the dosage as needed by self monitoring my glucose levels. No meds and good health/life is my ultimate goal.
The appointment for CAC is with Emory University later this month. $150 gets you a package that includes CAC, Lipids, BP, Blood Vessel Aging and consultation with a cardiologist. Self paid, as insurance does not cover it. I saw a Groupon for this with another company that was less than $50, but since the interstate burned and fell down, traffic would be a total and complete nightmare. Plus, my family has used Emory before; they are the best in Atlanta.
That's a bargain, especially if the cardiologist is attentive!
Note that there are differing thoughts on how to weight the variables that go into the scoring equation.
Forgot, they also give a Framingham score.
Ah, perhaps to show how poor the correlation is between those Framingham risk factors and the actual state of one's coronary arteries!0 -
I went for my Cardiac Calcium Score this morning. The results were not good, and I am angry, fearful to the point of tears right now. After being on statins since the early 90's, when my Dad had a triple bypass back then, my coronary arteries are now loaded with plaque. So that is about 27 years on statins (with great lab results). I can't remember exactly when I started them, but it was after our insurance company decided that statins were cheaper than coronary bypasses. So much for this miracle drug!
The results:
Female
62 years
B/P 118/79
Pulse 93
Non smoker
Total Calcium Score: 1286 Extensive Plaque Burden
Left Main Artery: 0
Left Anterior Descending Aorta: 420 Extensive Plaque Burden
Circumflex Artery: 6
Right Coronary Artery: 860 Extensive Plaque Burden
I need to make an appointment with my PCP and get a referral to a cardiologist and an angiogram. As far as diet goes, the low carb diet has been a success, loosing 34 pounds in 10 months, with a weigh in today of 146. My plaque load did not build up to this in the 10 months, I have been on this diet. It took years.
What do I do now? My brain can't think right now.
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I went for my Cardiac Calcium Score this morning. The results were not good, and I am angry, fearful to the point of tears right now. After being on statins since the early 90's, when my Dad had a triple bypass back then, my coronary arteries are now loaded with plaque. So that is about 27 years on statins (with great lab results). I can't remember exactly when I started them, but it was after our insurance company decided that statins were cheaper than coronary bypasses. So much for this miracle drug!
The results:
Female
62 years
B/P 118/79
Pulse 93
Non smoker
Total Calcium Score: 1286 Extensive Plaque Burden
Left Main Artery: 0
Left Anterior Descending Aorta: 420 Extensive Plaque Burden
Circumflex Artery: 6
Right Coronary Artery: 860 Extensive Plaque Burden
I need to make an appointment with my PCP and get a referral to a cardiologist and an angiogram. As far as diet goes, the low carb diet has been a success, loosing 34 pounds in 10 months, with a weigh in today of 146. My plaque load did not build up to this in the 10 months, I have been on this diet. It took years.
What do I do now? My brain can't think right now.
@Aquawave
Dr. Berg has some good videos on how to reduce the build-up using high dose D3/K2 stuff in the AM, balanced with A and ... something else in the PM. I hope that might help you find something. (has something to do with the D3/K2 combo acting like a vacuum cleaner going around and sucking up excess calcium... I don't remember the exact mechanism...but he was saying he'd had patients even use it to remove bone spurs...)
But I totally get the fear. This is one of mine, too. In fact, when I can afford a similar screening this year, I'm doing it. (HUGS)
@RalfLott has been studying this lately, too. Any suggestions?3 -
I totally understand the "Gotcha" feeling. Statins and other miracle meds, LFHC guidelines..... false friends for millions of us.
There are different ways of scoring these tests (weighing volume & density), and there are reports of angiograms showing significantly less narrowing than the CAC standing alone might suggest.
Generally, the scores are generated by machines, and a good cardiologist will have a different take.
Also, plaque is a repair mechanism. The potential mobility of the plaque is of greatest concern.
Still, hard as it may be to digest, you have done yourself a huge favor jumping on this now.
Best wishes & keep us posted!2 -
My husband has used C and Lysine to bring down his blood pressure (from 160+/130+ down to 130ish/80ish) - I'm including the link with the information that led him to start the regimen he's on because if I remember right it also addressed the calcium plaque issue.
healthy-again.net/manuals.htm
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From what I gather on the internet, The Mediterranean Diet, exercise, and unfortunately, statins can reduce the plaque. I hate the thought of statins, but, I have to get a grip that I have atherosclerosis. Perhaps there is one that will not cause me joint pain. Goodbye butter, bacon, sausage, homemade Cheese sauce, and other foods I have enjoyed since June. I have had fried eggs in olive oil, they are not bad.
In my opinion, this Coronary Calcium Score should be part of the Wellness Visit. It is cheaper than some of the blood tests they do and absolute in its prediction of vascular events. My statin-lipid profiles for years were perfect, and unknown to me the damage was being done. (I just can't get over the false promises of the pharmaceutical companies)
I talked to my best friend for 3 hours this afternoon, I am afraid I upset her, but she got my mind off this thing for a little while. I have known her since I was 16, her kids and mine practically grew up together. Now I am waiting for my husband to come home. I really dread telling him.3 -
Eggs & olive oil... the enemy?!?0
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From what I gather on the internet, The Mediterranean Diet, exercise, and unfortunately, statins can reduce the plaque. I hate the thought of statins, but, I have to get a grip that I have atherosclerosis. Perhaps there is one that will not cause me joint pain. Goodbye butter, bacon, sausage, homemade Cheese sauce, and other foods I have enjoyed since June. I have had fried eggs in olive oil, they are not bad.
In my opinion, this Coronary Calcium Score should be part of the Wellness Visit. It is cheaper than some of the blood tests they do and absolute in its prediction of vascular events. My statin-lipid profiles for years were perfect, and unknown to me the damage was being done. (I just can't get over the false promises of the pharmaceutical companies)
I talked to my best friend for 3 hours this afternoon, I am afraid I upset her, but she got my mind off this thing for a little while. I have known her since I was 16, her kids and mine practically grew up together. Now I am waiting for my husband to come home. I really dread telling him.
You said yourself that this did not build up in 10 months, and if I'm understanding you correctly, you've been on statins for 27 years, apparently to no avail.
It's entirely your choice and your life (literally), but I encourage you to at least take a look at the research regarding LCHF and atherosclerosis before jumping ship in fear. There's a fair bit of evidence that LCHF does not cause and can in fact reverse atherosclerosis.
Here are some things to get you started.
Studies/case studies:
https://docmuscles.com/2016/05/28/vascular-plaque-reduction-with-ketogenic-diet-a-case-study/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19892353 (caveat on this one -- it's on guinea pigs, so I'd take it with a grain of salt, but still of interest)
http://annals.org/aim/article/1900694/effects-low-carbohydrate-low-fat-diets-randomized-trial
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract
Other resources:
https://www.quora.com/In-a-high-fat-and-low-carb-diet-how-does-one-avoid-the-effects-of-too-much-saturated-fat-and-thus-artery-clogging (bunches of links regarding the diet-heart hypothesis)
https://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-how-to-prevent-and-reverse-heart-disease-naturally/ (information on specific nutrients for it)
I know, it's easy to say "hold up a second" when you're not the one staring down the barrel of a heart attack. However, you've said in the same post as "MD, exercise, and statins can reduce the plaque" that the pharmaceutical companies made false promises. Since you probably have some time between doctor appointments, it might be worth doing some more in-depth research.7 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »From what I gather on the internet, The Mediterranean Diet, exercise, and unfortunately, statins can reduce the plaque. I hate the thought of statins, but, I have to get a grip that I have atherosclerosis. Perhaps there is one that will not cause me joint pain. Goodbye butter, bacon, sausage, homemade Cheese sauce, and other foods I have enjoyed since June. I have had fried eggs in olive oil, they are not bad.
In my opinion, this Coronary Calcium Score should be part of the Wellness Visit. It is cheaper than some of the blood tests they do and absolute in its prediction of vascular events. My statin-lipid profiles for years were perfect, and unknown to me the damage was being done. (I just can't get over the false promises of the pharmaceutical companies)
I talked to my best friend for 3 hours this afternoon, I am afraid I upset her, but she got my mind off this thing for a little while. I have known her since I was 16, her kids and mine practically grew up together. Now I am waiting for my husband to come home. I really dread telling him.
You said yourself that this did not build up in 10 months, and if I'm understanding you correctly, you've been on statins for 27 years, apparently to no avail.
It's entirely your choice and your life (literally), but I encourage you to at least take a look at the research regarding LCHF and atherosclerosis before jumping ship in fear. There's a fair bit of evidence that LCHF does not cause and can in fact reverse atherosclerosis.
Here are some things to get you started.
Studies/case studies:
https://docmuscles.com/2016/05/28/vascular-plaque-reduction-with-ketogenic-diet-a-case-study/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19892353 (caveat on this one -- it's on guinea pigs, so I'd take it with a grain of salt, but still of interest)
http://annals.org/aim/article/1900694/effects-low-carbohydrate-low-fat-diets-randomized-trial
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract
Other resources:
https://www.quora.com/In-a-high-fat-and-low-carb-diet-how-does-one-avoid-the-effects-of-too-much-saturated-fat-and-thus-artery-clogging (bunches of links regarding the diet-heart hypothesis)
https://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-how-to-prevent-and-reverse-heart-disease-naturally/ (information on specific nutrients for it)
I know, it's easy to say "hold up a second" when you're not the one staring down the barrel of a heart attack. However, you've said in the same post as "MD, exercise, and statins can reduce the plaque" that the pharmaceutical companies made false promises. Since you probably have some time between doctor appointments, it might be worth doing some more in-depth research.
I am not going off low carb, it is controlling my diabetes, plus I have lost the weight. I am going off saturated fats and looking into the Mediterranean Diet. Not sure what else I can do. I now have an appointment with my PCP and looking for a referral to an angiogram. Thanks for the links. Yes, 27 years, religiously, on statins, to no avail. Gave up statins last June to see if that would help with my joint/hip pain (which it did). Same time as I started on LCHF to control my diabetes (which it did). Don't blame the recent diet, the plaque built up for years in my heart from the MAD diet. Runs in my family. Perhaps if I discovered LCHF decades ago.....4 -
jeffreydachmd.com/how-to-reverse-heart-disease-with-the-coronary-calcium-score/
I read this after Butter Bob got a score of 17 and was upset. I have not had the test run but per their website one group with offices in the Nashville TN area promote the Calcium Scoring test for $50. I think Butter Bob paid $99 at UT medical center in Knoxville TN.
@Aquawave knowing to have surgery before having the heart attack is a plus and now you know how to eat to prevent the new arteries from getting clogged by doing keto. Best of success in working for a fast solution. Thanks for posting and causing some to get the testing.6 -
My lipid panel was horrible:
chol 175 mg/dl
Trig 535 mg/dl
Hdl 35 mg/dl
Ldl 69 mg/dl
Chol / hdl ratio 5%
My dr said to increase my fiber because she could understand how my trig could double in less than a year. I was also told to cut back on carbs to lower it. I go back may 15 so she can recheck them.1 -
My lipid panel was horrible:
chol 175 mg/dl
Trig 535 mg/dl
Hdl 35 mg/dl
Ldl 69 mg/dl
Chol / hdl ratio 5%
My dr said to increase my fiber because she could understand how my trig could double in less than a year. I was also told to cut back on carbs to lower it. I go back may 15 so she can recheck them.
Did you have an A1c test (average blood glucose)?
How long had you been fasting for this test?1 -
GaleHawkins wrote: »jeffreydachmd.com/how-to-reverse-heart-disease-with-the-coronary-calcium-score/
I read this after Butter Bob got a score of 17 and was upset. I have not had the test run but per their website one group with offices in the Nashville TN area promote the Calcium Scoring test for $50. I think Butter Bob paid $99 at UT medical center in Knoxville TN.
@Aquawave knowing to have surgery before having the heart attack is a plus and now you know how to eat to prevent the new arteries from getting clogged by doing keto. Best of success in working for a fast solution. Thanks for posting and causing some to get the testing.
There was a Groupon for a facility in Sandy Springs/Dunwoody area of Atlanta for $50, but the interstate had a fire and fell down, so traffic in the area is a complete and worse than total mess. I went to Emory at John's Creek since it was an easy drive.I would like to see everyone get this test.
Butter Bob is great! I wish I had his genes and his score of 17 sure beats mine at 1,286.
I met my original weight goal of 145 this morning. Kind of tickled about it. Ketoning on and see if I can hit 140, less weight equates to less stress on the heart.3 -
My lipid panel was horrible:
chol 175 mg/dl
Trig 535 mg/dl
Hdl 35 mg/dl
Ldl 69 mg/dl
Chol / hdl ratio 5%
My dr said to increase my fiber because she could understand how my trig could double in less than a year. I was also told to cut back on carbs to lower it. I go back may 15 so she can recheck them.
You might want to get your thyroid checked. @KnitOrMiss can give you more details, but you'll want to specifically ask for T3, T4, and rT3 at the very least.1 -
Free and Total T4, Free and Reverse T3. If you're concerned about auto immune at all, get the TGA and TPO antibodies tests. These, with TSH for context only, can tell you a lot. But if you want to dig deep, you'll need things like D3 and B12, Iron/Ferritin and such, too.
But high trigs , low HDL those generally point to thyroid issues. @bayba7921 -
Just please be careful with your fats. I am 42 and had normal cholesterol 4 years ago when I started Keto. It's now sky high. I've had to cut out saturated fats (dairy/animal fats) and get my fats from avocado, fish and olive oil. MOST people do okay on Keto, but some don't. I too have diabetes in my family, and have chosen low carb to try and avoid my fate - but you have to balance other health issues as well.0
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EbonyDahlia wrote: »Just please be careful with your fats. I am 42 and had normal cholesterol 4 years ago when I started Keto. It's now sky high. I've had to cut out saturated fats (dairy/animal fats) and get my fats from avocado, fish and olive oil. MOST people do okay on Keto, but some don't. I too have diabetes in my family, and have chosen low carb to try and avoid my fate - but you have to balance other health issues as well.
I lost so much weight and my glucose has normalized in the ten months I have been on LCHF. But, over 62 years of MAD, the arterial damage was already done and I would not have known about this silent killer had I not learned about the Calcium Arterial Scan on this discussion board. It may have saved my life or a least given me a few more years.
Dahlia, can you get the CAS done for a baseline? Or perhaps the LDL particle count? Did switching your diet help with your lipid profile. Did your doctor put you on a statin or any other drugs? Diabetes, strokes and heart attacks have taken most of my close relatives also.
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denversdietdoctor.com/lchf-15-years-coronary-artery-calcium-score-zero/
I wanted to put this in the Butter Bob thread about calcium scoring test but did not find it.
This is positive about long term LCHF WOE. I want to get the testing for a baseline to see if in my case LCHF is helping slow or reverse the test score over time.0 -
I have read of diets that will disolve the plaque, but I don't think they would be lchf. They would probably require much more vegetable and fruit, but not necesarily bread, probably illiminatimg saturated fats and have you mostly on nuts and olive oil for fats, protien sources could be fish and legumes. Is it a typo or am I right in understanding that you grew up on a modified atkins diet, less than 15 carbs a day, or did I misunderstand?2
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GaleHawkins wrote: »denversdietdoctor.com/lchf-15-years-coronary-artery-calcium-score-zero/
I wanted to put this in the Butter Bob thread about calcium scoring test but did not find it.
This is positive about long term LCHF WOE. I want to get the testing for a baseline to see if in my case LCHF is helping slow or reverse the test score over time.
BTW, the movie referenced in this article (The Widowmaker) is on Netflix. I just added it to my list so I can watch it this weekend or sooner if I can find the time.1 -
I have read of diets that will disolve the plaque, but I don't think they would be lchf. They would probably require much more vegetable and fruit, but not necesarily bread, probably illiminatimg saturated fats and have you mostly on nuts and olive oil for fats, protien sources could be fish and legumes. Is it a typo or am I right in understanding that you grew up on a modified atkins diet, less than 15 carbs a day, or did I misunderstand?
jeffreydachmd.com/how-to-reverse-heart-disease-with-the-coronary-calcium-score/
@Gamliela here is what one MD states on dissolving plaque. If you follow all of his hyper links you will be reading for a long time. I just got my Coronary Artery Calcium score test scheduled. It is costing $100 at Henry County Medical Center in Paris TN which is only 25 miles away. Last week I started taking 3-4 mg of extra Vitamin K2 MK-7 daily so I wanted to establish a baseline ASAP. For $175 they will look at calcium in all of the main arteries as well. For another $175 they will do a detailed scan of the lungs as well. They will mail me a CD of the scans as well to a doctor of my choice had that been my request. The equipment and lab techs are there so I think they are letting the public buy these services thinking they will find some with needs that will fill hospital beds, OR's, etc.
Some examples that this is not a new subject. I first started about this a few weeks ago.
drpasswater.com/nutrition_library/Schurgers2.html
https://newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james59.htm
https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4566462/
Proper Calcium Use: Vitamin K2 as a Promoter of Bone and Cardiovascular Health1 -
EbonyDahlia wrote: »Just please be careful with your fats. I am 42 and had normal cholesterol 4 years ago when I started Keto. It's now sky high. I've had to cut out saturated fats (dairy/animal fats) and get my fats from avocado, fish and olive oil. MOST people do okay on Keto, but some don't. I too have diabetes in my family, and have chosen low carb to try and avoid my fate - but you have to balance other health issues as well.
I lost so much weight and my glucose has normalized in the ten months I have been on LCHF. But, over 62 years of MAD, the arterial damage was already done and I would not have known about this silent killer had I not learned about the Calcium Arterial Scan on this discussion board. It may have saved my life or a least given me a few more years.
Dahlia, can you get the CAS done for a baseline? Or perhaps the LDL particle count? Did switching your diet help with your lipid profile. Did your doctor put you on a statin or any other drugs? Diabetes, strokes and heart attacks have taken most of my close relatives also.
I have more blood tests in July. If I have not got my cholesterol down by then my Dr will make me take medication. For now I've just bargained for more time, I don't want to go down that road of taking pills for everything. I removed a garbage bag full of pills from my Dad's house last year after he passed away, and none of them did him any good (well, I'm not a Dr, I suppose they kept him alive a bit longer, but it was not a good quality of life).1 -
EbonyDahlia wrote: »EbonyDahlia wrote: »Just please be careful with your fats. I am 42 and had normal cholesterol 4 years ago when I started Keto. It's now sky high. I've had to cut out saturated fats (dairy/animal fats) and get my fats from avocado, fish and olive oil. MOST people do okay on Keto, but some don't. I too have diabetes in my family, and have chosen low carb to try and avoid my fate - but you have to balance other health issues as well.
I lost so much weight and my glucose has normalized in the ten months I have been on LCHF. But, over 62 years of MAD, the arterial damage was already done and I would not have known about this silent killer had I not learned about the Calcium Arterial Scan on this discussion board. It may have saved my life or a least given me a few more years.
Dahlia, can you get the CAS done for a baseline? Or perhaps the LDL particle count? Did switching your diet help with your lipid profile. Did your doctor put you on a statin or any other drugs? Diabetes, strokes and heart attacks have taken most of my close relatives also.
I have more blood tests in July. If I have not got my cholesterol down by then my Dr will make me take medication. For now I've just bargained for more time, I don't want to go down that road of taking pills for everything. I removed a garbage bag full of pills from my Dad's house last year after he passed away, and none of them did him any good (well, I'm not a Dr, I suppose they kept him alive a bit longer, but it was not a good quality of life).
I hope you can do the calcium scan because then you will definitively know. Lipid profiles are becoming more and more questionable.My primary doctor doesn't want to put people on statins unnecessarily, which is why he and I agreed for me to do the calcium heart scan. I see him tomorrow, I expect more tests and a prescription for statins. Not Lipitor, which I had been taking which caused my joint problems and did not prevent plaque buildup. Maybe generic Crestor? I wish there was a silver bullet for this. I am going to Costco and look for the K, D and Ubiquinol vitamins today and buy more wild caught Salmon.
I have had almost a week to think about this. With an extreme chance of a cardiovascular event within the next five years, what do I have to lose at the age of 62? Joint problems versus death? I'll cross that joint pain bridge if and when I get there.
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@Aquawave, what's next? I think you mentioned a cardiac cath... ??
I'm with you. I dumped NSAIDs, PPIs, and other meds to give my body better odds..... I think. FYI, I've found Crestor very easy to tolerate compared to Lipitor.
I lived off Naproxin with the joint pains, and I dumped it too after I found out it messes with your lipids and is linked to cardiac events. I have enteric coated aspirin for any mild pain, like teeth. I was off the PPI, but all this stress is causing acid reflux, so I had to pop the PPI for the last three days, but it is not a pill that should be taken often.
I'll know about the cardiac cath later, I hope they do less invasive testing first.
If I may ask, What was your Calcium score?
I am headed out to Costco now.0 -
@Aquawave, what's next? I think you mentioned a cardiac cath... ??
I'm with you. I dumped NSAIDs, PPIs, and other meds to give my body better odds..... I think. FYI, I've found Crestor very easy to tolerate compared to Lipitor.
I lived off Naproxin with the joint pains, and I dumped it too after I found out it messes with your lipids and is linked to cardiac events. I have enteric coated aspirin for any mild pain, like teeth. I was off the PPI, but all this stress is causing acid reflux, so I had to pop the PPI for the last three days, but it is not a pill that should be taken often.
I'll know about the cardiac cath later, I hope they do less invasive testing first.
If I may ask, What was your Calcium score?
I am headed out to Costco now.
I blew a 31 (enough to age me 5 years), but, alas, that was a machine score, and my cardiologist is having a radiologist reread the image in order to decide whether that's a fair reading and when to repeat the test.
To my naked eye, it looked like someone grease-smudged the image where my "minor" problem spot was located.
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Well, I saw my PCP yesterday and saw the official report. My heart age is 84 and my Calcium Score is worse than 99% of the population. The report did not specify the size of the lumen. Generic Crestor, 10 mg, and a referral to a cardiologist for a nuclear stress test and possible cardiac cath was given. He also recommended two glasses of red wine with dinner.
I have to call Anthem to see how I can afford this since we went to the high deducible heath plan. My husband is researching medical tourism. I used the GoodRx app to score a good price at Kroger on the generic crestor. ($37 for 90 days), lots cheaper than my own actual prescription insurance and the doc wrote it for 20 mg, so that I can cut the pill in half. He also told me to take CoQ10.
RalphLott, the grease smear could be that your heart was beating too fast and it blurred, but the calcium still showed up. I wish I had your score.0 -
Well, I saw my PCP yesterday and saw the official report. My heart age is 84 and my Calcium Score is worse than 99% of the population. The report did not specify the size of the lumen. Generic Crestor, 10 mg, and a referral to a cardiologist for a nuclear stress test and possible cardiac cath was given. He also recommended two glasses of red wine with dinner.
I have to call Anthem to see how I can afford this since we went to the high deducible heath plan. My husband is researching medical tourism. I used the GoodRx app to score a good price at Kroger on the generic crestor. ($37 for 90 days), lots cheaper than my own actual prescription insurance and the doc wrote it for 20 mg, so that I can cut the pill in half. He also told me to take CoQ10.
RalphLott, the grease smear could be that your heart was beating too fast and it blurred, but the calcium still showed up. I wish I had your score.
Gosh, good luck with Anthem!
10mg is a pretty small dose and shouldn't cause cramps. I've been fine on 40. Note that some forms of magnesium reduce absorption, so best to stagger the dose, if you take it.
I had a heart scare in my early 30s (many moons ago), after a thallium stress test returned a false positive for blockages. It scared me half to death - and into the LFHC diet that was what the doctor *should not have* ordered for my prediabetes, and onto a decades-long habit of gulping lipid medications. Different docs I've seen in the last few years have had wildly-divergent views of the same history. ("It saved you" vs. "Probably did more harm than good"
)
My father had a heart attack in his late 30s, but it wasn't until his late 60s that significant plaque had formed. No idea just how my body is different... many riddles, alas.
So even if I got a do-over, I have no idea what I'd do differently - except for starting keto 40 years ago and otherwise not being an idiot when I was young.
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Well, I saw my PCP yesterday and saw the official report. My heart age is 84 and my Calcium Score is worse than 99% of the population. The report did not specify the size of the lumen. Generic Crestor, 10 mg, and a referral to a cardiologist for a nuclear stress test and possible cardiac cath was given. He also recommended two glasses of red wine with dinner.
I have to call Anthem to see how I can afford this since we went to the high deducible heath plan. My husband is researching medical tourism. I used the GoodRx app to score a good price at Kroger on the generic crestor. ($37 for 90 days), lots cheaper than my own actual prescription insurance and the doc wrote it for 20 mg, so that I can cut the pill in half. He also told me to take CoQ10.
RalphLott, the grease smear could be that your heart was beating too fast and it blurred, but the calcium still showed up. I wish I had your score.
Gosh, good luck with Anthem!
10mg is a pretty small dose and shouldn't cause cramps. I've been fine on 40. Note that some forms of magnesium reduce absorption, so best to stagger the dose, if you take it.
I had a heart scare in my early 30s (many moons ago), after a thallium stress test returned a false positive for blockages. It scared me half to death - and into the LFHC diet that was what the doctor *should not have* ordered for my prediabetes, and onto a decades-long habit of gulping lipid medications. Different docs I've seen in the last few years have had wildly-divergent views of the same history. ("It saved you" vs. "Probably did more harm than good" )
My father had a heart attack in his late 30s, but it wasn't until his late 60s that significant plaque had formed. No idea just how my body is different... many riddles, alas.
So even if I got a do-over, I have no idea what I'd do differently - except for starting keto 40 years ago and otherwise not being an idiot when I was young.
Hate to break it to you, but 99.999999999% of us are idiots when we are young. After all, we are invincible when we are young.6 -
cstehansen wrote: »Hate to break it to you, but 99.999999999% of us are idiots when we are young. After all, we are invincible when we are young.
Well, you have a point - I did survive both youth and middie age.
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This discussion has been closed.