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This sounds right in my case, but I can't find any references which support. The results of my recent scan showed zero for all except the LAD, where my # was high. But an earlier nuclear stress test (treadmill) indicated no blockage...
A normal stress test doesn't tell you "no bockage." It tells you only that any blockage you do have probably isn't enough to do anything (stents or CABG) about...False positives & false negatives occur at a rate of ~10%.
Your cardiologist uses your stress test, your physical exam (BP) and lab tests (chol & BS) and personal (age & smoking) and family history to evaluate what that ca score on the Ct means, and whether or not to proceed with coronary angiography or not at this point.
A normal stress test doesn't tell you "no bockage." It tells you only that any blockage you do have probably isn't enough to do anything (stents or CABG) about...
Yes. I have a friend whose brother died this year--early 50s, healthy as hell, great numbers--dropped dead. Her numbers were good, but she had the calcium test done too, and her numbers were horrible. She has now changed how she eats, but there's still a large chance she has a cardiac incident in the next 5 years.
I had never heard of it before.
A 55 year old relative of mine had a stroke about 2 years ago and now half of his body is paralyzed and requires care 24/7. This person looked fit and healthy on the outside all his life. Life is, like Forest Gump would say, like a box of chocolate. You never know when a stroke or cancer is gonna get you.
I have done 3 of them in the last 15 yrs....All 3 CT of the Coronaries (AKA Calcium Scoring in some other States) have come back with awsome results, ZERO Blockage, my PCP said of the last one, less than a year ago, your arteries are like those of a healthy toddler.
That makes him happy because ALL MY LIFE and it runs in my Fathers Family tree, I have SUPER HIGH CHOLESTROL, and I REFUSE medicine that will kill me faster than the actual numbers I have.
He says I am living proof that some people out there are not part of the NORM when it comes to medicine being black or white.
I have been with my current PCP 5.5 years and he doesn't bother with me in refusing the use of the Killer Statins when he has living proof I will die of Old age, or when some drunk driver runs me over and kills me. My Heart and it's "TRIBUTARIES" at 71 yrs Old ARE as good as they come at the early stages of life.
Never Smoked, I drink Red wine moderately, never Eat Fried Foods and Never stopped exercising my entire life span.
BTW The Last exam just set me back $100.00 here at Baptist Hospital in W Kendall, Miami. FLA
I wonder if similarly, cholesterol fluctuates more than previously believed.
Total levels don't matter as much as HDL to LDL ratio.
My cholesterol has always been below average and I eat a ton of eggs. I am glad to finally see modern "conventional medicine " waking up and becoming more nuanced and sophisticated.
That makes him happy because ALL MY LIFE and it runs in my Fathers Family tree, I have SUPER HIGH CHOLESTROL, and I REFUSE medicine that will kill me faster than the actual numbers I have.
Yes, I have very high cholesterol and it runs in my family. They have been bugging me since I was 30 to be on statins and I have refused. Total justification.
I just fired my PCP because 1 year after this result.. my cholesterol went up to 450. As I told her, and she has evidence of, when I aggressively diet my body releases cortisol and that causes my cholesterol to skyrocket and my HS-CRP to sky rocket. We went though this in 2012 when I did a liquid diet. Everything normalized when I returned to normal eating.
She wanted me to see a cardiologist.
Honestly, I couldn't get an appointment. But I decided I did not need a cardiologist.
I went and I got blood tests on my own after eating normally for 20 days. Everything had normalized. And as you can see there was no long term damage because my CAC 8 years after the 2012 incident was fine.
I realized... here I was, giving up on my dieting *the biggest health concern that I have* for her. So that she will not panic with a CAC score of zero.
Absolutely enough.
I am aware that there might be negative changes as I head into menopause but I do not think that cholesterol, alone can cause those changes.
I would like to know if there is any evidence that high cholesterol alone -- per se -- can cause you damage. But I didn't believe ANY cardiologist would accurately tell me the data. Might as well made an appointment with a big pharma sales person to advise me. No thanks.
Yes, I have very high cholesterol and it runs in my family. They have been bugging me since I was 30 to be on statins and I have refused. Total justification.
I just fired my PCP because 1 year after this result.. my cholesterol went up to 450. As I told her, and she has evidence of, when I aggressively diet my body releases cortisol and that causes my cholesterol to skyrocket and my HS-CRP to sky rocket. We went though this in 2012 when I did a liquid diet. Everything normalized when I returned to normal eating.
She wanted me to see a cardiologist.
Honestly, I couldn't get an appointment. But I decided I did not need a cardiologist.
I went and I got blood tests on my own after eating normally for 20 days. Everything had normalized. And as you can see there was no long term damage because my CAC 8 years after the 2012 incident was fine.
I realized... here I was, giving up on my dieting *the biggest health concern that I have* for her. So that she will not panic with a CAC score of zero.
Absolutely enough.
I am aware that there might be negative changes as I head into menopause but I do not think that cholesterol, alone can cause those changes.
I would like to know if there is any evidence that high cholesterol alone -- per se -- can cause you damage. But I didn't believe ANY cardiologist would accurately tell me the data. Might as well made an appointment with a big pharma sales person to advise me. No thanks.
I don't understand your dilemma and continued drama. You obviously made choices in your life and all you have to do is live by those choices. Pretty simple solution.
If you do go back to the doctor and ask the cardiologist, that you won't see, the question about cholesterol my guess is that the answer is it depends. In some people it does and in some people it doesn't. We know that people that come down with coronary artery disease tend to have high cholesterol. Not everybody with high cholesterol will come down with heart problems. Not everybody with heart disease has high cholesterol. One is talking about generalizations here and not exceptions to the general rule. So are you the rule or the exception? We try answering that by adding other information like family history and clinical risk factor like diabetes and hypertension. We put all those things together and come up with a percentage risk that you will develop contrary artery vascular disease over the next ten years. There is a calculator for that.
Disease in general usually involves several factors and not just one single sole determinant. Epidemiology teaches us the disease expression comes about through the interaction of genetics, environment and an etiological agent. In this case the agent would be cholesterol. There are environmental aspects that can influence the levels of cholesterol and there is genetic components that can also. Cholesterol and lipids are incorporated into the the artery and causes the artery to narrow. That was our first clue to studying the disease. We took dead people from heart attacks and saw the fat deposits in the arteries along with other stuff. Then we measured blood levels.
If you do come down with coronary artery disease and have an event like an acute heart attack then I would seriously consider statin drugs but then again that is up to you.
Yes, I have very high cholesterol and it runs in my family. They have been bugging me since I was 30 to be on statins and I have refused. Total justification.
I just fired my PCP because 1 year after this result.. my cholesterol went up to 450. As I told her, and she has evidence of, when I aggressively diet my body releases cortisol and that causes my cholesterol to skyrocket and my HS-CRP to sky rocket. We went though this in 2012 when I did a liquid diet. Everything normalized when I returned to normal eating.
She wanted me to see a cardiologist.
Honestly, I couldn't get an appointment. But I decided I did not need a cardiologist.
I went and I got blood tests on my own after eating normally for 20 days. Everything had normalized. And as you can see there was no long term damage because my CAC 8 years after the 2012 incident was fine.
I realized... here I was, giving up on my dieting *the biggest health concern that I have* for her. So that she will not panic with a CAC score of zero.
Absolutely enough.
I am aware that there might be negative changes as I head into menopause but I do not think that cholesterol, alone can cause those changes.
I would like to know if there is any evidence that high cholesterol alone -- per se -- can cause you damage. But I didn't believe ANY cardiologist would accurately tell me the data. Might as well made an appointment with a big pharma sales person to advise me. No thanks.
Pretty big soap box here.
I like my doctors. I trust my doctors. My doctors have helped me. No complaints and I don't spend much time thinking about my health or "big pharma".
OP — good for you in getting the test and being on so top of things medically.
Another good thing one can get to monitor plaque in their arteries is this
LifelineScreening company that comes to most cities and does ultrasound on your carotid, abdominal and leg arteries. Not very expensive and worth it to actually see if you are building up plaque in your arteries. https://lp.lifelinescreening.com/art...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
OP — good for you in getting the test and being on so top of things medically.
Another good thing one can get to monitor plaque in their arteries is this
LifelineScreening company that comes to most cities and does ultrasound on your carotid, abdominal and leg arteries. Not very expensive and worth it to actually see if you are building up plaque in your arteries. https://lp.lifelinescreening.com/art...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
I get that done every time I see my cardiologist. He published a study using ultrasound. He scans everything and everywhere including my liver. Part of the office visit and he has his residents do it also. I would imagine that others do not do that though. He pretty much finds nothing in the carotids and aortic in terms of narrowing. Claims it's the statins.
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