Very High Calcium Score

(Bob M) #21

Its unclear, unfortunately. I’ve changed drugs multiple times,for instance (have a left-bundle branch block, which causes lowered ejection fraction, and one cardiologist was all-in on drugs; the other – younger one – took me off the high-powered drug, but put me on Jardiance, which is also for diabetics, but does well with people like me with arrhythmia). Those could cause changes.

And I was taking NMRs, and I would always get high "insulin resistance’ based on that, due to HDL parts being pegged high. While my HDL values were getting lower, my “insulin resistance” oddly got better.

This was Oct 2023, where you can see my HDL are pegged to the right (and were like that for a long time even HDLs into the mid 50s), HDL of 46:

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This was Oct 2024, HDL still 46, but the two HDLs are no longer pegged to the right:

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I’m assuming that drugs are causing this, because my diet hasn’t really changed much. Maybe a few more carbs in chocolate and yogurt, but it’s odd that that’s making my “insulin resistance” go DOWN.

(Bob M) #22

This is from March 2023, HDL of 51, but the HDl variants are pegged to the right and my insulin resistance per the LP-IR score is 65: So, my HDL is going down, I’m probably eating a few more carbs per day, and my “insulin resistance” is going DOWN. I don’t understand.

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Edit: and if you look at individual lines other than the HDL, they are all over the place.

(Alec) #23

Alas, as you say, looks like the effects of the drugs. I assume you have no option to taking them?
Cheers
A

#24

I’m getting stuck on the terminology and wondering if people are talking about the same thing.

A “Calcium Score”, is that the same as a “Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Score”? The CAC is a CT scan of the heart and a computer algorithm works out the ‘score’ from the amount of white pixels on the scan cuts. Maybe it’s cheaper in some places due to the automation and no need for the radiologist to work through the scans and form a medical opinion?

I think looking at the ectopic fat around the heart and the coronary blood vessels is maybe as important as a CAC. So look at the actual images with your doctor and identify internal body fat around the heart.

I had the CT angiogram through my cardiologist because he wanted to put me on more drugs (in the meantime I sorted out the problem on a low carb lifestyle adjustment with better sleep and treating stress). My CAC has gone from zero to 1, and then to 21 over the past decade (work stress). No soft plaque on the CT angiogram. But I do have ectopic fat around my heart arteries to work at getting rid of.

(Alec) #25

FB
My understanding is that a calcium score is a reasonably generic term that can be used in different types of scans. There are 2 types of scans:

  1. CAC: coronary artery calcium. Cheaper, but doesn’t measure soft plaque (the newer stuff that is more dangerous as it is more likely to break away and cause a blockage).
  2. CT angiogram. More expensive, and does measure soft plaque.

Note: just my understanding from my experiences. As usual the medical industry is extremely opaque when it comes to explaining things clearly.

(Ava Carter) #26

Thanks for sharing your experience — managing cholesterol and heart disease risk is definitely complex, especially when prior statin use caused joint pain. The Calcium Score is a useful tool to assess risk, but as you said, it’s not the whole picture. There’s ongoing debate in the medical community about LDL as a marker versus other factors like inflammation and particle size.If you’re exploring alternative or adjunct treatments, or need support with medications or supplements, many healthcare providers source quality products through trusted partners like Pharmacy B2B. It’s important to have access to reliable options while working closely with your doctor on the best individualized plan.

(B Creighton) #27

You didn’t give your cholesterol number… what is high? Are you a lean-mass hyper responder? If so, I would recommend low carb keto, rather than carnivore. I am probably considered high cholesterol by modern standards, but am below 200. As long as I don’t have raging CVD, I am happy. I forgot to recommend vitamin K2. If I had high blood calcium, I would be doing lots of vitamin K2 or maybe even start eating natto. The high blood calcium may indicate your body is starting to heal previously acquired plaque. I am not saying to ignore it, but it may be a necessary part of the healing process. Keto is going to promote fat burning by your endothelial artery cells, which will eventually calm the disease process and lower blood pressure. But I personally keep soluble fiber in my diet, because that gets converted into short chain fatty acids by bacteria, and among them acetate has been shown to calm the endothelial cells. This apparently translates into less oxLDL intrusion into the artery walls and less future plaque. I am not your doctor, and cannot make prescriptions, but adopting these changes, I believe can help you, and eventually calm down your doctor.

#28

You say:
If I had high blood calcium, I would be doing lots of vitamin K2

I take 200 µg per day, should I take more?

My calcium score: 4335

(B Creighton) #29

I really can’t answer that. I have taken as high as 500 mcg/day in a vitamin from Terra Origin called A-D-K. Or these days I usually buy K2 separately at Piping Rock.

(Edith) #30

Have you had you parathyroid checked? High calcium levels can be caused by your parathyroid gland secreting too much parathyroid hormone.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #31

The limit has now been lowered to 70. It was 150 eight years ago.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #32

Studies incontrovertibly show that a higher population placed on a statin significantly raises the annual bonuses of the the top executives of pharmaceutical companies.

(Doug) #33

Paul, welcome back. :slightly_smiling_face: I hope things are well up your way.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #34

Yes. You will also hear it referred to as an “Agatston score,” after the doctor who came up with the algorithm for calculating it.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #35

Hanging in there. Real life has been getting in the way, lately.

In terms of this thread, I am a piker. My calcium score was 210 early in the year, and went up to 285 in May. So I’ve been referred to a cardiologist, who is all about the lean meat and the vegetables and the fibre, and taking various tests. I had a stress test but haven’t seen the results, an echo cardiogram with very good results, and am scheduled for a heart scan with contrast dye. So far, I have refused statins, on the grounds that my family is vulnerable to Type II diabetes, and I can’t afford the mental confusion (since I already have anomalous brain wiring). We’ll see.

I really hate to bombard these doctors with what I know, but I may need to print out a few papers for their benefit. In my copious free time, of course!

(Doug) #36

:+1:

I’m getting my first ever scan next week. Wondering where it will lead with the docs myself…

A non-biologically related uncle of mine had a stroke due to a blocked carotid artery, so knowing, one way or another, is a really good thing I think. His life was cut short, and the last 10-12 years of it, due to the stroke, were changed horribly. Not that it wasn’t worth it to be alive, but greatly changed. He rallied to the challenge, and his family rallied around him, and still - a very sad thing.

#37

I found this discussion very useful in regards to the Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) score, as well as CT angiogram, and some added measures that are related to blood flow before and after identified plaques.

The video is set out in chapters. So you can skip to relevant areas.

(Brian O) #38

Franko, thank you for posting that video! That Dr. J is a master! In the video he mentions a firefighter whose calcium score was 4000, like mine. I retired about a year and a half ago after 30 years as a firefighter. He said that the smoke and toxins that firefighters encounter as well as the disrupted sleep patterns are likely what caused that individual’s high calcium score, so I’m pretty sure I’m in the same boat.

Edit: Oooops, just went back and checked, my calcium score was ONLY 2327! Now I feel a lot better :crazy_face:

(Betsy) #39

Have you received the results of your scan yet?

(Doug) #40

Indeed, Betsy. Absolutely clear, nothing at all present; I was much relieved and heartened by it all.

Carotid arteries, heart rhythm, abdominal aortic aneurism, peripheral artery disease - no problems anywhere, all normal and as they should be.

Thanks for asking - I’ve had a less-than-stellar lifestyle for a lot of decades, and if anything I just got lucky with no family tendency toward the conditions I was checked for. Plenty else to be real about, and work on…