Julie G wrote:No signs of insulin resistance and your TG:HDL ratio at 0.7 is optimal. I think having a coronary calcium scan done would be very instructive. Do you have a strong family history of heart disease?
Unfortunately yes: my father had quintuple bypass surgery at age 77. My mother had a bad aortic valve, possibly the result of having had scarlet fever as a child. She was born in 1922 and treated at home so who knows? Or maybe it was rheumatic fever--I'm not sure. she had valve replacement surgery at age 88 and they did a single bypass at the same time due to one partially blocked artery.
Unfortunately yes: my father had quintuple bypass surgery at age 77. My mother had a bad aortic valve, possibly the result of having had scarlet fever as a child. She was born in 1922 and treated at home so who knows? Or maybe it was rheumatic fever--I'm not sure. she had valve replacement surgery at age 88 and they did a single bypass at the same time due to one partially blocked artery.
Ah, that probably explains your phyician’s aggresive management. A coronary calcium scan is probably a good idea to help quantify where you stand. I had a low radiation scan done a few years ago for just a couple hundred dollars. It was money well spent for the information and piece of mind. Best of luck as you navigate this.
I agree completely on taking a coronary artery calcium scan. Overall your basic cholesterol numbers don't look bad at all. If your CAC score is zero then you have no plaque build up at all and I would resist taking a statin. There are some other things you can look at but a CAC is easy, cheap and gives you really great insight into whether or not you have heart disease.
Julie G wrote:
Ah, that probably explains your phyician’s aggresive management. A coronary calcium scan is probably a good idea to help quantify where you stand. I had a low radiation scan done a few years ago for just a couple hundred dollars. It was money well spent for the information and piece of mind. Best of luck as you navigate this.
Maybe, although he didn't mention it. Hey I could use it to justify requesting a coronary calcium scan! My father's diet was terrible though. He buttered everything. Seriously, he buttered hot dog buns. He buttered crackers. He buttered the bread for a peanut butter sandwich.
Whatnext: I personally do not prescribe statins in a woman who has not had a previous heart attack but with a slightly high TC without evidence such as a coronary calcium scan or angiogram.