by Savittre » Mon Dec 23, 2019 5:49 pm
Hi All,
In January, 2019, I had my Total Coronary Calcium Score done. It was high- 329. I can’t recall any specific advice, nothing in my health records.
In December, 2019, I had my Total Coronary Calcium Score done again. Now it’s 388. Up 18%.
To digress for a moment, my heart itself seems fine- for now. Four tests (Blood pressure, Beats per Minute, Heart Ultrasound (AKA Echo Test) and EKG are all ‘good,’ the EKG is normal), were done.
Apart from the high Scores, I am asymptomatic except for mild dizziness (feeling unbalanced) when standing, for around the last 3 months or so.
So, the problem’s in my Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery.
To refresh your memory, some of the Agatston Calcium Score’s guidelines are as follows:
* Coronary calcium score 101-400: Definite, at least moderate atherosclerotic plaque. Mild coronary artery disease highly likely. Significant narrowings possible
* Coronary calcium score > 400: Extensive atherosclerotic plaque (atherosclerotic- the medical term for plaque clogged arteries, and it’s a major risk factor for heart attack or stroke). High likelihood of at least one significant coronary narrowing.
So, after my 388 score a few days ago, I consulted the Cardiologist at Royal Phnom Penh Hospital. She gave me the following advice:
1. Some info on YouTube, nutritionfacts.org and drgregor.org. These sites are about diet, mainly. That’s OK, the Cardiologist stressed the importance of diet, so I may learn something, but I already eat a mostly vegetarian diet.
2. More YouTube info, Dr. Dean Ornish, his site’s mostly about heart disease.
3. On a personal note, she suggested I go Vegan. I’m not sure about that, e.g. where I am, Soy milk has 3.5% saturated fat, the low-fat milk I drink is 1% saturated fat. Seems 1% is the healthier choice.
4. She advised against dietary cholesterol, although other doctors don’t. I go with her on this.
5. Come back if your symptoms get worse. I know of 7 symptoms, I only have dizziness, not bad at the moment. Anyway, can’t a person have a heart attack or stroke without prior symptoms? There’s no guarantee I’ll experience additional symptoms anyway, is there?
That was all she had for me. I said, “What if my score goes over 400?” She said, “Oh yeah, that too”.
To conclude, it seems this Cardiologist’s saying “Let’s wait a bit.” This is a bit too laid-back for me.
My take is, considering the rise in my Coronary Calcium Score in 2019, math indicates that I’ll be over 400 in 2~3 months from now, so it’s time to get proactive now!!
But I don’t know the logical ‘next steps’ to take. I have Googled ‘best Cardiology Hospitals worldwide’ several times, always with different results. I think there’s some bias there, there’s big bucks in healthcare.
A few years ago, I read that the best heart hospital in the world was in India. I don’t see anything about it now. But I saw Hospitals on the list in Singapore, Malaysia, even Bumrungrad in Bangkok.
Can anybody please tell me where a top-notch Hospital is? Got an URL? I can take it from there, on the ‘Net.
I really *need* to know what the next step(s) to help myself are! Any guidance/help, especially from those who’ve been through this, may save my life- or if that’s too dramatic, let’s say, ‘improve the quality of my life’.
Thank You for reading!
Savittre
p.s. Miscellaneous stuff-
- I spoke about blood thinners, first citing Fish Oil. I’ve read from multiple sources on the ‘Net that Fish Oil does thin the blood; at the Hospital, this was denied. Well, at the Hospital, I go with what they say unless I have an intelligent question to ask. I asked about 81 mg Aspirin, the Cardiologist nixed that. I think, the thinner the blood, the less likely for a clot to form.
- I told the Cardiologist I want my Score down from 388 to under 100. She said it’s impossible to lower it because ‘it’s already there.’ Actually, I’ve read that now there’s a machine (I forget the name) that is a diamond-tipped catheter that’s inserted, guided to where the plaque is, then the diamond tip rotates at high speed and removes the plaque like that.
- I told her I didn’t want my Score to go up. No assurances there, just the 5 points of advice I posted above.
Hi All,
In January, 2019, I had my Total Coronary Calcium Score done. It was high- 329. I can’t recall any specific advice, nothing in my health records.
In December, 2019, I had my Total Coronary Calcium Score done again. Now it’s 388. Up 18%.
To digress for a moment, my heart itself seems fine- for now. Four tests (Blood pressure, Beats per Minute, Heart Ultrasound (AKA Echo Test) and EKG are all ‘good,’ the EKG is normal), were done.
Apart from the high Scores, I am asymptomatic except for mild dizziness (feeling unbalanced) when standing, for around the last 3 months or so.
So, the problem’s in my Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery.
To refresh your memory, some of the Agatston Calcium Score’s guidelines are as follows:
* Coronary calcium score 101-400: Definite, at least moderate atherosclerotic plaque. Mild coronary artery disease highly likely. Significant narrowings possible
* Coronary calcium score > 400: Extensive atherosclerotic plaque (atherosclerotic- the medical term for plaque clogged arteries, and it’s a major risk factor for heart attack or stroke). High likelihood of at least one significant coronary narrowing.
So, after my 388 score a few days ago, I consulted the Cardiologist at Royal Phnom Penh Hospital. She gave me the following advice:
1. Some info on YouTube, nutritionfacts.org and drgregor.org. These sites are about diet, mainly. That’s OK, the Cardiologist stressed the importance of diet, so I may learn something, but I already eat a mostly vegetarian diet.
2. More YouTube info, Dr. Dean Ornish, his site’s mostly about heart disease.
3. On a personal note, she suggested I go Vegan. I’m not sure about that, e.g. where I am, Soy milk has 3.5% saturated fat, the low-fat milk I drink is 1% saturated fat. Seems 1% is the healthier choice.
4. She advised against dietary cholesterol, although other doctors don’t. I go with her on this.
5. Come back if your symptoms get worse. I know of 7 symptoms, I only have dizziness, not bad at the moment. Anyway, can’t a person have a heart attack or stroke without prior symptoms? There’s no guarantee I’ll experience additional symptoms anyway, is there?
That was all she had for me. I said, “What if my score goes over 400?” She said, “Oh yeah, that too”.
To conclude, it seems this Cardiologist’s saying “Let’s wait a bit.” This is a bit too laid-back for me.
My take is, considering the rise in my Coronary Calcium Score in 2019, math indicates that I’ll be over 400 in 2~3 months from now, so it’s time to get proactive now!!
But I don’t know the logical ‘next steps’ to take. I have Googled ‘best Cardiology Hospitals worldwide’ several times, always with different results. I think there’s some bias there, there’s big bucks in healthcare.
A few years ago, I read that the best heart hospital in the world was in India. I don’t see anything about it now. But I saw Hospitals on the list in Singapore, Malaysia, even Bumrungrad in Bangkok.
Can anybody please tell me where a top-notch Hospital is? Got an URL? I can take it from there, on the ‘Net.
I really *need* to know what the next step(s) to help myself are! Any guidance/help, especially from those who’ve been through this, may save my life- or if that’s too dramatic, let’s say, ‘improve the quality of my life’.
Thank You for reading!
Savittre
p.s. Miscellaneous stuff-
- I spoke about blood thinners, first citing Fish Oil. I’ve read from multiple sources on the ‘Net that Fish Oil does thin the blood; at the Hospital, this was denied. Well, at the Hospital, I go with what they say unless I have an intelligent question to ask. I asked about 81 mg Aspirin, the Cardiologist nixed that. I think, the thinner the blood, the less likely for a clot to form.
- I told the Cardiologist I want my Score down from 388 to under 100. She said it’s impossible to lower it because ‘it’s already there.’ Actually, I’ve read that now there’s a machine (I forget the name) that is a diamond-tipped catheter that’s inserted, guided to where the plaque is, then the diamond tip rotates at high speed and removes the plaque like that.
- I told her I didn’t want my Score to go up. No assurances there, just the 5 points of advice I posted above.