Posted on 06/07/2018 2:14:13 PM PDT by CodeToad
No, this is not a boo-hoo thread.
This is a thread to provide a little advice that may save your life.
My brother died suddenly of a massive heart attack yesterday at age 65. He had no known heart issues and was under doctor's care at the time. He thought he had taken care of himself. He obviously hadn't.
Two things that anyone should try to obtain: An EKG, and most importantly, a heart image scan. The heart scan is also known as a Calcium Heart Score and costs about $99.
The heart scan takes about 5 minutes and produces 64 highly accurate photographs of the heart and arteries. It will show arterial blockages from their calcium content. You will immediately know if you have arterial blockages and if you need intervention of some sort.
Combined with the EKG, you will have an exceptional view of your cardiac health.
My brother didn't have such a scan and his EKG didn't demonstrate any blockages, but he had them, and he died from them.
If you are in the Colorado area, South Denver Cardiology in Littleton performs the scan for $99. Check in your State or area for such a service.
South Denver Cardiology Associates Heart Scan
Thanks for paying attention.
“it is no guarantee that you wont suffer a sudden heart attack.”
—
There is nothng on earth that guarantees that you won’t have a heart attack.
Nothing.
Vitamin K2 will remove the calcium and the related plaque in a slow controlled way,, most cardiologists will put you on it immediately if you have a scan like the one pictured... It’s good stuff ,, cheap and no Rx needed..
I disagree , there are diagnostic imaging centers in my area where you can just walk in and request all sorts of diagnostic imaging off the menu board.
Good to know.
And, those FAA medical examiners can be REALLY picky and thorough. I've had them make me wear a 48 hour halter monitor over the least little blip. I've always said that as a whole, pilots tend to be the healthiest people walking the planet. If you don't think so, go buy a dozen donuts and leave them in the pilots' lounge of your local airport. My bet is that three days later, they will all still be there.
“go buy a dozen donuts and leave them in the pilots’ lounge of your local airport. My bet is that three days later, they will all still be there.”
lol! Yes, they will be!
Every year our flight association throws an open house. No beer. Good food, but even the morning donuts are left uneaten.
So is it like a CAT (radiation) or MRI (no radiation)?
Still say they will avoid radiation if they can. If they think you are a risk, they’ll do it anyway. But if it’s radiation and you don’t have signs pointing that way, docs will probably not bother.
It IS radiation.
.
I am sorry for your loss
But thank you for taking time to share this
“The calcium burden probably represents 1/5 of the total atherosclerosis burden”.
Calcified coronary lesions represent the cap over a atheroma that has become prominent. Calcified lesions are stable, in place, whereas vulnerable atheromas cannot be detected on the intimal wall except as provided by contrast agent in the cardiac catheterization lab, with high tech computerized calculation of the thickness of the intimal wall. The contrast agent shows the “available path” of oxygenated blood through coronary arteries, and the subsequent vulnerable coronary lesions which might break off in the presence of high LDL, VLDL (triglycerides) and specific subsets of Apolipoprotein A1 a marker protein of HDL. The importance of dyslipidemia in treatment cannot be ignored.
So, the value of being able to quantify calcified coronary lesions is as a % measurement (a quantifiable guess) of other unseen more vulnerable plaques and lesions which are the source of acute arterial blockage,by these lesions breaking off, traveling up, say, the carotid arteries to the brain, and causing ischemic strokes (brain damage from blocking oxygenated blood from reaching areas of the microvasculature of the brain. Ischemia.) as opposed to hemorrhagic strokes which are not this process.
Coronary ischemia that results from a plaque/lesion breaking loose in a coronary artery denies oxygen to the heart muscle... and kills heart tissue. Silent ischemia can be happening all the time, and the blood vessels genetically develop to grow around the blocked arteries to continue to supply, in many cases.
Not knocking Calcium score— but people should be aware that calcified lesions present a different risk of heart attack than the very many “vulnerable” “soft” lesions that result from build up of LDL underneath the intimal wall lining. And why it is still important to not provide high levels of LDL which migrate through into the intima and “loosen” the lesion containing built up cholesterol plaque.
Along with calcium score, folks should be concerned about the causality of this “vulnerable” lesion as being due to the actions of free radicals beginning a natural inflammatory response— from the body’s immune system providing chemicals in the blood to combat the inflammation. LDL has to be oxidized in order to migrate into a lesion. Anti-oxidants in the diet (vegetables, supplements, Vit C) can reduce the actions of free radicals and reduce the inflammation of the arterial lining wall, the intima.
By the way, the largest organ in the body is the intimal wall lining of all of the arteries, and micro arteries in the blood. Only a few cells thick, the intima, were it able to be spread out flat, would cover up to 3 tennis courts in surface area (like a car radiator— massive surfrace area compressed in folds of metal). The intima is a dynamic responsive tissue— if not inflamed. And it is the coronary arterial intima breaking down that is most noticeable. There is ischemic kidney disease— where the kidneys microvasculature is blocked and therefore kidney function is reduced (and causing blood pressure resistance the heart has to pump against).
Also, do not ignore sleep apnea— for it is the same as someone putting their hand over one’s mouth and stifling breath— while asleep. Gradual reduction over time of oxygen to the heart and brain— and damaging. Another example of silent ischemia.
It is a fascinating field, and very rewarding when patients can take care of themselves (barring very bad genetics as regards their lipid profile) and get better, and feel better and perhaps live longer. Sorry for the length of the post- but this is the single largest killer in America, men and women both. And a stroke is no way to live into one’s 60’s and 70’s. Knowledge is power- there are many good tracts which explain this process and how to slow it down at least.
As the article from the ACC posted above— so is the amount of radiation exposure.. for a $99 scan that might not otherwise be warranted.
I suggest FReepers read about the Framingham Heart Study and the prevention of heart disease as well as one can (fighting genetic disease is much harder) through lifestyle, healthy diet, relief of stress (again, tough to do), smoking cessation (why take in carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke, in small bits- when the net result of carbon monoxide poisoning is death within 15 minutes. Why do that just to get nicotine. Vape the nicotine and reduce it to get un-hooked, and not get the smoke and monoxide in your lungs).
Sorry for your loss, CT.
I appreciate the advise you’ve given and have read the thread of comments through about #88.
Saving this for later viewing and research.
Condolences to You and The Family.
I am very sorry for the loss of your brother. Did he have any dietary problems (eg diabetes, or just crappy diet), was his weight normal, did he exercise? So sad, way too young, I am so sorry.
Not a single relative anywhere that I’ve heard has ever had heart disease. Two genetically distant cousins have had cancer young, different kinds, but in my direct line there is no heart problem or cancer. My over 80 grandfather had some prostate cancer but it wasn’t what killed him. However, three of the elderly have had Alzheimer’s.
When I was a hospital nurse, we would get quite a few patients a year, who had supposedly been healthy, and never went to the doctor (especially among old farmers - they’re tough old birds -— they’ll sew up there own lacerations and pull their own teeth). Anyway, these old guys would finally get really sick. Invariably, they were full of cancer, which usually doesn’t show symptoms til it’s too late. And of course, they ignored whatever symptoms they DID have, til they were uncontrollable.
My condolences to you and your family. I have recently suffered the loss of a family member.
Sorry for your loss - good advice.
Heart scan saved my life. I had one because my Doctor detected a A-Fib. Turns out, I had a 95% blockage in the “Widow Maker” artery. I never had any symptoms, so the surgeon put 3 stints now. Had he not done it, I would have had a major heart attack and probably death, even though I never had shortness of breath, pains, etc. Sorry for your loss, but maybe this message will save lives.
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