Remember how I posted a few weeks ago that I decided to work on reducing my high cholesterol? I've tried statins a couple of times and they don't seem to agree with me. As part of my plan, I decided to have what's called a calcium heart scan. It's a CT scan where they look for hardened (calcified) plaque in the arteries going out of your heart. Basically the scale is -
Zero is great
1-100 is decent, probably no need to go on a statin med unless you have genetic risks
100-400 is risky, probably calls for taking statins
Over 400 is bad.
As I've already mentioned, I'm kind of a hypochondriac and also prone to catastrophizing. So, based on the last ten years or so of poor cholesterol labs, I was preparing myself that maybe I'd be somewhere between 100 and 400. Hopefully not over 400!
The test was quick and easy. The tech said I'd probably have results in 1-2 days. I left and found the nearest coffee shop (no caffeine for four hours before the test, so I was needing my second cup of coffee for the day). While I was waiting for my coffee to come up, I got a text that I had a new lab result. It was less than 15 minutes after I left the office! I logged into my account. The report started with lots and lots of boilerplate narrative. Scroll scroll scroll scroll. My result? Zero.
I suppose it makes sense that if there's nothing there, they can generate a report quickly.
Anyway, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I do plan to continue supplementing fiber and trying to minimize saturated fat. Example, I'm making chili today and I chose a chicken chili recipe rather than one made with ground beef. But it's nice to know that I probably don't have to rush to get on a statin that might aggravate my achilles tendonitis again.
I will note that I did a post about this on a certain social media site in the Cholesterol sub-group, and all of the grumpy doom and gloomers said that they thought it was stupid not to start on a statin. The test measures hardened plaque and quoting one of the commenters, "Your CAC score may be zero but that doesn't mean you don't have gobs of soft plaque in your coronaries". Thanks, Grumpy McGrumperson. 🙄
However, one of the other commenters acknowledged that at age 67, with a score of zero I probably don't have to engage in aggressive measures if I don't want to. We'll see what my cardiologist says...
Closing out with a few memes. For some of you it may be too late to register if you are not already registered. But in other states (like Minnesota) you can register at the polls if you have the proper documentation proving where you live.
Reviewers...This is non-political. I'm just encouraging fellow Americans to exercise their voting rights in what looks to be a very close election.
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That's great
Well, just a glimmer of good news coming across the pond this week then!
There's a joke that has it: If you give up sex, drugs, smoking and alcohol, you don't live longer, it just feels like it!
Well, let's see - parts of #1 are problematic but I'm working on that, #2 I haven't quit yet - I still take a gummy now and then, #3 I quit back in 1990, and #4 I quit at the beginning of this year.
I hope the next ~20 years feel longer, because at this point to me it feels like they're going by really quickly!
Congrats on the great lab result. Keeping up with fibers in your diet is a good thing.
I’m working on making it an ingrained habit. 😊
Be careful with stattins... If you ever need to take them, know that In Australia 🇦🇺, it's been on the news stating that people have been having heart attacks and strokes due to the stattins... Something that works well for me is porridge with honey 🍯 and fruit... It's a good breakfast, and, reduces cholesterol well... Good Luck... 👍 💋
Interesting...that's the opposite of what's supposed to happen. 🤔
I do oatmeal for breakfast almost every day (I allow myself eggs once a week).
Great health news! I don't have any documented cholesterol issues yet, but it runs in my family so I've recently started taking supplemental fiber as prevention. Also, I just voted early last Tuesday!
Supplemental fiber is a great step to take.
If it runs in your family you might think about asking your doctor to order a Lipoprotein A test. If that comes in high, you likely do have familial high cholesterol. If a lower number, you don't need to worry as much.
And thanks for voting!
Good news on a zero!
I was going to have to rush to the polls on Tues but now my work hours have changed and I can vote at leisure. I'm so stressed about it (the results) tho!
I'm very stressed too. 😕 I did see one promising report today saying the polls had last minute changed in Iowa, which was not expected, and they're attributing it to women turning out. Now if that happens everywhere... or enough places...
Good news....hope it keeps on coming for you. I've been putting off the vote. I like voting on election day. Thanks for being so zealous about asking others to show up.
I would probably just vote on Election Day if I weren't working as an election judge (not in my own precinct).
@smartasswoman It's been a few years since I was a election judge....thanks for stepping up for that too.
I know we're in upcoming elections good luck guys i see the early voting is high now
Thanks, this one is going to be a nail biter.
@smartasswoman yes it's recording high but anyway now be careful of future
Congrats! I already voted!!!
Yay!
Bravo on the score!!
I have been registered to vote since I turned 18. Whenever I move, I register when I change my address at the Secretary of State ... which I do with days of relocating. The only thing I do faster is get a new library card! Registering to vote is so easy, I don't understand why people don't do it.
I signed up for auto absentee ballots so my vote has already been delivered to the clerk's office!
That's the way to do it! I will admit - I'm irritated with HWD. I reminded him twice to register online. Now the deadline is past and he has none of the documentation needed for same day registration, since his name isn't on the mortgage or any of the utilities.
Postscript - he did manage to vote. As I had suggested, he went to the polling place for his former neighborhood and gave them the address for his apartment - it was still in the system.
I wish I was a registered US voter, but alas I watch from afar.
Recently there's been research that a so-called weekend warrior, someone who does serious exercise in the weekends, is as heathy as those who do exercises throughout the week. There's hope!
Also there's research from some mathematicians from an Australian university that demonstrates a monkey in front a keyboard cannot produce the works of Shakespeare even if given infinite time to do so. Their argument rests on the premise that this universe doesn't have an infinite time! I love these research snippets.
I like that first set of research! I was a weekend warrior for quite some time - with some weekday exercise too, just not as lengthy as what I would do on weekends.
Hello from Gonzales
Well congrats! But ummm...
Not to be Grumpy McGrumperson 2 but I'd be just a wee bit suspicious of a test that's supposed to come back in 1-2 days showing up 15 minutes later and with a ZERO.
And in keeping with my statistics skepticism - I saw several reports yesterday that "50% of people had already voted". Presumably meaning registered voters, but even then I don't believe it. 50% of those that requested ballots by mail had returned them? THAT I might find reasonable.
Oh, for sure that was my initial reaction too! "Maybe this is a glitch". I did find another post in the cholesterol group where someone expressed similar skepticism. One of the commenters was a radiologist who said she can churn out a report very quickly - the verbiage is boilerplate that can be selected and inserted depending on the results.
Basically, the calcium appears as white spots on the image. So I suppose if there are no white spots it can be a pretty quick determination.