I had a test to check for calcium in and around the blood vessels of my hear (hardening of the arteries. The range of scoring is 0 to 1000. I scored 11.3.

Anyone else had the test?

Never even heard of it.

I did it a couple years ago. I think I was 18.
One guy in really good shape had 89.

One guy was like 2200

I was surprised I scored as low as I did. I smoked for a number of years when I was a young man and was raised on chicken fried steak/fried pork chops with fried taters smothered in fried flour (gravy). Breakfast, lunch and dinner was fried.

Here's a snippet of info I found on scoring.

Over the years my numbers have been all over the place, sometimes the Doctors adds a calcium prescription, other times he has me stop taking them. Same goes for the list of vitamins, in a years time the list can go from zero pills to 3 or more a day.

DC, the score I was referring to isn't the calcium levels in your blood from a blood test. It's a sonogram of your heart that determines a score based on how much plaque is in a persons veins/arteries and the calcium deposits that occur in the plaques themselves (hardening of the arteries).

I dont how old you are but if youre past 40 it wouldnt hurt to get tested. Most (if not all) imaging clinics offer it, some offer coupons to get it done for $45 or less.

Luckily my calcium is in the widow maker. I will be dead before I hit the ground

Had it in 2017, 189. Looking to have it again to see how it has changed.

I had an echo cardiogram 15 years ago at age 50 and had almost none.

Been there and done that also, After looking at my past history one of the VA Doctors told me, that he thought I was an unofficial test person.

Took this test to win a bet. Scored 700 with some arteries being zero, but the dang widow maker accounting for 90 something % of it. I asked why and doc said because that's what it is. Put my on a small daily dose of some statin with the hopes of preventing or hoping to keep me from having a coronary embolism at 70 , 75 or so. One of the very best shaped guys scored a 2,200, but the docs not concerned about with him so much saying it as all evenly spread with no noticeable build up in any particular area. His dad lived to 93, his granddad to 92 and he looks just like them.

Who came in first & second? The two fat guys who eat fried chicken and swill beer. Each probably huff & puff after a second flight of stairs. They store their fat on the outside.

My doc had been bugging me for past several years to get it done and I didnt do it. I figured with all the fried & fast foods I'd eaten and my daily consumption of a half gallon of calcium rich milk, I was probably clogged to the gills and would rather not know if I was a walking time bomb waiting to drop dead. To say I was pleasantly surprised at my score would an understatement.

Hud, I know a fella (a doc) that reversed his blockages with a plant based diet. He had a dye angioplasty done and was clogged up pretty good, a candidate for a bypass. It took him 6 months and Ill be damned if he didnt clear the gunk out that was cutting the blood flow to his heart. I'm sure genetics play a role but eating healthy makes a world of difference.

Speaking of plant based, I know another doc that eats plant based organic and nothing else. He's 50, extremely fit and looks like he's 30 years old. A few years ago before he turned to veggies he and I went to a AYCE Brazilian churrascaria and he ate twice as much grilled meat as I did and I've got a 150 pounds and 6 inches on the dude and Im not a fatty. The boy can eat. How in the world he doesnt starve to death, who knows.

"a plant based diet" blaspheme, true blaspheme. I just keep telling wifeypoo a good workout is good for my heart. She just wishes those workouts were longer.

My doctor told me to do it. It's a very inexpensive test that isn't covered, but if the score is high it will put you into a category that you will be covered for more tests and preventative therapies.

We were offering it for $50 at my hospital before the Covid. Not sure if that pricing is still in effect now.

My test was $45. I figured what the heck, and did it.

In hindsight, Id much rather know I've got a problem so I can deal with it proactively. Waiting until a heart attack is a little too late.

As my old man would say, a day late and a dollar short.

Interesting. If the test involves going into a tube then I'm out. Otherwise I might be interested...after we get back to somewhat normal.

No tube. Just lay on your back on a table in a dark room while a technician moves a transducer lubricated with warm KY around your chest.

It was dark and comfortable. I nodded off several times.

I scored a 9 on the test and my Doctor put me on a low dosage cholesterol medicine. My cholesterol was 180. He stated that if you score at all, you have the beginnings of heart disease.

No joke, a guy told me about this at lunch yesterday.
I'd never heard of it.

Sounds like good preventive medicine to me.

I had it done on my new doctor's suggestion being that the test was a low cost & easy for early detection of heart disease . My score was 3,000! I was sent to a cardiologist immediately. I had a stress test & it was determined that I was in the middle on the scale for a future heart attack. The doctor explained that the test shows the calcium build up but you can't verify whether it is in your arteries or around your arteries. They put me on a statin & baby asprin regiment. I go for bi-annual heart check ups now.

Pertnear, I just saw your post... WOW!!!!, your score is pretty high, similar to the score of a buddy who had his done last year. He was put on a plant based diet which apparently reversed the blockages that he had. He sent me a youtube video a while back that had some information about a similar treatment protocol that showed before and after angiograms and calcium scores that successfully reversed the heart/cardiovascular disease of the patient. I'll go through my emails and see if I can find it and post it.

fwiw, my score was 11.3 and Im an old fart. I've been on a regimen of supplements & nootropics including 6 grams of omega-3 along with antioxidants (pterostilbene and sulfuraphane) and other molecules that have had a noticeable effect on my circulation (particularly in the morning and stamina. It may be something you want to look into.

I had the test done few months ago while I continued to get out of breath after stem cell transplant and a subsequent pulmonary saddle embolism....just to make sure. I scored 1.3 and she told me that I was better than 97% of the men in America. I told her that I didn’t need her to tell me that......
Just need to get off my behind and MOVE!!!! It doesn’t help that I’m still recovering from Covid.

Tooter, that's a great score!

I just had a yearly physical and blood panel done and the results were shocking. Cholesterol was excellent, pretty much everything looked great except some slightly elevate kidney numbers showing I don't drink enough water. The doc also suggested I use more salt.

Highly recommend this test - inexpensive (I paid less than $100) and scored a bit into the "increased risk" range, but on the low end. Insurance then picked up follow up tests - stress and EKG and the results were in the good area. Doc put me on statin and low dose aspirin and my cholesterol numbers are way down.

Also, for those who haven't done yet, even though the process kind of stinks, go get a colonoscopy. Early detection of problems is the key!