Coronary Heart Disease - Diagnosis

[kingrollo]

I didn't have any symptoms really. I was riding about 70-80 miles a week and felt OK. My GP detected something in February 2012 at an unrelated appointment. I was sent for about half a dozen tests over the next five months but didn't see a consultant cardiologist until July 2012. She was keen for me to get an angiogram which I had on the Friday of the August Bank Holiday weekend. I had come to the hospital by bike and was keen to get back home but the doctors who performed the angiogram refused to let me leave, telling me that they wanted to operate the very next day. I was utterly gobsmacked.

Cheers thanks for the info.

 

[Milzy]

My work Friend Martel is on statins and says he feels weird and woohsy. He told me it was because of high cholesterol. I wonder if he’s already on with heart disease. I hope it can be reversed.

 

[CXRAndy]

Not the best start to 2024 - I had a CT scan on my Heart in December - this was because I started getting palpitations after being advised to take ramirpril - I thought he switch me to a different drug - but he didn't he ordered a CT Scan of my heart.

Anyway got a letter confirming presence of coronary heart disease - with the proviso that it is non obstructive. and a calcuim score of 26.5 au

Most worryingly he has recommended the following drugs

Asprin 75mg
Atorvastation 80mg (Statin)
Bisoprolol 2.5mg. (Beta blocker)

Just wondered if anyone has experience of these drugs and there impact on cycling

I am 60 years old - asthmatic

Any advice welcome.

I was on baby dose aspirin and a statin. I stopped taking them due to declining kidney function. No apparent risk of heart issues.

However you have indicated you have heart problems, so would suggest you follow consultant guidance.

Apart from kidney function issue, the statins gave me slight leg cramp and fuzzy memory. Not noticeable until I came off the drugs and realised I was sharper .

Wife thought there was no change

 

[CXRAndy]

My work Friend Martel is on statins and says he feels weird and woohsy. He told me it was because of high cholesterol. I wonder if he’s already on with heart disease. I hope it can be reversed.

A high cholesterol level is not necessarily a precursor to heart disease.

Many people have naturally high cholesterol with no heart disease at all.

 

[fossyant]

A high cholesterol level is not necessarily a precursor to heart disease.

Many people have naturally high cholesterol with no heart disease at all.

This. Mine is genetic, like alot of peoples, and the statin just brings mine into the range the doctor would like. He said no diet change would sort it (it's good already) and all other indicators, HR, level of exercise etc etc meant my risk of stroke was exceptionally low, but picking stuff up early can prevent it becoming an issue.

Please don't rely on google or internet as there is way more false info out there from cranks than medical professionals

 

[CXRAndy]

This. Mine is genetic, like alot of peoples, and the statin just brings mine into the range the doctor would like. He said no diet change would sort it (it's good already) and all other indicators, HR, level of exercise etc etc meant my risk of stroke was exceptionally low, but picking stuff up early can prevent it becoming an issue.

Please don't rely on google or internet as there is way more false info out there from cranks than medical professionals

Yes, statins are a trillion dollar product per year for pharmaceuticals. We wont go into this here though

 

[Milzy]

Yes, statins are a trillion dollar product per year for pharmaceuticals. We wont go into this here though

I’ve read all about it. That NHS doctor was cancelled for speaking. All those side effects to gain a couple of days of life just is not worth it. My friend gets muscle pains and stares into space. It’s slowed him down. Personally I’d stop taking them and find salad with walking.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

This. Mine is genetic, like alot of peoples, and the statin just brings mine into the range the doctor would like. He said no diet change would sort it (it's good already) and all other indicators, HR, level of exercise etc etc meant my risk of stroke was exceptionally low, but picking stuff up early can prevent it becoming an issue.

Please don't rely on google or internet as there is way more false info out there from cranks than medical professionals

Yes, it made mine all the more upsetting - may as well have lived a debauched life, it occurred to me. Thanks granddad for the superior genetics

Mind you, granddad went out in style - felt unwell, popped into his doctor's surgery as he was nearby and promptly popped off, as it were.

 

[The Jogger]

You should ask for the breakdown of your cholesterol. Most importantly the HDL (hopefully high) and triglycerides (hopefully low) that is what you're after, nowadays, total cholesterol score is not really the most important result to look at.

 

[UphillSlowly]

Beta blockers conflict with Ashtma - Hence my surprise.

Some of the advice here is good. Some people are in a different situation.

Bisoprolol is a cardioselective betablocker, unlike older ones like atenolol and propranolol, so theoretically shouldn't affect your asthma.

Your calcium score is a proxy for coronary heart disease (CHD), aka atherosclerotic plaques in your coronary arteries. This means you need "Secondary Prevenation" as you are at higher risk of a heart attack/MI. The drugs you have been recommended have all been proven to make people with CHD live longer and prolong time to a cardiovascular event.

Your calcium score is relatively low, but your GP has to be binary about who has secondary prevention treatment and who doesn't. The trials for secondary prevention predate calcium scoring so everyone is treated the same, whether they have had a previous heart attack, a bypass or have mild atheroma.

I'm happy to share a guide to cholesterol targets I have written for our staff. They have tightened up recently. But if you have CHD your non-HDL cholesterol should be less than 2.6, if you don't have that figure the your LDL cholesterol should be less than 1.8. You can access your results through the NHS App.

I hope this is useful and the discussion with your GP is also helpful.

I will.send you a private message

 

[Ming the Merciless]

@kingrollo How did your appointment go?

 

[kingrollo]

@kingrollo How did your appointment go?

Yeah - he was very upbeat - it's as I suspected the calcium score is nothing - but it's the moderate stenosis of LAD which is the concern.

I've been riding in zone 2 - which is very boring.
I have a treadmill stress test next week - so based on recent experiences I'm guessing they will find more untoward in that.

Been looking at e-bikes - but obviously will wait for the prognosis from the stress test before chucking a few £k on a ebike.

Might bin the cycling altogether though. Think I'm just to old and have the wrong genetics.

 

[kingrollo]

Hopefully a bit of positive news - did my treadmill stress today - lasted 12 mins - got my HR almost to 170 - cardiologist didn't spot anything untoward and said it was a good result for a 60 year old.

Just got to wait for consultants report now

 

[iluvmybike]

My cholesterol was very high (8.0 something) and my GP gave me Atorvastatin 10 mg. I wasnt able to do anything significant through diet, exercise etc as I'm alrady doing all the right things - likely it was familial. This worked really well and it reduced to 3.4 after 9 months BUT as I also have rampipril for hpyertension she asked me to increase dose to 20 mg. To avoid side effects such as muscle aches and allow the body to adapt slowly this was done gradually over 3 months which has worked well. The combination of hypertension and high cholesterol is not a good one and raises the risk of heart attack or stroke quite a lot. If you have any issues with yuor kidneys this needs to be regularly monitored when on ramipril

 

[kingrollo]

Confirmed negative stress test by cardiology today - they are still keen to put me on beta blockers but have given me the option of a calcium channel blocker (dilatezem) I've plumped for that.

Once this has settled down I can exercise as much as I want - so long as no chest pain 😕

Fingers crossed!