Coronary Calcium Scoring Test

[MarkF48]

I had a hernia repair a few months back and while I was under my ticker had a substantial drop in heart rate and pressure evidently from the anesthesia which the surgical crew didn't like. Ended up with a visit to my cardiologist to check things out and had a treadmill stress test which didn't show anything abnormal for being 68 years of age. Generally in good health, non-smoker, and mostly eat healthy sorts of food. Cholesterol, High sensitivity CRP test, and other related blood work generally have good numbers. Anyhow the cardiologist suggested I have a coronary calcium scoring test. I asked my primary care doc about it and he questioned the value as he felt I don't currently have any indicators to justify it. The cost is about $100 which most health insurers will not pay for. I can afford the $100, but where insurers won't pay, I'm wondering if they don't view it as a good diagnostic tool.
Two docs with differing opinions, insurers don't pay for it, so I'm skeptical of its value. Anyone here had it done?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I had it done, and think my ins covered it.

 

[Creamer]

Never heard of it and heart issues are big in my family. I am curious.

 

[foreman Etexas]

So I seen the title and hollered at the wife she's a nurse and asked her the questions and this was her reply. She basically said if you won't to know if you got a calcium build up and could possibly catch it early and take some meds to prevent heart disease then be good $100bucks spent,if they don't find anything good $100bucks for peace of mind. Just couldn't skip this cause just lost a aunt(@55,never smoked,never drank,healthy women her husband said It was shock never complained about anything)to heart attack and she has had others didn't know she was,her heart was just to weak to pull thru surgery. She has had the basic test that nothing showed up on. Just do it for the neice/nephew/kids/grand kids and that's the value

 

[sailorman]

Your cardiologist is the heart specialist . Your Primary has general medical knowledge . Which do think should know more about the human heart ? I 'm 68 with Quadruple bypass and all the really fun heart and arterial problems . My Primary is for infections and all the other smaller issues . Spend the money . What do you have to lose besides your life ?

 

[Mysfyt]

A friend of mine had it done and they caught some issues before it escalated into something worse. He ended up having a couple of stents put in and now feels much better. I decided to have it done and it only takes about 15 minutes, most of that laying down while the machine does its thing. For me, it's a piece of mind thing with a family history of heart issues. I've also had the treadmill stress test done. I figure it best to hit it from all directions and catch an issue sooner rather than later. It has been 5 years and I'm going to schedule another one today. $50.00 is what they charge and it is money well spent.

 

[TnAndy]

I had it done in 2011, and it probably saved my life. Heart 'issues' run in my family, dad died 49, mom at 63, both literally dropping dead was the first symptom.

Test cost $50 here. Took the results to my primary....his response was "welllllllllll.....we really don't know what to do with these things. Let me send you to my golfing buddy, the cardiologist".

So his golfing buddy says "welllllllllllllll......we really don't know what to do with these things.....but I guess I could send you in for a cath (where they slide the wire up your leg and take pics), if you want.....or not....it's up to you".

(So here comes the part where my life gets saved....which had nothing at all to do with the test, or the idiot cardiologist, other than it started the process....ahahahaaaa)

I told the golfing buddy "Yeah.....given my family history of dropping dead, why don't we do the cath"

I had the treadmill stress test couple years before, it showed nothing. I had no symptoms....no pain, no shortness of breath, never smoked, low cholesterol, BP 120/80, was tilling the garden the day before the cath......so basically, I "appeared" healthy.

So went in, the "GB" not expecting to find anything. I was still out of it, but my wife said the GB came out whitefaced after the test, and said "He needs IMMEDIATE bypass surgery right now!". Apparently I was a walking dead man. Didn't even leave the hospital....wheeled up to a room, and had triple bypass the next morning.

 

[MacLawn]

Wow, even with all the heart issues I've had in my relations, I've never heard of that one either. Actually, the only thing I have confidence in is the heart camera they run inside the heart.

 

[bigtiller]

Have the test. If they don't find a problem, great, and now you have a baseline for the future. Clogged plumbing never clears its self out.

Forget about what your insurance carrier has to say about it. You're 68. They have made all the money they can from you. Now you are just an expense that will cost them more and more every year from now on.

 

[Pirate]

Been having these done regular like every few years. This year if show up a score, very minor but it did show something. GP Doc says go do stress test. I think it was a big waste of time. I should have seen cardiologist and then decided. Stress Tech says yep, see it all the time, someone does calcium score then they end up doing all kinds of extra tests. I think I should have had a CTA or angiogram done after Calcium Score. My concern is the calcium is showing up in the widow maker. The other concern is how invasive do you want to get? How risky is a angiogram to snake a tube into your heart? I have to see cardiologist in a couple months and I think I will push for aggressive, even if they have to snake tube in. I would rather make sure. In the mean time, GP Doc started me on small blood pressure med even though my pressure is normally 120/80 and upped zocor. Do anything extra you can to make sure you stay alive, calcium score is a good deal.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I am 49. One year ago, a coworker who is 40, in robust health, worked out regularly, and did MMA fighting and training several times a week started feeling bad at work. That weekend, he felt extremely bad but didn't go to the hospital because he had his two kids and didn't want to "ruin the weekend". Monday morning, another coworker saw him first thing in the morning and drove him to the hospital. He had suffered a heart attack. There was a blockage. They did a stint and drugs, etc. I immediately scheduled a ct test to check my heart. I was happy to find out that I have no calcium buildup....a little surprised too. I work out hard the last few years but I had about 5-6 years of eating poorly and sitting in front of the TV before that.
I say get the test.

 

[MarkF48]

Ran across the movie "Widowmaker" that was available on Netflix (may be available elsewhere). About 1 1/2 hr and well worth watching and also lends some insight on how doctors and insurance companies operate ($$$$)
The Widowmaker Movie Review & Film Summary (215) | Roger Ebert

Likely going to have it done.

 

[MarkF48]

Resurrecting a thread I started a while back. I decided to get the coronary calcium scoring test and I got the results back from my cardiologist the other day which turned out to be good news. He said the number I hit on a scale of 0-400 was 55.9 and for my age (68) this was really good and he didn't want to see me unless I thought I had a problem. I had really expected a higher number as both my parents had heart disease and I had lost them when they were each 68 years of age.

The test was out of pocket, as insurance wouldn't cover it, but it was well worth the $99 to have some peace of mind that the primary piece of plumbing wasn't getting clogged up

 

[lt190b]

MarkF48, good news for you. I also took this test about a month ago, my score was fairly hi. As it turns out, they can't tell from this test if the calcium is on the inside or the outside. More tests soon.

 

[Pirate]

I had a test done, in fact been having them done about every 4-5 years. This year was first time I had a positive result. My score was real low but doc says go get stress test anyway. That came back fine. I think I wasted my money on that. Went to follow up with cardiologist and he wasn't that impressed with calcium scoring. His opinion was that I should just lose weight and that any "gunk" would be absorbed back into my body. True enough I am overweight but losing it is easier said than done. Since my score was so low I can't see rising a cath. I will however get another scan in another 5 years and if the score goes up, I will seek a different doc that perhaps is more aggressive. My idea of waiting too see is not what I want to do with my heart. The doc is right though, he says lose the weight, exercise, and eat right and you won't have to worry about these scans and all the useless follow-on testing. I just don't like it when they are right.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Pirate, how old are you and what kind of weight is he telling you to lose? Is it based on BMI or body fat?

 

[Pirate]

Pirate, how old are you and what kind of weight is he telling you to lose? Is it based on BMI or body fat?

I am 6' 250lbs. Yes, overweight a lot. He was blunt, staring at my belly, telling me that first the knees and hips go, then the heart. He is right after all, I am overweight. His point was, as you exercise and start eating right again, the possible globs of artery clogging junk can be reabsorbed by the body and won't become a problem. Seems after than having them snake a tube up your veins looking for problems. I am 56 years old.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

You are not beyond the point of no return. Not even close. 4 years ago I was almost 240. I call myself 6'2". But I'm probably gifting myself half an inch. I started hammering the weights and doing spinning classes at the Y. Running and anything else I could think of. Set some goals for a spartan race. I dropped 30 lbs and I've kept it off. Got married since then and have built crossfit workouts into our schedule. I take the stairs 7 stories at work at least 2 times a day. I eat better. You change a few things and it makes a huge difference. I tore my acl getting out of the truck one year ago. Recovery was very hard. Still struggling. But we are building our dream farm anyway. Life happens. You have to push back against it. As my brother in law says " this place want founded by vegetarians. "