I'll try to keep a long story short, but I'm not very good at that.

I've been overweight, on pills for high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, using cpap, and have been generally unhealthy for many years. I finally decided to do something about it in early 2020. I lost about 40 or so pounds by July of 2020 and decided to get a Coronary Calcium Heart Scan done. (my Dr. told me to do this several years ago!) I had no clue as to what the results would be, but I pretty much knew I was not going to score a "0" (which is a perfect score) A cardiologist called a few days later and informed me that I had scored a 53. He told me I was low risk but still higher than most men my age. This did not mean very much to me until I looked it up. Things started to click. Then I called the hospital and asked if the scans could be burnt to a disc so I could look at them myself. This was the 'game changer' for me. To actually see the evidence of heart disease blew me back on my heels. Somebody could have said to me: of course you have heart disease- the "Standard American Diet" loaded with processed food and other crap that you have been consuming for the past 47 years did it's work- and now you have to pay for it. Agreed. But even 'healthy' folks like fitness gurus and athletes can clog up their arteries, too. No amount of exercise can completely extinguish the effects of wrong food choices. (I've posted this pic in a few other threads, if you have seen it already) But this single image was so powerful to me- I truly believe it saved my life.



I adjusted my diet radically (per the advice of the cardiologist) in an attempt to reverse the damage to my LAD (Left Anterior Descending Artery). I've lost 35 more pounds. I'm off all my pills, cpap is gone, and blood pressure and blood lipid results are at healthy levels. I've since learned that blockage in the LAD artery is called the "Widowmaker". Most folks just drop over dead or die quickly if they are not near a hospital with a LAD blockage. My plan is to stick to what I'm doing with diet and lifestyle changes and get another scan in 3 years to see if I've made any progress.

Just a few days ago I found this great video on Youtube. Please take a watch- it might save your life. An hour of your time might add years to your life. I'm not trying to tell anybody what to do. I'm just trying to inform and help people. Heart disease is the #1 killer in America, don't let it get you!  Also- I see and read about a lot of people trying to better their health through novel, uproven fad diets. They lose weight and feel better but they have no idea what it might be doing to their internal organs. I'm not trying to start a diet debate so I'll leave that topic for another time. Just get the scan! It's only $100.



Oh- and here is the cardiologist that called me with my heart scan results:
Dr. Steven Lome- thanks Doc!

I work at a medical examiner’s office. According to the docs there, everyone has heart disease. It’s just a matter of degree.

I used to ride "Hillier Than Thou", a century / race with @ 14,000 feet of climbing. One year during the ride I stopped at a rest stop and I guy I know, is handing out drinks and power bars. This gentleman set the age group record in the race the last year. I asked him why he wasn't riding and he unbuttoned his shirt and showed me the scar from his quadruple bypass surgery in March.

Think about it. Guy sets the age group record in one of the most difficult amateur races in September and then has a quadruple bypass in March! Scary!!

At 53 in2009 I had 4 bypass surgery
Now 641/2
Was never over weight ,and no blood pressure issues, but really had a bad diet in my 20-30
Also mothers side of family had history of heart disease, so a combination of both
Other cousins have not had any problems yet and they are a 4-6 years older
Best o had a heart checkup at 45-50 anyway
Also I think it supprized  the Carido Dr some because after several  scans  we did a cath test and when I woke up, he was standing there and said  were scheduled for bypass surgery next day ,4 blockages at 80% , Doing great so

I think heart issues are very frequently just genetics.

If you come from a long line of guys that had heart attacks, chances are you are going to have one.

If you think about it, we never really had incentive to evolve out of them, as most guys have already done all their breeding well before that stage in their life.

A guy I know last year had a full work up, they found nothing wrong with him, had a heart attack in the fall. Said it was mild and he should recover fine. Had another one two months later.

The genetics argument, no matter how valid, is often used to give free license to any type of unhealthy lifestyle.
If you are already pre-disposed to a certain condition, why throw gas on the fire?
There is evidence that healthy eating can actually modify genetics and how your body responds to disease, tumors, etc..

Everybody knows somebody who was told they were healthy by doctors and then they had a cardiac event or died.
Exceptions to the rule don't change the rules. They data is clear.
The other one I hear is- "I know a guy who smoked and drank his whole life and he lived into his 90's"
I know 10 more guys who smoke and drank their whole life and only lived to their 50's.

Of course it's not a good idea to abandon all hope and give up trying to prevent it, but it does seem to be pretty common that if lots of men in a family have heart issues later in life, so will you.

If anything it's a good reason to get more bloodwork and stress tests done more often so you can get a baseline established and your doc will be more likely to catch something later.

Coronary Calcium Heart Scan

Is that something you just ask for during a physical?

Epigenetics are real and offer an opportunity to do much better than what would happen if nature took its course.

As far as excuses go, I see many more people use the excuse of someone who exercised and ate well, but died of a heart attack, as an excuse for not doing those things.  Jim Fixx, one of the gurus of the running boom who died suddenly of a heart attack, who was the first of these that I remember.  I was just a teen, but I remember some gleeful fatties when he died unexpectedly.

Just call your doctor and get an order for it. They are not covered by insurance as far as I know.  Mine was 100 bucks out of pocket. It was very similar to getting lab work done. Walked into the hospital with an order- a half an hour later I walked out and it was all done. I than got a call a few days later from a cardiologist, who read and interpreted the scan.