I was recently diagnosed with very high cholesterol of 8.4mmol (was 8.1mmol a year ago) and scans have shown atherosclerosis/soft plaque build up in LAD. Lipids Doctor prescribed Atorvastatin which reduces Cholesterol levels but was not very encouraging about the atherosclerosis in LAD. I'm pretty worried after reading about 'widow maker' and it's affecting my mental health a bit as I'm uneducated in this area and might not fully understand everything I was told (found out about the LAD soft plaque 3 days ago!). Any other similar stories out there? Anything positive appreciated!
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KierMack
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Some degree of atherosclerosis is very common, especially amongst men, and the incidence increases significantly with age. There is no cure for atherosclerosis, once you have it then you have it for life.
However, we shouldn't be too gloomy about it either.
Medication can help slow down its progress, but lifestyle changes can probably play an even bigger role in stopping our atherosclerosis galloping away. There are no prizes for guessing the changes required, it's all the usual suspects!
Top of the list is smoking. If you are a smoker then you absolutely must quit. The jury is out on the risks of vaping and nicotine tablets/patches, they're certainly justified as aids to quitting, but long term there are concerns that nicotine itself can aggravate atherosclerosis. After smoking you need to maintain a healthy BMI, in particular you need to guard against "fatty liver", some people who appear reasonably slim can actually have a blanket of fat around their internal organs. Then there's regular exercise, a healthy diet (the NHS and the BHF recommends a Mediterranean diet), drinking to moderation, establishing good sleep patterns and managing stress, etc, etc.
Getting on top of these is absolutely critical for giving yourself the very best chances for both a long life and a healthy life.
I gave up smoking 2 years ago and don't drink that much - average would be 5 pints per month over last 12 months.
Noted on looking slim yet having a blanket of fat around organs - I do look slim apart from a bit of a spare tyre but at 5ft 7in and 88kgs (no weight fluctuation since last year), your comment clearly applies in my case. Thanks for the advice.
I've got two Mediterranean diet/cookbooks on the way, ordered some running gear and have deleted my Deliveroo app from my phone!
First experienced angina January 2011, exercise/treadmill test led to referral for angiogram. During angiogram they found severe proximal lesion in LAD. (In simple terms I think this means it was 90% at the wider, higher end of the LAD vessel.) It was decided to fit a stent there and then, much to my surprise. I felt a few twinges after the procedure which were worrying at the time but looking back were nothing.
Since 2011 no angina episodes. I took up running during lockdown and now run 20km per week, kayaking and skiing are other sports.
Medicines are, bisoprolol, aspirin, rosuvastatin and perindopril.
GTN spray never used.
So not all doom and gloom after initial diagnosis.
Thank you Lonmayloon. Your progress is inspiring. How were/are your blood cholesterol levels? Was cholesterol a contributory factor to your overall issue?
I was never diagnosed with angina but did have heart palps and occasional tightness around 1.5 years ago, which led to having blood tests and then the angiogram. Results came back all ok except LAD plaque build up ( I don't know if that is the same as having proximal lesions?). Was a bit taken aback when hearing about the potential seriousness of LAD plaque that I don't recall how much/what % of blockage to the artery I have.
Thanks for your support, encouraged by your reply.
Yes, I was monitoring my own cholesterol and when levels were raised I discussed this with my GP and was started on statin. I can’t remember exact levels so don’t want to quote inaccurate information. Same story with blood pressure, when this increased perindopril was prescribed.
“Proximal” relates to the position of the blockage ie close to the branch where the LAD leads off (wider part of blood vessel). As opposed to “distal” which means further from the point of attachment (narrower and sometimes more difficult to stent).
Family history played a big part in my case. Close relatives had CHD at an early age.
Hiya, like you I’ve just been told similar news about my LAD , still waiting for an MRI to then decide on the way forward . It’s a scary time when you get this news I know , I’m very up and down with it at the moment , feel very vulnerable as I live on own and my son is 100 miles away. Not what I expected at 59 for sure , so I’m totally with you on that one . There’s lots of really helpful info on the BHF site and this forum is great . We will have to swap stories see how we compare! Try not to read too much of Dr Google , stick to the official sites! So far I’ve been prescribed , aspirin 75mg , 20mg atorvastatin(40mg gave me muscle cramps) bisoporol 1.25mg , isosorbide mononitrate 40mg , gtn spray ( not used as yet);
Hey. Yeah it came as a shock to me too.. I'm 42 and have family history of CVD although lipids doctor wasn't clear on whether I have polygenic or familial Hypercholesterolaemia. Hoping my GP can shed more light and I'll find out my meds on Friday but for now, all of these replies are super helpful.
I've given you a follow and happy to swap updates.
I was referred to Chest Pain Clinic 18 Months ago & after a few tests Angina diagnosed, my cholesterol was also 8.4, put on Atorvastatin 40mg plus other pill, then Angiogram found 3 severe blockages inc LAD, then had 3 bypass grafts in June 2019 & atorvastatin increased to 80mg, Sept 2019 cholesterol was 5.6.
This year I've been calorie counting along with plenty of walking & lost 3.5 stone since Christmas. Cholesterol now 3.1 & feeling great.
So worth the effort to sort out ASAP, good luck with it all
I had the angiogram last year and due to a few mishaps with hospital appts I only had the lipids follow up appt last Friday to review the results. An in-between lipids appt back in March showed that all other arteries were clear so I've been feeling good about up until last Friday when told that there is actually soft plaque in the LAD - I don't how what percentage there is but was given life expectancy info which was quite scary to hear. Hoping that statins and MUCH more exercise and better diet makes a big difference to the prognosis.
Sounds like you are doing amazingly well... was your cholesterol level familial or polygenic?
My cholesterol was familial, my mum had similar problems 30 yrs ago at a similar age, I'm 53 now. I'm a truck driver and always tried to eat sensibly but did little excercise
Hi my cholesterol was high initially 6.4 before HA in April this year .
Gp at the time didn’t think
I warranted statins ( had strong family history of CHD high cholesterol in siblings and parents .
After stent fitted and normal meds for HA 80mg statins have bought my cholesterol down to 3.8😊.
I’m 63 never run in my life and just finished couch to 5k .
Trying to eat healthy and have the odd glass of red wine as a treat (and a bit of dark chocolate) they say good for you in moderation.
My life better now and feel
Much better with my stent in place . Have not had to use GTN spray 🤞.
Hope you go on ok
You have the right positive attitude to go forward now and doing all the right things .
I’m sure you will be just fine ,
Wishing you well ,
Take care ,
Keep
Us informed how you are getting on ,
We are here fellow hearties if you need us x
Hello my mam had chest pain about 6 years ago got checked out said indegestion she was in on off pain for 2 weeks long story but doctor had booked her in with specialist she ended up at hospital prior and said indegestion her specialist appointment eventually came through had heart monitored said needs urgent operation not safe to go home had a 95 percent block in main heart artery she had a stent put in went on special lowering cholesterol diet and reducing inflammation in the body diet statins blood thinners beta blockers she felt normal for 4 half years then another block occured said was having heart attack and had small one same procedure she's fine gets a bit breathless on exertion she's 81 does too much it was stress that caused the 2nd attack from inflammation her blood test detected this, you can look up foods to reduce this, part of the meds are vein openers if you can exercise this will help but don't over do it if you get angina and not after a meal I wish you well oh and I wish I could get statins mam's cholestrol was 6.4 it's been 2.3 ever since statins keep the cholestrol right down but the right diet is a must 🥝🥦🍉🍇
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