Need some advice

[Lancs65]

Hello everyone, can anyone answer my question? I had an angiogram in 2015 which showed my arteries completely clear which astonished me. I asked the surgeon was he sure and he said maybe if he used a microscope he may see some plaque, so I was delighted. Thing is I've always had highish cholesterol and now my GP wants to start me on statins - I said about the angio but he never acknowledged it and kept saying I need statins - am I being thick but surely if I've no plaque I don't need them.

Thanks

[shopman]

Sometimes prevention is better than cure.

[Maisywhippet]

Hi there, this is just an untrained opinion given on my experience.

I was advised possibly 6 yrs ago to start taking statins as a fasting blood test showed high cholesterol levels. I am also an ex smoker and have a strong family history of heart problems...therefore the doc put my risk of developing heart problems somewhen in the future as reasonably high.

However at that point I felt completely fine and was very dubious about taking statins due to reported side effects so declined. Things have now changed and I have a narrowing in LAD due to hardened plaque and I’m awaiting a stent. I now wonder if I had taken the statins whether this wouldn’t have happened?

I now take a statin with no side effects and shall continue to do so, as I do not want to be having another stent in a few years! It has been explained to me by my cardiologist that a statin is a preventative against narrowing in arteries and also stabilises any minor plaque already present. It’s not magic on its own and obviously has to be combined with healthy low fat diet changes.

You had your angiogram five years ago, presumably because of some symptoms and things can change over time, your doc has probably looked at your overall risk factors and thought a stain would be a good preventative measure for the future maybe?

Good luck with your decision!

[Lancslass66 in reply to Maisywhippet]

Hi thanks for your reply. I had the angio as I'd been under severe stress at work (NHS no surprise there!) and I had pain in my left arm so they thought they'd check it out. I was 63 at the time.

[Maisywhippet in reply to Lancslass66]

I’m a 63 yr old female and the only symptom I was having was ache in left arm between elbow and wrist sometimes when walking the dog. Wasn’t until I was referred that they picked up the problem on an angio scan....glad they did as cardio said could have been a big issue in a year or two. Stent should rectify it and has also made me aware of other slight calcification that I already have....so now I can do my best to keep it under control.