Beginning The journey, not quite sure why

[Mossquire]

Ok, we’ve all seen the adverts on Facebook asking for volunteers for people to join health tests/screenings etc. So I did one about two years ago on liver and found I had a fatty liver, which was moderate. Went back the next year and had got it down to mild. This year I saw one on lung cancer, they are trying to see if they can isolate a blood marker for lung cancer. I smoked years ago and thought I would participate. Had blood taken then a free CT chest scan. Doctor rang a few days later and said no cancer at all but are you taking medication for your heart disease?

Apparently I have calcified arteries but she would not discuss any further other than to say I needed to make an appointment with my GP after they had received the report. The thing is and my first question is how has this happened when due to arrhythmia diagnosis 10 years ago I have been on statins and Bisoperol? They did all the tests, running stress, ECG, ultrasound etc then with no mention and I have presumed that the statins would protect me from hardening arteries by cholesterol? I did smoke but gave up 35 years ago, I don’t drink, I do some but not enough exercise (walk the GSD). I do however have a high fat diet however each year I have my cholesterol tested and it’s 2.8. BP is 120/60 which I have always monitored by cuff and watch. Anyway wrote far too much but it’s all pouring out……

[Lowerfield_no_more]

It is quite possible that that arterial plaque was being laid down in your body before you started on statins. I know that for a fact in my case, although I had a very high lipid count of 9 before I started on statins over 25 years ago. And I had a angiogram after my NSTEMI six years ago which showed up blockages in all of my heart arteries, but after four years of max dose 80mg atorvastatin and another angiogram, I was told there was no change in arterial plaque, which I concluded meant the statin was doing its job.

[Mossquire in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

Thanks Lowerfield, I too had a count of 9 in my chlorestrol test. However I had a batch of tests a couple of years later for the arrhythmia and nothing was mentioned about my arteries having any constrictions