Got diagnosed with atherosclerosis in November. Have a blockage of 70%in my LAD. I am very fortunate in that I am asymptomatic. There was a spell where i had bad indigestion type pain but since following a plant based wholesome diet I can honestly say I feel tonnes better. Thank God.
My chlosterol was 5.9 now 4.5. Lost 30 pounds in fat and exercise run/ speedwalk at least 3 times per week. Been to see my consultant and he suggests I take statins. To help with lowering my LDL and also stabilize my plaque in my arteries. I am really gutted as I truly thought he would be so pleased with my progress that he would say continue with my diet and exercise routine and lets monitor your progress.
Have heard a lot of negatives about statins and just do not know what to do. I have truly learnt now about bad eating habits and not exercising and I have totally changed. Will this not be enough to stabilise my heart disease? Thanks for reading. Any advice would be really appreciated. All have a great day!
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Satin medication is used as primary to protect heart problem, secondary after a heart problem. I am afraid you need to discuss this with your cardiologist to get a satisfactory answer. How was the 70 % blockage on LAD identified.?
Well I’m convinced statins have buggered up my leg muscles and am currently under a physio and doctor to try and find out. I wouldn’t touch statins ever as I can barely walk some days and was a very active walker before. Just my own opinion and experience after taking them for only 2 weeks 6 months ago. 😠
I agree with taking Q10. I’ve been taking it for 20 years as a daily supplement. I’m now 57 and in good shape, doing regular gym and cardio exercise. When I stop taking the Q10 I start to ‘feel my age’ (eg energy levels). I buy what I think is a good quality brand and for years I took 1 x 100mg cap every morning. For past 6 months I now also take another 1x100mg cap at lunchtime.
Thats exactly how it was when I was given statins years ago. We were on holiday in France and literally within days I could barely walk. Not only that I became really depressed. At that time I knew nothing about the possible side effects of statins so I couldn’t possibly have been influenced. My husband said to stop which I wasn’t keen to do as ‘the doctor told me to take them’ so he said cut down which I did and I had stopped completely by the time we got home. I was lucky though that the damage wasn’t permanent so I didn’t need physio.
Like you I wouldn’t touch them again - says she who is about to have to see her doctor about high cholesterol - my triglycerides are high too which isn’t good - it’s a waste of time though because I don’t want to take statins. It will be an interesting consultation.
I’m cutting back on sugar, starch and grain based carbs - I had been really hitting the chocolate and brownies, so that has now stopped - and I’ve stepped up my exercise, that had fallen by the wayside too.
Hellooooo. Do you have any heart disease? I have 70% blockage in my LAD. I now follow a mainly plant based diet. No processed or unnatural sugars. Blood levels looking better. Consultant prescribing to prevent plaque rupture. In a rock and a hard place as do I continue as I am relying totalling on my diet or risk the statins??
We’ll physio has given me exercises to do and they say whether it is or isn’t statin damage I will just have to hope pain fades and use painkillers if really bad and no proof that cq10 will help although will not harm.....very expensive if no proof so I will just carry on with exercise, limping, painkillers and hope it all gets better🤔🙄
Will mention to gp and physio but a person in health shop said to only take alongside statins not on own.....if nothing helps after investigations and statin damage denial I will try anything to improve my walking 🙄😘
Homocysteine levels - do you know them ? Have you been tested ? They are often high if you are LOW in B12/Folate and all the B's ! Homocysteine was found in plaque at the time they were researching the contents of plaque - but the research was hidden as you cannot patent a vitamin for the cure - and make money !
Read up on K2 - which is involved in the re-distribution of calcium in the blood - moving it away from arteries and soft tissues into bones and teeth. Many are K2 deficient as cows no longer graze green pastures and convert in their stomachs from the K1 ... Another dismal failure of food being of low quality with the so-called advancements ... SIGH
I was in similar position to you in that I had about a 40% blockage in LAD - went on statins for 9 years and standard NHS low fat diet and gave up all junk food. This however didn’t stop the progression and it then went to 70% and I started to get what turned out to be mild angina and me needing a bypass. I researched and found Esselstyn and Ornish and adopted their WFPB diet but still had the bypass. I personally don’t think statins helped me, it may have stabilised the plaque by calcifying soft deposits and preventing a HA, but they certainly didn’t stop the progression of calcification. Five years on from the bypass I am adopting a combination of WFPB and LCHF in the hope of preventing further soft and calcification in my arteries. What I did was have private CT CAC scans which showed the progression. At 70% LAD blockage I am surprised they have not recommended surgery, but do watch out for any likely symptoms and I would recommend following the cardiovascular consultants recommendations.
Hellooooo bobaxford. Can I ask how did you know you initially had a 40% blockage in your LAD?? Did you have symptoms? I initially found out because I was continually getting pins and needles in my hands and feet. When I went to GP he wasn't too pleased as he said it was emergency appointments only. In passing then I just said I had got a feathery type pain across my chest. I had this only once. Fortunately he then sent me to see cardiologist. So really it was a afterthought saying to GP. Thank goodness I did..
I had a private CT scan which showed high CAC score indicating I was high risk. Then referred for a NHS Angiogram which confirms 40% ish blockage of LAD, prescribed statin and I thought I was luck that no procedures were necessary. Unfortunately 9 years later I had another private CT scan which indicated significant progression, another angiogram now over 70% blockage and bypass required. I had pins and needles in my arms at night and probably a slightly tight feeling chest. What prompted my second angiogram was doing hard physical work clearing drive of snow and another occasion sawing a large tree branch brought on some chest pain requiring me to stop to recover but I didn’t put this down to angina, which is obviously what it was.
Could you please explain the procedure to check for LAD. I am waiting for a letter to make an appointment for a heart monitor. When I am in the hospital I can ask questions. Thanks.
There is so much conflicting evidence out there on the good or bad effects of statins . Reducing cholesterol with statins is not the answer that I know for sure after taking them for decades I watched my Calcium score accelerate from 383 to almost 900 in less than a decade. I believe I went wrong with my diet.as a disciplined person hardly a ounce of fat would pass my lips same for sugar the problem being cutting out these foods only goes some of the way . I now eat a plant based diet interspersed with healthy fats. I believe the statins contributed to my 95 % blocked LAD and 75% of the other two arteries resulting in Cabg. It has taken years for me to kick the statins and who could blame me after two and a half decades of being brain washed. For what its worth the figures you posted are a lot better than mine but I believe that is irrelevant in the prediction of inflammation resulting in CVD of the arteries.
"The Lifestyle Heart Trial found that 82% of patients diagnosed with heart disease who followed this plant-based diet program had some level of regression of atherosclerosis and 91% had a reduction in the frequency of angina episodes, whereas 53% of the control group, fed the American Heart Association diet, had progression of atherosclerosis."
Hellooooo Londinium. I'm sorry if I am not replying straight away as I'm on holiday and data not very good. I am so worried for the future. Very anxious, which I know doesn't help. Need to read up on best options best I think
I can understand you being very anxious, I was too while waiting for my first angiogram. After the angiogram then to be told a 40% blockage is only mild a atherosclerosis I was relieved and thought I was luck and can control via statin and NHS low fat diet. The statin may have helped stabilise the atherosclerosis but it certainly didn’t prevent progression.
Due to the pain caused by statins, I changed by diet and lifestyle following a triple bypass, plus 4 stents, 4 years ago and have normalized all of my blood biomarkers since then.
I stopped taking all meds including statins to the great consternation of my cardiologist. From my research, there's nothing statins will do for you that an optimal diet and lifestyle regimen of daily exercise won't.
I refuse to go back on statins - too many potential side-effects.
Thankyou so much for all your information provided. Very interesting indeed. What a position to be in?? So so much conflicting evidence regards statins. My chlosterol on the whole has come down and my LDL too. I do truly want my diet to halt this disease so very much and do not want to take the statins.
I will do. I think I will go private and get my blood lipids done again. Just my consultant, who I may add is a very nice gentleman was so adamant about statins. Just because he kept on repeating who they stabilise the plaques and slow down and help with the inflammation. A very lot to consider. Do I want to go on them? Crazy no! Thankyou for all your valuable information.
Just remember YOU are in control of your health and choices of treatment. The medical profession are there for support and counsel. You have the final say. The large pharmaceutical manufacturers are in the business of selling drugs, the doctors are in the business of prescribing drugs, both are rewarded when sales increase - you don't have to be a pawn.
Thanks for advice. I just really need to be clear with my diet. Need so badly for the plaque to go no further and regress??? Now that would be great! I have learnt my lesson. I no longer eat any processed food.
Like you I had blockages in my LAD (between 75 and 95%), RCA ( between 75 and 95%) and CX ) in three places between 50 and 74%). This was after a heart attack and diagnosed with an angiogram, I was 62 years of age at the time. After a Triple Bypass I started on advice to take Statins and now 11 years later have little trouble with my heart (mild left ventricular function). I still take Statins - Atorvastatin 40 mg and I have cholesterol level of 3.6, HDL 1.9 and LDL of 1.9 (calculated). This is in spite of being an insulin dependent Diabetic for the last 30 years. All in all I listened to my cardiac consultant and took the medicine (along with a lot of others to many to mention). Oh and I should mention that I do not have any side effects.
The Left Ventricular Dysfunction (LVD)occurred at the heart attack so it was a byproduct. I had a number of complications collapsed lung and infections so LVD was just another. I had not taken statins until after the heart attack
I would take the Statins. Some people have side effects with some statins and changing to another might solve the problem. As far as I am concerned "proof of pudding is ........" I am still free of heart problems still taking Statins plus 13 other tables, 7 injections, one inhaler and nose spray twice a day.
I take 40mg of Atorvastatin Daily and am not worried at all. I have atherosclerosis but take it as I have small vessel disease and had multiple lacunar infarcts. It has been proved that statins can cut the risk of strokes and heart attacks considerably.
The only diet proven to reverse heart disease is a vegan diet. It does give me a little hope. The trouble with statins is they can have side effects like most drugs...
I’ve taken CoQ10 for years - I read about it when I was researching statins to see if they could make you feel depressed - they can but I had to dig deep to find evidence of that - so I wonder if that’s possibly why my muscles recovered quite quickly?
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