55 yr. old male.

Last month I had my 4th colonoscopy. GTG

Then I had my physical. BP great, total cholesterol 170, HDL-31 much lower than my Doc would like to see, LDL-98 (down from 122 a year and a half ago), pulse 54. Triglycerides-205 (up from 150 a tear and a half ago, Doc was concerned), blood glucose-125, higher than Doc wants, when combined with the Triglycerides, he was concerned. My weight, well as usual, Doc would like to see me lose 10-15 lbs (I am good with that and he knows I will do it.)

B/c of the Triglycerides and blood sugar and A1C, he asked to see me in three months for another blood test. Ok, I feel I am GTG. I will change what I eat and how much I exercise. I will blow him away in 3 months, watch me!!!

Since I am now 55, I thought it may be a good idea to get a CT scan of my heart. Doc agreed, probably not a bad idea.

Last Friday I had the scan with contrast performed at a Hospital, not affiliated with the same group as my Doc. Doc was ok with that, it does not need to be with a hospital in the same group.

After my scan, the Nurse says she w/c me after a Doc reviews the scan. When they were pulling me out of the machine, she said in passing, the scan went well, I'll let you know what the Doc who reads it has to say.

That afternoon, I got a call from the Nurse. She said my results had been read by a Doc and said I have "eccentric calcification within the proximal third of the LAD shortly beyond the origin of the of the first branch. Immediately beyond this level is an area of non-calcified plaque with narrowing estimated to be 30-35%. Distal runoff is good. No critically tight LAD lesions are seen". The Nurse said, "for your age, that is a good reading, no blockage is best, but the blockage in this in the area of least concern". She also said, we will send the results to your Primary Care Physician and he will review them with you. I asked if the results were good and she repeated, "yes", but your Doc will review them.

I was thrilled. Hell, it sounded to me like I was GTG. I shared the good news with my wife.

I took a copy of the results to my Docs office this morning. Shortly after lunch, I got a call from my Doc, my Doc, not his office. He said, " We need to talk, do you have a minute? Do you know you have coronary artery disease?" I said "What?".

He then said, I want to start you on 10 mg of Lipitor and a baby aspirin every day. I said, woah, wait a minute, what are you telling me? He said, the results show you have approx. 1/3 blockage in one of your arteries. I told him what the Nurse told me after the Doc reviewed my scan. He responded by saying, I am your Primary Care Physician and this is what we are going to do.

I said look, you have me coming back in 3 months after another blood test, why don't we wait and see how that goes? Non-negotiable, I want you to begin this regiment asap. You have to be sure to take it every day, preferably at the same time, but you have to take it every day.

I asked how long I would be on this regiment? he said, for the rest of your life. I questioned him and asked if a change in diet and exercise is an option? No, was his response. I have never been told there are no options, period.

I do like my Doc, we have been with his group for 30 years and with him personally for the past 15 years.

He is the Doc, he is the professional. I am just having a hard time believing there is NO alternative.

In the grand scheme of things, this probably is not a big deal, but I still struggle with the statement that there at NO options.

For those wo take Lipitor. Big deal or not?

Thank you for taking the time to read about my situation.

You can't be too careful. Doc is looking out for you.

I'm the exact same age, been taking look for for a year and a half, no bad effects.

quote:

For those wo take Lipitor. Big deal or not?

You did not mention if you had a family history of coronary artery disease. I assume your PCP knows that. The prescription for a statin is pretty standard fare, no big deal. Sometimes people get muscle aches, if so try another statin. It is one part of lowering your risk of a heart attack. The nurse should not be practicing medicine. There are cardiologists on this forum that can give you a more definitive answer if you need it.

Unfortunately, I'm in the same boat. Just this month I was told by my doc to start taking 40mg Atorvastatin, a generic Lipitor statin drug.
Heart disease runs in the family.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

For those wo take Lipitor. Big deal or not?

You did not mention if you had a family history of coronary artery disease. I assume your PCP knows that. The prescription for a statin is pretty standard fare, no big deal. Sometimes people get muscle aches, if so try another statin. It is one part of lowering your risk of a heart attack. The nurse should not be practicing medicine. There are cardiologists on this forum that can give you a more definitive answer if you need it.

Yes, there is a family history. Previously, Doc has said, you can control a lot of things, sadly, family history is not one of them.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
The nurse should not be practicing medicine.

I'd go get another opinion, myself.

WebMD:

http://www.webmd.com/cholester...aise-diabetes-risk#1

Be sure to keep on the lookout for muscle aches. Lipitor worked for me for some time, then after a few years, side effects showed up.

Be careful here. When you go back in 3 months and you're again read with a high blood glucose, they'll also diagnose you as being diabetic. No retreat, no retesting, you're then diabetic. Forever.

There are a whole bunch of us on Lipitor or a generic equivalent. If the dosage isn't too high, you'll not even see a difference in your everyday life. My doctor recommended I take mine at night right before bed. His logic was that your liver makes its stuff at night when you're asleep. Take the pill when it'll do the most good.

The vast majority of us old guys are on the baby aspirin. You'll also not notice it. Its probably the cheapest drug you'll be taking. Also for the rest of your life. No biggie. The only way to get off it is for him to prescribe even stronger stuff. Take your medicine and go on with life.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
Be careful here. When you go back in 3 months and you're again read with a high blood glucose, they'll also diagnose you as being diabetic. No retreat, no retesting, you're then diabetic. Forever.

There are a whole bunch of us on Lipitor or a generic equivalent. If the dosage isn't too high, you'll not even see a difference in your everyday life. My doctor recommended I take mine at night right before bed. His logic was that your liver makes its stuff at night when you're asleep. Take the pill when it'll do the most good.

The vast majority of us old guys are on the baby aspirin. You'll also not notice it. Its probably the cheapest drug you'll be taking. Also for the rest of your life. No biggie. The only way to get off it is for him to prescribe even stronger stuff. Take your medicine and go on with life.

Thank you.

Regarding the whole diabetic issue. He told me, you do not want to get tagged as diabetic, if you do, our relationship will change and everything will get more expensive.

Two notes:

1. Cholesterol issues are often genetic and diet and exercise are not sufficient to get things under control. I fall into that group, as well as the "family history" group. I've been on Atorvastatin and a baby aspirin for years.

2. I discussed self-diagnosis via the internet with my doctor. I did NOT mention which websites I used. His immediate response was "WebMD is driven by the pharmaceutical companies that support it. You cannot depend upon the information there as it is skewed towards recommending medications produced by the companies that support the site." He went on to say that if you MUST search the web for medical information, the Mayo clinic sites are the most accurate and unbiased.

Sorry to hear this.
It would seem you caught this at the right time and will be OK.
It's the living with it part that may take a while.

I've been on Cholesterol meds since 1992. Had X3 CABG January 1998. Family history on both sides of Cardiovascular Disease. Mother's side worse, they add strokes to the mix.

I was on Pravachol until October 1998 and was switched to Lipitor, 40mg dose. So far so good. It's no big deal, only thing is watch alcohol intake. Your doctor should do blood work to monitor your liver enzymes.

Follow your doctor's advice. If it makes you feel better, get a second opinion. Just do not decide to not take your medicines or follow dietary restrictions. Results will not be what you want. I've seen it happen to others.

Go see a cardiologist, You need a professional opinion from a Doctor that specializes in the heart.

Agree. See a cardiologist. They are the experts.

I've been on liptior 40mg for 5 years. Statins are wonder drugs that save lives with minimal or no side effects. Many physicians think pretty much everyone will eventually be on a low dose. High reward, very little risk.

I have been taking 10mg of Atorvastatin (generic Lipitor) due to slightly elevated cholesterol, for about a year now. It bought my cholesterol levels down quick, and keeps it right in check, with no side effects. I am 62 years old.

quote:

Originally posted by P-220:


Regarding the whole diabetic issue. He told me, you do not want to get tagged as diabetic, if you do, our relationship will change and everything will get more expensive.

I'm going to make a radical suggestion. It relates to the diabetic issue. First, you're lucky you're not on Crestor. I don't know if its a cause and effect relationship or not, but way too many Crestor users are then pushed to becoming diabetic.

Its easy for me to spend your money, but I'd suggest you trot on down to your favorite pharmacy and buy a tester and some of the test strips. Then do a self test a few times. Do it in the morning before you stuff yourself. Get a background reading a few days apart. If you really are above the level, there's nothing you can do. But learn for yourself before the bad news hits you as a surprise. Some places even give away the testers because they charge big bucks for the test strips.

And you can game the system a little. I wouldn't suggest you do it because if you're going diabetic, you need to play their game. But you'll learn that heavy exercise with you leg muscles can send you blood sugar reading to drop pretty much. To see how it impacts you, do a test, then go out and run or ride a bicycle for 30 or 45 minutes, then test again. Or use a stair stepper machine, for me it has the same results.

Sorry to hear of your problems. I hope it all turns out alright.

Personally, I don't know why all men and women over 50 are not on 80mg aspirin - blood thinning being the only exception. As for the Lipitor, I started at 40 and switched to Crestor at 50 - my ldl being the problem.

If you are able to change your lifestyle AFTER being on the lip, then consider stopping. Otherwise, the only thing it could hurt would be your wallet - jmho.

OP,

I started a long winded reply, but its really too much. I just went through this with my doc in January. I tried the statin and it was a bitch. I felt like I had kidney stones of something. I was only on it 3 days. A 10mg dose. I dropped it and found other ways. Looking back, I think my doc was just going through the motions.

I just turned 50 last week and I don't have any blockages that I know of, but I will be able to change my diet and lifestyle to stay away from the statins and keep those numbers in check. Email me if you want hear the saga. I can explain my changes and how it's helped. I mean that.

I would take the baby aspirin at bedtime and get online and research the hell out of the statin controversy. If you decide to take the "blue" pill, read and understand all the side effects and risks. I would have your doc explain them to you. If he is hesitant to do that, he may not really understand the risks the drugs have. He may be more focused on the desired outcome. Also ask for a detailed Lipid Panel. It may be called a VAP or NMR LipProfile test. LDL comes in two patterns and 3 sizes. You need to know what those are, otherwise your just guessing. Having done mine is how I know cardio will make the impact I need.

If I had any kind of blockage - I would be seeing a cardiologist. My opinion is that my requirements just exceeded my GP's abilities. I would also consider this a failure on his part not getting in front of this since he knows my history and I've been seeing him for 16 years. It's not like just showed up on his doorstep last night. I may still have the same outcome, but it wouldn't have come out of left field.

I may still be in your situation and not know it yet.

Good luck.
TVz