Rossage down!

I'm guessing you and I both heard from the same person. I need to get one. I'm waiting to hear more about the $20 one...heck I can't even get a pizza for $20...you see why I need a scan?

 

I got mine done at an x-ray facility adjacent to, but not part of, Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. My doctor (who specialized in sports medicine) was using them a lot for a number of his patients, so he said he had a "negotiated rate". This was 3 years ago so maybe today it is $25? $30? Though when I moved to North Carolina and got a new doctor here, the first time I met him I shared my CT Calcium Scan results, and he was impressed I had them and asked the same question about cost. I think he said here they cost $50, and many of his patients won't get them due to cost.

 

Hey guys I connected with Ross last week and no he is not slower. As a matter of fact after he got the stint he said he has no lactic acid build up! He feels great. His father in law is not doing well so he is being the his awesome self and taking care of family.

I go in for angiogram tomorrow . Did thumper bike ride Sat. and felt good. I am anxious to see what the test reveals. Looking forward to riding with The Hooligan Nation soon!

 

I love you all like family, but just going to say that it is "stent" not "stint".

Stint is a short-term gig like what you do in a crappy show in Vegas before you move on to better things.

Stent is "a tubular support placed temporarily inside a blood vessel, canal, or duct to aid healing or relieve an obstruction".

 

And while we’re at it, it’s Doppler, not Doplar. @mtnbikej

 

Great news about Ross!

 

Actually it is an expanded metal tube. it goes in collapsed. It is expanded by your surgeon using a button. As it expands it opens your artery restoring the blood flow to the effected regions. Stents come treated or untreated. The treated ones are better.

 

Not to over-simplify things, but it is a tubular segment of metallic mesh that is expanded via a tiny balloon. The process of using a balloon to open clogged blood vessels is creatively called "balloon angioplasty". In the past, when doctors used balloon angioplasty, they found that the cleared/expanded blood vessel tended to restrict or re-clog, so now they use a mesh stent to hold the vessel open.



A couple of my family members have had balloon angioplasty (with stents) and have had very good outcomes.

 

Tanks fur thee gramr lexion guys I haet comming across loookng liek a dumm azz. HAHA!

Now for some even better news. My angiogram went well only 20% blockage in one and 15% in another. No balloon or stent. I follow up with the doc in about a week. Doc says a few baby aspirin and a statin will be prescribed. I will be going el natural with the statin.

Love you all too!
TTB

 

Great news, Tom...

 

Sweet!

 

So a Stent for a stint.

 

I still a wanna see you kick somebody’s ass Bomb!

(not mine)

 

Great news!

 

Ross who?

 

Hi @bvader , just checking to see if you got this done, and how did it go and cost?

inquiring minds err ok I want to know.

 

Thanks for checking in, no I have not..... But I should...I have been focused on my parents health .. if/ when I do I will report back

 

@bvader Thanks. Looking forward to your response.
Good luck with your parents health, as I know all too well what that entails. My mom tested Covid + the day after Christmas, so I have been on the phone a lot fighting with Drs, and a retirement home director.

 

Based on TTB's most excellent advice (& the fact that my BBF just had stents put in, and that my Pop died of a heart attack), I had a calcium test done @ Kaiser last month. The good news: my insurance paid for it. The better news: scored a 21! What made me laugh, though, was my Dr's insistance that I go on statins, 'just in case'. From what I read, a score of 11-100 ='minimal plaque buildup", & I'm on the low end of that range, so . . . . Still mulling it over, as I don't like to take drugs of any sort.

 

I love their terminology. "Just in case". After being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, my cardiologist put me blood pressure medication to "take the edge off". My BP is normal without meds.

 

I wore a doctor issued heart rate monitor for 14 days recently and today I received the results:

low heart rate was 40 bpm
average heart rate was 71 bpm
max heart rate was 168 bpm

I recall pulling off the side of the trail during my one and only mountain bike ride while wearing it. I was advised not to do any strenuous exercising while wearing it because of the risk of it detaching, which it did due to the sweat (I reattached the monitor afterward). I was doing the Brown Mtn climb and I pulled off because it felt like my heart was going to explode. Always wondered what my HR was when I felt like that. Now, I know.

No signs of any rhythm issues.

However, a first degree atrioventricular block was detected. If it advances to second or third degree in the future, I may need to wear a pace maker. My doctor says the what I have now is nothing to be concerned about.

Getting old sucks.

 

Pacemaker? I guess you'll be the first among us to have an ebike.

 

I'm way ahead of you.

 

I work in a pharmaceutical industry-adjacent job so I tend to keep abreast of medical news. And I'm on a statin so I pay close attention to statin-related news and some recent studies suggest that statins (esp. fat-soluble statins) cross the blood/brain barrier and their cholesterol reducing effects are then present in the brain --> the brain needs (and makes its own) cholesterol to function properly so a statin-induced reduction in cholesterol in the brain "might" result in some cognitive impairment (memory loss, forgetfulness, amnesia, memory impairment, confusion) for small % of patients. This cognitive impairment is resolved when the statin is discontinued.
I suspect a fair amount of people may have some statin-induced cognitive issues but they chalk it up to "I'm just getting old and forgetful" and don't actively address with their Dr.
Not trying to scare you away from statins at all (I'm on one) - most meds require a balancing of benefits vs side effects, only you and your doctor can determine the best course of treatment for you.
I will be having this conversation with my Dr at my next appt.

 

I lost my train of thought halfway through your post, so mebbee statins aren't for me! Did not know about cholesterol's role in brain function -anecdotally, a friend of mine is (hopefully) on the mend after what appears to be a stroke-like event possibly caused by cholesterol plaque buildup in his brain (CT /MRI's showed no obvious clot, only one cloudy spot thought to be cholesterol). Yikes, may hafta lay off the Taco Tuesday action!

 

Like I wrote, it's a very complex issue (dosage, genetics, blood pressure, amount of cholesterol in blood, etc.) so you should discuss any concerns with your doctor.
I'm a just a layman with a little knowledge (which is a dangerous thing) but statin-induced reduction and stabilization of cholesterol in the arteries/veins is beneficial in preventing strokes (and to my understanding, statin lowering of cholesterol in the brain would NOT be related to increased stroke risk) --> so if the concern is stroke risk (like your friend), I assume preventative statin usage would be part of the long-term treatment discussion.
If concerned about diet (Taco Tuesday), talk to your doctor - latest information suggests it's more about insulin-resistance and consumption of heavily processed foods (carbs) that cause internal inflammation rather than cholesterol-rich foods like eggs, steak, cheese, yogurt, etc.; From the FDA: "available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol….Cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption."
Hope your friend that had the stroke is doing ok.

 

I'm a Kaiser lifer, so did they just give you the calcium CT no big deal? My PHP didn't mention it as an option yet, so I haven't asked. If it was no big deal to order it, then I'll see about pursuing it.

 

I brought it up to my primary Dr, who punted to a cardiologist. My history (dad popped w. an HA, fairly high cholesterol, multiple PE's) paid off (finally!), & I got the test 2 weeks later. Thanks again, TTB!

 

Cool, thanks for the 411... I'll check w/ my primary and see if he'll go for it. The fact that he hasn't already mentioned it as an option makes me wonder if it'll be bumping heads or not. I really like working with him, but the system is broken right now w/ covid and doing so much remotely.

 

Yep, I'm on Eloquis after AFIB incident July. My cardiologist said the real danger for a mountain biker isn't getting cut and bleeding out but the "big crash" where you have internal injuries and don't know it. He advised to go to an ER any time I crash big time even if I'm feeling fine. Knock on wood but I've not had any "off the bike" incidents in a while.