Saw a cardiologist for the first time yesterday. My primary doc has been gently and consistently pressing me to see him, because despite my clean, lean, low sugar and high octane exercise life habits, there were still some concern with my LDL, and with my CT calcium number (29).
cardiologist first remarked on my resting heart rate. 45. Like a sniper I said, and he laughed and agreed but suggested I not take up that line of work at my age. And he said “has anyone ever mentioned how low your heart rate is?” And I said no. And he asked if I do a lot of cardio. And I said yes, a lot; and it’s all HIIT style. So he says great, you have the heart of an athlete and allllll of your other indicators on the EKG and blood work and weight etc are fantastic.
which brings us to the concern. He said he can see from the EKG, and the various other results, that 3 of my 4 main heart valves are as clean as can be, with my exemplary healthy lifestyle. But the 4th is already starting to accumulate plaque. The dreaded “Widowmaker”. Pure genetic bad luck. And considering both my dad and his dad died of heart attacks, that puts me right in the cross hairs.
ironically he said it is precisely because all of my other markers and health indicators are so strong- that he was/is able to identify the danger.
Anyway, he said if the blood work I get done in a few weeks shows improvement in the LDL and some other less familiar cholesterol score, then it means my new-ish life of exercise and good eating is doing the right things, and that will be good enough for him, and then, it’s just a “thing” that will need lifelong attention, so I don’t drop dead at 50. Widow maker heart attacks have a disturbingly low survival rate even if you are literally IN a hospital when it happens. 25% survival in a hospital. That drops to single digits if you are not. No thanks.
And dammit, if those couple of indicators do NOT show improvement from my last full blood work a year or so ago, then the cardio said the dreaded statin word.
I completely reversed my entire health profile. Quit drinking. Drop 90 pounds. Exercise Vigorously nearly every day. Look and feel great. And yet because of that damn valve I may need statins to try and drop those numbers and slow the widowmaker from accumulating more plaque.
ommmmmmm
