Anyone get a high CAC score and go for significant lifestyle changes

[alarmguy]

....

The usual and only thing out of whack is my A1C.

OH NO, I just read your last line. DO I dare ask the number. I am too afraid to do my glucose. I have a home test kit for no other reason than just because of family history. It was always good until my recent treatments. So forget A1C right now last test jumped from 87 to 120 all in FOUR few weeks so I think it was treatment with steroids and I dont want to look again for a while. I did test shortly after and it was down to 113. Steroids do cause the condition and not always reversable, I was giving what I think a massive amount in 3 recent ER visits. Very upsetting to find out later.
As you know this year my treatments sent me off the deep end, massive weight gain to a high I never was close to in my entire life. I used to always be within reason the proper BMI or a little above but never like this.

Anyway. on October 27th 2025 I started/eased into a fasting diet over a 7 day period. I am now fully into it.
I fast 20 hours a day and have a window of 4 hours where I can eat or take in anything but water and a black coffee in the morning. I love it, I also found out my sleep has improved incredibly. So far in 3 weeks and 4 days later I have lost a solid 12+ lbs and I expect in the next week that to be 15 pounds.
My goal is 40 more pounds, I cant believe it and what has happened to me to get back to a proper BMI. I can not for the life of me understand what happened to me the first 8 months of this year. I was REALLY out of it, in another world, treatment was miserable and I guess I was eating way too much, even though it was healthy stuff.

Oh BTW to be as much as I can on a fast track, even when I do eat during that 4 hour time period. 4 days a week it is a protein drink and up to two pieces of fruit and a few peanuts *LOL*
The other times I do have a meal with meat and some fruit. Is it easy? Not really but yet it is. I feel so empowered and SO FREAKING scared of full blown diabetes that I worked my whole life to avoid the family history and to think I might have blown it in 8 months sucks. Not only my eating but the meds were also known to cause it in some people.

SO the next time I check glucose will be when I am near my BMI as I am too scared... as far as A1C I'll ask the doctor in six months to run it.

This is my food, liquid 4 possibly days a week. Tonight I am having grilled pork chops in my 4 hours window to eat. Other times it is ocean caught fish. But I can still have a bad meal once in a while. Like the pork chops.

 

[alarmguy]

Zero side effects that I can detect

Yeah, me too. The Liptor wasnt good with me.

 

[Pablo]

OH NO, I just read your last line. DO I dare ask the number. I am too afraid to do my glucose. I have a home test kit for no other reason than just because of family history. It was always good until my recent treatments. So forget A1C right now last test jumped from 87 to 120 all in FOUR few weeks so I think it was treatment with steroids and I dont want to look again for a while. I did test shortly after and it was down to 113. Steroids do cause the condition and not always reversable, I was giving what I think a massive amount in 3 recent ER visits. Very upsetting to find out later.
As you know this year my treatments sent me off the deep end, massive weight gain to a high I never was close to in my entire life. I used to always be within reason the proper BMI or a little above but never like this.

Anyway. on October 27th 2025 I started/eased into a fasting diet over a 7 day period. I am now fully into it.
I fast 20 hours a day and have a window of 4 hours where I can eat or take in anything but water and a black coffee in the morning. I love it, I also found out my sleep has improved incredibly. So far in 3 weeks and 4 days later I have lost a solid 12+ lbs and I expect in the next week that to be 15 pounds.
My goal is 40 more pounds, I cant believe it and what has happened to me to get back to a proper BMI. I can not for the life of me understand what happened to me the first 8 months of this year. I was REALLY out of it, in another world, treatment was miserable and I guess I was eating way too much, even though it was healthy stuff.

Oh BTW to be as much as I can on a fast track, even when I do eat during that 4 hour time period. 4 days a week it is a protein drink and up to two pieces of fruit and a few peanuts *LOL*
The other times I do have a meal with meat and some fruit. Is it easy? Not really but yet it is. I feel so empowered and SO FREAKING scared of full blown diabetes that I worked my whole life to avoid the family history and to think I might have blown it in 8 months sucks. Not only my eating but the meds were also known to cause it in some people.

SO the next time I check glucose will be when I am near my BMI as I am too scared... as far as A1C I'll ask the doctor in six months to run it.

Bad.

Not wanting to post it bad. Metformin does NOTHING. I've tried everything OTC/fake so far. Statistically in reality my A1C does not change.

I have a decent diet. 2MPD.

Here's a thought. I have ALWAYS been this way. At least for a very long time. I have no symptoms.

 

[alarmguy]

Bad.

Not wanting to post it bad. Metformin does NOTHING. I've tried everything OTC/fake so far. Statistically in reality my A1C does not change.

I have a decent diet. 2MPD.

Here's a thought. I have ALWAYS been this way. At least for a very long time. I have no symptoms.

No symptoms is good.
I need to log out of here and get something done!
Nice day, time to change the overdue oil in my now garage queen Harley. SO overdue I wont post it in here either! Understandable the bike has just been sitting.

 

[Pablo]

OH NO, I just read your last line. DO I dare ask the number. I am too afraid to do my glucose. I have a home test kit for no other reason than just because of family history. It was always good until my recent treatments. So forget A1C right now last test jumped from 87 to 120.................................

Glucose spot check can be kind of meaningless. 118 and lower sometimes but

 

[ripcord]

View attachment 311340
Glucose spot check can be kind of meaningless. 118 and lower sometimes but


View attachment 311341

Dude! No more cherry juice and dates for you!

 

[User_19876]

From what I read in the source I provided by the Cleveland Heart Clinic. First to be clear we are on the same page. CAC does not show soft plaque.
So it should be automatic that if calcium shows up in a CAC you already have soft plaque and a statin is needed.

The extent of blockages is not going to show up on a CAC, either stress test, some kind of symptoms or angiogram can. I can understand how you think CAC can be helpful I am just repeating what I am reading from Cleveland. But debatable is a proper word I think.

I never had a CAC scan but I was one of the fortunate ones who got a stress test and Angiogram.
I also get to see the calcium on pet scans for other reasons and CT lung scans for other reasons. (they always throw in the comment. Light to moderate calcification which I recently found out on a PSMA Pet Scan I have it pretty much in other places too. Family history sucks. Hi- Lipo A in a person with very LOW blood LDL and all the others and a proper ratio of HDL

I would think if the CAC scan was any more important than that, insurance would be forced to pay for them. Yet they pay for the much greater cost of the above. BY the way, I am not disagreeing with you. That having a baseline would be neat. I love all kinds of instrumentation to show me what is going on. Heck I can even tell you the CO2 level at the desk I am typing on is 801.

CAC does not show soft plaque, correct. The tests that demonstrate soft plaque are very expensive.

Insurers only care about profits. That's fine. I'm heavily invested in two of them. That said, it's to their benefit to take the position of a CAC being of no benefit after the introduction of statins. This is a matter of opinion given the current state of the art. Simply knowing the location of the calcification can be of great benefit. The nature/shape of the lesion, etc. I had a small spot in the circumflex. What if they had discovered a hambone in my left anterior descending? I'd want to know that.

And I'm not trying to be contrary either. Most of what I've said in this thread is up for debate. We need better data, and we need cheaper diagnostic tools.

 

[Pablo]

Dude! No more cherry juice and dates for you!

I'm old!

 

[ripcord]

I'm old!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Metamuci...-Texture-Sugar-Free-Orange-114-doses/13314273

 

[Pablo]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Metamuci...-Texture-Sugar-Free-Orange-114-doses/13314273

I meant sometimes I will eat what I want

Ask our old buddy about dates and blood glucose.

My real demon is bread, cake, cookies, pie, donuts, rolls, honey buns, brioche, honey lime corn cakes. thumb print cookies, danish, pan dolce, panettone, anise cookies, short bread, pound cake, orange cake, black berry pie, pizza, cornettos, hand pies, sweet rolls, brownies, conchas, pastries, raspberry pie, tayberry pie, coconut cream buns, ciabatta, etc

 

[ripcord]

I meant sometimes I will eat what I want

Ask our old buddy about dates and blood glucose.

My real demon is bread, cake, cookies, pie, donuts, rolls, honey buns, brioche, honey lime corn cakes. thumb print cookies, danish, pan dolce, panettone, anise cookies, short bread, pound cake, orange cake, black berry pie, pizza, cornettos, hand pies, sweet rolls, brownies, conchas, pastries, raspberry pie, tayberry pie, coconut cream buns, ciabatta, etc

Now you're just trying to retaliate, lol. Yeah, I miss those too. Also, pho, bahn mi, tortillas, roti, dosas, fried rice, loaded baked potatoes, etc.

 

[Pablo]

Now you're just trying to retaliate, lol. Yeah, I miss those too. Also, pho, bahn mi, tortillas, roti, dosas, fried rice, loaded baked potatoes, etc.

Pancakes, waffles, garlic bread

 

[ripcord]

Pancakes, waffles, garlic bread

Noodles

 

[Pablo]

Worse blood glucose spikes with sweet potato more than anything

 

[alarmguy]

View attachment 311340
Glucose spot check can be kind of meaningless. 118 and lower sometimes but


View attachment 311341

Not understanding your charts.
Typically blood glucose should be at 100 or under.
I never saw a chart that goes to 140 as normal. not that I’m an expert in the field.
Maybe normal for diabetic?

I do agree A1c is the gold standard. I’m not sure if you know, without having diabetes. Some insurance companies will not pay for an A1c.
When I was working, my doctor kinda did it on the side for me because I asked. That office had the lab right in it so he had the technician do it. He wrote it on a piece of paper for me.

I’m unsure if everybody with Medicare can get an A1c? however, of course I plan on asking for it at my next blood test of which I get many I even have more coming up in December but these three below are from this year starting in April. I might wait till the spring because this year has been a health disaster, including the heavy use of steroids which can screw up your numbers. Sometimes permanently.

For the record, I expected your A1c to be worse but again I don’t know much about it. I guess based on what you said it’s not good . The last time I was tested was a very long time ago and it was around five.

Why on the last test did they raise the normal range by four and seven respectively?
Also, why is your upper limit 140?

 

[Pablo]

Chart shows it. Fasting v non-fasting

 

[alarmguy]

CAC does not show soft plaque, correct. The tests that demonstrate soft plaque are very expensive.

Insurers only care about profits. That's fine. I'm heavily invested in two of them. That said, it's to their benefit to take the position of a CAC being of no benefit after the introduction of statins. This is a matter of opinion given the current state of the art. Simply knowing the location of the calcification can be of great benefit. The nature/shape of the lesion, etc. I had a small spot in the circumflex. What if they had discovered a hambone in my left anterior descending? I'd want to know that.

And I'm not trying to be contrary either. Most of what I've said in this thread is up for debate. We need better data, and we need cheaper diagnostic tools.

Well said no argument from me.
Right now, the gold standard is a cardiac angiogram, invasive, and complicated with always the risk of a complication, but it’s as standard as it gets today. I made it well known to the staff only a few years back. I wanted one and they found a way for it to get done and paid for by my insurance company then did it for me. I would suggest anybody who’s ever given the option for it to go ahead and do it. It really is the only way to know for sure to best of my knowledge at least what’s feeding your heart.

And really does gives the doctor a clear idea how restricted or not the blood flow is to your heart.
Besides that being I love computers, electronics, and information. I thought the whole procedure was way cool.
I’m also had a number of echograms with the last one only two months ago. All is good there.

If there’s ever a chance, I would love to get another angiogram. Let’s say it’s been about five years maybe at the 10 year mark but I suspect there won’t be a reason that will be valid at that point.

 

[burbguy82]

Calcium CT scan of the arteries around the heart.

My father died on the hardening of the arteries....atherosclerosis.....

There is some research that leads to a conclusion that lemon juice considerably opens up the arteries and helps the body naturally clean itself out.

We can only abuse our bodies for so long............I hope you get it on the right track fella

 

[ripcord]

Not understanding your charts.
Typically blood glucose should be at 100 or under.
I never saw a chart that goes to 140 as normal. not that I’m an expert in the field.
Maybe normal for diabetic?

I do agree A1c is the gold standard. I’m not sure if you know, without having diabetes. Some insurance companies will not pay for an A1c.
When I was working, my doctor kinda did it on the side for me because I asked that office actually had the lab right in it so we had the technician do it. He wrote it on a piece of paper for me.

I’m unsure if everybody with Medicare can get an A1c, however, of course I plan on asking for it at my next blood test of which I get many I even have more coming up in December but these three below are from this year starting in April. I might wait till the spring because this year has been a health disaster, including the heavy use of steroids which can screw up your numbers. Sometimes permanently.

For the record, I expected your A1c to be worse but again I really don’t know much about it. The last time I was tested was a very long time ago and it was around five.

View attachment 311358View attachment 311359View attachment 311360

It looks like Pablo's health care system uses the same reporting software as mine. My annual checkup included both fasting glucose level and A1C as a part of the standard battery.

 

[alarmguy]

It looks like Pablo's health care system uses the same reporting software as mine. My annual checkup included both fasting glucose level and A1C as a part of the standard battery.

On your fasting glucose level. What was the green range?

As you could see by mine, it goes up to 99 and one other one for some reason 106

But any quick Internet search says normal glucose is up to 100 so I don’t know why Pablo’s is normal range is up to 140.
I’m just trying to understand.

Here it is right here. 100 is the number yet Pablo’s test is showing 140 as normal. So I don’t know why and why are my high test number did the green range go up to 106 when my previous tests were all 99 as normal
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/21952-fasting-blood-sugar