My CT Scan & Calcium Score Results

[Bio]

I had my CT scan for my calcium score (artery health) this morning. I got the results in just under an hour! I'll be 52 in April and have played with hormones for quite some time. The longest break I had was 7 years due to a spine surgery and severe pain. I've also had inflammatory disease for 35 years, Ankylosing Spondylitis.

The results...

Findings:
CORONARY ARTERY CALCIUM SCORE: 0
Left Main: 0
Circumflex: 0
RCA: 0

WOO HOO!! I'm relieved! I didn't expect it to be that good but I'm happy it is!! The test wasn't covered by insurance, don't bother covering a proactive test...smh...but it was only $150 out of pocket!

 

[Gizmo2]

That’s great! Any idea what your lipids have looked like over the years? It’s always curious to me people can have clear arteries and have (naturally) bad lipids. Not saying that’s the case here

 

[Blswan]

My lipids are horrible both numbers and particulate sizes. Genetically bad on top of use. Had the CAC done as well. Scored 0. Supposedly its the most effective gauge of cardiac health. The even noted normal heart size. So... i'm not concerned. My test was only $99. I think everyone should do it.

 

[Bio]

I've never had horrible lipid numbers but I stayed away from orals most of the time and for me, Tren is the devil..LOL!

My last blood work on 10/21/20 (Not Fasted). Went from 125 to 250 TestC or Sust to 250 to 500 Test C or Sust, 200 to 300 Primo and 250 to 375 Deca when the gym opened for a month and then back down to TRT when it closed again.

Cholesterol, Total - 169
Standard 100 to 199

Triglycerides - 118
Standard 0 to 149

HDL Cholesterol - 44
Standard >39

VLDL Cholesterol Cal - 21
Standard 5 to 40

LDL Cholesterol Calc - 104 High
Standard 0 to 99

T. Chol/HDL Ratio - 3.8
Standard 0 to 5

Non-HDL Cholesterol - 125
Standard 0 to 129

WBC - 4.5
Standard 3.4 to 10.8

RBC - 5.94 High
Standard 4.14 to 5.8

Hemoglobin - 16.8
Standard 13 to 17.7

Hematocrit - 51.4 High
Standard 37.5 to 51

MCV - 87
Standard 79 to 97

MCH - 28.3
Standard 26.6 to 33

MCHC - 32.7
Standard 31.5 to 35.7

RDW - 14.1
Standard 11.6 to 15.4

Platelets - 218
Standard 150 to 450

%Neutrophils - 48%
Standard Range Not Established

%Lymphocytes - 36%
Standard Range Not Established

%Monocytes - 11%
Standard Range Not Established

%Eosinophils - 4%
Standard Range Not Established

Basos - 1%
Standard Range Not Established

Neutrophils (Absolute) - 2.1
Standard 1.4 to 7

Lymphs (Absolute) - 1.6
Standard .7 to 3.1

Eos (Absolute) - .2
Standard 0 to .4

Baso (Absolute) - 0
Standard 0 to .2

Immature Granulocytes - 0%
Standard Range Not Established

Immature Grans (Abs) - 0
Standard 0 to .1

Glucose, Serum - 87
Standard 65 to 99

BUN - 22
Standard 6 to 24

Creatinine, Serum - 1.19
Standard .76 to 1.27

eGFR Non African Am - 70
>59

BUN/Creatinine Ratio - 18
Standard 9 to 20

Sodium, Serum - 140
Standard 134 to 144

Potassium, Serum - 5.2
Standard 3.5 to 5.2

Chloride, Serum - 102
Standard 96 to 106

Carbon Dioxide, Total - 25
Standard 20 to 29

Calcium, Serum - 10
Standard 8.7 to 10.2

Protein, Total, Serum - 6.9
Standard 6 to 8.5

Albumin, Serum - 4.6
Standard 3.8 to 4.9

Globulin, Total - 2.3
Standard 1.5 to 4.5

A/G Ratio - 2
Standard 1.2 to 2.2

Bilirubin, Total - .7
Standard 0 to 1.2

Alkaline Phosphate, S - 42
Standard 39 to 117

AST - 29
Standard 0 to 40

ALT - 30
Standard 0 to 44

Prostate Specific Ag, Serum - .5
Standard 0 to 4

 

[MR. BMJ]

That's awesome buddy! Glad to see these results, has to make ya feel pretty good

 

[SOUR DIESEL]

I had my CT scan for my calcium score (artery health) this morning. I got the results in just under an hour! I'll be 52 in April and have played with hormones for quite some time. The longest break I had was 7 years due to a spine surgery and severe pain. I've also had inflammatory disease for 35 years, Ankylosing Spondylitis.

The results...

Findings:
CORONARY ARTERY CALCIUM SCORE: 0
Left Main: 0
Circumflex: 0
RCA: 0

WOO HOO!! I'm relieved! I didn't expect it to be that good but I'm happy it is!! The test wasn't covered by insurance, don't bother covering a proactive test...smh...but it was only $150 out of pocket!

^^^great to see these results for you brother

so what's your diet like?
still pushing calories (..size)?
do you do regular cardio?

thanks for posting ..these threads are always a great reminder

.

 

[STUMPY]

Excellent!

 

[b_cornelius]

Good times. That calcium always has me going. Recently, it has become rather easy for an average person to overcome soft plaques, but that calcification?..well that's just hard. Good to see you're processing.

 

[Bio]

^^^great to see these results for you brother

so what's your diet like?
still pushing calories (..size)?
do you do regular cardio?
thanks for posting ..these threads are always a great reminder

.

Last January and February I trained, then I was out the first two weeks of March due to back issues...I tried to train the Monday of each of those weeks and it wasn't happening...then COVID shut the gyms down. I didn't have anything at home. When the gyms opened up again for a month or so I started training again and then closed again. That has been the extent of my training for the last 14 months...3 months total training and 11 months of nothing. The gym is open now but I've been busy finishing my home gym that I built. I'm still going to keep my membership for the variety. I'm going to start back this Thursday, April 1st.

To answer the calorie question, the answer is no due to the above and I don't chase it like I used to. I like to be 230lbs or so these days...I'm 5'10. Currently bouncing around between 215 and 220lbs. Now that things look good with the arteries, I might push a little and shoot for 240lbs.. Why not, I used to be over 240lbs so maybe my body will respond and maybe not. I won't go crazy but it would be fun to get some size back!

I did regular cardio when the gym was open, so I'll start that back up again too!

Here's a reminder regarding the Calcium Score Test. I posted this in another thread and can't remember which one. I have a friend, he's 65, in good shape/thin, works out, does cardio and hikes. Last year I told him several times I was going to get this test done. I was busy with other things and it kept falling by the wayside. Every time he would ask me, "What is that test for again?" I told him he should get it done...why not. Be proactive. He got the test done in November. A couple of days later we were having lunch and he walked up and said, "I just got my test result, it was twenty one seventy five...I spelled that out because that's how he said it to me. I thought, "He means 217.5" Just as I started to say that he said, "two thousand one hundred and seventy five!" The look on my face was of total shock!! He said, "The look on your face isn't helping." He went in for further testing to confirm everything and which arteries were blocked. He also found out he wasn't a candidate for stents. His left anterior descending artery (LAD) was 100% blocked which is a Widowmaker! Two others were significantly blocked. In the meantime he was put on a statin and approximately 5 weeks ago had a triple bypass. He came through with flying colors!!

KEEP THIS SCARY THING IN MIND, HE HAD NO SYMPTOMS!! The cardiologist told him if he had a heart attack it would have killed him. He told me I saved his life but I told him he saved his own life by getting the scan done. He could have easily just shrugged off the suggestion. Sadly he probably wouldn't have made it out of this year. I'm glad I won't be getting that phone call!!

My test was $150 out of pocket. Blswan said his was $99. Even if it was $1,500 it's worth it! It will either give you piece of mind or get you on a path of recovery!

 

[hawkmoon]

Great results. I think any one of us would be delighted with that outcome.

 

[maldorf]

When I had my heart attack and they did the angiogram, they saw about no plaque in my arteries either. Somehow I still managed to have a blood clot that 100% blocked my coronary.

 

[cuz]

Bio, how did you go about getting this test done? Did you just go to your primary doc?

 

[xpoc]

My calcium score was 78. Meanwhile I had buddies who don't workout, they are fat and eat junk food score a perfect zero. Life ain't fair. Genetics.

 

[GaJoe]

Man that's fantastic. That's next on my list to do now that I'm in my 40s. I'm a little nervous about it. It's like that nervousness when you've had an HIV panel done and you know you're good but they won't hurry with the results. In all seriousness you have to wonder if you're going to show effects of being in this game for a long time.

 

[Nyoco]

It´s always uplifting to read such good news, I´m very happy for you and your friend

 

[88shots]

I had my CT scan for my calcium score (artery health) this morning. I got the results in just under an hour! I'll be 52 in April and have played with hormones for quite some time. The longest break I had was 7 years due to a spine surgery and severe pain. I've also had inflammatory disease for 35 years, Ankylosing Spondylitis.

The results...

Findings:
CORONARY ARTERY CALCIUM SCORE: 0
Left Main: 0
Circumflex: 0
RCA: 0

WOO HOO!! I'm relieved! I didn't expect it to be that good but I'm happy it is!! The test wasn't covered by insurance, don't bother covering a proactive test...smh...but it was only $150 out of pocket!

Does your Ankylosing Spondylitis affect other joints in your body?

 

[Bio]

Bio, how did you go about getting this test done? Did you just go to your primary doc?

I just mentioned it to my primary. I take 100mg of Losartan for high BP. With all of my back problems, I've had my share of cortisone and I use an inhaler that has a corticosteroid in it. That type of steroid jacks my BP up. My body doesn't like it.

I tried Dbol when I was 18 but got sick after two weeks so I don't count that as my first cycle. When I was 19 I did Anavar, Deca and Test...I'll be 52 in April. Like I said, I've been playing with hormones for a long time! Anyway, my primary wrote me the referral. Insurance doesn't cover it unless you have a cardiac issue. The cost is nothing so I would urge people in this lifestyle to get it done. AAS use, duration, family genetics, should all be taken into consideration when deciding what age to get the test.

 

[Bio]

When I had my heart attack and they did the angiogram, they saw about no plaque in my arteries either. Somehow I still managed to have a blood clot that 100% blocked my coronary.

You have a clotting disorder, Factor V Leiden, correct?

With all the surgeries I've had, I have to go through a pre-surgical workup. For one of my surgeries I still had elevated RBC and Hematocrit so they tested me for polycythemia and some other clotting disorders. Thankfully I tested negative for those.

 

[Bio]

Does your Ankylosing Spondylitis affect other joints in your body?

Yes. This year was the worst! I wasn't going to go into it but if it helps someone then it's worth it. I was on Humira when Covid hit. I came off due to Humira lowering the immune system. It wasn't fun. I had to up pain medication and Ibuprofen. My doctor eventually put me on Otezla since it's not a biologic (Doesn't effect the immune system). It's not approved for AS yet but she kept me stocked with samples while she was trying to get it approved with the insurance company. I used it off and on because the side effects were rough for me...bad nausea and headaches. I already get cervicogenic headaches from thoracic and cervical inflammation, which are just like migraines. It sucks because they last for days! The last one lasted 4 days. Otezla did help some joints but not with my SI Joint pain. So, my doctor put me on Cocentyx, another biologic, in February. To start it, I had to be off of Otezla for a week. Within two to three days the pain was crippling. That's also when the 4 day headache/migraine started. It showed me what I really am without medication. The pain was excruciating and I walked with a bad limp. My feet, ankles, right knee, left elbow and hands were in terrible pain. Pain meds and Ibuprofen were less effective than ever...barely touched the pain. I started to organize my garage for the remodel and gym project. The first day my back went out and the second, third and fourth days my hands swelled up. I couldn't get my wedding ring off. My wife said, "I can't see your knuckles." The pain was terrible too! On February 24th I started the Cocentyx. It takes some time to work but even after a week I felt some relief in the smaller joints. Cocentyx is one shot a month. I just had my second shot on March 24th. I still have joint pain but not near as bad. Hopefully it keeps improving! My spine surgeon let me know that he is willing to fuse my SI Joint if the medication didn't relieve it and doesn't show any progress on fusing itself. My SI Joint has been pretty bad for the last two years. Makes my entire right hip hurts all the time and keeps me in a constant state of bursitis. It also causes sciatica due to the amount of inflammation surrounding the nerve(s). The Cocentyx is taking the pain down some but it's still too prominent.

Working out is a double edged sword. Sometimes it helps and other times it aggravates it. I train around the pain and do what I can.

 

[Bio]

^^^great to see these results for you brother

so what's your diet like?
still pushing calories (..size)?
do you do regular cardio?

thanks for posting ..these threads are always a great reminder

.

I realized I never answered you diet question. I can't give an exact breakdown because the last year it has been VERY half ass. I wasn't working out and became a lazy eater. Not a bodybuilder diet by any means and unlike me, I wasn't eating much at all. Sometimes just twice a day and for a short time the lazy eating extended into fast food. I dropped from 230lbs to 220lbs. I recently dropped to 215lbs but I cleaned up the diet and added fruits in and dropped some of the undesirable things like a lot of peanut butter! LOL!! I'm slowly adding oats back in, increasing red meat, chicken and protein drinks. White rice and sweet potatoes are making their way back in. I start working out tomorrow and I'll sit down and write my diet out. I'm on TRT. That will increase slowly as my body adjusts to the workouts and I progress!