How To Get A Cardiac CT Calcium Score - I Discovered My Heart Is Blocked More Than 90% of People My Age.

Why you should get a Cardiac CT Calcium Score of Your Heart & How To Do It

My friend Matt Hill died from a widow maker heart attack at age 41. He had an 80% blockage of left anterior descending coronary artery in his heart. On May 1, the same day that I was dedicating the Outstanding Alumni Award in his honor, I was informed that I have Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH or hardening of the heart tissue) and a Calcium CT Score of 39.  This means that my heart is blocked more than 90% of people my age.

While very scary, my condition is mild, it is treatable, but it is not reversible.  At my age (43), my score should be Zero.  The phrase “We caught it early!” comes to mind and I feel quite fortunate for that.

The blockage in my heart is in the exact same artery as his. But whereas his score would have probably been closer to 800, mine was only 39. I was quite literally slowly following my dear friend into the grave. (Although he was cremated so this visualization doesn’t fit perfectly) 

Most likely the hardening of my heart was due my high blood pressure in the years before my Year Of The Opposite when I made the decision to finally fix my health. Just like your biceps, if your heart muscle works hard, it will too get hard.  Only, in this case, it’s bad.  

The Calcium buildup in my heart is most likely due to high cholesterol and/or genetics. 

I was frightened by this information but I am using this fear to be proactive about my health and not let it get any worse.  I’ve run 38 miles since I was told this news and I have re-committed myself to a healthy diet and lowering my stress.  

But this post isn’t about me. It’s about you. 

If you are over the age of 40, (maybe 35) it is my non-medical opinion that you should consider getting a CT Calcium Score done on yourself. The test is easy, painless, quick, non-invasive, and it will only cost you about $200 out-of-pocket without insurance covering it. 

First let’s get this out of the way: 

1. I am not a doctor and I am not qualified to give anyone medical advice.  

2. Some of the medical community does not think that this information is helpful and can cause more harm than good in healthy patients without other risk factors that would warrant this test.  

3. You should consult with your trusted doctor for better advice than what I can provide. 

With that being said, I think that this test can be a valuable tool for evaluating your heart health at this point in time for two primary reasons.  The first being, you could potentially discover a blockage that you can proactively fix and you may have the chance at averting sudden death from a heart attack. 

Many people that die of a heart attack had no warning that it was coming. Heart attacks are on the rise for adults under 50 years old. But admittedly and thankfully, it is unlikely that you will have a score as high as what impacted Matt. But if I do, it could be an extremely valuable discovery that could literally save your life.

The second reason, and I think this applies to more people, is that you can use the score as a tool to better inform your actions and behaviors in the future. This tool should be especially useful to the types of people that can receive potentially scary information and use it as a tool to inspire positive action and growth.  

If you prefer not to know such details, it might be best to skip the test. There’s nothing wrong with living life as you choose and letting nature take its course.

For the people that want to get this done, please read on. 

How To Get Your Calcium CT Test Done and Get A Calcium CT Score For Yourself

You should start with consulting your primary care doctor but it is possible that they will be reluctant to order this test and it is almost certain that the cost will not be covered by your insurance.  That is what happened to me.  I would advise you to listen to your doctor over me.  I’m just an idiot on the internet.  

But if the test is still important to you and your doctor will not order it, you can seek out a cardiologist yourself.  I was lucky to have a friend (And paid subscriber! ) Jeff Dehan that was able to connect me with a cardiologist friend that was able to order my test at McLaren.  

However, if you google “CT Scan Center” you will find the providers in your area that can perform this test.  Call them and ask if you need a referral to have a “Cardiac CT Calcium Score”.  If you have any trouble, let me know in the comments and I will help you find a lab that will work with you.  

What Can You Do If You Get A High Score?

While your calcium score is not reversible, this is NOT a death sentence.

In fact, this could be the start of your healthy heart journey.  There are many things you can do to stop this from getting worse like: Addressing your lifestyle, lowering your blood pressure, lowering your cholesterol, reducing your stress, increasing your cardiac fitness, and quitting smoking. 

If they discover that you have a more serious issue, there are also interventions that can help to potentially save your life. Like a CT angiogram, heart catheter, stent, taking statins, and many others that I’m not qualified to discuss.  

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I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

If you enjoyed this, disagree with it, or have suggestions for improvement, please comment below, reply to this email, or send me a text. My goal is to share information and get smarter.

If you decide to get a CT Calcium Score, please let me know your experience and how it went without divulging any sensitive health information that you don’t want to share.

*Sorry, no podcast today as I am on a flight. Do you miss the podcast versions? I’d love to know.