We met with our primary care physician today. For the most part we reviewed Jim’s blood test results. The best news is that Jim’s LDL (bad cholesterol) level has plunged to 44 from the 109 level that he had on the day of the heart attack. The concerning news is that Jim’s HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) level is now 27. The HDL level needs to rise to above 40. I’m figuring that the reduction in both the HDL and LDL cholesterol levels is mostly due to Crestor, the cholesterol lowering medication that Jim takes daily.
Our doctor told us that exercise and eating the good Omega/fish oil fats and flax seeds will usually raise the HDL cholesterol level. She says that Jim can consume these fish oils in pill form – 1000 units/day.
The other surprising and concerning news is that Jim’s Glucose fasting blood level is now 109 mg/dL. That is considered pre-hyperglycemic, or pre-diabetic, these days. The glucose blood level should be below 99. So Jim needs to eat lean proteins, and reduce his intake of grains and root plants (i.e. potatoes) – what grains he eats should be whole grain. (I will be posting more about the Cardiac-Diabetes Diet in the next few days.)
We asked the doctor about salt intake. She said that it really isn’t possible to eat too little salt – that Jim shouldn’t eat more than 2000 units of salt daily.
Our doctor suggested that Jim should reduce his weight to 200 pounds – Jim is 6′ 2″.
We also had a discussion of the heart attack and what prior indications there might have been that it could happen. On December 21, 2006, Jim had a CTA (cat scan angiogram) of his torso. We did this, just to check if there might be any sign of health problems. A radiologist read the CTA and the scan did show that the LAD (left anterior descending cardiac artery) demonstrates mild mixed plaque in its proximal portion resulting in 20-40% stenosis. The report continues, distal to this, there is a dominant diagonal branch which is patent. The circumflex exhibits approximately 20-40% stenosis in its proximal portion due to noncalcific plaque. Distal to this, there is an obtuse marginal which is patent. The coronary calcium score is 5 by the Agatston method and 10 by the volume method. Mild, nonhemodynamically significant coronary artery disease. (This scan did show that Jim’s other 2 coronary arteries are not blocked, which is what the cardiologist saw during the catheterization.) We are encouraged by this finding because it sounds to us like there aren’t likely any other plaque deposits in Jim’s coronary arteries that can rupture and cause another heart attack. But we sure would like to know what caused the vulnerable plaque to rupture last month, that cause the heart attack.
We asked the doctor if Jim’s having had a heart attack at the age of 56, meant that his siblings or adult children should make changes in their own medical care. She told us that family history is usually a medical wild card. Our adult children will probably benefit by improving their diet and living a better heart healthy lifestyle. She said that his siblings should consider discussing this with their doctors, and that their doctors could decide to put his siblings on a cholesterol lowering medicine.
Our doctor recommends that Jim continue walking every day. Jim will begin cardiac rehab in April, when he will be taught how to increase the intensity of his exercise regimen.
Read Jim’s complete blood test results below the jump.
vadkins
