Help me name this

Katie Williams said:

I am a slim, fit, 62 yr old F with excellent cholesterol and hi HDL. I
eat a healthy diet and exercise. And this still happened:

Calcium seems to build up in my coronary arteries in an unusual way to
say the least.

I had a cath 2/03 and the doctor told me I had a large "intraluminal
filling defect with mobile characteristics" almost totally blocking my
right coronary artery. In plain English, he described to me as a
"pebble" or pill-like shape of hard, calcified stuff stuck onto my
artery and he said he had never seen anything like it. There is a
smaller one just behind it and the other arteries have similar but
much more minor "defects". The largest "intraluminal filling defect
resisted the usual interventions, deformed the balloon for instance,
rolled away from the angiojet , which dissected my artery. He said I
was unique and an enigma when I asked him to tell me what this stuff
is. He referred me for an immediate bypass.

I having been trying to research what it was ever since. I want to
know how it happened to me and if the "minor defects" will get bigger,
etc. I dread another episode of major chf symptoms and another
bypass if the minor ones continue to grow. I can't believe I am that
unique, but I do live in a medium-sized town and I might be unique
here.

Is there a name for this condition?

Suspect it is simply occlusive coronary disease.

Quoted message said:

Is there a treatment to slow
progress of this kind of calcification buildup?

Lower serum cholesterol. Identification of other risk factors (Lp(a),
homocysteine, hsCRP) to address.

Quoted message said:

Or to prevent further
reoccurrences?
Thanks

Same as above.

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

Hi Katie,

Wow - what rotten luck! I don't have any hard proof that it will work
, but in your shoes I'd try an anti-inflammatory diet. First get a
CRP test to measure your level of inflammation. Are you having one
alcoholic drink per day? Are you eating oily fish or fish oil
supplements? Both can reduce inflammation. Also, follow the advice
here: http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030309/030309eatsmart.html
Then re-test your CRP level.

[email hidden] (Katie Williams) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am a slim, fit, 62 yr old F with excellent cholesterol and hi HDL. I
eat a healthy diet and exercise. And this still happened:

Calcium seems to build up in my coronary arteries in an unusual way to
say the least.

I had a cath 2/03 and the doctor told me I had a large "intraluminal
filling defect with mobile characteristics" almost totally blocking my
right coronary artery. In plain English, he described to me as a
"pebble" or pill-like shape of hard, calcified stuff stuck onto my
artery and he said he had never seen anything like it. There is a
smaller one just behind it and the other arteries have similar but
much more minor "defects". The largest "intraluminal filling defect
resisted the usual interventions, deformed the balloon for instance,
rolled away from the angiojet , which dissected my artery. He said I
was unique and an enigma when I asked him to tell me what this stuff
is. He referred me for an immediate bypass.

I having been trying to research what it was ever since. I want to
know how it happened to me and if the "minor defects" will get bigger,
etc. I dread another episode of major chf symptoms and another
bypass if the minor ones continue to grow. I can't believe I am that
unique, but I do live in a medium-sized town and I might be unique
here.

Is there a name for this condition? Is there a treatment to slow
progress of this kind of calcification buildup? Or to prevent further
reoccurrences?
Thanks

Thanks Brad, I'll check it out. As I said I have extremely good
cholesterol numbers and always have had. - this was not ordinary,
compressible plaque. I was just hoping that in a big venue like this
one- I wouldn't be unique.

Katie

[email hidden] (Brad Sheppard) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi Katie,

Wow - what rotten luck! I don't have any hard proof that it will work
, but in your shoes I'd try an anti-inflammatory diet. First get a
CRP test to measure your level of inflammation. Are you having one
alcoholic drink per day? Are you eating oily fish or fish oil
supplements? Both can reduce inflammation. Also, follow the advice
here: http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030309/030309eatsmart.html
Then re-test your CRP level.

[email hidden] (Katie Williams) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am a slim, fit, 62 yr old F with excellent cholesterol and hi HDL. I
eat a healthy diet and exercise. And this still happened:

Calcium seems to build up in my coronary arteries in an unusual way to
say the least.

I had a cath 2/03 and the doctor told me I had a large "intraluminal
filling defect with mobile characteristics" almost totally blocking my
right coronary artery. In plain English, he described to me as a
"pebble" or pill-like shape of hard, calcified stuff stuck onto my
artery and he said he had never seen anything like it. There is a
smaller one just behind it and the other arteries have similar but
much more minor "defects". The largest "intraluminal filling defect
resisted the usual interventions, deformed the balloon for instance,
rolled away from the angiojet , which dissected my artery. He said I
was unique and an enigma when I asked him to tell me what this stuff
is. He referred me for an immediate bypass.

I having been trying to research what it was ever since. I want to
know how it happened to me and if the "minor defects" will get bigger,
etc. I dread another episode of major chf symptoms and another
bypass if the minor ones continue to grow. I can't believe I am that
unique, but I do live in a medium-sized town and I might be unique
here.

Is there a name for this condition? Is there a treatment to slow
progress of this kind of calcification buildup? Or to prevent further
reoccurrences?
Thanks

Katie,

I'm by no means an expert - so I can't say how "unique" your problem
is. One research doc I have great respect for is Dr. Gabe Mirkin.
You can try calling his radio show www.mirkin.com I've done it in the
past and gotten good answers - BTW its free.

[email hidden] (Katie Williams) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Thanks Brad, I'll check it out. As I said I have extremely good
cholesterol numbers and always have had. - this was not ordinary,
compressible plaque. I was just hoping that in a big venue like this
one- I wouldn't be unique.

Katie

[email hidden] (Brad Sheppard) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi Katie,

Wow - what rotten luck! I don't have any hard proof that it will work
, but in your shoes I'd try an anti-inflammatory diet. First get a
CRP test to measure your level of inflammation. Are you having one
alcoholic drink per day? Are you eating oily fish or fish oil
supplements? Both can reduce inflammation. Also, follow the advice
here: http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030309/030309eatsmart.html
Then re-test your CRP level.

[email hidden] (Katie Williams) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am a slim, fit, 62 yr old F with excellent cholesterol and hi HDL. I
eat a healthy diet and exercise. And this still happened:

Calcium seems to build up in my coronary arteries in an unusual way to
say the least.

I had a cath 2/03 and the doctor told me I had a large "intraluminal
filling defect with mobile characteristics" almost totally blocking my
right coronary artery. In plain English, he described to me as a
"pebble" or pill-like shape of hard, calcified stuff stuck onto my
artery and he said he had never seen anything like it. There is a
smaller one just behind it and the other arteries have similar but
much more minor "defects". The largest "intraluminal filling defect
resisted the usual interventions, deformed the balloon for instance,
rolled away from the angiojet , which dissected my artery. He said I
was unique and an enigma when I asked him to tell me what this stuff
is. He referred me for an immediate bypass.

I having been trying to research what it was ever since. I want to
know how it happened to me and if the "minor defects" will get bigger,
etc. I dread another episode of major chf symptoms and another
bypass if the minor ones continue to grow. I can't believe I am that
unique, but I do live in a medium-sized town and I might be unique
here.

Is there a name for this condition? Is there a treatment to slow
progress of this kind of calcification buildup? Or to prevent further
reoccurrences?
Thanks

Katie Williams said:

Thanks Brad, I'll check it out. As I said I have extremely good
cholesterol numbers and always have had. - this was not ordinary,
compressible plaque. I was just hoping that in a big venue like this
one- I wouldn't be unique.

Calcified plaque is often not very compressible.

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/