Carotid Artery

Well during my blood pressure check and visit. The doctor (family practice dr) looked at my results from my stress test and my carotid artery ultrasound.  I passed my stress which I knew, but then he tells me that I have plaque in both my carotid's something about 16%-49%, stenosis, but that it wasn't affecting blood flow.and that they don't get worried about it till they are 80%.
He suggested 81 mg baby aspirin.   My cholesterol is fine at 159 my LDL in within normal as is my HDL my trigs are good.  I am not in cholesterol medicines.  The stress test came back no evidence of CAD.
The BIG question: Why didn't my cardiologist say anything to me? He had my test in his hand and said everything came back fine.

I'll begin the search for a new cardiologist tomorrow.
I'll also get a copy of the test so I can figure it out.
Honestly, I am ticked off.

Anyone else have any information, experience with carotid artery stuff?

Thank you.

[ed34]

No personally, but my Mother in Law has 60% blockages in hers. She is on medication because she had problems from them. She would often faint, or get severe dizziness.
They have said that if her symptoms are not controlled by medication then they will look at intervention surgery. So far, 6 months, the medication is helping.

[Trackermom]

Is it blood pressure medicine?  

Seems that blood pressure is the reason I have some stenosis.  Well again I am being treated.  I really wish the doctor would have been more forthcoming with what having high blood pressure can do I would have started treatment two years ago when it hit 140/90.
Then it went to 160/100 for awhile.  

Well it is under control with minimum dosages. So that should stop progression.
Thankfully I don't have a cholesterol problem.  

[cardiobill]

Hi trackermom,
We meant on another thread about aortic aneurysm.

I perform and manage a cardiovascular lab performing many tests including carotid artery tests.

Given the nature of ultrasound and having seen that many radiologists read the tests that have no clue as to what they are reading, some do, many do actually.

The result is that even if it says, actually we read normal tests as and I quote, "Normal flow with less than 50% stenosis"
That is stated on EVERY normal report and I posted on another thread a day or two ago when I popped in here. That, even if no plaque is seen, its often stated as minimal plaque noted, basically its b/c if you say NO plaque and there is plaque and everyone who does these tests knows there is no way to visualize the whole carotid artery b/c of anatomy and structures. That if you say No plaque you are a setup to a huge lawsuit if an unvisualized portion does indeed have a plaque, that it is irregular and traps blood that coagulates and comes loose and causes a stroke. Then you are sunk.
So moral of the story is, its a normal test with the typical CYA medicalese written into it (cover your ***). And your cardiologist recognized it as he also reads these tests and knows the lingo. The primary doctor well, they play in a different world that cardiovascular people with way more on their plate.

Continue doing what you are doing, take your benicar hct for bp control, control your cholesterol, dont smoke and exericse and get skinny.
There, I saved you a few office visits and some $$$
The old joke in cardiac medicine is "that all we know about cardiac medicine, it really just boils down to walking an hour a day".

Now it can be that simple in most people, but some stragglers can have the liver causing cholesterol problems or kidneys set their bp thermostat too high and you need meds.
But still, getting to ideal weight and then walking an hour a day. You';ll never have to worry about this stuff

[Trackermom]

I dropped most of the weight I've lost recently went I stopped taking Paxil.  Now I have to work a little harder and when I get that exercise in I lose.  I've stabilized the last 4 weeks.  But the diet is still back to normal and I didn't really go crazy over the holiday.

I am on a good track.  

thank you again for your insight. It is very helpful to my emotional aspect of this stuff.