Cholesterol 30% to 100% in 5 years

I had valve surgery 5 years ago at the age of 56. At that time the cardio cath showed 30% occlusion of the RCA and the other arteries clear and it was decided that no bypass was necessary. I was put on a statin following surgery and told I didn't have to worry about cholesterol ever again.

Here we are 5 years later and the RCA is completely occluded while the others show minimum build up of plaque. This led to cardiac arrest 4 weeks ago. Needless to say I'm very disappointed in the original diagnosis.

My question is how long does it take to go from 30% to 100% normally and shouldn't the statin have helped slow this all down?

Thanks

Jerry

[ed34]

Hi Jerry.
How often have you been having blood cholesterol tests over those 5 years? I have one at least once a year, usually twice. You have to monitor the levels and adjust your diet if the levels are creeping up.

With regards to how long a blockage takes, it can take a couple of months. It depends on other factors too and not just your cholesterol levels. People who have stressful lives tend to develop blockages fairly quickly, regardless of their cholesterol levels. Smoking is another contributor. If you are a laid back person, low cholesterol, normal blood pressure, none smoker, healthy eater, good exerciser then you would expect to wait a long time for a blockage to get much worse.
I'm surprised that you had a heart attack to be honest because the RCA is normally very good at developing collaterals (Natural BYpasses). Did they Stent it?

[Flycaster305]

I'm wondering if you remember the conversation correctly five years ago.  No health professional I've met would ever suggest statins are a guaranteed product.  I'm a volunteer at the Cardiac wing of a hospital as I've had a number of conditions and procedures dealing with aggressive Cardiac Artery Disease, and I assure you we talk about other causes as well.  

I'm sorry you have this challenge.  Statins are just a part of the strategies to control CAD.  If you have 100% blockage and experienced cardiac arrest, I'm sure bypass surgery is suggested or you already have had the procedure.

People with CAD need to take Statins, for sure, but also need to lose weight, control diabetes, reduce stress and above all, exercise daily and common sense suggests a heart healthy diet.  I'd learn as much as you can and change any behaviors that add to the problem of CAD.  There is a Cholesterol board that this site supports.  You would get other ideas there.

Try not to get too discouraged, the heart is one of the few organs that can be actually fixed, but it includes teamwork of family, the patient and the medical community to educate and support efforts to reduce risk factors.  Keep us informed.

[Computec]

Thank you both for your comments.

I have my cholesterol tested every three months and that has been the regimen since the valve replacement.

As for the conversation of 5 years ago I remember it well. I told my PCP about it and he insisted that I take the statin regardless of what the cardiologist said.

I posed the question of the collateral arteries to my cardiologist a few days ago and,from my own research know that they can't develop from the RCA if the blockage is at the top of the vessel. He assured me that they develop from the other two major vessels feeding the heart.

No. I have not had the bypass surgery. I my mind the bypass would serve little purpose at this point anyway since the damage is already done to that area of the heart.

At the time of the event the cardiologist tried to insert a stent and he also tried an angioplasty but he couldn't insert the cath into the vessel so those courses were both abandoned. As it is I see myself with nothing done to correct the situation except taking a couple more pills a day.

By the way, my cholesterol has been between 170 and 200 since the valve replacement.
With my new diet, I'm at 145 as of yesterday.

Jerry

[Computec]

By the way, cholesterol was not an issue 5 years ago. That's why the cardiologist said I'd never have to worry about it. AT 150 pounds and 6'2" with BP of 115/65 as a normal and cholesterol levels at around 200 and the age of 56... To quote the doctor: "You'd be dead long before cholesterol becomes an issue."

5 years. That's all it took.

Jerry