Surgery on Carotid Artery

My mother recently had surgery on her carotid artery.  They said it was calcified.

This is my question:  I am 40 and currently take 1200 mg of calcium supplements (plus whatever I get in my food for the day) as the recommended amount to help avoid osteoporosis in the future.  My latest bone scan at age 40 was better than age 39 so I know the calcium supplements are working. One of my aunts was taking extra calcium and had some kind of calcium deposit on her foot.  She said when she quit taking the calcium it went away. Does that sound right?
This extra calcium I am taking now scares me.  I know enough research has probably not been done to know if extra calcium may cause a problem.  Quite frankly, I would rather shrink when I get older and be a little brittle than have calcium buildups in my arteries and risk a stroke and have to have surgery.
Could I please get your comments concerning this matter?  

Also, my mother is on aspirin therapy (Ecotrin 81mg).  It seems everyone takes it in the morning to start their day but I read you benefit more by taking it in the evening because something is elevated a few hours before you wake.  I guess that sounds logical since a lot of heart attacks happen early in the morning.
Your thoughts?

Thank you for the opportunity to post my questions.

[CCF-M.D.-KE]

Dear sir,

Current recommendations for calcium intake include 1000mg per day in premenopausal women and men, and 1500mg per day in postmenopausal women who do not take estrogen. The primary side effects related to calcium intake include constipation and abdominal discomfort. One study also suggested an increase in kidney stones associated with increased calcium intake. The side effect you mentioned is very unusual, I would make sure your aunt does not have gout which can cause deposits in the feet. There is much less data regarding the intake of calcium in men. If you decide to take calcium supplements, I would follow the above recommendations.

We typically do not recommend that patients take aspirin at any specific time, we ask them to take it at the same time every day in order to improve compliance. Aspirin irreversibly inhibits platelet function(specifically aggregation). The life span of a platelet is approximately 10 days and the inhibitory effect of aspirin is throughout the platelet's life-span. Thus taking aspirin in the morning or evening should not have a tremendous effect on the overall benefit of aspirin.


Thanks for your question,


CCF-MD-KE