First, what I do know from this first appointment is mostly good news. Becky and I both liked the doctor. She wants to be very aggressive in getting things under control since most of the plaque found on the CT scan was in the left main artery. She did say my heart sounded good, and the EKG they did in the office (my first EKG ever) looked good. Thumbs up on those two data points.
What we don't know is how much the artery is actually blocked. So, more tests. I have a complete echocardiogram and a stress test scheduled for March. Those will give us more data to discuss at a follow up in late March.
The main things the doctor wants me to concentrate on right now are lowering my LDL cholesterol (from 133 to 55!), losing weight, and starting to exercise. I got the feeling that the cholesterol number was the biggest goal. You can't reverse plaque buildup (which was news to me), so we need to do whatever we can to prevent it from getting any worse.
My goal is to make every effort to lower my LDL number without starting any type of statin medication. In fact, I don't want to start any more medications that could create more side effects that need to be treated and that could potentially damage my liver and/or kidneys. One transplant patient in the house is enough. That was one of the reasons I started to lose weight last summer. I wanted to see if I could lower my weight enough that I wouldn't need to stay on blood pressure medication. I was on a good path until the Disney vacation and holidays rolled around. Now I just need to get back on the bus, and maybe upgrade the bus to a Mustang or something.
So, are you ready for a new adventure? Well, ready or not, here we go! I'm starting a new journey, doing more research for my medical internship, and asking for more support from our wonderful army of prayer warriors! Let's just hope this journey doesn't accelerate into a race against time like Becky's did.
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