Routine X-Ray Worries.

[nielsenjr97]

I'm 27, male, ex-smoker. I went to the hospital for a routine check-up and the reading showed "Atheromatous Aorta (Sclerotic Aortic Knob). Doc told me it's "normal" (I doubt it is for someone my age with no heart disease present in family history or any symptoms aside from the urge to take deep breaths a lot which I was told by the same Doc was a habit/developed breathing pattern). This same doctor even prescribed me Statins. So, I decided to get a 2nd opinion at another diagnostic clinic which read my x-ray as normal. I'm no doctor but I believe Atheromatous Aorta usually presents with visible calcification along the course of the aortic knob - I had the 2nd Radiologist look at it and he told me that there's nothing there and aortic knob isn't enlarged. I'm hoping he was right because now I'm worried if I've developed aortic atherosclerosis as such a young age when I have almost none of the risk factors aside from being an ex-smoker for 9 years (5 - 8 sticks a day). Lipids are fine as I was told - LDL-C and HDL-C were above optimal however Cholesterol was 214 (borderline high) Which brings me to the next question: Get a 3rd opinion, believe the 2nd doctor who looked at my initial x-ray chart and performed a second x-ray on me the very next day and told me that everything was perfectly fine, or consider the 1st one (who stated I have atheromatous aorta) and take the Statins and spend money on additional testing like a CT scan which he told me wasn't necessary unless I wanted to see the extent of the calcification/plaque in my arteries. I have severe health anxiety and cardiophobia and these questions are keeping me up every night. Thanks everyone in advance for answering my question.