Stomach Issue?

[rcthomp]

Just lately i've been having issues after eating. Generally my heart rate accelerates, I feel light headed and it feels harder to breathe. I have to usually get up and walk around as everything feels 'too close'. Anyway, the thing is walking around makes it easier to deal with, but what seems to always calm it down is a V8.

I can feel horrible, shakey, short of breath, nervous, but a V8 seems to calm all of that down. At first I was thinking it was an anxiety condition, but its almost always related to having just eaten, or not having eaten for a while.

Lately i've been pretty fatigued most of the time and the mornings are rougher with each passing day of the work week. This has cut into my energy and ambition quite a bit. I spend more time worried about 'keeping things going' till I can get home and sit the rest of the evening in relative comfort.

Could it be blood sugar? Stomach acid issues? I want to see a doctor about this but I am not sure where they should look, and general examinations in the past have never revealed anything they felt was important enough to talk about.

For about a year I drank regularly, but soon stopped when these issues started showing up. I went out drinking with friends a few weeks ago, had beer, and a few hours later I had an attack as described above, but this was before I started keeping V8 around. I dont smoke and I have been on a low fat/carb diet which was pretty strict due to the lack of daily activity.

I suspect this may be a stomach issue since iirc tomate juice neutralizes acids to a degree?

[ebjb]

Yes I hope it's a digestion issue and not a heart issue too, but I never have chest pains, just lightheaded and fatigued a lot, when my heart starts beating fast. Check it out with your doctor anyway. I had a monitor on for several days as I can flip in and out of AF and everytime I went to doctor it wasn't there. The monitor showed up what was happening. No harm done in having it checked out anyway. Good Luck!

[rcthomp]

Oh V8? its a drink. It has mostly tomato juice and a bunch of vegetable stuff. For some reason when im having issues a small can of it seems to settle things.

I do need to see doctor but it always helps to have a few ideas of where they should look. This kinda thing feels like a heart thing, but it tends to happen after meals. So id think blood sugar or stomach maybe.

Truth be told the stairs at work get my heart pounding pretty good at the usual 140 ish range i'd wager, but never out of control and I never have chest pains. Just lightheaded and fatigued a lot.

In any case, thanks for the tip, I will keep that in mind. I sincerely hope its a digestion issue and not a heart issue.

[ebjb]

I don't know what you mean my V8 ? Is it a sedative? You should go ask your doctor as I suffer from Paroxysmal (occasional) Atrial Fibrillation which gives me the symptoms you are describing - when you eat your heart does have to work just a bit harder and when I eat a large meal I go into Atrial Fibrillation (AF) which makes my heart start beating more rapidly and bumping around in there which makes me feel light headed, dizzy and fatigued. I've had AF for years well controlled by medication so don't worry about it - just wanted you to get it checked out to be on safe side.