Stomach/intestinal gas realated palps/afib

[tigger2211]

Im posting this in hopes that somebody out there is going through the same thing as me and has found a "cure"!

I get heart palpitations and episodes of afib from stomach and intestinal gas. Been to the doc, heart is fine, blood work is fine, blah blah blah. Been reading FAR too many posts where Dr's do NOT believe that there is a connection between stomach issues and heart rhythm and Im starting to get VERY frustrated. You can't call yourself a Dr, if you're not going to LISTEN to your patient and BELIEVE them. I know for FACT that it is stomach gas that is causing my arrythmia! Nobody knows my body like "I" know my body, but nobody is willing to listen and help.

Anyway, I have lost 35lbs over the span of a couple of years because of this. If I eat too much, my heart palpitates like crazy, so there are times where I've resorted to eating toddler size portions because I didn't want to "upset" my heart. I don't know why this has even started to begin with?! If I have trapped gas in my stomach and twist or bend over the "wrong" way, then my heart goes into afib.

I've been trying to find a cure for the stomach issues in hopes it will fix the heart ones. Changed diet, researched stomach diseases, meds after meds after teas after vitamins, blah blah blah. Nothing. Its still happening. I DO have a thyroid nodule, but it is benign and my TSH is in the "low normal" range. So, I don't know if maybe that has something to do with it? Doesn't matter anyway, cuz my stupid doctor is doing nothing to help me figure this out.

I have lost ALL faith in doctors and pray that I don't get a serious illness or injury because Im sure to be left to die. Im on my own now and resorting to the help of fellow sufferers.

I just really want to know why this came out of nowhere and how to make it stop. Of ALL the health issues in the world, I had to get THIS one. I know it could be worse, but this is ruining my life and the lives of my children because I cant do anything or go anywhere because god forbid, I have a freakin' heart attack in the middle of the grocery store because some stupid doctor "has no idea whats wrong with me, see's no connection between the stomach and the heart, pushes pills saying its just anxiety, etc......".

SOOOO sorry for sounding ignorant, but Im beyond fed up living like this. Please help!!

[professorruss]

I have found that certain foods will set off the exact symptoms described by many here. Sometimes my symptoms last for a couple of days or longer. In my case, some, but not all, fried foods like french fries seem to trigger irregular heart beats. It may be potatoes in general, but I really notice it after eating fried foods at a restaurant. Not so much at home. I think it's the kind of oil used. Some bread products will also trigger my irregular heart beats... particularly pizza. I've been seeing a cardiologist for three years now. He says my heart is healthy with the exception that one of the aortic muscles is thickening. Also, I've gone to the emergency room on three different occasions with my symptoms, thinking that I'm having a heart attack. The doctors can find nothing definitive. I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in this situation, and hope that as more of us share the concerns, there might be more research done in this area. I'm convinced that there is a correlation between stomach functioning and heart palpitations.

[Joaquin7]

Same thing happens to me, starts couple years ago. I take out a lot of foods from my diet to see and i get couple months free of skeep beats. If i eat bread, cakes ,pizza starts again. Iam glad to find this post. Doctors always told me that is not a conection between Heart and stomach,but isnt true. J.O NC

[Eldub]

I am lactose intolerant. If I consume dairy products without taking lactaid, I will surely develop gas and the irregular heart beat will follow which produces a bit of anxiety. Gas-X will help relieve the gas and the arrhythmia. I will often take a Pepcid AC Complete as well. If my gas issue is relieved, my arrhythmia goes away. You can also have an intolerance to certain carbohydrates. If so, you lack the enzyme to properly break them down and gas and bloating results which brings on the arrhythmia.   Beano will often prevent excess gas cause by the improper metabolism of the carbs.
I have had this issue for more than 20 years and had to figure it out on my own. Most GPs just don't get the connection. It's been frustrating and scary at the same time. Thankfully, I have learn through trial and error how to control my symptoms. Hope this helps.

[SteveK0524]

Nexium helped my stomach issues which helped my irregular heart beats. As long as I take nexium cut down on caffeine nicotine and alcohol my heart doesn't skip beats or shoot up to 250bpm. I no longer need to take propanolol. Exercise is not a bad idea as well. Thanks for your post I felt the same way it's nice to know it's not just in my head. Every dr I've seen has been useless.

[ProximaCentauri]

I posted the below on Dec 15, 2017. As I think it is perhaps significant, I am presenting it here so it will appear at the top of this thread:

"I suffer from most or all of the symptoms described by posters in this forum. My doctors dismiss any connection to the gut - yet here is what I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roemheld_syndrome.

This EXPLAINS IT ALL. From my own experience, I can categorically state it applies a hundred percent to my symptoms.

The strangest part of it is, Roemheld Syndrome appears to be recognized as a distinct condition only in Germany.

I hope this helps ...

[Ariellaa]

I have had issues with AF SVT and ectopic beats. I was hospitalised numerous times from severe episodes. I felt like it was ruining my life and getting worse and knew it was somehow related to digestion. I started an autoimmune protocol diet that eliminates nuts, seeds, grains, dairy, spices, nightshades and any artificial flavours colours and preservatives. About a week into it I noticed no more ectopic beats or runs of SVT or AF. When I started to add back some foods I realised I reacted to nuts, gluten, dairy and tomatoes and chilli. I had unknowingly been eating foods I had an intolerance too. Since cutting out those foods for good I have been symptom free. Try an elimination diet or get a food sensitivity test done. Good luck.

[bchambers05]

So primarily what can you eat then..that takes out alot of healthy foods and ingredients in foods and food prep

[JACQUI10]

I've been dealing with VTach for almost a year now. I am 33 yrs old. I've started noticing a pattern related to fullness or over eating and my arrythmia. I noticed that the times my VTach starts, is when I'm full, bloated, over weight, or gassy.  I truly feel there is a correlation between the two. I now eat minni meals with fear of another episode. I do feel that I am burping up more air than usual. I think if I get the bloating/burping issue solved, that I can prevent my episodes from happening.  This question you posted makes me feel better that others have had this problem and I'm not alone. Yet, in turn, I feel that it may be over looked by cardiologists or even EP specialists. I will discuss this in detail with my EP and see what his thoughts are.

[Tryeverything]

Try taking GABA. It worked to resolve my PVCs which were closely linked to my esophageal, epigastric issues. Go online and look up articles about GABA and PVCs. I took 500mg twice a day for a long time and it worked like magic...I actually started out taking even more than that but I think 500mg twice a day is sufficient. I'm down to 500mg daily now and some days I take less or skip and am still PVC free. There is good science supporting why this therapy has worked. Palpitations are even documented to be a symptom of GABA deficiency. Give it a try. It not only has resolved the PVCs but has resolved the trapped gas and inability to belch issues. The PVCs are caused by the vagus nerve which is strongly influenced by the parasympathetic nervous system which is in turn influenced to a large degree by GABA levels. I have studied everything I could get my hands on and have come to the conclusion that the GABA works and the reasons it works is rooted in good science. When I spoke to 3 cardiologists at my work, they all agreed that it makes sense that it would work and they all said they would try tori patients on the GABA before trying them on beta blockers. There is real hope for people with benign PVCs here. You can order GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) at any Heath food store or on line. GABA is an amino acid that your body makes from glutamine and vit B6. It works as a neuro transmitter in your brain and body. Read all you can on the Internet about it. I started looking on yahoo search engine..."GABA and PVCs" and that's where my study started. By the time I connected the dots, I decided that it might help and wouldn't hurt to give it a try. I am PVC free now and have been for months. I know now that I was GABA deficient and that I had a GABA deficiency crisis which triggered a flood of chronic and frequent PVCs as well as upper GI digestive/gas issues. The crisis in my case was triggered by a period of prolonged high stress (I built a house while working full time as a nurse and was my own contractor.) I sure hope people will give this therapy a try. It has been a miracle for me.