heart palpitation and bowel movements

[twogirls]

I am a 35yo female that has suffered from heart palpitations for the last several years. I have had every test that you can think of.  They all come back as normal.  My cardiologist says that some people suffer from palpitations for no reason.  It just seems like when I have palpitations that I automaticlly need to have a bowel movement.  Does anyone else suffer from that? I have been told that is not a sign of any heart problem.  The palpitation bother me to the point that I am afraid that I will have a heart attack.

[MrsAJG]

Dear all. I found this site this morning. I have had IBS all my life (I'm 53) and recently diverticulitis and also have been advised I have "lower left ventricle failure". In the last few months, I have had a flare up of diverticulitis (coinciding with a 6-month absence from the gym and a new job) and very strong heart palpitations. I strongly suspected a link between the diverticulitis and heart "thing" but the GP denied knowledge of any link between bowel and heart, was patronising and dismissive and sent me away (after I secured a 2nd prescription for co-amoxiclav). I live in the UK where the GPs are so under pressure it's easier for them to be rude and send you away than to spend any time or money on making you feel more comfortable - physically and emotionally - with your symptoms.  Thank you all for your postings. This Sunday I feel better armed with information and much more assured it's not me being attention-seeking or a hypochondriac.  Thank you again.

[Torq24]

Your gastro didn't tell you that stomach, small and large intestine and Colin spasms can cause a simple, generalized anxiety?? Librax is made with a diazepam for the reason entirely. He should know this and told you if only for your anxiety and psychology. This is normal apparently. So if you already auffer the stomach anxiety added to stomach-caused anxiety doesn't help. Hence why I'm sitting here now, hopefully over the mountain and headed towards being ok again after having what I think is a gas attack which then caused diarrhea which led to skipped and slamming heartbeats. Thought I'd pass out. I didn't but it put me in a panic attack that I've had to fight off. Sucks. But it's all so closely related.

[AmySabato]

I am never diagnosed WHILE I am having the episode. I have have SVT, Atrial Fib, the 'I might pass out feeling', and others, and am told all is fine.
While I understand you HAVE to CATCH these episodes while they are occurring, how can a patient be told "all is well", when an episode has never yet been "caught" during tests performed? I'm curious about this.

[AmySabato]

You have hit on something I ask all the time. I feel arrhythmias, I feel like I am going to have A-Fib, I am on Inderal 80 mg - diagnosed with a normal healthy EKG and Echog...yet I wonder how a patient can have, for example, the symptoms I am having (electrical problem or not) and be given meds, yet no other attention is paid to these things. Of course, it can be attributed to stress, but not when symptoms are so severe that a patient almost passes out. At SOME point your heart HAS to be telling you, "Help, I'm not as 'normal' as you think". LOL  

[seeburg220]

Hi all.  Google is great:  I have noticed that recently, when I get palpitations, I too have to immediately go #2.  This is something new; I have had occasional palpitations for 20+ years, and Afib episodes 4 or 5 times as well.   I am glad that I found out I'm not alone.

Some things I have noted about me over the years as I get older (50):

caffeine, chocolate, MSG, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Soybean oil : ALL of them have either put me into full blown Atrial Fibrillation (requiring hospitalization) or a steady bout of palpitations.   It seems the older I get, the worse it is and the more things I am finding out don't agree with my nervous system.    MSG and similar food additives are in tons of prepared foods, fast foods.   Chik Fil A's website lists MSG twice in the ingredient list for its chicken sandwich !   I can never eat there again.

It pays to read labels and ask questions about your foods.  

Stress lately, has been the big cause for my palpitations.  I have more drama in my life than I can shake a stick at; stuff that I previously hadn't had to ever deal with.   It's affecting my job and health.

Glad to share and I'm glad you all shared your stories.

Thanks !

[itsyagirl_]

Hi, it's been a while since you posted, but I'm having the same issues. I have also experienced heat radiating from my stomach for short periods of time (about 30 min at a time).  Have you been tested for thyroid problems?  Blood work has shown that I am hyperthyroid and I suspect I have something called leaky gut and possibly the autoimmune thyroid disease, Graves' disease.  It sounds like we may have some of the same type of thing going on. Thyroid problems affect lots of people, and often go undiagnosed for a long time bc the symptoms are common to other health issues. The good news is, if this turns out to be something you are experiencing too, it can all but be resolved with diet.  Gluten is a BIG factor in thyroid health (and metabolic/inflammatory disease in general). Gluten tricks the intestinal walls into allowing particles of it to pass through into the bloodstream. This alone causes your immune system to attack the gluten cells and the cells around it, but it's more specifically tied to thyroid problems bc your body builds antibodies for these gluten particles, which happen to be similar chemically to the thyroid, meaning that they can attack the thyroid as well.  Caffeine is also a thing to avoid, as it is a stimulant, and your adrenals react to it just like stress.  I was diagnosed years ago with I mild case of hyperthyroidism, but I think that a stressful event in my life sent my immune system haywire, and for 3 weeks I experienced the symptoms you described above, panic attacks, diarrhea, exhaustion, and depression.  I got some blood work done, and it showed that my mild case had turned pretty severe.  My endocrinologist recommended either being on drugs that have awful side effects for the rest of my life, having surgery to remove part of thyroid gland, or undergoing radioactive iodine treatment--none of which actually get to the root of the problem, and in some cases make it worse. BUT after a few days of reading everything I could about the thyroid, I discovered that I was putting things in my body that have been over time exacerbating my symptoms and my thyroid health.  So at this point I am one week into a diet that consists of no gluten, no grains, no sugar, no dairy, and no processed foods of any kind, and only good fats for cooking (coconut oil and animal fat). So far, almost all my symptoms have been alleviated. I think I am experiencing some withdrawal symptoms from caffeine and sugar but those are starting to fade too.  It really hasn't been as hard as I imagined--of course, I was pretty desperate to try anything to avoid the traditional medical approach to this problem.  I hope this helps those of you out there!  I am curious about your journeys and how you've been feeling if anyone out there wants to give an update.  Here is a good place to start reading about how nutritional plays a big role in thyroid function (and our health in general):  http://paleoleap.com/thyroid-a-paleo-introduction/

[RebeccaEvans05]

What foods did you need to eliminate from your diet? How have you been in the past year? Hope well!