People with Palpitations

[Typer]

Some of you may have stomach issues that seem to go along with the palpitations. I am excited to share a link someone posted on our FB page. If you can listen to the radio programme on this link - you'll see it up top - well then prepare to find some answers to these awful things. (Nic I hope its okay to post - you may want to make it a sticky here on in the ectopics section)

http://superhumanradio.com/490-roemheld-syndrome-the-gastric-cardiac-connection.html

[Daisy Sue]

Thank you so much for posting this - I have suspected for ages that my palpitations were connected to my stomach and eating pattern, and had no idea that it was a known condition, let alone such a researched one. I will be watching the episode tomorrow, but have just looked up Roemheld Syndrome on Wiki, and it really makes sense.

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Thank you so much, This is exactly what I have been looking for and think it is very likely that this is what I have been suffering from.

[Arnie365]

Sounds very interesting and definitely fits my symptoms to a t. Going to research this a bit more.

Thanks! :D

[HoneyLove]

My palpitations are absolutely caused by my stomach! I spent years being told that it was stress/anxiety that was causing them. And yes, stress does bring them on for me which is normal in any human being, but I was also getting them at times when I was feeling absolutely fine.

Around the same time I was having lots of stomach problems and was diagnosed with an h pylori infection as well as an hiatial hernia and gastritis. In the course of the treatment for this I had to take a drug called Omeprazole for a couple of months, which helped reduce my stomach acid levels. When the drug kicked in my palpitations completely went away, and again when I weaned myself off the drugs the palps returned!

I started to realise that the palps came at certain times like soon after I'd eaten, especially if I ate too much or I ate certain foods/meds that increased stomach acid. It also happened at night when I lay down, in particular if I lay down too soon after eating or if I ate something that would set off the gastritis late at night. I realised that when my stomach was upset I got palpitations.

Because of all the palps I was sent for an echo, a stress test and a seven day heart monitor. I was able to record lots of high heart rates and palps for them, and even when I was totally relaxed having the echo done my heart rate was 115! (It was because I'd been silly and eaten a particularly big lunch just before it lol).

When I went to speak to the consultant about these test results I told him my theory about the stomach/heart connection and he told me that yes it was very possible but that it wasn't common and they're really only starting to become aware of it! He agreed with me that since my heart is perfectly healthy, and since I'd observed the pattern of stomach acid setting off palpitations that this was very likely to be my problem!

Its got something to go with the vagus nerve, which is irritated by stomach acid which slips out so easily because of the hernia at the stop of my stomach. This nerve runs past the stomach & heart, and it seems that the acid irritation then affects heart. It can't damage my heart, so there's no worry about it happening.

So now, I still get them, but I know what causes them and that my heart is healthy, so they don't scare me anymore. Whereas in the past they totally freaked me out, and of course that made them worse.

I'd urge anyone that seems to have palpitations unrelated to stressful periods of time or panic attacks to take note of when they happen and see if there are any patterns. Especially if you also suffer a lot with stomach problems or acid reflux. It's worth looking into.