Desperate for help!

[Coleena]

I have been going to doctors for approx. 1 yr. I have had heart cath, Stomach and chest ct scan, endoscopy, gallbadder utrasound,etc. To no advail. My problem is that I started out just having a little discomfort in my mid stomach area and I was having a funny sensation in my chest well I finally figured out that the sensation was actually my heart skipping beats (or early beats as they put it)and rapid pulse. As time has went on I have come to realize that these heart sensation occur more after eating and now I am having a very full feeling in my mid stomach area and a little nausea. I can even be just riding down the road and the vibration from the car will make my stomach move and immediately my heart will skip a beat. I almost feel like my food is not digesting properly and it is swelling my stomach which is pushing on the artery running by my stomach. I am so fustrated cause no one seems to believe that my stomach has anything to do with my heart but I know that this is happening.
I am not a hypocondriact, I know that this is happening and I am real concerned cause I feel it is getting worse. As a matter of fact I am really scared. There are no doctors in my area that have a specialty in this area. All test have revealed no answers.
PLEASE give me some suggestions as to what it could possibly be or research I can do on my own. I have searched the internet and I can not find anything that have digestive and heart related symptoms

[Kevin Pho, MD]

You have had a pretty thorough evaluation already, including a catheterization and endoscopies, CT scan, ultrasound etc.  

A couple of other tests to consider.  The first would be an event monitor.  This can monitor your heart rhythm so whenever you feel your heart skipping beats, it can document any arrythmias.  I would also consider an ultrasound to evaluate the heart structure.

Regarding pinning down a GI cause, you can consider a 24-hr pH study which can definitively evaluate for GERD.  A gastric emptying scan can also be considered to evaluate for gastroparesis.  Both of these conditions can cause some of the symptoms you describe.  

You may want to discuss these options with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
Medical Weblog:
kevinmd_b

[lmroswell]

Look at my question that posted on 6-4-04, titled "Is This Gerd?".  Maybe that will give you some insight...

[Coleena]

Thank You Imroswell. I was excited to learn that maybe there is someone out there that has had the same problems (although I do not wish this on anyone). I am going to read more on this Vegas nerve. Thanks again!

[Coleena]

What exactly is this and where can I find info about. I have looked on net and can not locate.

[surgeon]

the correct spelling is vagus nerve. However, much of what was posted in that thread is way off the mark.

[yoshi]

So where can we find out more about VAGAS nerves?
When i described the problem to my gastro doctor,he said he has never heard of such a problem.

[Coleena]

Please contact me @ ***@****. Imroswell you intrigued me when you stated that driving down the road would cause your heart to pause or get irregular. Thats one of the things I keep saying. Its like the jarring from the road will jar the stomach and in return my heart skips immediately. I am so desperate. No one can find out what is wrong and I know in my heart that my stomach and my heart deal are related. Like right now my mid section has a real full feeling (have not eaten this morning) and I can just walk across the room and the jarring from the walking is making my heart react. It seems to be getting worse. Use to I didn't have this full feeling for so long of a period, before it seemed to go away after 3 or 4 hours but now it is constant and I can take 2 bites of food and it is worse. PLEASE anybody out there with similiar symptoms contact me.

[surgeon]

one more time: it's vagus. Not vegas, or vagas. It's the name of the nerve, present in everyone, that goes mostly to heart, stomach, intestines. It's controlled by stimulation from the brain, and can be affected by certain drugs. Disorders of the vagus nerve are extremely rare; most problems attributed to vagus nerve action are not primary to the nerve, but result from stimulation, or lack thereof, due to other things. So it's the other things, not the nerve itself, that are the problem.

[Vegas1]

Hi this surgeon seems more worried about the spelling of Vegas nerve than your problems . Let me tell you that they are not God The vegas nerve I have found through research aroung the glob Is a key factore In most illnesses Thats why they call it the mother of all ilness I have suffered from cardiac , neurological  problems for five years I had severe vomiting do to acid refluxe and when I developed a hiatle hernia, BANG Everything went way out of sink in my body , They did an EP study on mme for tackacardi or svt's almost died on the table the ep docter said it was comming from an outside source and to go see a gastro md . I have been on proton pump inhibitors for 4 years and without them , I would have all the problems that I had before I know this from experience I have pasted some studies that I think will help you understand that your not crazy and that there is a connection between your hernia and illness good luck guys Tony .            


" Could there be a factor either unknown, or not fully understood, by both mainstream and alternative medicine, that can initiate much chronic illness including allergies? Could there be a very dangerous condition in the body that can cause virtually every other organ of the body to malfunction? Could 85% of the population have this undetected condition? The answer is decidedly yes to each of these questions. At the end of this article, surprising, new evidence will be revealed that this factor may even be a predictor of life expectancy.

The biochemist Carey Reams, PhD, said,

[TJV]

It is normal -- and everyone has an elevated heart rate after eating due to increased blood flow to the GI tract  . If you eat a large meal and the stomach gets overly distended, there are further irregularities . It's normal.  

It's also pretty normal to have beneign  PVCS and PACS ,  some people are just more aware.-- others don't even notice.  

  Yes the vagus innervates both the heart and stomach, but there are different branches. It's very complex.  You do not have  a vagus nerve disorder . There is NO problem with your vagus nerve ITSELF.  

You have a digestive disorder most probably.  . I'd like to add that many digestive disorders are exacerbated by stress --- and abnormal heartbeats are exacerbated by stress as well.  The more you worry about this,the problem will magnify . If the heart checks out fine, don't worry about it.  

Many people with digestive problems such as GERD etc. complain of heart irregularities , there are a number of theories rolling around regarding why this is,  along with  some small studies  , but nothing concrete yet.  ...Regardless,---- these irregularities are harmless, as long as the heart checks out fine , why worry or obsess?  Life is too short.  Just make sure you rule out the heart first as well as gastro disorders.   If you treat the gastro disorder , and calm down-- most probably your heart symptoms will disapate.

  That full feeling is called early satiety . You've ruled pretty much all causes of this out with the tests you've had, except  the ph and gastric emptying scan are 2 important tests to have in your case. .  If these are negative, nonulcer dyspepsia would be a probable diagnosis.

[surgeon]

The reason I spelled it is because people were saying they couldn't find it in searches. More importantly, the lengthy article replayed above is a perfect example of pseudo-science: it's simply a bunch of statements that sound authoritative but have absolutely no basis in any research using accepted scientific methods.
Simply putting something in print does not make it so. There are "articles" by people with all sorts of "degrees" from all sorts of "institutions" claiming virtually anything. Disease caused by magnetism, sunspots, the devil, all manner of "chemical imbalance," allergies to every substance know to man: you name it, it's in print. The ready availability of such nonsense on the internet makes it more imperitive than ever that people use judgement; and more likely than ever that they will be taken in.

[sally1952]

If you are looking something up and using the wrong spelling you won't get far. Most likely "vegas nerve" would tell you that it is something we experience while enjoying a gambling trip.

[TJV]

And when you do find information .......  It will take you many months to understand everything pertaining to  the full function of the nerve  and the branches,--- the cranial nerves, ,superior and inferior vagal ganglia, subclavian artery, ,  nucleus solitarius, spinal trigeminal tract, etc. etc. etc.  

  You can't just read any article and blindly beleive it, you must study and understand it.

[JackieG]

Thanks, Surgeon, for your patience and clear thinking. I couldn't agree with you more about the need for caution when surfing the web for information. There are, unfortunately, a lot of scams and some just plain misguided folks posting cures/potions/etc that have no therapeutic value.

To our friends visiting this site: When using the Internet for research, you should restrict your research to very credible sources (example - if you see something on the Johns Hopkins Website, you can be pretty sure its credible info). Be careful about claims of miraculous cures from "alternative medicine". If you doubt a source, visit Quackwatch.com and run the name, product or procedure through their search engine. They do a good job of unmasking charletons. Above all, use good common sense. If a site promises cures that sound too good to be true, be alert to those claims.

[Coleena]

Okay this is a prime example of what I am going thru. Don't get me wrong I appreciate any comments so that I might can figure this out but when TJV says basically its nothing as long as my heart checked out don't worry but what no one is understanding is that this is affecting my daily life. I can not even focus have the time, either my head is so cloudy that I can't think or my stomach is aching or my heart is freaking out or all 3 at same time. Not in the past month have I had a normal day. Please understand I am not a person that runs to the doctor for every little thing. I am 43 yrs old and this last year is the FIRST time in my life I have had problems. I have always considered myself fairly active and now I can't even walk a block without this starting a reaction.

[Coleena]

And another thing when you say it is normal IT IS NOT NORMAL. Please understand that I have been to the ER 1 time with this and at that time I was actually having a mild case but I was wanting some documentation that it was happening and that it wasn't my imagination. They had told me that several people have skipped heratbeats (early beats) and that 6 a minute was not unusual. Keep in mind I said I was having a mild attack well I was having a min of 12 skipped beats a minute and my BP was 164 over 124 my pulse was over 100. When I would barely and I mean barely press my stomach I would have a BIG skip.
I am sorry but this is not normal! I have discovered that when Docs can't find out something instead of having the challange of discovery they just get lazy and put it off to stress. Sorry if I sound irritated but I am. I am so tired of no one caring enough about another Human Being to LISTEN.

[Coleena]

And speaking of listening. I want to say to ALL doctors out there that LISTENING to a patient is the main ingredient to finding out what is wrong. LISTEN it is their bodies and they know how they feel. Just because you have never experienced it or never read about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

[ozark]

for what it's worth, i agree with the dr regarding an event monitor....this will help sort out any arrythmias you might be having....they can be scarey and nerve wracking....there are different types....you can get one for a month and when you get the sensation you can record it and send it into the company for a reading over the phone that same day......i know that your esophagus runs behind your heart and are close together and when you eat something or drink something cold, your heart can respond with an arrythmia which can or cannot be felt, especially in regards to someone who has a history of them......so if i were you i would ask your dr for a monitor so a recording of your palpitations can be recorded and hopefully will give you a diagnosis and peace of mind........good luck

[TJV]

Please don't misinterpret me ,

[Coleena]

Thanks to all of you! I appreciate the input.

[Vegas1]

Let me say that the symtoms are life threatening I had life threatening arithmia's and the best heart team in california said "IN THERE REPORT THAT THE PROBLEM IS COMMING FROM AN OUTSIDE SOURCE . I know from 5 years of hell, how to controll most of these symtoms studies or no studies " MY VEGAS NERVE HAS COME CLOSE TO KILLING ME FROM THE PRESSURE COMMING FROM THE HIATLE HERNIA " In the years to come these fools that think just because they went to college they have all the answers will not be commenting on this disorder VNI/HHS. And thanks for the email coleena I look forward to helping you out best wishes !!!

[sally1952]

I think the bottom line here is that no matter how much you need or want answers and a diagnosis, you aren't going to find them here.If all these Drs. you have been to and all the tests results haven't found it how in the world could anyone, Dr. or otherwise, in this setting, help you? You say the Drs. in your area aren't familiar with this then why not ask for a referral to one the university type hospitals where their specialty is dealing with and diagnosing the unusual? It would certainly be worth peace of mind to make a trip and get some useful answers. I know that the "vagus nerve" can cause all sorts of problems I have experienced some of them and when it became to much for my local Dr. I was sent for evaluation at one of those university hospitals.
Best of luck,
Sally

[Vegas1]

Sally is right that some universities might be a better help , but getting on the internet can definitely help it connects us to each other and can and will lead to more illnesses being solved over time keep up the good work and good health .

[Vegas1]

Dear Peter,
Thank you for your most recent contribution to our Forum. We have received many postings describing cardiav arrythmias related to reflux. It is apparent that the problem is more commmon than physicians realize. With regard to your specific questions
1) The vagus nerve regulates swallowing and heart rythm as well as transmits sensory information regarding the esophagus to the brain. INflammation of vagal fibers (as can be seen with esophagitis) may alter the neural tone that controls heart rythm. The specific mechanism would be highly speculative.

2)Bile in the stomach is a frequent finding during endoscopy. Bile can reflux into the esophagus. The role of bile in the genesis of the cardiac arrythmias is unknown.

3) Your liver problems are independent of the cardiac problem.

This information is presented for educational purposes. ASk specific questions to your personal physician.

HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: esophageal reflux, cardiac arrthymia
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