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170935 tn?1225371076

PVCs and stomach gas/acid reflux/bowel movement!!

Just a quick question.........

I have read many many times about trapped stomach gas and/or acid triggering PVCs and even SVT! I have also read that the vagus nerve can be involved when this happens. I read somewhere that if the vagus nerve is stimulated a PVC can be triggered.

I was wondering if anyone can explain how the vagus nerve may be irritated by gas/acid/indigestion. Also how is it true that the vagus nerve can be stimulated when you have a bowel movement? I have heard people say that they get PVCs when they have bowel movement.
Is there anyone who believes that their PVCs are triggered by gas or acid or even a bowel movement?!!

Thanks
72 Responses
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Avatar universal
I didn't read anything below. But I just had an SVT episode right now.

Took about 15 minutes for it to reset. Very scary. However once it did and I swallowed a ton of water I did have acid reflux. I did have a lot of stomach gas that was trapped and I can feel it Trapt. Coincidentally every time I have SVT I can tell I have a lot of stomach gas.

Reading about the vagus nerve, Apparently that is very involved in a lot of our nerves. For example nervous about something or stomach butterflies, or we jitter.  All the Vagas Nerve!

So I'm stuck with what to do. I'm suggested other beta blockers for cardiac ablation. But I'm curious about checking stomach.

The other thing is that our nervous system especially for people who have anxiety excessively. This has to be addressed extremely with cognitive therapy maybe even medication because anxiety loves to affect the diaphragm which affects the stomach and gas movement. That's if you look at the anatomy the stomach price is right below the heart cavity which is why people get feelings of heart pain chest pain heartburn. So again if that diaphragm is not addressed as well as our Stress and Anxiety then expect to keep having the same problem.
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Avatar universal
I was curious if you figured out your gastric issues.  Love to hear more Im going thru it now.  
Steven

You can reach me direct at ***@****
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Avatar universal
Did you ever figure out your issue.  Im going thru this now and they are thinking of doing an ablation.   If possible can you email me ***@****   Id love to hear more if you got it figured out.  
Steven
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Avatar universal
good stuff.  Im going thru this now when I workout I get bloated and gas.   HR goes up then I burp and it goes away.  
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Avatar universal
Benign PVCs can and frequently ARE triggered by GI movement. The Vagus nerve can trigger PVCs and this may be due to a full stomach, trapped gas in the stomach, hot or spicy foods in the esophagus, drinking hot liquids or too much liquid at one time... Even sitting in a slouched position can cause the PVCs via the Vagus nerve. Try taking GABA supplements...try 750 mg a day with L-Theanine 100mg and see if that doesn't help. The GABA stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which affects the Vagus nerve and can alleviate the PVCs. Try it. It worked for me and according to a cardiologist I know, is based on good scientific facts and logic. Good luck.
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Avatar universal
It took me 50 years to finally figure it out. On and off throughout my life I had heart flutter or skipped beats(Palpitations). I would go to different doctors and they all said my heart was in great shape. At first I thought it was a mitral valve prolapse and then a doctor told me I did not have that. After child #3. I packed on the pounds but just had the usual heart fluttering and palps. I became very lazy and out of shape and started menopause. I became very bloated and gassy. One night I rolled over in bed and felt palpitations and went into full blown a-fib. Went in to the E.R. and had to go to the bathroom. I bent over, passed gas and the a-fib stopped. All the doctors said to me was that I fixed myself! I went to another doc who gave me tests and said my heart was fine but that I had a hiatal hernia. I knew right there and then that my heart issues throughout the years were from the hiatal hernia and gas. I had a-fib one more time after that and was able to stop it myself by manipulating my stomach right underneath my ribs on the left side and pushing the gas down. WOW! Some doctors can't figure this out? Anyway, I lost weight, starting  exercising  and strengthened  my heart so that now I have not had an a-fib episode for 4 years. I figured out that when I was out of shape, my heart got flabby and when it got bumped it caused the a-fib. Occasionally I still have my heart bumped by the hernia and gas but it is less frequent and I guess because I am in better shape and keeping my heart strong, I don't notice it as much. I drink digestive tea and it helps a lot to avoid gas and bloating and digestive issues that can affect the heart. To everyone who suffers with this, know that there is hope and that keeping your heart strong and knowing what is going on with yourself helps a lot even if some doctors don't have a clue about the heart/gas issues. You know your own body better that anyone else can. I thank God that I was able to figure it out so I could move on.  I am overcoming it and so can you. Be proactive and find out if it is your heart first. If it is not, do not fear. At least you will know it and you can have peace. I never dreamed that gas could cause so many problems! Stay in shape and live your life to the fullest!
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Avatar universal
Biju here from Kerala India,

I have skipped beats while stomach is full or having gas. There is a clear relation between gas resistant and skipped beats even not clinicaly proven.
probably Vagus nerve playing  a role.
Once Vagus stimulated it tends PVC prolong days even with gas coming down. there for once it happens it will take time to go away

Biju Mathoor
***@****
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Avatar universal
Ah man I am not alone!  I have been having this same mess for about 10 years.  Nobody but and emergency room doctor realized what was going on.  I even had 4 idiots diagnosed me with Rheumatic Fever as a child.  Yeah right...Like someone said way back up,  Nexum or prolosect stops the gas and stomach pains then the skipping heart beats stop.

The emergency room doctor told me that the stomach jumps around, hits the diaphragm which hits the heart and starts a chain reaction.  Its enough to scare you to ta mental hospital.  

Heavy foods like cream of xxxx soups,  cheese sauce or cheese wiz and now boiled cabbage can be added to my list of foods not to eat.  Stay away from pizza too.  Stress is another factor.  

  
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Avatar universal
Also does anyone get the sensation of feeling your heart in your throat?
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1 Comments
Yes indeed, the sensation of my heart pounding in my throat during one of my pvc occurrences scared me to death. I'm fascinated to read some of these posts about magnesium. I never knew that info and it was never mentioned by my cardiologists. They seem to like to prescribe a beta blocker instead.
Avatar universal
Thank baby jesus I found this forum! I havent been diagnosed with pvc's but after reading this forum im almost certain I am getting these as I have heart skips. I like you will get them after have big meals usually dinner making it really difficult to sleep. I also find that show up when im stressed or if I havent drank enough water throughout the day. I have however found a solution for the dinner acid relux by taking monuka honey 16+. It does ann amazing job of coating the throat and suppressing stomach acid. Take it about 20 min after your meal. Thanks I will be following this forum religiously!
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Avatar universal
Brilliant explanation and remedy. Hopefully you've now become a naturopathic doctor, and not a lawyer :)
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Avatar universal
After reading every post on this site.  I can say I agree with just about everything from the symptoms to the possible cures.  I like everyone else have had to deal with this for the past 7 years.  Like everyone else did all of the testing as well.  One issue not discussed that I have been wondering about as a possible resolution for some of us...weightloss.  I will admit that I am 40 lbs overweight and feel that the extra pressure of the gut + gas = more issues.  No one else mentioned being overweight.  For the record I am 44 year old male, hypothyroid.  What do you all think?
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Avatar universal
There's no doubt that a connection exists between PVC's and the gastro-intestinal system. I've known this for quite some time now but, just like most of you have experienced, my doctor dismisses this notion.

At the worst point, every third or fourth beat was a PVC, and this continued for months. Little by little I continually modified my diet looking for my personal holy grail...the food that causes my problems!

Unfortunately my quest was not that simple, however, I did make a few discoveries; 1) Foods with a high-fat content are one of the main contributors. 2) Hot and spicy foods, including one of my favourites - crystallised ginger, upset (inflame?) my intestines which, in turn, cause PVC's for me. 3) Any food that is dense and stodgy, like pasta, will potentially cause a bout of PVC's, but these will subside quicker than those caused by the other two things mentioned above. Finally 3) Constipation - for the duration that I'm constipated and the following few hours after successfully evacuating my bowel, the dreaded PVC's will return, after which I return to normal(ish).

For the most part I seem to have them under control now and have only had them one three occasions, the first for 24 hours, the second for 24 hours and the third for 48 hours in the last seven or eight weeks. I cannot be more precise on the amount of weeks because after nearly two years of having them I stopped counting and driving myself nuts trying to figure it all out.

I've been hooked up to an ECG (electro-cardiograph) and was told that my heart is in good condition, my thyroid was also tested and the results came back negative for any irregularities, plus I've had several blood tests done to rule out cancer, diabetes and a range of known gastro-intestinal ailments. They all came back clear!

On the upside, having to modify my diet to 'control' the PVC's has resulted in me now having my old washboard abs back, so even though I doubt I will ever feel truly normal internally, I'm kind of looking pretty good on the outside for a 42yo man. Every cloud has a silver lining, you sometimes just have to look a little harder to see it.

Best wishes to you all, you are not alone!

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1 Comments
Good for you! Keep tweaking. Investigate histamine's role.
6233359 tn?1379718786
Amen to this site!  Brothers and sisters, we are connected by gas, bloating, bowel movements and how this all affects our heart beats!  We are not nuts...in fact, I have 2 Masters degrees!  This has been going on with me for 23+ years.  Nearly 20 years ago I felt there was some kind of connection to these things (my GI tract and my heart), but could not actually confirm my suspicions-but neither could any doctor or cardiologist...but all of us "common folk" have confirmed this phenomena for each other-and that is good enough for me!  It doesn't make anything less scarier when it happens or doesn't make us stop wondering if there really isn't something more to be afraid of, but man, it's nice to know there are hundreds of others out there who feel/literally! the same way/thing!
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1222076 tn?1423027749
Im glad I found all these posts. It helps me feel better I just wish the doctors would actally do something about it. I write on here all the time about my stomach problems but I havent been on here to talk about my heart. Im convinced my heart and stomach problems are related. Im 25 years old and I have been battling stomach problems since I was 17. In Feb. 2011 I got my gallbladder removed because I was severly sick and it wasnt functing correctly. It helped me but I still have a lot of problems with acid, belching, and nausea. I go to a GI doctor all the time but their no help anymore they just say I produce to much acid and give me different acid reducers and send me on my way. Im currently taking Protonix but it doesnt always help me. I take Beno a lot to help reduce the gas. I do get heart palpations a lot randomly its pretty scary. I have talked to the doctors about it. They said palpations arent dangerous but their still scary I just recently found out I have a heart murmur so my doctor had me to go to a cardiologist to get a chest ultrasound done. I told the ultrasound tech about my stomach problems as well she said they tend to be linked. I never heard back on my results. I would like to see the Cardiologist to get some ideas whats causeing my heart to act up along with my stomach. If I wait to long to eat I get real sick. I will start to feel weak, dizzy, belching, and nasous from the acid. Then when I do eat I feel better but my heart starts beating fast and I start burping a lot and feel like I cant breath good and it can cause dizziness. Usually laying down or waiting a few minutes for my food to settle helps. The heart palpations have gotten a lot better since I started taking Pottasium and Maginusm but shortly after I stop the palpations come back. My grandma thinks its partly my heart making me gassy because thats what her Cardiologist told her but I would have to get re-reffered back to another Cardiologist to get my heart checked out. In the past I have had EKG done and a heart monitor. Nothing showed up and my vitimins were suppose to be good. The Pottasium and Magnisum seem to help but I still always get gassy and feel like I cant breath good after I eat. My grandma says Im to young to be having these kinds of problems so it worrys me. Im tired of living this way and the doctors not doing anything to help me. My grandpa use to have stoamach problems similar to me.Doctors never could figure out what was causing it. He didnt get better until he had heart surgery and it somehow fixed his stomach.
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1 Comments
Work on your microbiome. Study, research and experiment. It will take lots of trial and error. Drugs are not the answer.
Avatar universal
I am so glad I found this group because I have the same problem and have also been looked at by my doctors - (there have been several) as if I am a hypochondriac or somehow touched, event when they can see the PVC's clearly visibly on the ekg.  I am printing out all your comments and taking them with me to my next appointment because you would think with all the money out there for research and all the bright doctors looking for way to make a name for themself someone would have taken this on by now.

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Avatar universal
I tend to agree with you. I can tell I have gas backed up under my rib cage pushing out. I have had so much in there it felt like I had a basketball in there pushing out my rib cage. When that happens PVC's all over the place, and I think it causes an overcrowding of the heart and sends it into a funky rhythm. And they don't stop until I take Gas-X or something similar and decompress my upper abdomen. I have wondered if I have a structual issue with my small intestestines to cause this phenomenum. The PVC's started 2 years ago Jan and the only relief I get is with an anti-gas med. I have been to the ER 3 times for this, worn Holter moniters, had EKG's, Stress tests, 2 ECHO's, Abdominal US's...all showing a normal heart and organs..
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Avatar universal
Your doctor is wrong. But, I understand that this connection between digestion and heart is hard to believe unless you've experienced it. I have the same thing happen to me as you do. I get the PVCs before I even feel the bowel movement coming.
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Avatar universal
So how is everyone? No post since 2008. :)  I have the same symptoms of GERD and tachycardia with PVCs. I was put on Prilosec twice a day and that helped my tachy a lot.
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Avatar universal
I have noticed the PVC's  off and on for sometime but really much worse since my job is ending.I use to have rapid heart beats with anxiety but these are different.I think they are tied to my nerves but I notice the give away feeling when I et a PVC over my gallbladder especially when it is full or gassy so I can relate.
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Avatar universal
You know. I will go through my experiences with you. I am English (for the record) with private medical insurance. I have been suffering SVT since I put on weight, but never realised the correlation with my acid reflux. I have a camera down throat exploration (oesophegoscopy) and they found gastritus (inflamation of the stomach). Years go by and the stress got worse and worse. I became pretty desperate and didn't know which way to turn. Was my stress causing my acid. Was my acid causing my my stress? Lack of sleep, discomfort, etc.

Well. Here's the deal. I started back on 2 x 40mg nexium (esomaprozole) per day, 1 when I wake up and 1 12 hours later. Bottom line is, my stomach has calmed down, the pressure has gone that was causing my heart to feel like it was going to go into another SVT and I feel transformed. Reality is, if you like I have stomach problems, take the medication and work on your eating and lifestyle. Maybe one day you can come off them, but I learned the hard way that I cannot just 'get better because I am tough and I can cope without the meds'. My SVT was 196bpm and scared the daylights out of me. But it has only started to reoccur because I stopped taking the meds.
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Avatar universal
Many of you have an uppr GI connection/trigger for your PVCs.  I definately relate...but with me, it's a LOWER GI thing.  A full bowel - and the soon-to-be-required-bowel movement is the scenario that triggers my PVCs.  I offer you all REASSURANCE.  We are connected by a REAL set of circumstances that is yet to be thoroughly "connected" by physician community.  That's OK.  And so are you.  And so am I.  We must mainatin vigilence...we must be certain that our issues are not from a more severe cause.  With each physical & check-up...and with each new day we manage the condition.  Continue to share.  And know that many people battle much more terrible issues.  Learn to embrace the condition as a part of you...being always willing to try reasonable changes in diet/exercise/remedy.  Oh...and may I finally add...that consistent cardio exercise and a diet of low food volume are my keys to managing this "condition".  regards,
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Avatar universal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roemheld_syndrome

..."old skool" doctors still now about this - the computer gen x docs dismiss it but it oviously exists......take a gastro and see if you have a hernia.....gasX sometimes helps so does nexium but both are no long time solutions. beta blockers als help a bit since they make it harder for the heart to go supersonic speed. most importantly do not panic!! this is not life threatening and fear makes it 10x worse......i have all these symptoms too. came with a myocarditis...inflammation went away after 6 months but pvc's and occasional artrial fibrillation stay with me.......look into low grade inflammation of the digestive system, regular bowel movements are especially important.....good luck!
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Avatar universal
I'm amazed that the doctors are so cavalier when they dismiss the connection between stomach and PVCs. With so many hundreds of people knowing for sure that there definitely is a connection, I thinks it's foolish for the medical community to not pay attention. Their lack of concern stems from two main facts:

1. They pronounce that the skipped beats are "normal."
2. It's not happening to them; otherwise they wouldn't be able to concentrate on much else.

A few years ago when I spent 12 days in the hospital for removal of half my colon, the heart monitor showed PVCs every six beats just like clockwork. When asked several times if I "had any heart problems" I would point urgently at the heart monitor. Their reaction was a smile or a laugh.

After I awoke from surgery I soon became aware of something; the PVCs were gone, which was good because I had plenty else to worry about. My theory is that the NG tube that was evacuating amazing quantities of stomach fluids was responsible for the cessation of the PVCs. For about three weeks afterward I was free of the PVCs but eventually they returned. I really hesitate to go on some type of acid reducers but I may have to throw in the towel. I also notice that as a last resort fasting for a couple of days seems to knock out the PVCs.



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