tachycardia & vegas nerve related to eating

[larrabee]

I can have severe tachycardia 200 + after eating certain foods but can't sort out which ones.  Seems to be happening more frequently.  Have tried - bearing down, coughing, deep breathing  but it takes a while.  Would love to know why it's happening & what to do to stop it quickly.  I can see the pulse pounding in my stomach!   It's scary & I don't know at what point to go to hospital.  I do have the beginnings of pulmonary hypertension & 2 leaky heart valves but the above response has been going on for years before recent heart conditions.  I read some posts from back in 2005 but nothing about this topic recently.  But I don't navigate computer very well.  Any info grately appreciated!!!  THANKS

[Red931]

There was a post about this recently, however we were not able to address it well at that time either. It is true that the Vagal Nerve can cause palps but there has been some debate of it after eating. I do have an increase in pulse after eating but I don't experience palps, but do have some discomfort.

Some people that have palps after eating have a Hiatal Hernia as well as some type of valve problems.

I have Mitral Valve Prolapse. The valve does seem to leak a little but I usually don't have palps except for a recent incident that landed me in the ER only to be sent home 5 hours later with no answers. Coincidentally, I had just eaten lunch when these palps started and they seemed to go away once I was in the ER a bit and I could tell that I had digested the sandwhich I had for lunch. I explained this to the doctor and he wrote it down but didn't say anyhting.

I had a 24 hr, Holter Monitor done and an Echocardiogram since and I am awaiting the results. My cardiologist said that it is common for people to have palps after eating too much but didn't seem to think that was my problem. He insisted that mine were caused by lack of sleep due to pain issues.

If anything of significance shows up on my tests I will be glad to tell you about it.

Take Care.

[Red931]

Please excuse me, I meant the "Vagus Nerve". I had the term "vasovagal" on my mind and sort of mudded it up. Apparently I still need more sleep. lol

[Amethyst1974]

Hi  Larrabee,

I adressed the same issue om May 9, 2009. I will copy a fragment of it:

About two weeks ago I remember having a large meal at lunch. Immediately after eating I felt stomach discomfort and I noticed that my heart was beating very fast. My husband rushed me to the ER. My BP was OK. My pulse was 133. EKG was ok but the ER doctor told me that I have sinus tachycardia. He gave me beta blockers but I did not took them. I got an appointment with my cardiologist on may 27, 2009

[Amethyst1974]

Sorry Larrabee. I wasn't finishing posting....hit the wrong button.

I got a comment from SassyLassie:

1. Is it possible that after having a very large meal your heart can start beating that fast? YES, it is very possible, as our system digest the food we eat, it causes everything to work a little harder, and our hearts are no different. Also, if you have any food allergies/sensitivities, these can cause a faster heart rate as well. Oh yes, if you have a hiatal, this will also sometimes cause the heart to race after eatting and can also cause extra beats as well, I have one, and if I eat or drink a lot of water, it will sometimes start them up.

I hope this could help you a bit. Pls keep posting.
Amethyst

[Red931]

This was the post I was talking about. I knew I remembered one recently.

Thanks Amethyst.

I just wanted to add, if you are getting to 200 that needs to be addressed. It is too high. Mine went to 139 and as you can see from above she went to 133. The doctor in the ER said that 139 was not a danger to me but if it got close to 200 it would be an issue, especially with the valve problem. The pulmonary hypertension should be checked also.

I would make a doctors visit at least to get the once over.

[Amethyst1974]

Hi Larrabee and Red931,

I am scheduled for an echocardiogram (june 18, 2009). They also told that if someone cancels their appointment they will call me sooner. Anyways, the point is, as soon as I get my results I will share them with you.

Red931 I am interested in your results also.

I wish you both well.

Amethyst

I wish you both well

[Kristina22]

The same thing happens to me after I eat. I thought I had it under control and had been monitoring what I eat and how much I eat, but I ended up in the ER yesterday. I ate a relativly big meal and started to drive to another town to visit friends. By the time I got into town by heart was beating so fast I had to pull over because I felt faint. I called 911 because I didn't want to pass out, and be by myself on the side of the road. My heart seems to race, then go down... then go back up again. During the attacks I feel like I've been injected with 20 cups of coffee or something. I got to the hospital and it seemed to go away, then while I was laying still my heart rate shot back up to 167 then went back down to 80 after about a minute or two. The whole thing lasted about three hours until I felt better. It only happens after I eat. Alcohol also seems to make it more likely to occur.
I'm at a loss... I've tried everything. I stopped eating meat, dairy, wheat, etc. It seems to help for a while then BAM it happens again. I dunno, I seem to feel better when I eat very little, but I've lost a lot of weight and that can't be good either. This has been happening to me for a few years now. I'm taking toporol xl, but the ER dr. wants me to start taking a calcium channel blocker. I'm not sure if I want to change medications again. I've taken several heart medications and each time I switch I feel like I'm going to die. toporol seems to agree with me... I think addressing why eating messes me up is more important, maybe I'm allergic to something stupid.

[Red931]

Toprol should slow your heart rate but it does not work the same as a Calcium Channel Blocker. I was taking Cardizem CD 240, for 17 years and all of a sudden it caused Bradycardia for me. My pulse was going into the 30's. My doctor has now put me on Norvasc which works well you just have to watch your salt intake.

As I said earlier, I had just had my medication changed about a week or two before my trip to the ER so I am just as confused as the rest of you. It seems none of our doctors feel this is a big deal.

It is very frustrating and causes anxiety when you don't know what is causing it to happen. Anxiety only makes it worse.

Maybe one of us will get an answer and be able to share it with the rest of us here.

[larrabee]

Thanks so much for all of your comments.  I'm going to speak to an allergist & my GP this week & will let you know what I find out.  I just feel my tachycardia is digestion related & really want to get to the bottom of this distressing symptom.  I appreciate everyone sharing,  maybe we'll discover something helpful!.  * Larrabee

[Amethyst1974]

Today I am updating. I live on a little island in the Caribbean. Since I could not wait till june 18th 2009 to do the echocardiogram (on my island) due the anxiety and stress for not knowing what my problem is, my husband and I decided to go to another country to seek medical help/advice/treatment. So we traveled last Saturday. Last Monday (may 25th 2009) I had an appointment with the cardiologist. After telling her my symptoms, she immediately made an echocardiogram of my heart. I was diagnosed with mild mitral valve prolapse (MVP) with mild regurgitation. I also wore a Holter for 24 hours. I had a total of 187 extra ventricular systoles, 22 bigemeny, 2 episodes of ventricular tachycardia en 31 extra supraventricular systoles. My highest pulse was of 137 (after eating) and my lowest pulse was 49 (during sleep). I also did bloodwork  and it was perfect (I am very happy about that). The cardiologist told me that the MVP is causing me the arrhythmias. She prescribed Bystolic (Nebivolol) 5 mg, once a day with food. I came back to my island on Thursday. I took my first dose yesterday. Boy, what a change! I don’t have the feeling anymore that my heart wants to go out of my chest and I don’t feel the tachycardia after eating. The only thing that concern me is that this medicine is really lowering my BP. This afternoon I measured my BP and It was 90/49 (but my machine always measures 20 point lower than what my GP measures, so in reality it must be 110/69) pulse 71. When I measures my BP I felt well, no dizziness, cold feet/hands, fainting or so. Maybe I have to call the cardiologist and ask her if I have to lower the dose, 2,5 mg in stead of 5 mg. But I feel fine! What do you guys think?
I am planning to do the sheduled echocardiogram (on my island) on june 18th 2009 as well.
Thanks for reading and answering,
Amethyst

[libbydawn]

i do this as well.  is happening right this moment so i round you so i could get some additional answers.  didn't know if it was just me.  i have had a gasteric ulcer it the past.  i am overweight but ekg, blood sugar, cholesterol is 168.  i'm fine but when i eat, i feel like i'm going to die.  if i go atkins, it stops!!!  totally!  i feel great!!!!