acid reflux and pvc's

[William]

I am 31 years old, male, I experience pvc's usually after eating. I have chronic heartburn, but not severe, rarely wakes me at night, but have been awakened from aspirating acid and not being able to breath (very scary) thankfully this is very rare (1 or 2 times in the last 3 years). I have had an upper GI series and am awaiting the results about possible hiatal hernia.  However, my question is, What is the connection between acid reflux and PVC's. I've asked my doctor this question a couple of times with no details of why.  Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Ted]

I started coughing 3 weeks ago due to a little conjestion.  Now when i cough my throat closes so I can't breath for a few seconds.  My doctor said yesterday that my throat looks fine and I have no conjestion.  Today I still have the cough and throat constriction.  It's beginning to feel like I have something stuck in my throat.  I have no other symtoms other than the feeling that I need to clear my throat.  So I cough, then wait a few seconds until I can inhale.  Any ideas?

[Ted]

I started coughing 3 weeks ago due to a little conjestion.  Now when i cough my throat closes so I can't breath for a few seconds.  My doctor said yesterday that my throat looks fine and I have no conjestion.  Today I still have the cough and throat constriction.  It's beginning to feel like I have something stuck in my throat.  I have no other symtoms other than the feeling that I need to clear my throat.  So I cough, then wait a few seconds until I can inhale.  Any ideas?

[steve]

After 30 years of experience with PVCs/PACs/atrial flutter and/or fibrillation, I can tell you there is ABSOLUTELY a mechanical aspect to all this. The GI system, after all, operates in very close proximity to the heart and some of its most sensitive peripheral elements, and it stands to reason that a wide variety of GI events could stimulate activity in the cardio area. I've been to several cardio specialists and they always tend to look at you skeptically when you make such observations--they'd rather discuss everything in terms of all sorts of complicated electrophysical explanations--but we know our own bodies, and after a while the cause-and-effect is crystal clear. I have learned to "manage" my irregular beats through a variety of physical procedures: These can be as straightforward as changing position (e.g. turning over in bed, from my back to my stomach) or as (relatively) complicated as using three fingers of my right hand, karate-style, to palpate the area around the solar plexus. If you "play" with this long enough and become sufficiently sensitive to your body in a bio-feedback sense, you will also learn that you can actually cause extra beats, almost at will, through such mechanisms as (typically) taking a deep breath and holding it at a certain point in the heartbeat cycle; bending over suddenly; or washing down a large mouthful of something with some liquid. I have also concluded that I tend to have PVCs after large meals simply because, well, it gets crowded in there, and the stomach is pressing up against, and irritating, the cardiac complex. Some of this also has to do with hemodynamics, of course, but don't ever let anyone tell you that these are two entirely independent systems; t'ain't so.

[steve]

After 30 years of experience with PVCs/PACs/atrial flutter and/or fibrillation, I can tell you there is ABSOLUTELY a mechanical aspect to all this. The GI system, after all, operates in very close proximity to the heart and some of its most sensitive peripheral elements, and it stands to reason that a wide variety of GI events could stimulate activity in the cardio area. I've been to several cardio specialists and they always tend to look at you skeptically when you make such observations--they'd rather discuss everything in terms of all sorts of complicated electrophysical explanations--but we know our own bodies, and after a while the cause-and-effect is crystal clear. I have learned to "manage" my irregular beats through a variety of physical procedures: These can be as straightforward as changing position (e.g. turning over in bed, from my back to my stomach) or as (relatively) complicated as using three fingers of my right hand, karate-style, to palpate the area around the solar plexus. If you "play" with this long enough and become sufficiently sensitive to your body in a bio-feedback sense, you will also learn that you can actually cause extra beats, almost at will, through such mechanisms as (typically) taking a deep breath and holding it at a certain point in the heartbeat cycle; bending over suddenly; or washing down a large mouthful of something with some liquid. I have also concluded that I tend to have PVCs after large meals simply because, well, it gets crowded in there, and the stomach is pressing up against, and irritating, the cardiac complex. Some of this also has to do with hemodynamics, of course, but don't ever let anyone tell you that these are two entirely independent systems; t'ain't so.

[Karen J. Seppa]

Mary, Please read my comments under question "my ten year old son..." and question "extent of liver disease & possible transplant" They are toward the top and bottom of this page. 20 years is a long time to be suffering this way. Looking at your e-mail address, are you by any chance referring to Club 28 in Wakefield??? I live in Illinois but my father was originally from there and so couldn't help wondering...Best Regards - Karen

[Mary]

You guys are a miricle to find. I to have this problem. All morning i can fill this and now i ate and it fills like a big bubble in my stomach. This sucks because i to have had heart things going on and i know it is not my nerves or stress. I can remember the many times i have gone to a function and this will happen on time i went to a football game was filling great. When i got a hotdog and guess what my heart started racing and didnt stop for 5 min. scared me . Ive had this problem for 20 years. But im woundering if my heart is getting tierd. Some times i get this and have alot of gass after. I got a scope have gerd and Barretts. But allso my doctor thinks not much of this he says maybe its esophogus spasms but i think you all have the right thing with the vagus nerve thing. I wish i could get this under controll because the older i get the more i get. Wish there was a doctor out there that new something about this right now i can fill one tring to trigger off its been all day. Well i hope you all well. My regular Dc said when i get these attacts to message one side of my neck and when my heart started racing one day i tried it it worked but make sure you just do one side. If anyon wants to talk about this you can email me at ***@****
I cant belive you all have this as i do i could go on and on about it but can someone find a cure or a way to ease this.