Heart Palpitations when lying down GERD ???

[Raghupalaparthy]

Hi ,

This is my first post in this site.I am 26 Y/O Overweight (82 kilos ,171 cms ) male. I have been diagnosed with mild GERD and mild Hiatal Hernia(sliding one ) when i complained about early morning heart burn and palpitations.The real problem started after that.Before I used to be very healthy.I started having the following symptoms.
--- Bloating in the groin (lower right abdominal area).
--- Ocassional pain in the kidney region(although got urine and blood test to rule out kidney problem).
--- Leg pain (thigh pain and foot pain) and in the area behind the knee region.
--- muscle twitches all over the body and palpitations kind of sensation in the palms (especially right palm)
--- Cold hands and predominantly right hand and hand pain between the wrist and elbow.
--- Heart palpitations while sleeping some times so severe that i wake up from sleep.
---- Burning sensation in the throat.
---- Feeling of tired ness and fatigue and cannot concentrate on work because of this.
---- Feeling of depression and stress have been away from home for almost one year.
---- pain in the stomach in the left upper abdomen behind the sternum.
---- Lost three kilos in the process of dieting over the past two months.
---- pain in the back side of neck and upper left portion in the front side.

All the symptoms mentioned above started only after I got diagnosed with GERD expect the bloating of groin area.

So I related these with the PPI and changed my medication to H2 receptors but the symptoms are continued.

Sorry for my looong post and poor language.

Awaiting for your response.

Thanks and regards,
Raghu

[Jangela]

Hi again, I've never had my mineral levels tested, but I would imagine you could have blood drawn at a diagnostic clinic recommended by your doctor or health practitioner. For now, I would assume that you need more magnesium and keep eating legumes and the other foods above. I wouldn't supplement with pills though, for now, because you don't want to overdo it either, or you will get diarrhea. The key is to get your body to better absorb all vitamins and minerals, and I'll bet your symptoms will be much less severe. I can't say whether your fever symptoms are tied into your GERD or not. Could be your body is trying to fight something off that is trying to invade your body due to your weak state of health.

[Raghupalaparthy]

Thanks a lot DustyCaron and Jangela for your valuable comments.

@DustyCaron --- I got two EKGS and one Ultra sound done and the Doctor ruled out any Cardiac problem.Are these tests sufficient or shall i have to undergo any other tests ?? Please advice me ...

I dont drink Coffee and Alcohol and stopped eating Chocolates ... and i am strictly following the rule not to sleep before three hours of dinner.

@Jangela --- Yeah for the last two months I did a lot of research and learnt the importance of Magnesium for the body which I might be missing due to my poor digestion.Is there any diagnostic method  to know the magnesium levels in our body??
I started eating Legumes today...

Forgot to mention I have been having fever symptoms for the last three days added to my already long list of symptoms...

Thanks and regards,
Prasad Palaparthy.

[Jangela]

Great advice above. Here are some of my ideas as well. My husband has his GERD under control, but he had heart palpitations and a lot of your other symptoms also. This is just a theory, but you may be magnesium deficient. Because GERD causes malabsorption of vitamins and minerals due to incomplete or poor digestion, your body is probably lacking many crucial supplements it needs to function properly. One key role of magnesium involves muscle and nerve impulses, so if you are severely deficient, the signs would include weakness, confusion, mood changes, muscle spasms/tremors, nausea, poor coordination, heart disturbances, and insomnia. I know it sounds like a simplistic view, a neat little package of all your symptoms, but it's worth looking into. Whole grains, nuts, legumes, soy and leafy greens are rich in magnesium. Obviously you need to absorb these foods first though, so I would start by helping your digestive process. My husband takes broad spectrum digestive enzymes from the health food store with every meal. Eating plain yogurt every day is great for the good bacteria. He also drinks a little aloe juice or wheatgrass juice before bed to neutralize the acid a little and to soothe his GI tract. Good luck.

[dustycaron]

Just because you have GERD doesn't mean you may not have other issues as well.  If you are having cardiac palpitations you should call your physician.  GERD and cardiac problems have a lot of the same symptoms and heart problems should always be ruled out first.  Palpitations that wake you from sleep could be an indication of an irregular heart rhythm, it may be normal for you but you need to have your doctor make that call.  Neck pain, abdominal pain, cold extremities from circulation issues, fatigue can all be cardiac as well, different medications can cause issues.  

You didn't mention if your doctor was aware of all of your symptoms.  Too much caffeine can cause heart palpitations and stress and diet can have a huge effect on the body.  Diet can also affect how much acid you allow into the esophagus to cause the burning and pain.  Alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, all relax the lower esophageal sphincter and allow more acid to into the esophagus.  Avoid carbonated beverages, spicy foods and tomato products, or fried foods.  Don't eat 2-3 hours before going to bed or reclining. Hope this helps.