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GERD, Esophageal Spasms, and Heart palpitations
I have been suffering from episodes of pain and discomfort in the epi-gastric area. It feels like I am going to have a heart attack, it is a pressure/discomfort in upper abdomen and back between shoulder blades with palpitations and difficulty getting a deep breath. It seems to come on as an "attack". I find that it happens most during my walks for exercise, when bending over, before or after meals, and also before bowel movements. I have had several tests run: abdominal ultrasound normal, several EKG's normal, Echocardiogram showing MItral Valve Prolapse, Endoscopy showing gastritis, eosinophilic esophagitis, incompetent LES. I have been taking Achipex in the AM and Zantac in the PM. Plus really watching what I am eating. It seems to be OK for awhile and then like out of the blue I will get one of these attacks. I'm not sure what else to try, the Dr's haven't been very helpful. The last few episode I went in feeling terrible and left feeling the same way, their only suggestion is to double up the medicines. I really believe that the episodes are been caused by the esophageal spasms, is there any way to treat that other than double up the Gerd medications?
Just so you know, omeprazole gives me esophageal spasms. First day, none. Second day, I have spasms. 3rd day, the spasms are very annoying and painful. Not saying it's your problem, but just to put it in the mix of possible solutions.
For people who have mild chest discomfort and a lot of heart palpitations. Get your Vit D and B12 levels checked, if they are even slightly low try consuming high quality and absorbable Vit D and B12. Its will fix you if your heart is healthy and if palpitations are happening without any apparent reason.
I too have been having what I thought was a palpitation and it would affect my breathing and then I'd end up with a heart racing because I was so scared. I started having these when I was a mid-teen and that very first episode I was constipated at the time but on a wonderful family vacation. Every time I had an episode, I recorded as much of what I ate and did, everything down to whether my bra was too tight or I hadn't worn one in 2 days and what stress I was experiencing. Nothing seemed to line up!
I just had an Echocardiogram, EKG, and wore the Holter heart monitor device for 24 hours. I had an episode while wearing the monitor and it was "beautiful sinus rhythm" at the time, not even racing! I was told it was nothing but I asked several times what else it could be before she mentioned it could be a muscle spasm.
It took several times searching on the web with different keywords before I got to the non-heart related but thought it was the heart issue and landed here.
This past episode I had was over 2 weeks long with no more than a half days rest, my left arm even hurt after a few days of this, hence the scare. I had been stressed to the max recently, so much so that my stomach was super tight and caused a near-ucler (not yet one but will be if I don't take care of myself). I have had an increase in acid reflux and thus burning my lining and further damaging my already exhausted esophagus. I have always had some digestive issue so when I landed here and learned about esophagus spasms, I knew this is what I was experiencing now and as a teen. Plus I eat too much and put a lot of strain on my digestive system, so I'm really not surprised.
It makes sense that I too have most of these experiences when I am relaxing, especially asleep in bed if these are muscle related. Think of a charley horse, all of these have occurred for me when I had attempted to relax the worn out calf muscle and this was almost always in bed at night when I was already asleep.
Now that I know what this is, I can do something about it! I am going to start exercising 3 days a week for about 45 minutes, nothing too strenuous, and I'm destressing by changing my routine a bit. I'm going to bed early, I'm going to go on some vacations by myself, I'm cutting back slightly on the amount of food, and I'm wearing noise canceling headphones at work to block out the annoying and loud coworkers. And best of all, I've been going to church and surrounding myself with people that are worth my time, no more crappy boyfriends or fake friends.
I just had an Echocardiogram, EKG, and wore the Holter heart monitor device for 24 hours. I had an episode while wearing the monitor and it was "beautiful sinus rhythm" at the time, not even racing! I was told it was nothing but I asked several times what else it could be before she mentioned it could be a muscle spasm.
It took several times searching on the web with different keywords before I got to the non-heart related but thought it was the heart issue and landed here.
This past episode I had was over 2 weeks long with no more than a half days rest, my left arm even hurt after a few days of this, hence the scare. I had been stressed to the max recently, so much so that my stomach was super tight and caused a near-ucler (not yet one but will be if I don't take care of myself). I have had an increase in acid reflux and thus burning my lining and further damaging my already exhausted esophagus. I have always had some digestive issue so when I landed here and learned about esophagus spasms, I knew this is what I was experiencing now and as a teen. Plus I eat too much and put a lot of strain on my digestive system, so I'm really not surprised.
It makes sense that I too have most of these experiences when I am relaxing, especially asleep in bed if these are muscle related. Think of a charley horse, all of these have occurred for me when I had attempted to relax the worn out calf muscle and this was almost always in bed at night when I was already asleep.
Now that I know what this is, I can do something about it! I am going to start exercising 3 days a week for about 45 minutes, nothing too strenuous, and I'm destressing by changing my routine a bit. I'm going to bed early, I'm going to go on some vacations by myself, I'm cutting back slightly on the amount of food, and I'm wearing noise canceling headphones at work to block out the annoying and loud coworkers. And best of all, I've been going to church and surrounding myself with people that are worth my time, no more crappy boyfriends or fake friends.
I am glad I got on this site as many people suffering the same symthoms do. when I first went to my regular doctor he told me I literally had a constipation problem, therefore the trapped gas would accumulate in my large intestines and stomach, then I feel the flutters right above the stomach and finally the fast heartbeats and irregular heartbeats. One thing I do know for a fact, they ALL start after I eat a spicy or fatty meal, tonight I ate beans and earlier Cole slaw a b day OMG I have been up with severe bloating, followed by the stupid rapid heartbeats and skipped heartbeats which I was diagnosed with Afib... no chest pains, no heart related pains, no tinglung, no numbness, one doctor literally asked me if I was an athlete cause my heart sounded so good and now this...this only happens after a gassy meal,why do doctors turn the blind eye when hundreds and hundreds of people report the same symthoms, I honestly believe that after experiencing this many many time I would have already had my heart attack...my ekg is fine everytime i take it. Is there no medicine for the vagus nerve? Another thing I am noticing that as I read on and read on, I am literally starting to feel much better than when a while back when i was just living down thinking and thinking all the wrong things.
2 Comments
Like you I am so thankful that I found this site. I like you was diagnosed with Afib. I just had a surgery called cardio ablation to help with them and to my surprise about a week later I began to have these uncomfortable flutters in the top part of my stomach. They get so severe that it takes my breath away.I have been on a bland and liquid diet and it helps just for about a few hours and it comes back with a vengeance. I take zantac before meals and I am now drinking mylantia like water. Also my stomach swells like someone is blowing up a ballon. For the gas they told me to take phazyme. I am trying to still figure out a routine that works for me. If there is anymore suggestions please let me know. I am beyond tired. Thank you!
Mrsjlove, I have the same issues as you and take Nexium. It does seem to help me more than anything. I was also taking a lot of Mylanta or it's generic equivalent, but found out that too much of it is not good for you. You might get the Nexium and give it a try. It's over the counter now or your dr can prescribe a stronger one. Good luck
I have been having GERD for years and a year ago I started having kind of "pops" or uncontrolable contractions on my chest/throat. I had my heart checked EKG, Stress test, Ecography, Holter etc... Everything perfect. I am an athlete since I was 3 I am now 53. I got used to the GERD and not eating anything although I spent my life dieting no alcohol no smoke etc...etc.. Doctors tell me that my heart is totally fine and that I can workout as I wish but the truth is everytime I start training harder one of these spasms make me think I´ll have a heart attack and have to stop to avoid getting into an anxiety attack...It is terribly frustrating and I don´t really know what else I can do. Any suggestions?
1 Comments
Have you ever had a manometry test to check for esophageal spasms? There are a couple different types.. diffuse esophageal spasms (DES) and “nutcracker” (NES). The nutcracker type can make you feel like you’re having a heart attack. It can cause pain across your entire chest, between your shoulders, backof your rib cage , it can even cause pain to shoot up in to your arm & jaw. /t can raise your heart rate & bp when it’s happenin & there’s evidence it can be exercise induced. Treatment should include a calcium channel blocker like cardizem for example (diltiazem) and, there’s been success in treating the spasms with sildenafil “ citrate (viagra believe it or not). You need a gastroentoerologist who SPECIALIZES in “motility disorders of the esophagus. This is a frustrating disease. I was misdiagnosed for 5 years until recently. I’m finally on the right meds, including the sildenafil, and it’s helping. It might take awhile to find the right medicine combo for you, but you can feel better. Here’s a link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2941066/
I understand your frustration!! I have on my own decided that the palpitations have to do with my digestion. Specifically gas due to poor digestion. I did eventually find out that I have Gastro-Paresis after all the tests I had gone through I was shocked that this was the one that came back positive.
I deal with this by watching my diet and actually eliminating what I would consider healthy. I limit any raw fruits or veggies that I eat. If something has skin on it either I remove it or only eat it cooked. I do not eat salad as often (so hard, I love salad!) and when I do I limit it to one time per day. I have found that hard to digest foods are the biggest trigger for me, since my digestion is already compromised.
The other thing that really helps is I take natural Digestive Enzymes with every meal, I just pop those right before I start eating. I also take probiotics daily and for the muscle spasms I take 800-100mg of Magnesium.
These things have helped me tremendously, I still have episodes when the symptoms flair up and at those times I try not to freak out and just eat a very bland diet until everything settles down again. However, things have improved so much that only take 1/2 a Protonix in the morning (hoping to cut it out all together soon) and I very rarely take any other heartburn meds. When things flair up I will still pop some Maalox or Gaviscon but very rarely and certainly not daily like before!! Also, when symptoms are so bad I find that a Xanax really helps, I thing stress and worry make all the symptoms so much worse.
Good luck to you! I hope that you are able to get some relief soon.
I deal with this by watching my diet and actually eliminating what I would consider healthy. I limit any raw fruits or veggies that I eat. If something has skin on it either I remove it or only eat it cooked. I do not eat salad as often (so hard, I love salad!) and when I do I limit it to one time per day. I have found that hard to digest foods are the biggest trigger for me, since my digestion is already compromised.
The other thing that really helps is I take natural Digestive Enzymes with every meal, I just pop those right before I start eating. I also take probiotics daily and for the muscle spasms I take 800-100mg of Magnesium.
These things have helped me tremendously, I still have episodes when the symptoms flair up and at those times I try not to freak out and just eat a very bland diet until everything settles down again. However, things have improved so much that only take 1/2 a Protonix in the morning (hoping to cut it out all together soon) and I very rarely take any other heartburn meds. When things flair up I will still pop some Maalox or Gaviscon but very rarely and certainly not daily like before!! Also, when symptoms are so bad I find that a Xanax really helps, I thing stress and worry make all the symptoms so much worse.
Good luck to you! I hope that you are able to get some relief soon.
I have had reflux for several years. I have been on Protonix for years. About 5 years ago I started having severe pain in my left abdomen right under the rib cage. I went to a couple of different doctors and none of them could figure out the problem. Endoscopy and biopsy were ok; just some inflammation in the esophagus. We tried all the different PPi,s but still had the pain. I finally went back to the Protonix because my reflux had gotten worse while trying different meds. The pain comes on at night and is worse when I lay down. I try to sleep in my recliner so I am more upright. The pain has been so severe I just want to go to the ER but I don't because I know they can not help me. I have realized it is a cramp like a charley horse in my gut. You can actually feel the muscle cramping. My reflux has affected my voice box and created Vocal Chord Dysfuntion (VCD). I'm trying really hard to get the reflux under control by eliminating diet coke, chocolate, mint, and other foods that worsen reflux. Plus I sleep elevated. My speech therapist I go to (the only way to treat VCD) had me up my Protonix to control the reflux even more. After doing this my side pain became almost unbearable!!! Protonix side effects include muscle cramp and stomach pains, esophagial spams, throat tightening, among other things, I decided to go off the Protonix and just try Zantac morning and night for awhile and see if between that and the diet change if my reflux would be controlled enough. I have only been off the Protonix a few days and my reflux is terrible. I started having, what I think are esophagial spasms, a few months ago. They happen at night while I'm laying down. At first I thought it was my heart fluttering. I get a quiver/flutter in my chest and it wakes me with a gasp sometimes and lasts a few seconds and settles back down. It usually does this a couple of times soon after I have fallen asleep. Tonight my reflux is so bad the spasms are happening every few minutes. I started back on the Protonix tonight. I went and drank Malox to see if that would control the reflux better and minimize the spasms so I can sleep. I am so past frustrated I just don't know what to do anymore.
when i first got the palpitations 3 to 4 years ago for the first few times i found myself jumping out of bed straight out of sleep with a rapid heartbeat it seemed odd but i figured my body was telling me something! back then i noticed i was coughing up a lot of brown phlegm from reflux into the lungs because of way way too much acidic foods ie pure orange juice, tomato based foods tea chocolate and smoking. ive had the palpitations for around 3yrs now sometimes reducing the palpitations but within the past 6 weeks ive completely stopped them. this is how i did it. no orange juice of any sort, no curry, tomato based foods, tea, chocolate
and cut down daily sugar intake to around 40 grams, i still smoke but ive cut down, a very important factor which has also helped me is by cutting wheat down and adding potatoes for carbohydrates seriously! i'm a man
on the guideline limit of 180 grams daily allowance of complex carbs that's at 2500kcal daily guidelines for men yours will be less!!! now i have 120 grams daily from wheat 30 of those grams from oats, i have about 70grams complex carbs from potatoes "2 200 gram portions" and i'll tell you it's decreased acid because when i have a 1 hour nap in the evening the palpitations have gone but today for the first time in weeks i got the palpitations attack at nap time because i had a tuna baguette instead of my daily pie with 200 grams of boiled potatoe! 200 grams of boiled potatoes equals about 35 grams of complex carbs i have another 35 grams of complex carbs from potatoes in the evening, wheat messes people up with gerds it's a well known and neglected fact, i only get palpitations rarely at nap time in the evening but never at night time ive done this with precise calculations even going to bed 20 minutes earlier than the prescribed time of empty stomach can set of palpitations, here's my schedule after completing final meal leave stomach empty for exactly 5 and a half hours that's my personal customised time that works perfectly for me, the reason i sometimes get palpitations at nap time is because i jump in bed 3 hours after a meal so it's expected, oew i never snack in the prescribed time!!! my palpitations have reduced to nothing infact ive reduced esophageal spasms by 80 to 90% compared to when they first started 3yrs ago back then my neck and head would move due to the severity of the palpitations. one other massively important factor for me is 6 weeks ago i raised my bed posts at the head side by putting a couple of bricks under them my palpitations alleviation came when i hit a certain number (6 inch) 5 inch wasn't enough inclination but 6 works good ! i had to put additional metal weights on the bricks to make it to 6 inch, if you have a partner they wont like it but they'd get used to it, at 6 inch inclination it feels a little odd at first and if you've got silky satin type mattress and quilt covers you will find yourself slipping down the mattress try cotton instead it will help at least a little. if i wouldn't have had that baguette today and instead just had my potatoes and pie i would not have got palpitations at nap time and i already know this but i broke protocol. i also have 30mg lansoprazole every day without it my intestines would be on fire. if i added some vegetables like swede it would help me a lot more by soaking up excess acid and alkalising but i'm a lame cook. ps although i never experience pain whilst eating i often get a rashy tickly sensation in the exact same spot of my esophagus
i definitely suspect a unhealing ulcer.
and cut down daily sugar intake to around 40 grams, i still smoke but ive cut down, a very important factor which has also helped me is by cutting wheat down and adding potatoes for carbohydrates seriously! i'm a man
on the guideline limit of 180 grams daily allowance of complex carbs that's at 2500kcal daily guidelines for men yours will be less!!! now i have 120 grams daily from wheat 30 of those grams from oats, i have about 70grams complex carbs from potatoes "2 200 gram portions" and i'll tell you it's decreased acid because when i have a 1 hour nap in the evening the palpitations have gone but today for the first time in weeks i got the palpitations attack at nap time because i had a tuna baguette instead of my daily pie with 200 grams of boiled potatoe! 200 grams of boiled potatoes equals about 35 grams of complex carbs i have another 35 grams of complex carbs from potatoes in the evening, wheat messes people up with gerds it's a well known and neglected fact, i only get palpitations rarely at nap time in the evening but never at night time ive done this with precise calculations even going to bed 20 minutes earlier than the prescribed time of empty stomach can set of palpitations, here's my schedule after completing final meal leave stomach empty for exactly 5 and a half hours that's my personal customised time that works perfectly for me, the reason i sometimes get palpitations at nap time is because i jump in bed 3 hours after a meal so it's expected, oew i never snack in the prescribed time!!! my palpitations have reduced to nothing infact ive reduced esophageal spasms by 80 to 90% compared to when they first started 3yrs ago back then my neck and head would move due to the severity of the palpitations. one other massively important factor for me is 6 weeks ago i raised my bed posts at the head side by putting a couple of bricks under them my palpitations alleviation came when i hit a certain number (6 inch) 5 inch wasn't enough inclination but 6 works good ! i had to put additional metal weights on the bricks to make it to 6 inch, if you have a partner they wont like it but they'd get used to it, at 6 inch inclination it feels a little odd at first and if you've got silky satin type mattress and quilt covers you will find yourself slipping down the mattress try cotton instead it will help at least a little. if i wouldn't have had that baguette today and instead just had my potatoes and pie i would not have got palpitations at nap time and i already know this but i broke protocol. i also have 30mg lansoprazole every day without it my intestines would be on fire. if i added some vegetables like swede it would help me a lot more by soaking up excess acid and alkalising but i'm a lame cook. ps although i never experience pain whilst eating i often get a rashy tickly sensation in the exact same spot of my esophagus
i definitely suspect a unhealing ulcer.
when i first got the palpitations 3 to 4 years ago for the first few times i found myself jumping out of bed straight out of sleep with a rapid heartbeat it seemed odd but i figured my body was telling me something! back then i noticed i was coughing up a lot of brown phlegm from reflux into the lungs because of way way too much acidic foods ie pure orange juice, tomato based foods tea chocolate and smoking. ive had the palpitations for around 3yrs now sometimes reducing the palpitations but within the past 6 weeks ive completely stopped them. this is how i did it. no orange juice of any sort, no curry, tomato based foods, tea, chocolate
and cut down daily sugar intake to around 40 grams, i still smoke but ive cut down, a very important factor which has also helped me is by cutting wheat down and adding potatoes for carbohydrates seriously! i'm a man
on the guideline limit of 180 grams daily allowance of complex carbs that's at 2500kcal daily guidelines for men yours will be less!!! now i have 120 grams daily from wheat 30 of those grams from oats, i have about 70grams complex carbs from potatoes "2 200 gram portions" and i'll tell you it's decreased acid because when i have a 1 hour nap in the evening the palpitations have gone but today for the first time in weeks i got the palpitations attack at nap time because i had a tuna baguette instead of my daily pie with 200 grams of boiled potatoe! 200 grams of boiled potatoes equals about 35 grams of complex carbs i have another 35 grams of complex carbs from potatoes in the evening, wheat messes people up with gerds it's a well known and neglected fact, i only get palpitations rarely at nap time in the evening but never at night time ive done this with precise calculations even going to bed 20 minutes earlier than the prescribed time of empty stomach can set of palpitations, here's my schedule after completing final meal leave stomach empty for exactly 5 and a half hours that's my personal customised time that works perfectly for me, the reason i sometimes get palpitations at nap time is because i jump in bed 3 hours after a meal so it's expected, oew i never snack in the prescribed time!!! my palpitations have reduced to nothing infact ive reduced esophageal spasms by 80 to 90% compared to when they first started 3yrs ago back then my neck and head would move due to the severity of the palpitations. one other massively important factor for me is 6 weeks ago i raised my bed posts at the head side by putting a couple of bricks under them my palpitations alleviation came when i hit a certain number (6 inch) 5 inch wasn't enough inclination but 6 works good ! i had to put additional metal weights on the bricks to make it to 6 inch, if you have a partner they wont like it but they'd get used to it, at 6 inch inclination it feels a little odd at first and if you've got silky satin type mattress and quilt covers you will find yourself slipping down the mattress try cotton instead it will help at least a little. if i wouldn't have had that baguette today and instead just had my potatoes and pie i would not have got palpitations at nap time and i already know this but i broke protocol. i also have 30mg lansoprazole every day without it my intestines would be on fire. if i added some vegetables like swede it would help me a lot more by soaking up excess acid and alkalising but i'm a lame cook. ps although i never experience pain whilst eating i often get a rashy tickly sensation in the exact same spot of my esophagus
i definitely suspect a unhealing ulcer.
and cut down daily sugar intake to around 40 grams, i still smoke but ive cut down, a very important factor which has also helped me is by cutting wheat down and adding potatoes for carbohydrates seriously! i'm a man
on the guideline limit of 180 grams daily allowance of complex carbs that's at 2500kcal daily guidelines for men yours will be less!!! now i have 120 grams daily from wheat 30 of those grams from oats, i have about 70grams complex carbs from potatoes "2 200 gram portions" and i'll tell you it's decreased acid because when i have a 1 hour nap in the evening the palpitations have gone but today for the first time in weeks i got the palpitations attack at nap time because i had a tuna baguette instead of my daily pie with 200 grams of boiled potatoe! 200 grams of boiled potatoes equals about 35 grams of complex carbs i have another 35 grams of complex carbs from potatoes in the evening, wheat messes people up with gerds it's a well known and neglected fact, i only get palpitations rarely at nap time in the evening but never at night time ive done this with precise calculations even going to bed 20 minutes earlier than the prescribed time of empty stomach can set of palpitations, here's my schedule after completing final meal leave stomach empty for exactly 5 and a half hours that's my personal customised time that works perfectly for me, the reason i sometimes get palpitations at nap time is because i jump in bed 3 hours after a meal so it's expected, oew i never snack in the prescribed time!!! my palpitations have reduced to nothing infact ive reduced esophageal spasms by 80 to 90% compared to when they first started 3yrs ago back then my neck and head would move due to the severity of the palpitations. one other massively important factor for me is 6 weeks ago i raised my bed posts at the head side by putting a couple of bricks under them my palpitations alleviation came when i hit a certain number (6 inch) 5 inch wasn't enough inclination but 6 works good ! i had to put additional metal weights on the bricks to make it to 6 inch, if you have a partner they wont like it but they'd get used to it, at 6 inch inclination it feels a little odd at first and if you've got silky satin type mattress and quilt covers you will find yourself slipping down the mattress try cotton instead it will help at least a little. if i wouldn't have had that baguette today and instead just had my potatoes and pie i would not have got palpitations at nap time and i already know this but i broke protocol. i also have 30mg lansoprazole every day without it my intestines would be on fire. if i added some vegetables like swede it would help me a lot more by soaking up excess acid and alkalising but i'm a lame cook. ps although i never experience pain whilst eating i often get a rashy tickly sensation in the exact same spot of my esophagus
i definitely suspect a unhealing ulcer.
I went to the doc yesterday and was complaining about the problems going on in my chest, left side, stomach and back. I am a survivor for 6 yrs now, I have aways as little girl had this quivering in my chest and stomach. If I jumped to hard or moved too quickly they would happen. I am 62 yrs old now and have had these to come on maybe once a year, but lately for the last 3 weeks, I have had feelings similar to all of the above responses. I suffer with hypothyroidism and that pain in the butt messes up everything. With the meds I have been given they were for diabetes, hypertension, low vitamin d, acid reflu, bladder not empting, blurred vision, and only God knows what else LOL. I do not ake anything for diabetes it is controlled by my diet, I do take vitamn d, multi vitamin, and extra calcium and magnesm I was told yesterday to see a heart specialist, and my regular breast doctor WOW!! I did the research for old doc and gave all the info now the diagnosis was palpitations. I have been helping myself with synthetic meds and herbal meds. I truly believe that undiagnosed thyroid problems causes a lot of the problems I have. When I missed two weeks of my Herbal thyroid assist the palpitations and spasms came. I too had an accident and had neck and back problem but they have gone sense. So take control and demand a test for your thyroid it controls the harmones, temps and even diabetes. Pain in most of us is caused by inflammation and will cause your heart palpitations, and so many other things. Most tests does not detect a problem with the thyroid but there is one out there that does. I know how each of you feel but different meds and herbs effect each of us differently. I pray most of the time that helps all the time Isiah 53:5. I am only experiencing a little of the jumping and choking feeling in the throat. After taking my thyroid assist an herbal med I feel better. I had to take charge of my body so I only take a half pill 5mg of Bystolic BP med, prescribed to help but I feel makes it worse. Lord help us all!!!
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I have been having these spasm feeling s in my Espohagus sice I had my first child I was 24 years old. I first noticed I was having anxiety where I felt like I couldn't take a deep breath. Then a few months later I was having a fluttering feeling in my chest specifically my heart felt like it was flip flopping around. I then started to feel it like I could feel a spasm vibration through my esophagus! It scared me I stopped in my tracks like what is going on. It even made my feel a little weak afterwards. I have been having this for 9 years now. Anytime I am relaxed it happens. The latest symptom I will be laying down in bed just falling a sleep & my body wakes me up almost like a pure panic feeling I sit straight up & my heart starts to race really fast like I just ran a marathon. it scares me so much I hate that feeling. I am the mother of 4 kids & feel depressed everytime this stuff happens i'm so scared something bad is going to happen to me. I too have went to the Doctors & have had 3 EKG"S Bloodwork, Echiochardiograms & have worn heart montitors. They can't find the problem. The Echiochardiogram found 2 small leaks around my heart vaulves but say that's normal. NOT sure how that's normal. One doctor said I have Esophagel spasms & a heart doctor said I have tachchardia & that it's not gonna kill me. He said stay away from caffeine! I do & I still have this problem. I have twinges of pain in my heart too! also I have constant backpain in between my shoulders where my heart would be on my back it's awful!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope this helps anybody out there that hasn't thought about this before.
Basically I have the same symptons as you guys but I don’t have issues with swallowing or regurgitation or feel like food stuck in my throat....but I severely damaged nerves in my neck from a sports injury 18 months ago. So the following exert makes complete sense to me.
http://www.righthealth.com/topic/Esophageal_spasm
http://*****************/question/index?qid=20061008012324AAsjnpS
“Be aware of there being 2 nerves which enervate the esophagus - they must coordinate in their action to allow smooth passage of food or drink past that transitional area. If they are not in sync, you will have some distress..
There is treatment for it but meds will not have any effect on gaining the functional balance of this out of sync neurological disorder. There is direct interference with one of the nerves. Thus the pressure on that nerve must be determined and released. I am sure you will find a pretty sensitive area, at the base of the skull. Indicating some inflammatory process is involved, with those cranial nerves”.
BTW I still play football (UK football so I try to avoid heading the ball but inevitably do now & then) & play golf (twisting & turning my neck. So unless I give these sports up it seems i may always have the horrible oesophagael spasms.
Also after the initial injury & terrible bouts in bed of the spasms i had 5 sessions of acupuncture & neck massage - helped amazingly well but as said i just can't give up my sports !!
Basically I have the same symptons as you guys but I don’t have issues with swallowing or regurgitation or feel like food stuck in my throat....but I severely damaged nerves in my neck from a sports injury 18 months ago. So the following exert makes complete sense to me.
http://www.righthealth.com/topic/Esophageal_spasm
http://*****************/question/index?qid=20061008012324AAsjnpS
“Be aware of there being 2 nerves which enervate the esophagus - they must coordinate in their action to allow smooth passage of food or drink past that transitional area. If they are not in sync, you will have some distress..
There is treatment for it but meds will not have any effect on gaining the functional balance of this out of sync neurological disorder. There is direct interference with one of the nerves. Thus the pressure on that nerve must be determined and released. I am sure you will find a pretty sensitive area, at the base of the skull. Indicating some inflammatory process is involved, with those cranial nerves”.
BTW I still play football (UK football so I try to avoid heading the ball but inevitably do now & then) & play golf (twisting & turning my neck. So unless I give these sports up it seems i may always have the horrible oesophagael spasms.
Also after the initial injury & terrible bouts in bed of the spasms i had 5 sessions of acupuncture & neck massage - helped amazingly well but as said i just can't give up my sports !!
I just wanted to say that I have had all of these same symptoms for years. The Dr.'s have not always been much help. Especially because I had never had heartburn before in my entire life and was still not experiencing heartburn when the chest pain started. I have had my heart tested more times than I can count.....always normal! Very frustrating to not have answers. Finally one day, I was rushed to the hospital because they thought I was having a heart attack. I had pain in my chest, shoulder, neck and jaw. It was hard to breathe and I was extremely nauseated. The paramedics gave me Nitro, again thinking that it was a heart attack. The Nitro actually helped but only for a short period of time and I would have to take it again. To them it was confirming that it was my heart. After hours spent in the ER, extremely drugged up and with many tests, they determined that my heart was fine but since the Nitro helped the symptoms, my problem was Esophageal spasms. I did many tests and procedures with the GI Specialist who confirmed that my problem was Esophageal spasms. Due to the fact, that I never have heartburn or acid reflux, the Prilosec and Prevacid meds do not help me. They do not have any idea why I have these episodes. The only relief that I have is the Nitro patch that I can use for the debilitating moments of pain. However, the Nitro causes such severe headaches that I can only use it for a maximum of 2 hours, which is not always long enough to get me through the episode. I can not take anti-depressants or anxiety meds and feel that I have been left with no real options.
Something that I have not heard anyone mention is abdominal pain. I often have severe left-sided abdominal pain during the extreme episodes. Dr.'s do not have any answers for this and no suggestions. Does anyone have the left-side abdominal pain that seems to be associated with the Esophageal spasms? And if so, have any suggestions?
I really appreciate not feeling alone in this one because the Dr's just don't get it and don't care. They just throw their hands up and say "I don't know what to tell you!". Very frustrating to say the least. Always leave their office crying. Just want help, understanding and relief. As I am sure we all do.
Something that I have not heard anyone mention is abdominal pain. I often have severe left-sided abdominal pain during the extreme episodes. Dr.'s do not have any answers for this and no suggestions. Does anyone have the left-side abdominal pain that seems to be associated with the Esophageal spasms? And if so, have any suggestions?
I really appreciate not feeling alone in this one because the Dr's just don't get it and don't care. They just throw their hands up and say "I don't know what to tell you!". Very frustrating to say the least. Always leave their office crying. Just want help, understanding and relief. As I am sure we all do.
after yrs of suffering and trips to ER thinking i was having a heart attack, a liver specialist in cincinnati came up with a combo of drugs that works for me (after months of trial and error). my symptoms were so debilitating i was considering a fairly dangerous hiatal hernia operation which my liver doc thankfully talked me out of. here it is:
RX strength nexium at 40 mg/day and nefidipine ER at 30mg/day and over the counter ranitidine 150 mg and famotidine 20 mg once in the morning. i often take the otc in the late afternoon if needed.
i have had non-alcohol hepatitis c for decades and am aware of the nexium warning regarding use with liver disease. every now and then i take a break from the nexium and double up on the otc meds. i then have some mild symptoms that are manageable but only when i take a break from the nexium. otherwise NO symptoms.
RX strength nexium at 40 mg/day and nefidipine ER at 30mg/day and over the counter ranitidine 150 mg and famotidine 20 mg once in the morning. i often take the otc in the late afternoon if needed.
i have had non-alcohol hepatitis c for decades and am aware of the nexium warning regarding use with liver disease. every now and then i take a break from the nexium and double up on the otc meds. i then have some mild symptoms that are manageable but only when i take a break from the nexium. otherwise NO symptoms.
yikes! This sounds similar to me and I am searching for answers today because I had a scope today and they found nothing but an inflamed breastbone which explains none of this. I often have heart palpitations and my attacks last hours usually. They happen shortly after eating but it doesn't seem to matter what I eat. I guess I am not suprised that the scope showed nothing since I fasted and so there was nothing in my stomach for them to see. I believe it is some sort of spasm and I can feel it in my throat. It feels like something is stuck there and sometimes it hurts. They had me taking prilosec twice a day and carafate liquid four times a day. It helps some but they told me today at the GI doc to quit taking it and go back to prilosec once per day and that just leads me back to miserable. Sometimes the attacks last several days and I can't sleep and am very uncomfortable. Sometimes burpring provides like a 1-2 second relief but it doesn't take it away. UGH! What test is done for an esophogal spasm? I need to get my doc on the right track. Thank you for any info you can provide
This advice may come a little late, but I wouldn't recommend doubling up on the acid reflux meds. I bet it's the Aciphex that is causing palpitations and chest pain. The second day I took Aciphex I could feel my heart pounding and cramping in my chest. I couldn't find this listed as a side effect, so I stopped for a few days and it went away. Every time I would begin taking it again this would happen, so I knew it wasn't just in my head. Stop taking the Aciphex! I need to find another medication that does not produce this side effect, which is why I came to this site wondering about Zantac. Anyone else had this problem with Zantac (or H2 blockers) alone?
When I feel one coming on I can cut it short by taking small sips of fluid constantly until it passes. If the spasm gets to far along, I have to endure the symptoms (in agony). They are usually over in about five minutes if they get full blown. It seems like hours though!
I've had this happen lots of times. But these spasms only started AFTER I had RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery. The first episode happened after I drank some Niquel. I woke up and thought I was having a heart attack and my husband called 911. After finding out my heart was fine, they did say I was extremely low on potassium.
I still have these attacks and it always happens after I have a food seasoned with ground red pepper and I love red pepper!
I still have these attacks and it always happens after I have a food seasoned with ground red pepper and I love red pepper!
Hi,
I have heart palpitations. Been steady every day for the past 3 months (this episode anyway). Sometimes I get 1 or 2 days of relief but mostly steady. Cardiologist has cleared me of any serious heart problems but gave no explanations or help.
I have had stomach/chest problems for the past few years. Sometimes so severe that its hard to breathe. I know now that most of that problem came from hard-core drinking. But I don't do that anymore... and I still have stomach/chest discomfort (causing heart palps?)... I tried nexium and all that stuff... nothing helps the palps.
I wore a heart monitor and confirmed that these really are palps or PVCs. But no explanation for WHY I am having these... it has turned my life upside down... cant sleep... canceled vacations...
One weird note... If I gulp air into my throat so that it gets trapped in my esophagus... the palps seem to lessen or even go away a bit...
any ideas?!?!
I have heart palpitations. Been steady every day for the past 3 months (this episode anyway). Sometimes I get 1 or 2 days of relief but mostly steady. Cardiologist has cleared me of any serious heart problems but gave no explanations or help.
I have had stomach/chest problems for the past few years. Sometimes so severe that its hard to breathe. I know now that most of that problem came from hard-core drinking. But I don't do that anymore... and I still have stomach/chest discomfort (causing heart palps?)... I tried nexium and all that stuff... nothing helps the palps.
I wore a heart monitor and confirmed that these really are palps or PVCs. But no explanation for WHY I am having these... it has turned my life upside down... cant sleep... canceled vacations...
One weird note... If I gulp air into my throat so that it gets trapped in my esophagus... the palps seem to lessen or even go away a bit...
any ideas?!?!
wow,,,i have finaly found someone who has the exact same thing i get.
i have had every test u can imagine,and nothing!!!
also i have had the liver,heart,pancreas,and gullbladder all cleared,and found to be in good shape,arteries also!!
so i wouldnt worry too much about it,,,i too have some gerd once in awhile,but i take a pepcid complete in the morning,and in the evening,and i think this helps.
i notice mine comes on sometimes when im sitting down too,and when i get up and stand straight,it often feels better,but mine too comes on in "attacks" lasts a few minutes and goes away.
im sorry to hear you have this too,but im glad im not alone.
i have had every test u can imagine,and nothing!!!
also i have had the liver,heart,pancreas,and gullbladder all cleared,and found to be in good shape,arteries also!!
so i wouldnt worry too much about it,,,i too have some gerd once in awhile,but i take a pepcid complete in the morning,and in the evening,and i think this helps.
i notice mine comes on sometimes when im sitting down too,and when i get up and stand straight,it often feels better,but mine too comes on in "attacks" lasts a few minutes and goes away.
im sorry to hear you have this too,but im glad im not alone.
It is my prayer that this becomes much more common knowledge, especially among the entire medical community. If I am lying down to go to sleep and begin to feel and hear my heartbeat I know by this time that I should simply go into the bathroom and do the necessary. Only THEN can I get back to sleep. After years of ambulance, ER trips, etc. I have had to come to my own conclusions about this. It may be that the gastroenterologists know this and are not sharing. SW
Thank you very much!! I had an episode the other day; an esophageal spasm that triggered a brief heart palpitation. I was overheated and doing strenuous cardio exercise. I accidentally chugged down a big gulp of ice water and slush... you guessed it; I thought I was having a heart attack. It only lasted about 10 seconds, but to put it mildly, It was not fun. A trip to the ER confirmed my heart was OK, and one of the docs suggested an esophagel spasm. I was hopeful, but not totally convinced. After reading your entry I feel much better. Best of luck to you and all others that have posted here.
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