Atrial Fibrillation Stomach Gas & Bloat Relationship?

[delcocat]

I saw a post about atrial fibrillation and stomach gas possible association.  I too have the same thing so it may not be all in your head if your suspect this to be the case.  Most dr.'s think your crazy or never heard of this when you even suggest it.  Thats whats wrong with most dr's.  They don't think outside the box and most always treat symptoms with side effect ridden drugs because this is what they learned.  I think we can guess or prognose just as well or better than they can at times particularly if we know something about health and or ourselves.  Never be afraid to speak up because I feel strongly that digestive tract problems are real and translate into other real nasty symptoms like this.  Fortunately we can prevent much of this & need to prevent it from happening. I do feel the more you get afib the worse it can become either physically, emmotionally or both no matter what the cause.  I thought up until now that I may have been the first to discover this but thought I would put this to a POLL since the question already exist out there about the afib gas connection.  I would like to know how many people feel that they get atrial fibrillation and feel that it may be related to gas or full, bloated stomach, intestinal or digestive tract troubles etc?  Any way I also would be interested in what anyone might have to say about it and or what they may have learned from this if they know or even think this to be the case for them and would also like to correspond with others to trade stories and info on what they've learned and done. Be well.  Sincerely, Rich - ***@****


This discussion is related to Stomach Gas and Arrythmia.

[Sephris]

After reading what some of you have gone through, I've done some thinking about my past and I've come to see things in a different light. Over the last couple of decades I've had some really traumatic stuff happen. I had my head beat in and had bleeding on the brain that caused seizures for a couple of days, my first child died just before he was to be born, my third child was born autistic and at 3 was built like a linebacker. He violently attacked my wife daily until about a year ago. (He was sort of diagnosed with the superbaby syndrome where the brain doesn't tell the muscles to stop growing. His pedi. was lazy and didn't get the tests done to prove he had this, but you need only look at him to know he has it). On top of that I've had a string of "friends" come into my life just to scam what they could off me and my family. Life has been far too stressful.

Several years ago, when I still drank and smoked and guzzled coffee, I would get these weird fits of dizziness and then vomit. It was this weird tickle in my belly that would cause the problem. I wonder if that wasn't the start of one of those hernias people above have talked about.

Regardless, I think it's possible that the level of intensity of stress I've been under as well as the chronic smoking/drinking/coffee I was doing really screwed up my stomach. So if your gut can be one of the reasons for going into A-fib, It's rather likely that it is a stomach issue, rather than the heart itself.

Just hoping I can one day get off these damn meds. I'm not good at taking them.

[Sephris]

I'm a 44 year old guy who had a very scary AF happen about 7 months ago. I was chain smoking at the time and drinking lots of coffee, then had a hot oil pan explode against my chest. The morning after the explosion I woke to strange feelings in my chest. I had palpitations many times before, but the doctors just shrugged them off because they were in the bottom part of my heart. But then this one came and it hit the top part of my heart. I can't be 100% sure, but I think I was having stomach issues when it happened.

Just a couple of days ago I had missed my pill that takes care of the heart problem, metoprolol, but wasn't completely sure I had missed it, so I decided to wait until it was time to take the pill again, that way I wouldn't be taking too much of it. But I never made it to the time.

My belly felt like there was concrete in it, (to note, I had about half a cup of weak coffee. I rarely drink it now, but I had a busy day ahead of me), and I felt like I was going to vomit several times. This all came on within a few minutes from being perfectly fine and cleaning house. I was hit with AF twice, within about 5-10 minutes of each other. I was in the ER faster than you could kick at me.

I was hawked over for several hours, EKG's and the whole 9 yards. I took a second pill and after it kicked in, I was feeling better.They sent me home and everything seemed fine.

Tonight I have my dose in me, but the bloating feeling came again and even with the medication I started to have palpitations again. Took some antacid pills hoping it will help as it is after 3:30am and the off beats have been stopping me from sleeping.

I talked with my main doctor and mentioned that I thought it might be gas, bringing up something from the movie Doc Hollywood where Michael J. Fox thinks a kid is going into AF and is ready to send him off in an ambulance when suddenly the older doc comes up, gives the kid a drink of soda, the kid burps and all is better.

First he blinked. Then he smiled and nodded, agreeing that this might be gas related and I may NOT have a serious heart issue, though after going out of whack I guess the heart tends to want to continue, so I donno. I do know I don't want to be on the metoprolol if I can help it...I don't like other things I've been noticing the beta blockers have been blocking, though it's not horrible and could be lived with. It's my hope that I can go back to being my normal self with some gas pills rather than adrenalin blockers. We have a fight or flight mechanism for a reason.

I'm set to see a cardiologist for the first time since my first AF back in June, so hopefully he/she will be better able to tell me what's going on. But I can guarantee with 100% accuracy that gas DOES have something to do with what I'm feeling.

[Sissypris]

Someone mentioned sneezing could restore sinus rhythm. Since I also suffer from the same syndrome everyone has mentioned, I read that if you are having a heart attack, cough. I have tried this for the irregular heart rhythm, and it definitely helps. It is logical too.

[rdavisinva]

I have suffered from AFIB most of my life and it is always brought on by a set of know triggers:
1.) Indigestion and excessive gas, particularly brought on from cereal with milk in the morning. or very spicy foods mixed with dairy.
2.) Putting some unusual pressure on your chest: laying on my left side while sleeping, leaning or laying on my chest when trying to fix a car for example.
3.) Too much alcohol - in excessive of 4 drinks in a 3 hr period
4.)  Caffeine
5.)  Dehydration

These are 5 "big five:.
If I watch these I stay out of AFIB

[lylacavanaugh]

Try charcoal pills from the health food store.  Charcoal pills provide much relief for gas.  Many people are admitted to hospital for heart issues when what they really have is gas.

[willec49]

Charcoal pills have helped me on many occasions when I was literally blocked up with gas. They really work.

[Juneyski]

I agree with most what you say.Have just come out of hospital again having suffered tachycardia .My abdomen feels tight...and bloated sometimes and then my heart kicks in to beating very fast usually when I'm seated or lying down....but can happen when I feel bloated tummy when walking .Not chest pain  but funny feelings in chest and arms ..don't like the feel of clothes on my skin.Lots of burping at anytime .stretching my body in certain positions helps to slow the heart have had episodes of this for 25 years am 50 now.Been diagnosed with a hiatus hernia  , had heart checked and nothing was found ...can swim for ages..but do burp when swimming...but no AF ..it can happen at anytime and have even tab,eats for anxiety.but the bloody symptoms of all this are the cause of my anxiety not the other way round.....doctors.....always have seemed to think its stress but I know better