Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Wierd Symptom for Heart Disease

I have heart damage from a MI in 2007. My EF after MI was 35% but has since deteriorated to 20-25%. I maintain my BP/Pulse below normal by medications as per cardiologists suggestions.

Since last several weeks I am getting weird symptom. When I make any movement, my stomach/abdomen muscles suddenly become hard and lower abdomen bulges out. Two cardiologists  whom I consult regularly do not see this as related to heart. They say the abdomen muscles are beyond heart's domain. But this does not happen with every movement, like I can walk for 30 minutes without getting these symptoms and sometimes I get this even sitting at a place with slight movement. I tried relating it to food intake but it does not correlate. I checked with blood sugar levels but does not make much sense.  

Though I see some connection with nerve in left side of my neck to extreme left side of my sternum going down to stomach area on left and then to abdomen muscles. I have seen this region (except abdominal muscles) getting stiff during some of my daily walk for last several years. I talked about this to cardiologists and on my insistence got yearly stress thallium for three consecutive years followed by a CT angio. No link found.

Now I see this problem extended to abdominal muscles (something like abdomen spasm). Sometimes I feel it is a sign of some serious heart event. How to go about it?

Has anyone on this forum experienced this type of symptom? Any information/feedback will be of great help.

Apologize for such a long mail.

Regards
6 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
In my case too, when I get symptoms (stomach hardening, stiffening of extreme left side of sternum, nerve pain in left side of throat and some sensation in left side of brain) (I do not have pain) and I start walking, after about 10-15 minutes I have couple of mild bouts of belching (coming from somewhere below the sternum on left side) and from there onwards symptoms start reducing.

Could this be trapping of gas in such locations from where it is not easily expelled? In my case it may be pushing the diaphragm upwards or pressing some nerve (and compounded by my low EF) causing the symptoms. Just a guess!

Thanks for sharing your feedback.
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
My pulse does increase very slightly to 70-80 but it does thump harder. My pulse is very strong when symptoms are present. I am not sure about nerve damage in my case. If the pain gets really bad, I walk around for about 10 mins and then have several bouts of belching and it seems to ease it a lot. Not completely though and then heartburn occurs soon after.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Other than a micro blockage causing such symptoms (this first thing which comes to mind in case of ischemic heart disease), there could be a possibility of some nerve in stomach getting damaged. In fact, in my case this could be one of the possibilities. What about your pulse rate? Does it go high when these symptoms appear? In my case the pulse remains normal.

Aspirin may sometimes cause such damage to nerves in stomach. I also think that statins can cause damage to nerves, but I know many on this forum disagree with this.

Depending upon which nerve is effected with intake of food, the symptoms may vary. Vagus nerve is one such nerve which has wide reach, from brain to stomach/intestine. Having simultaneous symptoms in stomach, left sternum, left neck and brain raises doubts about something wrong with the nerve, in my case.

If you do not get answers from your scheduled cardio/stomach examinations/tests, maybe a consultation with someone who specializes in nerves could help.
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
Perhaps I worded it incorrectly and I apologise. It isn't that the stomach doesn't get enough blood, it's that the heart can't cope with the extra demand. My EF is 70 at rest and I have no idea what it is at high work loads. If my heart is working hard (such as after eating) I often get terrible symptoms which are different to those of Angina in many ways. Sometimes I get odd pains in different parts of the body, sometimes I sweat and sometimes I fall asleep because I just can't force myself to stay awake. I have had cases where I get quite dizzy too and wonder if I'm going to pass out. Other times it is just throat discomfort, heart burn, chest pains and difficulty getting breath.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Ed34,
Thanks for the response.
In my case, I am also suspecting excitation of some nerve connecting stomach/abdomen to brain (via left side of throat) but I am not sure the trigger comes from brain and then it goes to stomach/abdomen or it is other way, from stomach/abdomen to brain. Either way, it creates some unpleasant sensation in left side of neck for fraction of a second and sometimes the breathing becomes relatively heavier.

Sometimes, while sleeping, when I lye on left side I can feel discomfort within minutes and breathing heavier and it gets normal after I turn and lye on my back. But again, this does not happen every time I sleep turning left side.

Sometimes, I tried to relate with my current BP and I found that most of the times when these symptoms were noticed, the BP was on lower side (as compared to my normal BP). But not sure how this is linked.

Other, suspicion is on some growth inside stomach which triggers these symptoms.

In my case, shortage of blood supply to stomach could be a reason due to low EF but I am not clear why someone with normal EF/heart function can have poor supply of blood to stomach.

Hope you get answers to your questions and some insight into the problem.

Regds
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
What you describe is something I have been going through. I spoke to my cardiologist about it last month and he said there are 2 possibilities. First is that my heart is struggling to supply the digestive system and my body at the same time. He said the digestive system does put quite a demand on the blood supply. Second is there is a digestive issue. I am waiting for an appointment to have a scope passed down my throat to see if anything is going on. I will let you know the outcome.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Heart Disease Community

Top Heart Disease Answerers
159619 tn?1707018272
Salt Lake City, UT
11548417 tn?1506080564
Netherlands
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Is a low-fat diet really that heart healthy after all? James D. Nicolantonio, PharmD, urges us to reconsider decades-long dietary guidelines.
Can depression and anxiety cause heart disease? Get the facts in this Missouri Medicine report.
Fish oil, folic acid, vitamin C. Find out if these supplements are heart-healthy or overhyped.
Learn what happens before, during and after a heart attack occurs.
What are the pros and cons of taking fish oil for heart health? Find out in this article from Missouri Medicine.
How to lower your heart attack risk.