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Unexplained GI related palpitations - you can find ways to reduce them!
I've been suffering from heart palpitations (mainly PVCs and PACs and occasional mild tachycardia) for 4-5 years now and for a while there I didn't know why I was getting them (I'm in my 20's!!). After several loop monitor studies and normal echos I finally found the cause of my heart palpitations: GI-related palpitations/roemheld syndrome.
"Roemheld syndrome (RS), also known as Roemheld-Techlenburg-Ceconi-Syndrome or gastric-cardia, is a complex of gastrocardiac symptoms first described by Ludwig Roemheld (1871–1938). It is a syndrome where maladies in the gastrointestinal tract or abdomen trigger/cause cardiac symptoms." Wikipedia.
If any of you are suffering from heart palpitations that seem to be related to gastric upset and excessive gas, you may want to research this condition and discuss it with your doctors. Understanding the cause of the problem has helped me and my doctors find ways to reduce the frequency and intensity of my palpitations! I still get them and they still suck, but I get significantly less of them and I hardly ever have PVC/PAC runs these days!
"Roemheld syndrome (RS), also known as Roemheld-Techlenburg-Ceconi-Syndrome or gastric-cardia, is a complex of gastrocardiac symptoms first described by Ludwig Roemheld (1871–1938). It is a syndrome where maladies in the gastrointestinal tract or abdomen trigger/cause cardiac symptoms." Wikipedia.
If any of you are suffering from heart palpitations that seem to be related to gastric upset and excessive gas, you may want to research this condition and discuss it with your doctors. Understanding the cause of the problem has helped me and my doctors find ways to reduce the frequency and intensity of my palpitations! I still get them and they still suck, but I get significantly less of them and I hardly ever have PVC/PAC runs these days!
I pretty much followed this: "As gas is the usual trigger, eating foods that a person is intolerant to can make symptoms more severe." Wikipedia
(see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roemheld_syndrome)
Gas moving around in my stomach was basically a huge trigger for my palpitations (and muscle spasms) and I would often get gassy after meals. Also, bending over and doing other things that would squeeze my stomach after eating were also huge triggers. Muscle spasms were also a major trigger for me.
Here is a list of things I did to reduce and avoid my palpitation triggers:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE GO TO A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL TO RULE OUT ANY SERIOUS HEART RELATED CONDITIONS AND NON-GI CAUSES
BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT THIS. THIS IS MEANT FOR PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM UNEXPLAINED PALPITATIONS THAT SEEM
TO BE TRIGGERED BY GI-RELATED SYMPTOMS.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ginger really helped reduce the amount of gas I had after meals. I had ginger tea before meals (it's available online or at Whole Foods or you could just make your own tea from ginger root). Ginger tea is often expensive; if you can't afford to buy ginger tea, you can get ginger powder and filter it (I got ginger powder for about $3 on Amazon and lasted me several months. A tea filter costs about $5-6 and you can get it at the grocery store). I'm assuming most grocery stores sell ginger powder. Ginger snacks and/or Gin Gins also work, I really like them but they contain a ton of sugar, so I try to avoid them.
2. I made sure not to lie down for at least an hour and a half after eating, because guess what, lying down after eating gives you more gas and makes it move around.
3. I didn't do anything that squeezed my stomach for at least 2-2.5 hours after eating (e.g. bending over). I wouldn't wear clothes that are tight around the chest or stomach area after eating because when I did I would get my palpitations (e.g. sports bras and tight tank tops). Putting pressure on your stomach when there's food in it is similar to gas, because it can also irritate your vagus nerve.
4. I ate no less than 3 hours before an intense workout (e.g. running, jumping, skipping, tennis, etc.). I would eat 4+ hours before doing anything that involved my ab muscles or being upside down (i.e. rock climbing, pushups, sit-ups, handstands). I was still able to drink water before after and during my workout no matter how intense it was. I was still able to walk fast after eating without getting palpitations.
5. I took long walks after meals (20+ minutes after breakfast, lunch and dinner) because sitting down would often make me squeeze my stomach.
6. I made sure to eat very slowly and chew my food as many times as I could before swallowing.
7. I ate small frequent meals thought the day and I waited at least 1-2 hours until I had a snack. Eating large meals would trigger my palpitations.
8. I took co-q10 (200 mg/day seems to work well for me). CoQ10 is good for the heart.
9. I also took magnesium supplements. Potassium imbalances can cause palpitations and muscle spasms. If you are planning to take Magnesium you should ask your doctor first because it can be bad for people who suffer from certain conditions.
10. Getting off of Zantac also helped (I tapered off because I was getting withdrawal effects), unfortunately if you suffer from moderate or severe gastric issues you probably can't get off of antacids. I waited until my gastric issues were practically nonexistent until I got off Zantac. I've never been on a PPI (e.g. Prilosec or Nexium) but I've heard that getting off PPIs can also help (once again, you have to wean off, don't quit cold turkey because it's not safe, see http://www.tampabayrefluxcenter.com/acid-reflux-gerd-blog/2016/7/27/weaning-works-why-you-shouldnt-go-cold-turkey-with-your-ppis).
10. I cut out all the foods that give me gas (e.g. beans, soy and cauliflower).
11. I ate potassium-rich foods (e.g. bananas, zucchini and dairy products). Potassium imbalances are extremely dangerous because the heart needs potassium to function (potassium imbalances are bad for you whether it's too low or too high).
12. I made sure to get adequate quantities of fluids (for most people it's about eight eight ounce glasses a day or 2L/day). But you also want to make sure not to drink too much. Drinking water helped soothe my stomach.
13. I stayed away from alcohol and caffeine as much as I could because they're known to irritate the stomach and make palpitations worse.
14. I made sure to eat before I'd get too hungry, because when I didn't my stomach would get irritated and I'd get palpitations.
15. I got my hypoglycemia under control (at least to the point where I no longer had hypoglycemia symptoms).
16. In my case, Betaine also seemed to help, because all of those years on Zantac had made my stomach too alkaline. Warning: if you take too much Betaine you will get gastric issues. You have to listen to your body.
17. I got my SIBO (SIBO is often related to IBS) under control.
18. There are supplements that help heal the stomach lining. I took these supplements for a short period of time and now I'm trying them again to see if they can help me get rid of those annoying palpitations for good.
19. I got my vit D levels closer to the normal range (clearly, I still have some work left to do..).
NOTE: Everyone's different. Some of the things that work for me may not work for you. I worked with a holistic/functional nutritionist and several functional medicine doctors. It's often not easy to find alternative medicine professionals who take insurance, but they do exist. Some professionals are happy and willing to do phone/Skype/Google hangout appointments (and yes, some of them DO TAKE INSURANCE). Some doctors don't know what Roemheld syndrome is and/or have never heard of GI related palpitations, but this condition IS REAL. If your doctor/nutritionist has never heard of this condition ask them to google this condition and if they don't believe it exists or can't help you, go get a second opinion! (some of doctors may not know this condition by name but they understand the concept and have heard of GI related palpitations). You may also want to read the Roemheld syndrome Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roemheld_syndrome) and/or google Roemheld syndrome or gastric-cardia to see what worked for other people.
It took a few weeks until my palpitations started getting better. Please don't give up if nothing changes on day 1. Occasionally (usually when I would slip) the palpitations would get worse again for a few weeks and then get better again, but overall I had significantly less of them.
Doing all the above was NOT EASY, it required a RIDICULOUS amount of DISCIPLINE a moderate amount of TIME AND EFFORT, but it seemed to help a lot. I felt like it was worth the effort, because I hated the palpitations so much that I was willing to do anything to get rid of them. Now that my palpitations are better, I don't really do all the above anymore, but I still do some of these things.
Sorry for the super long post. Hope this helps…
Feel free to pm me if you have additional questions.
(see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roemheld_syndrome)
Gas moving around in my stomach was basically a huge trigger for my palpitations (and muscle spasms) and I would often get gassy after meals. Also, bending over and doing other things that would squeeze my stomach after eating were also huge triggers. Muscle spasms were also a major trigger for me.
Here is a list of things I did to reduce and avoid my palpitation triggers:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE GO TO A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL TO RULE OUT ANY SERIOUS HEART RELATED CONDITIONS AND NON-GI CAUSES
BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT THIS. THIS IS MEANT FOR PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM UNEXPLAINED PALPITATIONS THAT SEEM
TO BE TRIGGERED BY GI-RELATED SYMPTOMS.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ginger really helped reduce the amount of gas I had after meals. I had ginger tea before meals (it's available online or at Whole Foods or you could just make your own tea from ginger root). Ginger tea is often expensive; if you can't afford to buy ginger tea, you can get ginger powder and filter it (I got ginger powder for about $3 on Amazon and lasted me several months. A tea filter costs about $5-6 and you can get it at the grocery store). I'm assuming most grocery stores sell ginger powder. Ginger snacks and/or Gin Gins also work, I really like them but they contain a ton of sugar, so I try to avoid them.
2. I made sure not to lie down for at least an hour and a half after eating, because guess what, lying down after eating gives you more gas and makes it move around.
3. I didn't do anything that squeezed my stomach for at least 2-2.5 hours after eating (e.g. bending over). I wouldn't wear clothes that are tight around the chest or stomach area after eating because when I did I would get my palpitations (e.g. sports bras and tight tank tops). Putting pressure on your stomach when there's food in it is similar to gas, because it can also irritate your vagus nerve.
4. I ate no less than 3 hours before an intense workout (e.g. running, jumping, skipping, tennis, etc.). I would eat 4+ hours before doing anything that involved my ab muscles or being upside down (i.e. rock climbing, pushups, sit-ups, handstands). I was still able to drink water before after and during my workout no matter how intense it was. I was still able to walk fast after eating without getting palpitations.
5. I took long walks after meals (20+ minutes after breakfast, lunch and dinner) because sitting down would often make me squeeze my stomach.
6. I made sure to eat very slowly and chew my food as many times as I could before swallowing.
7. I ate small frequent meals thought the day and I waited at least 1-2 hours until I had a snack. Eating large meals would trigger my palpitations.
8. I took co-q10 (200 mg/day seems to work well for me). CoQ10 is good for the heart.
9. I also took magnesium supplements. Potassium imbalances can cause palpitations and muscle spasms. If you are planning to take Magnesium you should ask your doctor first because it can be bad for people who suffer from certain conditions.
10. Getting off of Zantac also helped (I tapered off because I was getting withdrawal effects), unfortunately if you suffer from moderate or severe gastric issues you probably can't get off of antacids. I waited until my gastric issues were practically nonexistent until I got off Zantac. I've never been on a PPI (e.g. Prilosec or Nexium) but I've heard that getting off PPIs can also help (once again, you have to wean off, don't quit cold turkey because it's not safe, see http://www.tampabayrefluxcenter.com/acid-reflux-gerd-blog/2016/7/27/weaning-works-why-you-shouldnt-go-cold-turkey-with-your-ppis).
10. I cut out all the foods that give me gas (e.g. beans, soy and cauliflower).
11. I ate potassium-rich foods (e.g. bananas, zucchini and dairy products). Potassium imbalances are extremely dangerous because the heart needs potassium to function (potassium imbalances are bad for you whether it's too low or too high).
12. I made sure to get adequate quantities of fluids (for most people it's about eight eight ounce glasses a day or 2L/day). But you also want to make sure not to drink too much. Drinking water helped soothe my stomach.
13. I stayed away from alcohol and caffeine as much as I could because they're known to irritate the stomach and make palpitations worse.
14. I made sure to eat before I'd get too hungry, because when I didn't my stomach would get irritated and I'd get palpitations.
15. I got my hypoglycemia under control (at least to the point where I no longer had hypoglycemia symptoms).
16. In my case, Betaine also seemed to help, because all of those years on Zantac had made my stomach too alkaline. Warning: if you take too much Betaine you will get gastric issues. You have to listen to your body.
17. I got my SIBO (SIBO is often related to IBS) under control.
18. There are supplements that help heal the stomach lining. I took these supplements for a short period of time and now I'm trying them again to see if they can help me get rid of those annoying palpitations for good.
19. I got my vit D levels closer to the normal range (clearly, I still have some work left to do..).
NOTE: Everyone's different. Some of the things that work for me may not work for you. I worked with a holistic/functional nutritionist and several functional medicine doctors. It's often not easy to find alternative medicine professionals who take insurance, but they do exist. Some professionals are happy and willing to do phone/Skype/Google hangout appointments (and yes, some of them DO TAKE INSURANCE). Some doctors don't know what Roemheld syndrome is and/or have never heard of GI related palpitations, but this condition IS REAL. If your doctor/nutritionist has never heard of this condition ask them to google this condition and if they don't believe it exists or can't help you, go get a second opinion! (some of doctors may not know this condition by name but they understand the concept and have heard of GI related palpitations). You may also want to read the Roemheld syndrome Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roemheld_syndrome) and/or google Roemheld syndrome or gastric-cardia to see what worked for other people.
It took a few weeks until my palpitations started getting better. Please don't give up if nothing changes on day 1. Occasionally (usually when I would slip) the palpitations would get worse again for a few weeks and then get better again, but overall I had significantly less of them.
Doing all the above was NOT EASY, it required a RIDICULOUS amount of DISCIPLINE a moderate amount of TIME AND EFFORT, but it seemed to help a lot. I felt like it was worth the effort, because I hated the palpitations so much that I was willing to do anything to get rid of them. Now that my palpitations are better, I don't really do all the above anymore, but I still do some of these things.
Sorry for the super long post. Hope this helps…
Feel free to pm me if you have additional questions.
2 Comments
What supplements helped you? I've been dealing with sibo for months and roemheld for the last 30 days, getting worse the past two days. Can't even sleep. Two ER visits with the expected "you're fine" remark. Fortunately I am insured starting March and plan on seeing nutritionist and gastroenterologist. Any tips with the visits? I will certainly bring up RS
Have you tried Xifaxan for Sibo? I also pretty much eliminated corn syrup from my diet and cut down on sugar. After a round of Xifaxan, my SIBO will go away for a few months and then come back :(.
Here's a list of supplements that helped reduce my Roemheld syndrom symptoms:
Ginger tea
Betaine
Co-Q10
Magnesium
Berberine
The best piece of advice I can give you is not to put pressure on your stomach immediately after meals. My stomach has "trigger points" that will give me palpitations if I put pressure on them after meals. Bending over and wearing tights clothes around my chest or upper abdomen after meals can also trigger them.
Here's a list of supplements that helped reduce my Roemheld syndrom symptoms:
Ginger tea
Betaine
Co-Q10
Magnesium
Berberine
The best piece of advice I can give you is not to put pressure on your stomach immediately after meals. My stomach has "trigger points" that will give me palpitations if I put pressure on them after meals. Bending over and wearing tights clothes around my chest or upper abdomen after meals can also trigger them.
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