Eating Makes Arrythmias Worse

[gertie]

I'm still having heart palps or arrythmias. This has been going on for a week now. I tried to see my cardiologist but because I'm on Medicare I must have a referral & my PCP has been out of the office. Cardiologist office said it would be last of March or first of Apr before I could get an app't. I keep putting off going to the local ER because they know nothing of dys & I feel like they might do more harm than good.

My question, why does eating or drinking make the palps increase? As many years as I've had this I should know this but I'm puzzled. Thanks.

[lieze]

I'm sorry you are still uncomfortable there.

I noticed this too.

A couple things that come to mind.

I think I read that the swallowing can cause it.

Also just having food in the stomach, I just noticed a lot of gas and the gas pressure or trapped gas bubbles seemed to set my heart off.

They said for some people there is a direct correlation between the heart and the stomach so if you are having the stomach discomfort it may set the heart off.

I got a bit more in tune with my stomach and realized often when it felt like chest pressure it was often the stomach gas feeling.

I noticed too that I was having great big huge belches that I have never had before in my life.

I either would take simethicone for this-gas X and sometimes also drink soda, any kind works but especially creme soda works really well for me.

As I would relieve that gas the heart pressure would let up.

I also do better if I don't eat real close to bedtime.

Maybe try eating some foods easy to digest? And try to stay away from spicy foods?

The gas pressure pain can be horrible. It even feels like it goes to your head at times and like you would just keel over. I also had a bad pain today so bad in my abdomen I thought oh my do I have a cyst on my ovary? It was crampy and intense pain. Sure enough I started to pass a little gas, sorry for TMI, but relieved here and a little more and a little more. Within an hour that pain was gone when here for a moment my mind was spinning oh dear is intense pain coming with an ovarian cyst bursting or some type of female issue?

I just can't believe how painful gas can be and the way these pockets form.

I'm not sure where you are at with your POTS. The first year was the worst for me with chest pain and the heart being affected. It has really calmed down now that I'm entering my second year.

lieze

[Rachel]

Hi Alicia,

Have you noticed any specific foods that trigger arrhythmias? Avoiding your trigger foods could lessen the arrhythmias you are feeling.

Trigger foods that I have or have had in the past include: milk, sugar (especially powdered sugar), chocolate, ham, ice cream, and eating too many different types of food at the same time.

A lot of us have PVCs and PACs. They are uncomfortable, but benign. A holter monitor will be able to determine the type of arrhythmias you are having. I hope that you'll be able to get in to see your doctor soon.

Rachel

[tilly]

I find my palpitaions can be worse after certain foods, pastries or cakes, although i do not eat a great deal of this type of food .. also not to overload your stomach, eat less amounts, little and often, obviously there may be a medical reason for it, and would like to hear what your cardiologist says about it ....

but i also find some times eating and palpitatinos are worse than other which caused confustion, even though i have eaten same before without problems .. i think it is just the dysauntonomia paying game ... i get dreadfull heartburn also whether i eat or not, but isn't it quite normal for people to have araised heart rate/palpitations if they have just eaten a hearty meal ?....

[gertie]

I have definitely seen a correlation between food & palp's. I've stopped eating so many foods over the years because they either caused migraines, IBS, or palp's. It's impossible to win with Dys. At times I get a little better & feel hopeful that some of these weird things will calm down, then things seem to get worse again. I eat so few foods now it should be easy to figure this out but it isn't. Thanks for your replies you have been very helpful to me.

[lieze]

I have a head cold right now and it seemed to get worse last night with chilling and horrible sinus drainage and a huge knot it my throat every time I tried to swallow. Don't you know out came the palps and I thought of you. They really are uncomfortable even though my heart rate wasn't that fast, it's a very uncomfortable feeling almost worse than any of the other sensations I had. I laid there awake with those gosh darn palps til they quieted down I don't think I got any sleep at all.

I do feel for you. I hope you get some relief soon because they are uncomfortable.

lieze

[flop]

When we have eaten more blood is directed towards the GI tract to help with digestion and absorption of nutrients. This means that less blood is left for other things (like our head). Because of this quite a few people find that their POTS symptoms are worse after eating.

If your palpitations are the sinus tachycardia from POTS then this would explain why they are worse after eating. You would need a 24 hour ECG (Holter monitor) to see if your palps are sinus tachy or if it is an arrhythmia.

If the palps are due to POTS then there are a couple of tricks to minimise the symptoms:

- eat smaller more frequent meals

- sit down and rest after eating

- avoid eating before bed

- drink cold water after eating (diverts blood away from stomach)

- keep a food-symptom diary to identify problem foods (for me too many carbs cause worse POTS symptoms)

I hope you get your cardio referral soon and that you get the palpitations under control.

Flop

[jenwic]

Just thought I'd add a different thought. I always have problems with tachy. after meals, but recently I had a period of about a week that after I would eat my heart would add (PVC's) a LOT of beats (many per minute). It was always after I would eat. After about a week it stopped. I think maybe I had a virus.