Can Gas Be Triggering My Vagus Nerve?

[lieze]

Okay I had a feeling this morning that I was vulnerable and I think that feeling might be gas. Just trapped air that isn't moving anywhere. I looked for a simethicone to take but I think I'm out. And started drinking some 7up.

Well sure enough I got up didn't even try to sit on the chair at the computer because I needed to print some things out and there it came that dead empty feeling right in the center of my stomach the funny feeling in the head the heart feels as if it slows down and guess what happens next? Pass gas or burp or both.

Is this gas putting so much pressure on everything that it sets me off including my vagus nerve.

What do you think?

That feeling I get almost a weakness and then the gas gets passed? Is it just finally pushing it out. Is it putting so much pressure on everything that it makes me feel bad and whoozy?

I don't know-it's just like it's stuck in the muddle-yes muddle too low to burp up and too high to fart out. OH my.

[Guest tearose]

Goodness gracious, I hope not! You poor dear.

Well, I do get symptoms from some BM's but I have never had symptoms from passing gas.

Also, do try to burp if you can! Better to get it out from above and avoid the painful trip through your entire system to get that gas out.

I think you should avoid carbonated beverages until you get your gut settled. Instead of liquids try some dry toast for the gas. Can you get someone to pick up some OTC remedy for you?

I am sorry you are so sensitive to this gas. Oh, and if the gas feels stuck as you said...try gentle circle massage of your abdomen. This helps me when I feel gas is trapped.

hang in there!

tearose

[skiberthoud]

thanks for this post...it made me giggle because I know exactly what you mean. This used to happen to me, too, and I wondered the same thing. sorry I have no answers for you...but i feel your pain!

[icthus]

I've had the same experience, and I also get no relief until the percussion blasts forth from the mouth. Something triggers it. Would love to know what.

[lieze]

So you really think it is the gas that triggers it because I feared the opposite.

It really felt like it was a cardiac issue causing the loss of control of bowel but I now think that the gas is triggering a weird response and that even though it feels lousy it is pretty much harmless.

[yogini]

I think the same thing. I have tons of gas. If you do a search on google, you can find posts on different forums about people having gas at the same time they are experiencing arrythmias or tachycaria. I think someone once posted on the forum that they had an xray and their stomach pushed up against their heart. I wouldn't be surprised if something like that was going on with me...

[lieze]

For heavens sake.

Yeah that's one I have not looked up but my cardiologist did confirm that for some people what they experience in their stomach does also affect the heart but that it was nothing to worry about.

[yogini]

I think reflux can make your heart beat faster, which is probably what your doc was meant. I wouldn't worry about the stomach pushing against the heart thing - that is pretty rare...although I do think that might be part of what is going on with me.

[MomtoGiuliana]

I don't have GI problems much (fortunately), however, I have most palpitations about 1-2 hrs after eating. I definitely notice a correlation between food moving from my stomach to my intenstines and more PACs and PVCs. So weird. This has gone on now for about 12 yrs and it was one of the first symptoms I ever noticed.

[Heiferly]

The sensors in your stomach that sense fullness (I believe they are stretch mechanoreceptors but I would have to look it back up in one of my medical textbooks to double-check that as I don't trust my memory 100%) send the message via your vagus nerve to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Recall that parasympathetic nervous system activity is involved with digestion (and this process is opposed by the sympathetic nervous system, so when for example your body goes into "fight or flight" mode, digestion would be temporarily halted because that bloodflow is needed elsewhere for more urgent purposes like going to your skeletal muscles so you can run away, etc. ... obviously it would be a bit lame if you failed to run away from a predator because you were too busy digesting your sandwich, LOL).

I don't know how much gas would have to build up in your stomach to activate the stretch sensors, or if this is even possible to build up that much pressure (I would think one would end up burping before that much pressure would build up unless there were severe dysfunction somewhere blocking its release, but I'm not sure).

At any rate, the stomach fullness is one of the triggers for your PNS to get your digestive tract on the move (which is why many feel the urge to defecate soon after eating a meal ... contrary to popular misconception, you're not passing the food you *just* ate, it's that the stimulation of your digestive process via the parasympathetic nervous system has resulted in the urge to have a bowel movement, evacuating whatever is already at the "end of the line" ... i.e. in your colon ... the food you just ate is just making its way into the small intestine (unless you have a GI disorder that affects motility).

Aside from mechanoreceptors, another thing for all of us to keep in mind is that some dysautonomia patients test positive for excessive sensitivity to certain hormones that are used to send signals within our autonomic nervous system. This can result in flare-ups of symptoms any time a stimulus triggers the release of one of these hormones to send a message to some remote receptor elsewhere in the body. Personally, I think it's fascinating to read all of the medical literature but when it comes down to my personal day-to-day life it's more useful to just know what my triggers are and either avoid them or (if they're unavoidable) counter them as best as possible, without worrying terribly much about the hows and whys. Most of what I learn in my medical textbook reading isn't going to translate to practical changes in my life, regardless of its applicability to my case. (At least that's been my experience, your mileage may vary.)

[yogini]

If you have a lot of gas, you might want to get tested for celiac disease. I think a lot of people with POTS have it. I tested negative.

[lieze]

That's all very interesting.

Yes I tested negative for celiac too.

I had another episode the other night right after eating and I wondered after if it was PVC's. It felt horrible for about 15 minutes or so and then let up.

Took my vitals though and everything was normal.

And I had all types of weird sensations going on in my stomach.

I did pass gas and with that almost felt a little relief either that or it was just another area getting triggered.

It makes me afraid to eat all together.

Yeah I think just the process of digestion triggers me at times.

[Gastrodetails]

I realize this question was asked 10 years ago, but thought I should share my insight still:

 

To answer your question: Yes, gas can trigger the vagus nerve!

 

There's actually a condition called Gastrocardiac syndrome (also known as Roemheld syndrome) in which gas in the stomach or intestines may put pressure on the vagus nerve (as well as the diaphragm and/or heart). There's a lot of literature on this in German, and in recent years more has been translated into English (including the original works of Dr. Roemheld, whom first described this syndrome).

 

Treatments are many, and depends upon the underlying reason for the gas.

[Pistol]

Thank you @Gastrodetails - very interesting!

[Ranga]

On 10/16/2010 at 12:46 PM, Heiferly said:

The sensors in your stomach that sense fullness (I believe they are stretch mechanoreceptors but I would have to look it back up in one of my medical textbooks to double-check that as I don't trust my memory 100%) send the message via your vagus nerve to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Recall that parasympathetic nervous system activity is involved with digestion (and this process is opposed by the sympathetic nervous system, so when for example your body goes into "fight or flight" mode, digestion would be temporarily halted because that bloodflow is needed elsewhere for more urgent purposes like going to your skeletal muscles so you can run away, etc. ... obviously it would be a bit lame if you failed to run away from a predator because you were too busy digesting your sandwich, LOL).

I don't know how much gas would have to build up in your stomach to activate the stretch sensors, or if this is even possible to build up that much pressure (I would think one would end up burping before that much pressure would build up unless there were severe dysfunction somewhere blocking its release, but I'm not sure).

At any rate, the stomach fullness is one of the triggers for your PNS to get your digestive tract on the move (which is why many feel the urge to defecate soon after eating a meal ... contrary to popular misconception, you're not passing the food you *just* ate, it's that the stimulation of your digestive process via the parasympathetic nervous system has resulted in the urge to have a bowel movement, evacuating whatever is already at the "end of the line" ... i.e. in your colon ... the food you just ate is just making its way into the small intestine (unless you have a GI disorder that affects motility).

Aside from mechanoreceptors, another thing for all of us to keep in mind is that some dysautonomia patients test positive for excessive sensitivity to certain hormones that are used to send signals within our autonomic nervous system. This can result in flare-ups of symptoms any time a stimulus triggers the release of one of these hormones to send a message to some remote receptor elsewhere in the body. Personally, I think it's fascinating to read all of the medical literature but when it comes down to my personal day-to-day life it's more useful to just know what my triggers are and either avoid them or (if they're unavoidable) counter them as best as possible, without worrying terribly much about the hows and whys. Most of what I learn in my medical textbook reading isn't going to translate to practical changes in my life, regardless of its applicability to my case. (At least that's been my experience, your mileage may vary.)

Hmm...  I have searched and posted all over the place, and this is the first time someone seems to have described what is happening to my gut.   The mystery is why this happens most often at night between 11-3AM, and causes other downstream (leg paresthesia/cold feet/gut noises) and upstream symptoms (sinus pressure/burping/fear) along with thermoregulation issues.  I get into a cycle as I am falling asleep - heat up, reflux/burping, high BP, bowel movement, prolonged burping, feeling cold.. rinse and repeat until I run out of gas, BMs and peeing. 

I am right now going through a flare with alternate nights of sleep and GI flare,  and I am mostly symptom free during the day.  Nothing in my diet has changed day to day. 

[MikeO]

Not sure if this helps by any means but could there be a postprandial thing going on? While i my fasting glucose tests have hovered at about 107 (and i have tried to get that down) my A1C's have been good fasting as well. my non fasting have not been good. i just did a non fast test my numbers were 168 after 3 hrs. I also flunked a 3 hr glucose test. I do get some of the symptoms you are describing.

[Ranga]

On 9/30/2022 at 10:21 AM, MikeO said:

Not sure if this helps by any means but could there be a postprandial thing going on? While i my fasting glucose tests have hovered at about 107 (and i have tried to get that down) my A1C's have been good fasting as well. my non fasting have not been good. i just did a non fast test my numbers were 168 after 3 hrs. I also flunked a 3 hr glucose test. I do get some of the symptoms you are describing.

I checked my post prandial sugar at 2 hrs - it's pretty consistent in 120-130s.

[MikeO]

13 minutes ago, Ranga said:

I checked my post prandial sugar at 2 hrs - it's pretty consistent in 120-130s.

Well your looks glucose looks good. good job!. Diet may help with symptoms but what i have read you are steady as to what you eat. Saying this might want to try changing up what you do eat.

[Ranga]

5 hours ago, MikeO said:

Well your looks glucose looks good. good job!. Diet may help with symptoms but what i have read you are steady as to what you eat. Saying this might want to try changing up what you do eat.

I do change up what I eat within a range of foods, and as I mentioned there is no correlation to the food. There is almost always a slow gut involved, and the slow gut can get aggravated by a heat/cold/pressure trigger.  In general, my body cools down between 2-4PM and starts warming up around 5pm. My gut is usually most active 5-7am, and then 5-7pm. But if there is a temp/pressure trigger in the day, there is no release at 5-7pm, it hits me when I lie down at night around 11, and then can go on through the night.  I do not have all the symptoms of gastroparesis, but there is a build up of gas that is unable to move downwards, and can trigger all other symptoms.  I have tried breathing, exercise, simethicone etc. which can provide some relief, but some nights, I just have to endure it.   

All I am focused on at this point, is to see if I can reduce the number and duration of the nightly flares by taking preventative steps earlier in the day - hydration, exercise, keeping the feet warm and head cool, lie down after food and get the gut to move - every little bit helps..  I suspect that norepinephrine (slows down gut) and acetylcholine (increases gut motility)  dysregulation is the root cause, and it appears to be in response to heat/cold stress.