hi, im 28 yrs old 6ft tall and about 300LBS. For the last 2 years I have suffered day and night due to persistent acid reflux that affects increases my heart rate. It seems likei have not had a single normal heart beat since my ordeal began. the trouble started after I was diagnosed with hpylori which I took medicine for. I did an endoscopy later after the fast heart rate and severe reflux persisted and it showed pretty bad inflammation (moderate to severe) in my upper oesophagus. its so bad that I belch acid. sometimes I wake up with a mouth full of acid. I don't sleep lying down nor do I eat late at night but my heart still pounds all night long and all day long. i cannot even walk after iv had a bite to eat because any food in my stomach seems to spike my heart rate so much that i have to sit down after a few steps. even when i haven't eaten anything my heart rate still spikes up when i walk for even a few minutes. the veins on the the side of my neck tense up and i can feel and hear my heart just pounding out of my chest. Iv had ekgs ct scans mri's done and everyone says im fine and to get the acid under control but it isn't improving. its getting worse. a few months ago i experienced ventricular tachycardia when i was running in the gym. after 2 days observation the doctors released me saying i was fine. My heart pounds so hard and so fast that it wakes me up at night. it literally shakes my body when its at its worst. Im always belching acid. im so desperate at this intrusion in my life that for the first time i even thought of ending my life. its just unbearable. iv started loosing weight to get healthy but also because i cant eat much due to this problem. I had two boiled eggs for dinner last night and i could barely sleep due to the acid. when im walking i feel the acid coming up my oesophagus burning my chest and spiking my heart. im desperate for some help. anything. Im a student and its really hard to concentrate when all you can hear is blood in your ears. I got put on metropolol for the heart rate but it doesn't seem to help. Iv been on nexium, Carafate, zantac, sucralfate, pepsid etc nothing is helping me. I just don't know where else to turn. Iv already been to the ER 3 times this year due to my heart issues resulting from this. my bp was pretty normal but for some reason this pounding makes it spike up, gives me headaches etc. i cant exercise which i used to do a lot because any exertion is just brutal to my heart rate and the acid burns so much
Hi njeridiva
I understand as I was in a similar position last year. I kept feeling my heart pounding like mad and ended up in ER. I also had numerous tests and all was OK.
Stress is well known to cause reflux - a bit chicken and egg unfortunately. The more reflux you get - more stress/palps, more reflux etc. I cut out coffee, had CBT therapy and it mysteriously stopped. Try some relaxation, and buy Dropping Acid. - I hope it helps
Sorry to hear you are experiencing this problem.
I do understand.
My heart rate is above what I would like.
How are your stools.
My belief is that some reflux is due to back up.
What's is the answer?
Remember not to drink and eat. Wait about 30 minutes before drinking.
Avoid eggs. They seem to trigger you. Right!
Hi njeridiva, so very sorry to hear about your troubles. Things will get better and stay positive. I agree with moon regarding the book. Eggs can sometimes cause a reflux in some people your better off knowing what you can eat and being real strict. I have followed the Dropping Acid basic diet plan for about a month now and within the first day I felt better. It just a matter of knowing what you can eat and what you can't. Keep a log of what causes you issues or not. While you wait for the book Google,"chewfo dropping acid" it will give you the info. you need while you wait for the book. In the meantime, I will also give you an idea of what I eat. Breakfast is old fashioned oatmeal with milk 1%. Don't buy flavored oatmeal or quick. Just the full oat raw. A large spoonfull of Chobani non fat plain yogurt I eat after I consume the oatmeal. With oatmeal I drink 1% milk with ginger root powder added. Lunch is Frozen veggies with ground turkey and pasta or potatoes. Dinner @5PM is oatmeal bread (dry not mayo or butter) with no preservitive chicken slices. I add some baby carrots on the side. I drink 1% milk with it and I add ginger powder to the milk. Make dinner the smallest meal. Don't lay down during the day and stop eating 4 hours before going to bed. If I need to snack I have a gronala bar (dry non chewy) the old style at around 3PM. All food mentioned can be purchased at Walmart. Book can be purchased via Walmart dot com or Amazon....After dinner I take 1/2 of one tab of Citrate Slow Release. It's a calcium supplement. For me it calms the gastric juices. The first few days I took one tab. This is what I do, but everyone else should check with their MD first. Also, don't bend over but rather squat to pick things up. Prop up the head of your bed or sleep on a wedge. If neither is possible sleep on an inclining set of pillows. One under your lower back, two under your upper back and three under your head. I personally have stopped all excercise until I feel I have my reflux under control. Still waiting. If you can find Evamor alkaline water get it. If not look for Fiji. Wear loose fitting clothing and don't cheat on the diet. Looking forward to you replying to us back here with some good news.
Extracted from a study…showing results from 20 patients. I noted in the detail a very slight Change on the Systolic side ..insignicant.
“Physiologic gastroesophageal reflux does not induce changes in heart rate or rhythm in humans. It is possible that esophagocardiac reflexes noted during intraesophageal acid infusion are related to lower pH values or to other factors such as osmolarity, temperature, or site-specific
receptors.”
.From another study: (kinda old..1995 Taylor et al…
“Supraventricular tachycardia and eczema due to milk allergy”.
I’d follow 1234’s diet but exclude the 1% milk…just because of this study…the yogurt is Not lactose but lactase…get enough lactase into your digestive system, and milk should be OK.
If you are currently taking any meds other than the *metropolol…please disclose for forum members..and dosage…time Taken etc…
I would OD on water, and forget about all other things in life right now. Get control Of your health…….WATER it will help dilute pepsin, bile, and HCL…with less concentrated acids the refulx should not be as damaging/irritating…and just as important…the Metropolol is metabolized by your Liver…It’s been my experience liver monitoring is essential while taking this med..…keeping your liver as functional as possible and water might be the best treatment at
This time…. (btw…this med “could” slow Your heart rate down considerably…keep an eye on any major reduction..like from 120/70 to 110/60 etc) and please re read the med’s side effects……your overweight of course..don’t know what your best weight is but get back to it as Quickly as you can but don’t cheat basic nutrition…if you were my family, I’d put you on baby food (excluding milk) kifer and yogurt for a few weeks…along with the water, and have your room/bed near the Bathroom for recycling H20..
If you don’t yet have a BP monitor…get one …I use a Wrist type…convenient…And don’t forget 1234’s suggestion re diary…could be very valuable not only to you but to A physician
BTW, I used bismuth tablets 265mg to tamper down excessive acid pre bed time…initially had to Take 2, but then gradually weened to 0.
I am somewhat confident, once you have the acid under control..your heart pounding should end...keep focused...you will be losing some weight...getting acid under control..and yet on a med that targets tachycardia.
Claudio
No Long winded answer here for you . Just change your diet to acid free and stick too it for a good while till you get relief , you will see the difference given time. Get some Cognitive behaviour therapy for your Stress, and exercise as much as possible . This will help you but it takes time, when you are so distressed negative thoughts stops you getting better too.Good luck
donclaudio, nice detailed response. I know the poster will appreciate it and so will others who you take the time to respond to. I know when I was diagnosed I wish I would have had someone who would have spent the extra time and effort.....
Ha...you are always dead on..."me too"...we had to struggle, tinker, pray, suffer, and so on.
The poster has 2 serious disorders...the reflux..and the tachycardia...no notation of an electrical conduction test was done? Should have in spite of the EKG not illustrating a "lead" to rule out the implication of a vegus nerve connection....deer once again have given me DAD...deer adjustment disorder"...this time took all of my soy beans...electric fence charger too weak...I'll upgrade to small animal level...take care...hope you are doing great....Claudio..
Una cosa mas…….I had a top med team…family, Stanford and Palo Alto Med Foundation GI’s, SF’s top Nutritionist (intelligent, very knowledgeable, considerate, and “greedy”) , our excellent GP (been with him for over 30 years..and usually not a rubber stamp). if we get on a road to recovery…we wouldn’t have a need to be on a forum seeking info or advice.
Claudio
300 pounds it is a lot. try to lose weight, exercise and eat healthy. Most overweight people will have problem with heart. For reflux no meats, no coffee, no tea, sugar is poison. Try be on low acidic diet. A lot of vegetables, juices. Can eat fish, seafood and white meat chicken (2x a week max). It is not easy. Drugs will cover up the disease but not cure.
but milk is accidic, i can drink only almond milk, no dairy at all.
Hi Margot, I have never had an acidic milk. The generic milk I buy tests 7.3 on my ph meter. It's approved for the strictestc diet in Koufman's book.
I get the same thing! I know it's long ago you posted thins but have you had it sorted if so how and what worked or helped! My heart rate increases when I feel the pains I produce more seliver and can't swallow my heart always feels like it's beating pitiful my chest and I get strange gurgles in my throat.
OP,
I have the same poblem. GERD and chest discomfort leading to jacked up heart rate. Made a few trips to the ER, each time found that it (thankfully) was not my ticker. Was on a holter moniter for a month. Nothing was found.
My GI doc found that I didn't just have GERD, but delayed gastric emptying (gastroparesis) of unknown cause. Ask your doc if this is the case. Large dose PPI's do help (40 mg omeprazole in the morning) or you couod try somethng more potent like Dexilant. PPI's do have their own side effects.
Diet and exercise do help too. Avoid known triggers. Even if you feel lousy, go for a walk for an hour a day.
I feel like this is me talking. I am a bit older at 51 but the circumstances and manifestations sound so much like me. The doctors seem poorly equipped in knowledge on this area and the NHS red-tape which came via the current austerity measures makes everything worse. I have pleaded over time for reference to the gastrointestinal guys. They just pumping you with morphine and bring down the heart rate and send you home. How can these people really know the morbid severity of the pains I feel. Back to the post, I am firmly of the opinion that this type of heartburn tends to come from hiatus hernia. It is usually more severe and plays games with your circulation. I have already had an oblation to correct an arrhythmia and theyou are already contemplating another. My firm suggestion is that we have the tummy investigated first. I think it may hold the key. My tummy is a bit up there and fatty accumulation may have increased the pressure as I aged. I just hope this lengthy tale may help somehow. Have to stop here as the tummy is playing up again. Just had a boutique of violently irregular heart rates and I just had a few potatoes and egg white. My lansoprazole came first. Naturally.
I have just started with the exact same thing. The high heart rate is just making me so nervous. Everyday now. I am going through the same thing: ER visit, and Doctor. I was told stress and GERD. I just wish it would stop. I have lost 10lbs and still going. I have cut out all coffee, tea, and other acid foods. Not much left. Please, did they solve your problem. If so pleaes share.
Wow, I have read all of your post. I am not encouraged at all. Seems as if I am just starting the journey you have been on for sometime with no relief. I will share anything I find out. The racing pulse rate is just so awful. I was prescribed beta blocked, but I do not want to take it as my blood pressure is normal. I drink ice water, and it seems to help somewhat. I was also prescribed Prilosec 20mg- 2x day. As long as I do not eat the increased heart rate does not come on. I don't know how much longer I am going to last with not eatting. I am on water, and not much else. Please hlep us find something that work.
I know this is over a year ago but my doctor put me on 40mg omerprazole. I have gerd which is baaad acid reflux. Over the counter only has 20mg and does nothing for me. See if you can get this script. I hope you're doing better now...
I've had GERD (acid reflux) since about 2004. At around the same time I also started having "benign" cardiac symptoms including PVC's ("skipped" heartbeats), atrial fibrillation, and tachycardia (fast heartbeat).
I'm very convinced that GERD can and does cause some cardiac abnormalities, and there is some ongoing research into this topic. My cardiac symptoms were almost always related to my heartburn. My personal conclusion is that, for me at least, the connective tissues in the chest cavity (everything is connected in one way or another within the chest) caused the inflamed esophagus to pull or tug on tissues surrounding the heart.
I've taken GERD medications now for about 10 years, and the first thing I noticed was that my chest pain went away very quickly.
The second thing I noticed is that my arrhythmias decreased as well. I still do have some occasional cardiac symptoms, but every time I get checked the results are benign and never warranted heart medications.
The correlation in my own experience (between the GERD and heart symptoms) was completely undeniable. I almost always had cardiac symptoms with the GERD, and now (even on GERD medication) I still have some isolated GERD issues, which still seem very closely related to my occasional heart issues.
Be blessed and be well. Best wishes to all of you out there who are suffering GERD and who may also be having heart issues.
I'm just learning about reflux myself as I've had one visit to ER with suspected heart attack. I have to change my diet and eat smaller meals (don't eat late at night just before bed) I would recommend probiotic capsules. My condition has improved since I started taking them.