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Heart Palpitations Forum >> Symptoms and other concerns >> 1st post, ectopics and full stomach.
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Message started by Doogiej on Apr 28^th, 2010, 6:27am

Title: 1st post, ectopics and full stomach.
Post by Doogiej on Apr 28^th, 2010, 6:27am

Dear RLR, I was directed to you forums by Typer. I posted on the no more panic forum here in the UK with my issues and got told about this forum.

I read all your threads regarding the vagus nerve and missed beats and it was like a key being unlocked in my brain, suddenly things made sense. So I wanted to just pick your brains if I may?

A little history,

Diagnosed with ectopic beats in 1999 aged 22. These came and went with no issues. It wasn't until 2007 that they came with an annoyance. I found I got them more often, and I felt bloated and needing to burp. I can see now that it's the vagus nerve, but not knowing of it then I panicked.

Since 2007 I have seen 2 cardiologist and wore a 24 hour holter monitor with both. A few missed beats were captured while on the monitor but nothing out of the ordinary. I was diagnosed with a 1/6 heart murmur, but the ECGs and heart monitor showed nothing that wasn't physiological and nothing to worry about. This placated me for a while, but anxiety came back.

My cholesterol is 4 (mostly made up of the good cholesterol),
My average blood pressure is 135/80
Resting heartbeat is between 60-72
Exercising heartbeat is around 130, 5 minutes after stopping from a 20 minute run (which would mean a peak of maybe 150 during exercise?)
I'm 6 foot and 155 pounds (11 and a bit stone here in UK)

I also suffer from Acid Reflux and occasional IBS. Had an ultrasound on the stomach area and an endoscopy, both came back ok. Just need to eat slower and take antacids when it flares up.

So back to my point. I found in the last 6 months or so I got a lot more missed beats exercising or taking deep breaths and I didn't know why, then I read your posts here and it made sense. A lot of the times while jogging or playing in goal I got the missed/harder beats, but only if I had eaten beforehand (1 or 2 hours), if I exercised first thing in the morning I had no problems. I also found jogging on uneven ground or up and down stairs caused more issues. Presumably because the uneven ground causes the stomach to jump up and down which can irritate the nerve?

This got me slightly anxious about exercising, knowing it was going to happen. I am about to join a gym and my main question is should I ask for a stress test regarding my heart or can all my issues be explained away to vagus nerve/stomach issues?

Currently undergoing counselling for the anxiety and started a few sessions of hypnotherapy last week. This may be just a placebo, but it is helping. It seems to have severed the link I made between my brain and adrenaline glands when I thought about minor stuff that would blow up into all out anxiety.

If you have time to answer that would be great.

Thanks

Andrew

Title: Re: 1st post, ectopics and full stomach.
Post by RLR on Apr 28^th, 2010, 9:42am

Hello Andrew. I've read your complaint. At 33 years of age, a stress test would be unwarranted in the absence of other diagnostic criteria which might suggest the presence of pathology of some type, or at the least a family history of extraordinary dyslipidemia. Since your cholesterol is within the normal range values, then a stress test will not likely reveal anything much at all. Normal is normal.

The GI difficulty is a direct relationship to the presence and or intensity of benign palpitations of this type.

It is certainly reasonable under the circumstances described to join the gym and participate in whatever activities you choose. It's important to dissociate the presence of this type of benign palpitation with any type of cardiopathology. It is an entirely separate mechanism by which they occur and are not arising as any type of symptom of cardiovascular disease. Regardless of whether they occur during or in the absence of exercise, they are incapable of inducing any type of cardiac event.

You'll be just fine.

Best regards and Good Health