Heart Palpitations Forum

Heart Palpitations Forum
http://palps.chemicalforums.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl
Heart Palpitations Forum >> Symptoms and other concerns >> Skipped beats and bloating?
http://palps.chemicalforums.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1170937639

Message started by Stu M on Feb 8^th, 2007, 4:27am

Title: Skipped beats and bloating?
Post by Stu M on Feb 8^th, 2007, 4:27am

Just a thought,

Has anyone ever considered a connection with feeling skipped beats and bloating (trapped wind)?

As my panic is diminishing slightly (through some analytical hypnotherapy) I am realising a few things about my symptoms. I notice I am bloated a lot of the time its as if my stomach is totaly full of air, its distended and solid to the touch. I have had stomach problems for years, but been so deep in my anxiety its been bottom of my symptom list.

My thought is if this big bag of air (so to speak) is pushing up against the area where the heart is, normal physics would presume it would amplify any small movement, sound or whatever that is occuring.

So if a normally un-noticed benign palpitation (skipped beat) occurs and this amplifying ballon is next to it, could this be why I feel it? It seems to make sense to me.

Any thoughts? CAn RLR perhaps look at it from an anatomy point of view?

Its an idea thats come to me in one of my limited non panic moments where my normal thought patterns are working, and I think I may be onto something. I will do some more research!

Stu

Title: Re: Skipped beats and bloating?
Post by RLR on Feb 8^th, 2007, 7:54am

This has already been addressed in previous postings. Indeed, changes within the GI tract, ie trapped air, can most certainly cause palpitations to occur because the GI tract is innervated by the Vagus nerve, which also innervates the heart. The Vagus nerve is inappropriately stimulated by air trapped in the lumen of the intestines. This is the most common physiological factor that leads to benign palpitations. Any pressure from trapped air places pressure against the diaphragm rather than the heart, which is a good bit higher up, and is the reason that people feel difficulty breathing when they have gas and indigestion.

Best regards and Good Health

Title: Re: Skipped beats and bloating?
Post by Stu M on Feb 9^th, 2007, 12:51am

Hi RLR,

Thanks for the reply, Yes i had seen the other posts :) and I understand that trapped wind etc can agrevate the vagus nerve and so bring on certain symptoms, but also can the feeling of bloating AMPLIFY any feelings we would normaly not feel?

A baloon filled with air, if my physics serves me correct will conduct vibrations through it, and my thought is as well as initialy agrevating symptoms can extensive bloating also make them easier to feel??

I am not medical by any stretch of the imagination and Im just looking at what makes sense to me ;D

Thanks Stu

Title: Re: Skipped beats and bloating?
Post by cazza on Feb 9^th, 2007, 2:34am

The last cardiologist i saw said if you have a full stomach or trapped wind it will make you feel the missed beats more as it is pressing on that area almost like a drum
so your right carol x

Title: Re: Skipped beats and bloating?
Post by Stu M on Feb 13^th, 2007, 7:01am

Thanks Carol,

I feel this may explain why I sometimes feel some more than others.

Makes sense to me :) So I think I may do some more digging on the subject.

Stu

Title: Re: Skipped beats and bloating?
Post by RLR on Feb 13^th, 2007, 8:23am

Okay, I've tried unsuccessfully to explain this in previous posts. Let's set the physics aside and just look at the facts for a moment. The reason that you feel some palpitations moreso than others has nothing to do with how much "wind" you have in your intestines or bowel. The abdominal cavity when empty is more like a drum than when full, so tympanic sounds would not be increased with a reduction in space, ie due to bloating from trapped air. In fact, when we perform an abdominal examination and auscultation, we listen for a reduction in tympany due to mass or other space-occupying factors that help us discern whether a problem exists. Less space, less tympany. Trapped gas does not cause more space, but rather less in this case.

Palpitations can occur at several points during any given cardiac cycle. If they happen to be superimposed at a point when the ventricles contract, this is a very forceful action and you will feel the consequence of a palpitiation during this phase far more than if it occurs during atrial refill or contraction. The precise timing of the palpitation as it enters the cardiac cycle also causes a more pronounced effect, or in other words its distance from systole or diastole within the cardiac cycle.

These factors cause the palpitations to be either forceful or sometimes even cancel out the normal sensation of a heartbeat, sometimes described by patients as a "missed" beat which can sometimes send them into a panic until the normal cycle is detected again. Strength and duration of parasympathetic stimulation is yet another factor to consider. Sometimes patients experience a "run" of palpitations that are far more noticable than the infrequent occurance.

Best regards and Good Health