Hi RLR

I had an episode that lasted about 30 seconds and it freaked me out. I was having a bad episode of gas and I WAS BURPING really loud to relieve it. At about the third burp, I felt a thud in my chest and then my heart began racing really fast and it lasted about 30 seconds.

The thing is I googled and someone said that they had this with gas and that it does affect the vagus nerve but it's also caused my some node/electrical problem with the heart and I'm absolutely terrified that I now have a node problem and the person said  that this can sometimes be fatal.

I didn't have any SOB, or pain, but I was feeling a bit hot(I was terrified so I'm assuming that's why).

Could it just be a normal flutter of the heart related to gas? I had an episode like this one time back in 2008 and it happened after a large meal and i WAS bending over to do something.

Just to remind you, I'm 21 years old, weight 140lbs, bp average is 110-120/70-80 and I've had 5 ecgs, 2 echo's, 2 chest xrays and lots of blood work. My doc thought I didn't need a stress test because I had apanic attack with a hr at 170(sinus tachy) for about 10 minutes with no SOB OR PAINS.

Was diagnosed with anxiety and sinus tachycardia and acid reflux.

Please RLR I really am scared. I feel fine now but now I;m scared to burp again as this was what sent the fluttering off. :'( :'( :'(

Hi Mark,

You can belch all you care to and the manifestation of benign palpitations as a consequence is entirely normal. It's critical for you to understand that these specific palpitation events do not originate from within the heart at all, but rather through the vagus nerve. It's also important to realize that the GI tract is innervated by the vagus nerve, termed the pneumogastric nerve at that level and it's the very reason a direct link exists between GI disturbances or inflammation and the subsequent expression of benign palpitation events, clinically referred to as a gastro-cardiac reflex.

The events are 100% harmless in nature and they are entirely incapable of interfering with the performance of your heart. It's the rough equivalent of a muscle twitch elsewhere in the body, with the exception that the muscle in this instance in the heart. In other words, if you began experiencing a muscle twitch in an eyelid, termed myokymia, you wouldn't necessarily make the conclusion that it could produce blindness in the eye despite the critical role the eyelids have in maintaining healthy eyes. So while events may seem related, it's important not to draw conclusions based upon associations which may not be accurate. In this instance, vagus nerve-induced palpitation events are entirely dissociated from arrhythmias and do not arise from similar sources at all.

Vagus nerve-induced palpitations also are incapable of transforming into some type of arrhythmia as well. They simply constitute wayward nerve impulses which cause the muscle tissues of the heart to respond as would any other muscle in the body when exposed to a nerve impulse.

You'll be just fine and you're in no danger whatsoever.

Best regards and Good Health