RLR
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Welcome to the forum and I've read your posting and concerns. I see nothing of your description to warrant any concern whatsoever and the nature of the palpitation events is purely a manifestation of vagus nerve-induced palpitation events as a consequence of significant stress and/or anxiety. Realize that such stressors induce mild dysregulation of the central nervous system, resulting in sensory disturbances and altered function.
You should also know that GI symptoms, ie trapped air, bloating, abdominal distention, can all produce mild inflammation and upward pressure against the diaphragm. The GI tract is innervated by the vagus nerve and is termed the pneumogastric nerve at that level. If sufficient pressure is present, it can induce wayward nerve impulses to travel along the vagus nerve to its terminal endings, one of which is naturally the heart, resulting in the variable sensations associated with the palpitation events. Remember that the heart is as much a muscle as it is an organ and will respond to stimulation just as any other muscle in the body. It is only due to the extremely dynamic nature of the heart that the sensations are so prominent.
These events can never cause you to experience any type of cardiac event, nor weaken your heart muscle or even shorten your life by even as much as a second in time. The events are very often misinterpreted to be associated with one of the classical arrhythmias when in fact they are extra-cardiac in nature, or in other words arise from outside the heart.
You'll find that once life stressors are no longer proximal and your GI disturbances have subsided, a corresponding reduction in both frequency and intensity of the palpitation events will occur as well.
From a psychological perspective, we're merely making reference here to the somatic features of anxiety and stress. It is also of interest to note that to some extent, the presence of apprehension is driven by vagus stimulation of the locus ceruleus and is partially responsible for the sometimes compelling efforts to seek reassurance and intervention of a manifestation which in actuality bears no capacity to do harm on the scale perceived. In fact, direct challenge to survival, whether real or perceived, induces the fight-or-flight response and along with it the driving need to identify and either overcome or escape the threat felt to be imminent. Unless resolved, vigilance is maintained. Such is the case for sufferers of health anxiety and the proclivity for attention to potentially life-threatening phenomenon.
You'll be just fine and there is no actual risk of any type associated with the presence of vagus nerve-induced palpitation events.
Best regards,
Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
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