Ectopic heartbeats - any relation to digestive issues?

[cristiana]

Hi everyone

I'm back having hospital tests - hooray! - this time for very bothersome ectopic heartbeats.  The weird thing is they can feel like the sort of fluttering/pressure I get when I have too much gas in my stomach so it is easy to confuse the two.   I'm not sure if there is any relationship with celiac disease, but I have been looking online to see if there is anything I can do to reduce their frequency and there's a few posts out there about there being some sort of link with digestive issues triggering symptoms,  involving something called the vagus nerve.  Does anyone know anything about this?

Cristiana

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by cristiana

[trents]

Better than an ectopic pregnancy I'm thinking.

[cristiana]

55 minutes ago, trents said:

Better than an ectopic pregnancy I'm thinking.

Absolutely right there.  But my, ectopic hearbeats are so difficult to ignore.  Most unpleasant.  You notice one, it's kind of scary, then the surge of adrenaline brings on more...

[trents]

Ectopic heartbeat is a new term to me. How is that different than flutter or atrial fibrillation? Or is it just an alternative term for those?

[cristiana]

I'm afraid I don't know.  I've been told they are normally benign though.  I hope so!

[CeCe22]

Are you by chance taking doxycycline?  My dermatologist put me on it to try to help my DH and I began having lots of heart flutters. Went to a cardiologist and while I was on doxycycline I was having the heart flutters. Once I went off doxycycline they went away. 

[cristiana]

No, but interestingly I'm pretty sure they kicked off after I'd been taking some sort of medicated lemon drink for flu/colds, which I've since learned can contribute.   They went away but have since come back without me drinking those lemon drinks.   Perhaps taking a particular medication can kick start that sort of issue, for it never to truly resolve.

[CeCe22]

8 hours ago, cristiana said:

No, but interestingly I'm pretty sure they kicked off after I'd been taking some sort of medicated lemon drink for flu/colds, which I've since learned can contribute.   They went away but have since come back without me drinking those lemon drinks.   Perhaps taking a particular medication can kick start that sort of issue, for it never to truly resolve.

Once I came off of my medication they went away. Cardiologist had me wear a monitor for several days but he said it was nothing to be concerned with. I would definitely have it checked out. Hope you are better soon. 

[cristiana]

2 hours ago, CeCe22 said:

Once I came off of my medication they went away. Cardiologist had me wear a monitor for several days but he said it was nothing to be concerned with. I would definitely have it checked out. Hope you are better soon. 

Thanks so much.    It will be nice to know what's behind it all but I'm not looking forward to wearing a monitor.  Is it 24/7? 

[icelandgirl]

11 minutes ago, cristiana said:

Thanks so much.    It will be nice to know what's behind it all but I'm not looking forward to wearing a monitor.  Is it 24/7? 

Hi Cristiana!

I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with this!  I had to wear a holter monitor some years ago for 48 hours.  I did have to wear it the whole time.  It was a bit annoying and I was glad to get it off.  In my case the heart palpitations were due to starting a new medication (Synthroid for Hashimoto's) and once I was switched to a different medication the palpitations went away.  While I had them I found them to be very uncomfortable and a bit scary.  I hope you get some answers!

Hugs! 

[cristiana]

Thanks Icelandgirl!   I was kind of hoping it was something to do with thyroid and treatable but I don't think there's anything amiss there, according to my doctor.  She hasn't got my iron readings so that might be interesting - that could be a cause.  Or midlife hormones and stress.  I'm trying to figure out what all the episodes have in common and I think possibly dehydration is a factor.

[CeCe22]

3 hours ago, cristiana said:

Thanks so much.    It will be nice to know what's behind it all but I'm not looking forward to wearing a monitor.  Is it 24/7? 

Yes

[fllstuart77]

I wouldn't be surprised if celiac is the cause...

I had palpitation like feelings in my chest for many years...   felt like a muscle spasm or beating sensation that would last for a second or two....   it was getting worse leading up to and after my celiac diagnoses...

then a few months after gluten free they stopped..

[cristiana]

2 hours ago, fllstuart77 said:

I wouldn't be surprised if celiac is the cause...

I had palpitation like feelings in my chest for many years...   felt like a muscle spasm or beating sensation that would last for a second or two....   it was getting worse leading up to and after my celiac diagnoses...

then a few months after gluten free they stopped..

That's really interesting that you noticed a correlation.   

I haven't knowingly consumed gluten for some time.   The only change I made in  my diet was in May, when I tried eating pure oats after several years of them giving me burning stomach pain.  I seemed to be doing well, then the stomach pain started again.  I don't know if pure oats affect the TTG reading in an avenine sensitive coeliac but I'm having a test in the next month for that so it will be interested to see if my numbers are higher again.

Apparently a lot of people get palpitations but are completely unaware, others actually feel them.  I get a sort of fluttery sensation in my stomach and in my throat which can last minutes or hours.  I thought at first it was a GI issue as I've had this sensation before and it's been trapped wind!  

Edited September 8, 2021 by cristiana

[Kate333]

Hi, Cristiana.

Sounds like a classic case of chronic, excessive stress, health anxiety.  (I speak as a decorated veteran of the Panic Attack and Depression wars).  It's sacrilegious to say so on this blog, but every ill feeling in life can't be caused by gluten exposure.😉    

Joking aside, the most important thing is that you have already been to hospital/doc, had all the heart tests done (all normal, I presume?).  And docs have told you not to worry, right?  So don't.  I know...."simplistic advice, easier said than done" etc.  But it really is very logical.  if you stop spending so much time worrying, or running to doc for tests or the Internet to doom scroll/chat about symptoms (and "catastrophize" or fear the worst), you will likely feel much calmer and your heartbeat/adrenaline levels will normalize.  But if you spend alot time thinking/worrying about it (esp. "catastrophizing" or fearing the worst), that only magnifies symptoms/body self-consciousness, which releases MORE adrenaline, which elevates the heart rate. It's a vicious cycle.

The mind is a wonderful thing, but it can definitely play some surprising and nasty tricks on us.  

[cristiana]

19 minutes ago, Kate333 said:

Hi, Cristiana.

Sounds like a classic case of chronic, excessive stress, health anxiety.  (I speak as a decorated veteran of the Panic Attack and Depression wars).  It's sacrilegious to say so on this blog, but every ill feeling in life can't be caused by gluten exposure.😉    

Joking aside, the most important thing is that you have already been to hospital/doc, had all the heart tests done (all normal, I presume?).  And docs have told you not to worry, right?  So don't.  I know...."simplistic advice, easier said than done" etc.  But it really is very logical.  if you stop spending so much time worrying, or running to doc for tests or the Internet to doom scroll/chat about symptoms (and "catastrophize" or fear the worst), you will likely feel much calmer and your heartbeat/adrenaline levels will normalize.  But if you spend alot time thinking/worrying about it (esp. "catastrophizing" or fearing the worst), that only magnifies symptoms/body self-consciousness, which releases MORE adrenaline, which elevates the heart rate. It's a vicious cycle.

The mind is a wonderful thing, but it can definitely play some surprising and nasty tricks on us.  

Hi Kate

I think you've got something there!  That's very good advice. ☺️

I am a right royal hypochondriac!👑 Plus a bit of stress in the mix.  In the past I just took stress like a shock absorber but a friend of mine reckons its my body saying "Stop!"  Perhaps it could also be a midlife hormone thing.

I've been told from ECG results that the the ectopics are benign but the frequency is the thing that is triggering further tests.  If I had them just once in a while, that's one thing, but I'm having hours of them.  So because of that it's monitor time, followed by some sort of scan, then possibly treadmill.   I'm only a quarter way there!  But they wouldn't have discharged me from ER had they been worried about me.

Wheels turn slowly here so I think it will be a while before all this is behind me.    Meanwhile I'll work on the stress, and try to spend less time on the computer attending Dr Google's Surgery.  

xx

Edited September 8, 2021 by cristiana

[AlwaysLearning]

At one point I did experience odd heart beats. It felt like fluttering, so I've always referred to them as palpitations. 

At first I thought they were being caused by exercising too much because I was walking an hour a day back then. But it turns out it was more convoluted.

Yes, exercise was a trigger, but the underlying physical factor was that my thyroid was overactive and overproducing the hormones that regulate heart rate. 

I was able to get it under control with medication, but ultimately I had to track down the ultimate cause of the hyperthyroidism before I could get off of the meds. Turns out I was reacting to mold in my house that I didn't know was there. I got the mold remediated and my thyroid calmed down.

But it was likely a three-part problem. Damage caused by celiac is likely the reason I have the potential for hyperthyroidism in the first place, the mold was a trigger for my immune system causing my existing thyroid problem to act up, and the exercise was the straw the broke the overloaded camel's back.

Anyway, there are lots of reasons that ones' heart rhythm might be irregular. While I wish that your issue is nothing to worry about, I do hope that you can find a root cause so it can be gotten rid of entirely.

[cristiana]

Thank you Always!  I did hope it was related to my thyroid as I thought it might be a simpler solution in some ways but I'm not convinced I was tested.  I'm waiting for my results in the post - then I'll take a look.   

As a "Thyroid Veteran", I wonder if I could ask you what tests I need to request if they are missing?   I remember years ago we had quite a lot of people on the forum who had thyroid issues and they always said the only way one can know for sure that one has a thyroid problem is to ask for a "full thyroid panel".   The problem in the UK is the "standard issue" is limited to one or two tests and I'm not quite sure what those are. 

I do have a thyroid nodule (although it seemed not to be a troubling one when they last looked last year, it might be becoming one!) 

Edited September 8, 2021 by cristiana

[Kate333]

Cristiana, I hope all your tests come back normal.  When you notice fluttering beginning, do an experiment:  try to "change the subject" in your mind to see if it helps reduce or stop the symptom (e.g., get your mind on something else, like gardening, swimming, walking outside to notice the pretty flowers etc.).  That or just laying down for a few moments to rest, take a few slow, deep breaths, and watch a relaxing video (of ocean waves, for example).  Those steps always seem to help when I feel my anxiety levels rising.  Like when I get into bad habits like watching news on TV/internet, I notice that my body feels bad as I get mad/scared at all the alarming/overhyped bad news.   

Alwayslearning is spot on about considering a possible thyroid issue.  Your docs could run a TSH test at the same time they do your TTG bloods.  Thyroid disease (usually hypothyroid) is pretty common among women, esp. around menopause.  If hormone changes cause hot flashes, I wouldn't be surprised if they affect other parts of the body.  I know I used to handle "routine" stress really well when I was younger.  In fact, I didn't even realize the cumulative effect/toll (of chronic stress) on my body until my body revolted when it could take no more--"screamed" at me (developed weird symptoms) to force me to make long-overdue life changes (job, diet, work and sleep schedule).  My only regret was not realizing sooner so that I could have made the changes early enough to avoid the effects of burning the candle at both ends.  But life is just a classroom, for learning, so...here I am...learning to cope with these problems.  

 

 

[knitty kitty]

Thiamine and Hashimoto's thyroiditis: a report of three cases

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24351023/

Thiamine Supplement in Patients With Severe Hyperthyroidism

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02767245

Thiamine and Thyroid Fatigue

https://thyroidadvisor.com/thiamine-and-thyroid-fatigue/

Effects of thiamine on growth, aflatoxin production, and aflr gene expression in A.parasiticus

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5490319/#!po=45.0000

Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859128/

 

[Russ H]

I began to experiencing ectopic beats about 13 years ago. I have worn a 24 hour Holter monitor twice and was diagnosed with benign PACs (premature atrial complexes). Stress and alcohol made them worse. Regular exercise made them better. I had 2 episodes when they became worryingly frequent and visited the local hospital. Since I eliminated gluten from my diet about 6 months ago I haven't noticed a single ectopic beat.

[cristiana]

Thank you everyone for all your advice.  It's taken me a while to read everything, so sorry for not coming back sooner.

I got some preliminary blood results back this week and they did show I was extremely dehydrated in hospital when my heart was all over the place, so I'm sure that didn't help.  

Kate, I will ask my consultant to add a thyroid test to my blood tests when he checks my TTG in a couple of weeks, that is a good idea.

 

[cristiana]

A PS, for anyone who has been following this...

If you are suffering from ectopic heartbeats and have a feeling they could be related to your digestion, I have found this really good explanation here from Dr Sanjay Gupta, a consultant cardiologist, who explains how the stomach can affect the heart. 

I hope you find it helpful.

 

 

 

[debbie2426]

On 9/6/2021 at 8:45 AM, cristiana said:

Hi everyone

I'm back having hospital tests - hooray! - this time for very bothersome ectopic heartbeats.  The weird thing is they can feel like the sort of fluttering/pressure I get when I have too much gas in my stomach so it is easy to confuse the two.   I'm not sure if there is any relationship with celiac disease, but I have been looking online to see if there is anything I can do to reduce their frequency and there's a few posts out there about there being some sort of link with digestive issues triggering symptoms,  involving something called the vagus nerve.  Does anyone know anything about this?

Cristiana

 

i dont know much about that nerve but i will google it...i have celiac 24 years and never had palpitations til i got my next autoimmune hypothyroidism ...i have them everyday now...saw cardiologist and wore the monitor and was informed that the palpitations are coming from a part of the heart that does not require meds...good luck!!