I'm ususally at the Diabetes and GERD forums but recently had quite a health scare. Basically, I've had borderline abnormal EKG (ECG) for over 10 years. This time while undergoing prep for a minor surgical procedure they found a borderline abnormal ECG (listed as a possible anterior infarct), mild hypertension (listed as stress or anxiety due to the upcoming procedure). After the procedure I was told to go to my family gp or a cardiologist for evaluation.
So, I went to my cardiologist who listened to my symptoms, checked my blood pressure, and reviewed my 2 EKG's. He then told me that there was only a minor change showing some minor tachycardia, that it was nothing to be concerned about. He asked a lot of questions about chest pain (mine was a burning sensation from the breastbone to the navel), belching or gas, breathlessness, headaches and coughing. He said that everything points to GERD and not heart except for my blood pressure which was high. He told me that tachycardia and chest pain are often GERD related when there are no other signs of heart problems. The only change he made was to my blood pressure meds. He told me to eat 1 activa yougurt about 2 hours before bedtime and to drink a full glass of low-fat milk (without hormones, growth factor etc--organic milk) at bedtime to help with the reflux symptoms. I did that and woke up feeling great.
So, all that to ask this, has anyone with borderline abnormal ECGs or tachycardia for which they could not find a relation to heart problems been evaluated for GERD?
Marburg