GERD, Vagus Nerve, and Fainting

Denise
The vagus nerve connects the stomach and the heart. It certainly can send a signal to lower your blood pressure if stomach or esophagus are irritated. I get tachycardia if I eat one of my reflux foods (which include wine and beer and a whole page more). There are medical research articles on cardiogastric reflex (reflex with an E).

Passing out from a drop in blood pressure, often after standing up from lying down, is common in young women. I don't know the causes. I don't know your age or if you have low-normal blood pressure, which is a cause. I used to get faint and dizzy when I was young, had low-normal blood pressure then. My son called an ambulance for his former girlfriend for this once when she fainted after standing up fast.

You can have a tilt-table test for this condition if it happens often. If you have low blood pressure all the time they usually tell you to just eat more salt to get your blood pressure up.

Good Morning Denise,

The vagus nerve helps to regulate the heart beat, control muscle movement, keep a person breathing, and to transmit a variety of chemicals through the body. It is also responsible for keeping the digestive tract in working order, contracting the muscles of the stomach and intestines to help process food, and sending back information about what is being digested and what the body is getting out of it.

When the vagus nerve is stimulated, the response is often a reduction in heart-rate or breathing. In some cases, excessive stimulation can cause someone to have what is known as a vaso-vagal response.

Before a faint due to vasovagal syncope, you may experience some of the following signs and symptoms:

Pale appearance to your skin
Lightheadedness
Nausea
Feeling of warmth
A cold, clammy sweat
You did the right thing, laying flat on the ground but the raising of your head to soon did not give you time to recover IMHO.

To answer you question, yes the GERD issues could cause you to have a syncopal episode.

My daughter has had many of these episodes and fainted from the vasovagal stimulation.



Gentle Hugs,

Kitt

Thanks to everyone for responding. Just recently, after reading some posts, I started thinking that after eating a big meal, the GERD issue was probably the culprit. My husband now knows the error of his ways, and next time will hold my legs up instead!

Kitt, your medical information is very helpful.
Live and learn.
Take care!
Denise

Good luck on your scope, needinganswers.
It could be your vegus nerve.

Joy

Hope your scope went well and perhaps you even have the priliminary report.



Hope your Thursday is a good one.



Kindly,



Kitt

Don't worry...you're lucky you're seeing your doctor so soon after your procedure. That's not always the case. Let us know what he says!
Take care,
Denise

I have many of the same symptoms you all have been talking about. I have GERD, and frequently I have a faint feeling, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing. I was taking omeprazole for the GERD for over a year, and it seemed to help. Approximately eight months ago, I started having the distressing symptoms, which in turn caused great anxiety because I didn't know what was happening to me. I had two visits to the ER for tachycardia. The first visit they said it was a vasovagal response, but did not know the cause. The second time, they said the only thing they could find was a slightly irregular heart rhythm and low potassium.

I followed up with my NP, am taking blood pressure meds and antianxiety meds, and had a stress test done. They found my heart to be in great shape, just a slight irregular heart beat that is apparently common in women, especially if they have been athletic at any point in their life. While I was relieved about this, I still continue to have the distressing symptoms. I have since weaned off the omeprazole after reading it causes all kinds of side effects similar to what I am experiencing. My question is, if it is vasovagal in nature, how can we treat or help it to avoid going through this?

I am curious to find out how everything went for NeedingAnswers?

Thanks for listening!

  I have been feelling a bit lightheaded for the past for months. I would sit down for a few minutes and I'd feel fine. But things have gotten worse and I've actually passed out twice in the past three weeks. I don't feel dizzy but more unbalanced. I have a hard time standing up straight without feeliing like I'm loosing my balance. I went to a ear nose and throat specialist but he hasn't found anything. I've also been to my cardiologist and he has me going for some tests. Anyone have a similar problem or ideas?

Fainting is not normal, although the cause may not be serious. I would highly recommend that you follow up with the tests your cardiologist has recommended.



There are many reasons for fainting way to numerous to list here.



I wish you the best in finding the cause of your fainting episodes.



Kindly,
Kitt

I found out with the help of a heart monitor that my heart was stopping. I just had a pace maker put in. We'll see if that does the trick.

french57-
I don't wish to be nosey, but I am wondering how old you are? My aunt had the same problem and had a pace maker put in. She was about 52 or 54 at the time. Turns out she really didn't need the pace maker because it was early signs of a certain type of colon cancer. The cardiologist didn't talk with her GI doctor and it was about 9 years before they found the cancer.

Take care,
Bill

opnwhl4

I am 53 years old. I feel much better with the pacemaker.

Todd