Fluttering in chest with GERD?

Hmmmm........I never thought about carbs this way Dr. Norm. I knew that alot of us have trouble with them (this whole society's eating habits are based on them!), but I never thought of it in terms of the problem being just eating too much of them, and then the left-overs ferment in our guts. Interesting. I was thinking that our primitive systems weren't set up to digest and utililize carbs.......which still might be the case........but perhaps in our excessive-everything culture, we're just constantly over-taxing our guts.

Thanks for all of the advice guys.

Well, I'm now at about 48 hours smoke-free. I do feel better, except I'm having withdrawal symptoms. Couging, sneezing, etc. I feel like I'm getting the flu now. It's not very fun, and the post-nasal drip is causing more stomach problems. Weee!!!!!!!! But, I"m sure overall it will be better. The fluttering is a bit better, but I'm still having sharp pains in my chest (probably from the large amounts of gas), and I feel like hell in the mornings. I feel like someone has been beating me up while I'm sleeping all night. I'm sure it's just because I'm not sleeping well. I also have some pain in my face, but I've had mild TMJ for years, and I think I'm clinching my jaw very badly while I sleep recently. Oh well. I've quit smoking, and that feels great.

I mentioned in a previous post that my stomach doctor had given me a sublingual medicine to test because of the fluttering in my chest. The prescription is hyoscyamine (Levsin is a brand name). It is apparently available in different forms including capsules and injections. I have only taken it a couple of times, but it has seemed to calm things down when the fluttering and nausea have been rampant.

Almost 5 days without a cigarette. What I can say is, the withdrawal from this is horrible. I don't have *any* desire to smoke, but my blood pressure is low, I'm lethargic, and I'm having all kinds of weird aches and pains. I can't wait to get through this part...

I'm still having strange fluttering in my chest. But, it may be related to quitting smoking. Quitting has made my gas worse, and I've been very constipated lately (probably from the PPIs). I've been eating more fiber to counteract that, and it seems to be helping.

I have an appointment with the doc for acheckup tomorrow. We'll see how it goes...

Okay, just an update. I'm no longer getting fluttering, but my symptoms have gone back to almost exactly what they had been. Here's what's happened since my Endoscopy.

1. My symptoms were much better. And, I quit smoking. I have been smoke-free for 3 weeks as of yesterday. My GE assured me that quitting would help my symptoms.

2. Alas, he was wrong. I expected some withdrawal symptoms. I had been at 1 pack/day for 4 years of smoking. However, I had cut back to less than 5 cigarettes per day, so I figured it wouldn't be as bad. The first two weeks after quitting were great! This past week, my symptoms are identical to when this whole ordeal started. I have trouble breathing, and my chest hurts. I have pain both inside my chest, as well as muscular pain in my pectoral areas on both sides. The trouble breathing is just that it feels as though I can't take in a full breath. I am getting horrible sleep at night, but I feel pretty decent once I get up and moving around in the mornings. However, by about 1pm, I'm starting to feel the breathing problems, and by the time I leave work, I have burning in my chest (mostly on the left side), and tingling in my left arm and hand, and in my right hand.

3. As far as carbs, about all I take in any more is 6 benefiber chewable tablets (24g of fiber), or a bowl of shredded wheat (24% RDA of fiber). This is because the AciPhex causes me to be severely constipated if I do not boost my fiber intake. Otherwise, I'm only getting occasional carbs from bread here and there, or potatoes occasionally.

4. I have had to put my AciPhex dosage back to 2 20mg pills per day. Although, it doesn't really seem to be helping. During the two good weeks, all I was taking was Pepcid AC (by suggestion of my doctor) twice per day.

Anyway, this is getting incredibly frustrating. I'm trying to do everything the doctors have told me will help, and just when it seemed to be getting better, it got worse. Today has been my best day in a week. We'll see how it goes. My hands already tingle, and I'm already having the tightness in my chest. But, like clockwork, tha will subside around 5pm tonight.

Koree

Hi Koree,
Congrats on your smoking! I'm proud of you!
I think it's time to go back to your cardiologist, or even an Internal Medicine doctor. I think you said you had a stress test previously, right? I still would want to rule out something else going on here, rather than just assume it's GI. Here's a few ideas I'm throwing out......... it could be an anxiety reaction (we all have them!), and it's amazing how they feel like something physical is so very wrong. Also........perhaps you have a pinched nerve problem in your upper back? Your tingly arms and hands are a bit curious. That's why I was wondering about a pinched nerve. Perhaps you have more than one thing going on here, besides a reflux problem. Is your tingling always bilateral? Have you ever been tested for Lyme disease? How's your blood pressure? What meds are you on?
When you start feeling lousy around 1p.m........what had you had for lunch? Are you happy with your job? Do you feel like you're under alot of pressure? So many questions! Sorry!
Do you have a GP or an Internal medicine doctor you could go see about this? Are you pretty much just seeing a GI doc for this?

Hi Koree,
I don't mean to make you crazy by suggesting a number of things. I have fibromyalgia, GERD, chronic fatigue, etc., etc., and I just am in constant search of what's REALLY going on.......so I hope my bringing up lots of possibilities doesn't make you more anxious! :)
When you begin to feel bad around 1pm, have you done any leaning over, or anything that would slide a hiatal hernia up into your chest??
Also........have you had the routine labs run........like CBC, electrolytes, Chem profile?
I have lots of tingling in my body, which started about when I got fibromyalgia. Most of it is in my legs. Anyhow.......I've noticed that since I've taken sublingual B12 pills, it seems to be less. A B12 deficiency can cause lots of nerve tingling/pain. It won't hurt you in any way, to take 1000 mcg of B12 every day, on top of your multivitamin, so give that a try.
Also, if this tingling really starts to bug you (I know it already does!), I would consider seeing a neurologist. He/she could tell you if it's carpel tunnel, or some other problem. There seem to be lots of modern day illnesses that cause tingling arms..........like fibromyalgia, RSD, etc.
Keep thinking about why it happens when it happens........maybe even keep a diary of everything you've eaten, done, drank, etc.
In the past several years, both my husband and I have had anxiety problems, and it's really weird how they can manifest themselves. You'd think in a panic attack, you would just know it was a panic attack..........but it seems to be able to fool us into thinking it's a heart attack, or you can't breath, or your dying. It just feels so darned real.......like it's the end. My husband is on Lexapro and found great relief with that. I, on the other hand, am like you. I just can't be on an antidepressant that has so many side effects, or that will hold me hostage, if I ever want to get off it. I'm wondering if you could take something like xanax, just occasionally. Some people it doesn't effect, but it makes me VERY sleepy. Maybe you could try it at home, on a day off sometime.
I guess, too, I want to give you some encouragement, that all this might just leave on it's own.
about 4 years ago, I started having alot of upper GI pressure. Then it went into my chest and neck. I started feeling like I couldn't breath. Like maybe I had some sort of tumor in my upper chest that was obstructing my bloodflow. I had to sleep upright in a chair for 7 months. I just couldn't lay down. Sometimes I couldn't even sit up straight, the pressure in my stomach and chest was so great. I started medication for high BP during that time, and also aciphex. Things slowly started going back to normal. I'm not on the aciphex anymore, but still the BP medicine, but I never really knew what the hell happened to me. Maybe that will happen to you too, and things will slowly go away. I hope so Koree, because I can so understand your frustration.
I'm sorry if I've forgotten everything we've talked about, but have you ever considered trying to avoid wheat? Some people don't test positive for Celiac disease, but that feel so much better when cutting out wheat and processed foods.
Do you feel like your docs are willing to keep looking further, or have they dismissed it all as anxiety? Sometimes, you just need to get another opinion. Maybe it's time to do that.

I was born with a congenital hiatel hernia.  As  a child I complained of 'breathing problems' and fullness all of the time.  I used say 'my heart feels funny.'  I never told my symptoms to the dr., but twice had dr.'s think they heard a murmur and then change their minds.

By the time I reach Universtiy, I was convinced I couldn't take deep enough breaths and that I was having heart palpitations.  They tried treating me for asthma, which just made me feel strange.  I then got referred to a GI. Apparently, this is extremely typical of Gerd-- even more so when you have a hiatel hernia.  When you have the hernia, your stomach is pressed up into the diaphragm-- closer to the heart.  There is not as much room for food, and sometimes the angle can cause gas to build up in the stomach as well.  It very often mimics a heart attack.

I had recovered (or so I thought) for three years.  The first symptom I started feeling was back pain, followed a month later by the 'palpitaitons.' Having ignored these symptoms, the hearburn came back visciously and I was again diagnosed with Gerd and this time chronic gastritis as well.  (this happened when I started drinking coffee and juice again).   about a month and a half after starting the PPI's, no more palpitations.

I was curious since I hadn't felt heartburn, and then it came on suddenly.  The GI told me that we don't always feel 'heartburn'-- it can still be there, causing damage, pressure, tightness etc.

Interesting bit of information:  there have been recent links between GERD and IBS.  Apparently they are now using an IBS medication to treat GERD as it helps the food pass through the stomach more quickly and prevents the pressure build-up which is often responsibile for these symptoms.  As for the gas-- avoid raw veggies-- especially broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and fried foods.  The veggies release gas causing pressure to build up in the stomach, and the fat takes longer to digest and can also cause a pressure build up. 

Smoking is known to aggrvate GERD.   Stress aggravates GERD because it increases stomach acid.

If you feel the palpitations more when you lie down at night, prop up your pillows!  Don't eat too close to sleep time. You also might have what is called a sliding 'hernia' when the hernia can move around slightly and put pressure on the heart--though I am told that this is rare.

After years of PPI's I don't get the palpitations anymore-- but I do get that false fullness and trapped gas, which I have a lot of trouble burping up. I am now trying to get back off the PPI's. 

Hope your palpitations subside!  I know how frightening it can be.

Hi everybody...I also have ibs, mine is controlled with konstyl a fiber product and zelnorm (script). I came down with it at 48 years old (menopausal time). Tried to do research on stomach bloating. Believe it or not the best cure I found was DRINK WATER.

          Am in terrible pain with my GERD spasms. It feels like my chest is pushing in like an iron cage and compressed in the middle. My ticker (heart) is fine and I have no gallstones.

          Am a known asthmatic (sounds like a crime, eh?  ) since 1984. I react especially to hot humid air with my asthma. Have no anxiety but do have vegetative depression also problems walking (have handicap plates).

           I am taking 10 mg Norvase for high blood pressure, as well as flonase (nose spray) and advair (250/50) (mouth pump) and singulair for asthma. Take two 20 mg of omeprazole for GERD. I am a very allergic person and am allergic to meds too, blah, blah, blah.

          Must say that this bleeding ulcer is stressing me out. I keep forgetting to take the carefate (script) before meals.  Also have inner ear dysfunction currently too...very dizzy...take mezecline (script) for that too.

 Please don't say the shape I was born with is the result of eating too much carbs.   I am an apple shape rather than a pear shape.  Eating a high fiber diet.  Don't like junk food.  Do like klondike icecream bar (just one) and an occasional sweet.  Have limited my caffeine to 2 cups a day.   THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TO IT. BEST WISHES TO ALL

Post Edited (Joan Mack) : 6/24/2006 7:37:06 AM (GMT-6)

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this healing form.  Hopefully, someone has a response to my concerns.  I am 29 years old and recently this year, I decided to go see my doctor because I was feeling sick after eating each meal. I started getting symptoms like nausea, sometime vomitting, bloating, gas, difficulty breathing, regurgitation of a juice that did not taste too good going up my esphogus, and so on.  My doctor prescribed a type of pill that was really tiny that I was suppose to take half an hour before each meal.  Actually when I went to see my doctor about this problem, I was also seeing her about the fluttering that I was experiencing in my chest.  She told me to go for an ECG test and a blood test to test my heart and to see if I have thyroid, since my heart was racing when she took my blood pressure. Turns out the tests were normal. However, I still experience fluttering in my chest occassionally.  This is what concerns me the most and it doesn't help that I have panic attacks. Can someone explain to me how GERD is related to the fluttering in the chest. Is the fluttering due to nerves, muscle spasms? Thanks for listening.

   

A few years ago I was told I had GERD. I figured this was a pretty good diagnosis since my entire family lived on Tums and Rolaids and Pepto and just about anything that would help with indegestion.

A few months ago, my husband and I were clearing some tree branches out of the yard from a bad windstorm. As I was dragging these huge branches to the burn pile, I noticed, for the first time, a burning sensation in my upper chest. It scared the hell out of me. I stopped hauling the branch and this feeling went away almost immediately. I had no other symptoms with it......no dizziness, no weakness, nothing except all the feelings that come along with being rather horribly out of shape and then going after a project like your killing snakes! Since then, I have noticed that if I am outside raking or picking up branches or in the house sweeping.........anything that requires a bit of exertion and a minimal amount of bending over, I get this burning sensation. I did some research on the Net and found a doctor who has come up with a condition he has named "EAGER" for EXERTION AGGRIVATED GASTROINTESTINAL ESOPHAGAEL REFLUX. (pardon the spelling, not my strong suit) Has anybody else heard of this? I never get this burning sensation if I am standing or sitting upright, only when I am bending even a little and doing something physical. Lately I've even noticed that this feeling seems to be radiating to the back of my arms! Really strange! I went to my doc and he put me on perscription strength Protonix to see if that would help the problem. He also made an appt. for me to see a Gastroenterologist who may or may not order an endoscopy. Needless to say, I am scared stiff, not about the test, but what they might find. Maybe I have that kind of cancer you get in your esophagaus? I am a smoker which I know has to stop, I drink a couple cups of coffee in the morning but that's all. I work in a hospital and my job is stressful to the max. OH, the other time I feel this burning is when I get a combination of being stressed out and angry and moving at the speed of light and transferring patients etc etc. I just feel like I'm such a mess, so out of control and scared. I take a ton of meds for other conditions as well. In fact, just took some for a migraine! Is there any one out there who has some advice or would be willing to put me out of my misery? Life isn't much fun anymore. Thanks for letting me rant.

greenlydia

Chocolate is the very worst thing you can eat with GERD. That was one of three things my Dr. said I had to stop the other were anything mint and alcohol. These all relax the valve that leads to the stomach and allows the stomach acid to back up. It is supposed to be a one way valve ---DOWN Smoking will also effect it as will any muscle relaxer and many drugs for lung problems. Weight is a big factor. The rest of the food the Dr. said was up to me. If it bothered me don't eat it again but it varies by person. When my stomach gets really bad with IbS I go for only chicken, fish and white carbs for a couple days, no fresh fruits or fresh uncooked veggies.

My cardiologist said that GERD and gas can cause the fluttery feeling.