BookRead66 said...
Hi all:
I have been off my PPI (Protonix) for a while due to stress in swallowing pills. i have not really felt that the acid was that bad. And yet, just today while sitting at my computer, my heart started racing real fast for like 4 minutes or so, and then, it did it again tonight. And, in general I have a lot of irregular beats. about a year ago, I went in to the heart doctor about palpitations and racing (although the racing at that time was not so bad). Did a stress test and then wore a monitor for a couple of weeks or so. Nothing really found. I am so stressed these days! Also, legs were hurting like vein pain, thought I had DVT, went to hospital and had ultra sound, nothing found.
I am 48 year old male, but, feel like my body is falling apart! GERD, psoriatic arthritis, fluid on knee,not ot mention severe underweight, and stressed out! I don' know what to do. I am not a good pill swallower. Can Protonix be compounded into liquid form or perhaps a very very small capsule? Is GERD the reason for my heart acting so freaky? I do not have bad cholesterol (no drinking, no smoking, etrc.).
My emotions are a wreck of course. I try to muster up courage and not worry, but, worrying has found a deep place in me, which I do not like. I also feel like my whole body is flushed with heat, I assume this is acid related too.
I did take some Carafate today. Acid is bad of course, but heart racing gets me scared.
Appreciate comments.
Thank you.
I wanted to address the racing heart issue, because GERD can cause issues with the heart in a myriad of ways, many of which is still not completely understood by the medical community.
Using myself as one example, I was diagnosed of SVT of the heart (super fast heart beat) and my GP and my cardiologist thought it was probably an issue with my heart. My actual heart was okay but they thought that I might need an ablation to remove the part of my heart that was causing it to misfire.
Initially, my SVT would only occur after an esophageal spasm. So I thought there might be a tie in. Well, my first two GI doctors didn't think there was any connection. Yet, when I didn't have any spasms, I didn't have any SVT. So I went and did a pretty extreme diet last fall where I only drank vegetable / protein smoothies for 30 days. I didn't have one single spasm and not one single incidence of rapid heartbeat (SVT).
Now rapid heartbeat and heart palpitations are not the same thing, and there are also variations of each; I just wanted to make that distinction.
I'm about to finish my 2nd month of my 90 day strict, organic, all-natural diet this time around and I haven't had a single SVT incidence since I went to the ER back in mid-June. This continues to solidify my belief that GERD, which irritates my esophagus, is causing it to spasm, which in turn irritates the vagus nerve which causes my heart to race.
In my experience, in some people, GERD can cause heart palpations, but the heart should always be thoroughly tested first.
Another thing to think about is one's diet. What you eat has a profound effect on overall health. For example, if I eat food with too much MSG, it will also cause my heart to start racing. MSG causes inflammation in most people, so avoiding foods and sauces that have MSG would be a good start. Stay away from food additives that you are not certain of.
Esophageal spasms are just one of many causes that can make your heart race. Eating a healthy, natural diet and staying away from processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, etc. can potentially help in alleviating these symptoms.