Arrhythmia caused by vagus nerve

[whisperingsage]

I have noticed the extreme lack of experts here. I guess one would have to be assigned for them to do any responding.
I'm no expert, but I am a nurse. And I do have to say how very little I was taught about any particular pathological system. My current issue centers around gallstones, and I learned way more online from patient forums than I ever did in school on this. They tell you the standard what they think is the cause (often its wrong and just based on tradition not research) and the solution to almost everything is surgical removal, and then hormones or enzymes to replace what you now have lost for the rest of your life. And they instruct us on caring for the patient while convalescing, diet, etc (often also wrong). So the whole system is founded on a false premise. I myself have chosen to go to alternative doctors and treat myself because I know I won't get to the root of any problem with an MD. Why am I a nurse? Everybody's got to make a living. And I can do "patient teaching" which may advocate herbs but most patients ignore my opinions. They just do what the doc says , and want their drugs.
On to my problem. I started off with the GI symptoms first, IBS. For the last 8 years. The diarrhea kind. I did notice i tended to have a fastish heart rate and palpitations. Over time, I ran out of B12 (which caused dizziness and burning feet), magnesium (which causes cramps and twitches and tremors) potassium (which causes weakness), zinc (which causes poor digestion or in my case added to it- as the stomach doesn't have the building blocks for hydrochloric acid, a zc def also causes immune problems and arthritis), and various other deficiencies with their various symptoms. In my online research, i noted that they can cause IBS in mice with vitamin D deficiency, and they can stop IBS in mice with severing the vagus nerve. I also noticed they can take MSG obesity mice (yes folks they are created not bred) and cut the vagus nerve and they will go to normal weight. Interesting huh?
So the last couple of years I have spent fighting gallstones, and had quite a lot of success with ;
natural vitamin E 1000 IU Make sure it's natural d alpha tocopherol not dL alpha tocopherol, that won't do a thing.
PABA 2 grams
inositol 2 grams
B6 2 grams
rutin 2 grams
fish oil 1000 iu EPA
lecithin every meal- 1200 mg
dimethylglycine 100 mg
acetic acid one per day or 1 tablespoon per day, preferably apple cider vinegar.
This did more than the standard liver flush- 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice after a fast.
This got all the small stones out the first 2 days, I am talking emerald green. Over about 6 months I believe i got them all out. One problem, I was clear for a month and then they started again. This was what i had wanted to avoid by avoiding surgery, you see, some people get the pain back after surgery. Because the problem is rooted deeper than the stones. The stones are a symptom of something much deeper. In my case, i finally got the testing I needed, and found i had fatty liver (diagnosed by an alternative doctor through a detailed stool sample much better than any stool sample the regular hospitals I have worked in do). I had a fatty liver and a nonfunctioning pancreas. I also had my hormones checked with a saliva test. And I am a flat liner for cortisol in the day time and it jumps up at 3 am. And so I am up at 3 am, for years with diarrhea. Because my vagus nerve is squeezing my gut.
So I went back online after finding out about the fatty liver.
First misconceptions about the gallstones- they are not a symptom of a diseased gall bladder, Keep your darned GB. They are aggravated by skipping meals, low fat dieting, semi starvation vegan diets. This is because a happy gall bladder must put out 1.5 quarts of bile a day and it only ejects it if there is a fatty meal. So the human is designed to eat a lot of fat. And when we don't it sits and concentrates because it can't go out. So it becomes a stone.

This may also be why 3/4 of gallstone patients are women. '
Another misconception, avoiding fatty foods = this is told to us that it will help stop the stones, but it doesn't- it makes it worse.

Non alcoholic fatty liver has a huge list of things that cause it, most of which I don't do- junk food, high fructose corn syrup, Fructose in general. But I do two things too much candy and polyunsaturated oils. I realized that when I try to eat the healthy fish when my husband takes me to fast food even though he knows I can't tolerate it, I am still eating polyunsaturated oils, because that's what they fry these things in. Now, if they fried in the evil saturated oils , like lard, we would all probably be safe. There's a whole lot on that here;
www.westonaprice.org
There is a lot to the saturated fat thing that is protective to our nerves and cells and brains and even hearts. It is the polys that are killing us. Also, choline (yes one of the 17 B vitamins) deficiency- highest in egg yolks and liver.

So i went online and found a more potent cleanse for the liver, And that was apple cider vinegar just diluted in water. I took almost a quart over 3 days. And it hurt. And it went on for almost two weeks, And I threw stuff up, including 9 encapsulations, I think they were parasites. And they must have been hiding out in my liver! But I had taken the parasite cleanse before and maintained on daily parasite herbs, with good results. But I guess the big guys needed vinegar. And I made liver herb teas and they hurt. I feels like the cramps or like having a baby but up under my diaphragm. And I couldn't eat for most of that time. (no I didn't lose weight, I never do when sick even this long- this is one of the signs of fatty liver) My husband was very displeased because he had to do everything.
During that time, I didn't have any food in my gut at all, but sure enough I would still wake up at 3 am and my vagus nerve feels like it is squeezing my gut so hard that it radiates the pain into my back and hips. I'm not interested in amytriptylene, or anything like that. That is not a gut med it's an antidepressant.
So back to the cortisol. The cortisol is one of the stress hormones, and I have had Cushings for many years. Here's the adrenal connection. I think I am getting older and less tolerable to stress. So things bother me more. So my cortisol is going more screwy. This is going into adrenal exhaustion. There are many alternative medicine sites that will help with that.
Anyway, i had been taking phosphatidyl serine (sister to lecithin). I am waiting for my second bottle to come it, but while on it (OTC) I was sleeping better and sleeping through the night more. And my cortisol was calming down at night. So looking forward to starting it again.

Mind you I have tried about 50 herbs for my issues and even peppermint won't any longer soothe my gut. In fact, even lemon juice got the cleansing and pain going again. Chamomile does seem to help, but only very temporarily. it doesn't last past the drinking of the cup.

But see, my gallstone issue was much deeper than the gallbladder.

[gretchen]

I have had most of what you all are talking about and am frustrated with expensive tests that reveal nothing, and the back and forth between specialty doctors. Recent events in my life led me to a nutritionist/herbologist which has changed my life. I have chosen to go with the Natures Sunshine products after learning they are designed for maximum absorption, and figuring out I am not smart enough to know what to take with what so that the vitamins actually work and are absorbed.
I got off Prilosec/Nexium/ etc after four years of taking it, it was causing malabsorption of potassium. HOW DID I DO THIS? By taking "food enzymes", two pills with each meal and have only had to use tums once in the three months I have been doing this. I am using the Natures Sunshine brand Food Enzymes Capsules, they are a miracle.
The IBS has been remedied by taking psillium capsules, two in the morning, two at night. It is so nice to have a normal firm, non hurtful BM, I am now in and out of the RR in no time, whereas I use to make several painful long trips before. I am taking Nutri-Calm by natures sunshine which is full of B vitamins and other stuff that has really helped calm my system and I have no depression or anxiety now that I am taking this regularly. In place of a multivitamin I am taking Natures Sunshines "Ultimate Green Force" capsules. This is better than a multivamin and provides complete nutrition in four single capsules. I also started taking "Combination Potassium", three times a day. This supplement contains magnesium..which is needed to actually absorb potassium. If your stomach has been upset and you are avoiding fruits or juice, you may be low on potassium, but consult with your doctor before taking extra potassium especially if you are on heart medication.

Seems like a long list of stuff to take, and I take more of different stuff than what I listed, but I am not taking any prescription medication any longer and I feel great. Excessive caffeine will still set off some symptoms but my consultant tells me this may even lessen in time.

[jiminoregon]

There are a lot of interesting suggestions here. My experience may be helpful to some. I am 83, (as of yesterday), and have had bloating/arrhythmia problems for about 15 years. After I retired I moved into a house that I had rented out, as I finished out my working years in another city. I started remodeling my house. First time it happened I had spread cement on a 10 X 20 area, and was in the process of leveling it off when the I suddenly felt weak and as if I had been at it all day. When I took a break I realized I my stomach was bloating and I had increased heart beat and arrhythmia. Since I had no help I went ahead and finished the slab when it was ready, then kicked back in my recliner and waited for the discomfort end, which it did after a couple of hours. Thought is might have been something I ate, so forgot about it. Several months later I was digging 60' drainage ditch, and was about 20' into it when it came on again. I finished the job, and again it took several hours for it to subside. The next time I had an appointment with my doctor I told him about these episodes and he sent me to a cardiologist to have a cardiogram and it was normal. I saw about 5 doctors during this time as the one I had chosen to use decided to leave and several others took his appointments.

Over a period of time the episodes continued, and had about three more cardiograms, and a 24 hour Holt monitor trial with no signs of heart problems. My current physician never had any solutions, although he did suggest that the arrhythmia was probably caused by pressure or irritation of the vagus nerve. The condition continued to worsen, and lengthen over time. One day while surfing the web, I happened to come across a program from UCSD medical school about Celiac disease, which is glutin intolerance. I learned that glutin intolerance causes bloating, and a number of other symptoms, including bloating, anemia, canker sores, lethargy, weight loss, multiple and/or watery bowel movements, among others. I have been a regular Red Cross blood donor and had been turned down a number of times because of enemia. I had had cankers sores almost constantly for a number of years, and finally eliminated them by staying away from mint toothpaste. I had the multiple bowel movements, at least two, sometimes three. I did have lethargy. When I discussed this with my doctor, he said it might be a possibility. Celiac is a complicated disease, as symptoms vary and many who test negative with blood tests and endoscopy may still have symptoms. I did have an endoscopy by an gastroenterologist, which showed a small hiatal hernia, but was negative for celiac, for the part of the upper intestine that was biopsied. Neither she nor my doctor would concede that Celiac was my problem, although the gastroenterologist thought it might be lactose intolerance. I have been a milk drinker all my life, having spent summers on my Grandparent's farm, raw milk and sour cream butter, had milk cows several times myself when I was raising my family, I didn't think it could be that.
Over the years my symptoms worsened, and I they were coming on several times a week, lasting for up to 12 hours. During these spells, I had syncope episodes, being light headed and having to lie down to keep from fainting. It was very debilitating, as I could only work and anything involving bending over for more that a few minutes without the symptoms coming on.
Three years ago I decided I had nothing to lose by going on a glutin free diet, so as of January 1, 2008, I did it. Cut out all food containing wheat, barley or rye, or derivatives of those products, such as barley malt, (including beer), etc. During that month, I only had three episodes. During the next several months, only occasionally, and always after I ate something that I shouldn't have, like the topping off a pizza.
Also, an episode came on one morning when I had had only a cup of coffee, with milk. Harking back on the doctors suggestion about lactose intolerance, I thought it wouldn't hurt to try eliminating milk, and products containing lactose. Well, she was right. I have had fewer still since then. I was puzzled as to why I could no longer tolerate milk after enjoying it all my life, so I went online and looked for an answer. I found that because glutin flattens the villi in the upper intestine, they are unable to produce the lactase enzyme that digests lactose.

I still have an occasional episode, but of course there are other things that can cause bloating, so I have to be careful. I also took off about 10 pounds which was mostly on my waist, and have a few pounds to go.

Warning. If you think you might want to check on Celiac with your doctor, do not go on a glutin free diet before you do so. It will result in negative test results even if you have the problem. There is no "cure", other than avoidance of glutin.

[carol571]

I do not have any problems with my vagus nerve, arrhythmias, gall bladder, liver, etc. However, years ago, I had a horrible hangover with a blasting headache and was so nauseous I couldn't keep anything down, not even water. I asked a pharmacist if he could recommend anything, and he said, "Suck on ice." He said the ice numbed the vagus nerve which stopped the nausea. It worked. I am not a medical professional. All I know is, it worked. Very quickly. I don't know if this approach would help with any of the symptoms all of you are having, but if you think the problem has something to do with the vagus nerve, you might try this. Wishing you all well.

[Teddy222]

This has been a great forum. Thanks to everyone here for sharing ideas. The medical community doesn't seem to take this very seriously so we just have to figure it out ourselves. Here are the tips and info I've gleaned over the last three years:

I've also concluded that Vagus Nerve irritation appears to trigger my PSVT arrhythmias. I have a long history of PSVTs with my first showing up when I was 19 then recurring about once every ten years until I was 54. Then during a time of high stress and anxiety the PSVTs kicked off en masse and I started having them at the rate of 10 to 20 episodes per month for several months. The cardiologist confirmed they were PSVTs and I had a choice of taking nasty drugs with side effects or get a cardiac ablation to zap the part of the heart that is propagating the arrhythmia. I took Atenolol for a while, which stopped the PSVTs, but I hated the side effects. I tried to pay attention to the arrhythmia triggers in order to control them. More on that shortly. After two years I started getting chest pains with even mild strenuous activity – this got worse until I saw the cardiologist who, thinking I was ripe for a heart attack from CAD, scheduled me for an angiogram (and possible stents) three days later. The doctor that performed the angiogram found that my arteries were, in his words "clean as a whistle" and I did not have CAD (relief!!). Then he said, quite matter-of-factly that "you have GERD." That was eye-opening.

When I returned home I looked up GERD and found that the GERD triggers tracked exactly to my PSVT triggers. How does that work? GERD can be an "erosive reflux disease" which can permanently damage the lower esophageal sphincter. That sphincter is what keeps the stomach acid from backing up into the esophagus. Since the Vagus Nerve travels right along the esophagus, the Vagus Nerve can be irritated when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus. It appears that this is what is happening in my case. My GP doctor said that GERD is not curable – treat it or choose surgery: fundoplication. Unfortunately the surgery has a poor track record and tends to create as many problems as it solves.

The following GERD treatments were especially effective in reducing my PSVTs: lose weight, raised the head of my bed 6 inches, wear clothes that fit loosely around the abdomen, eat small meals (no gorging or binging), go to bed with an empty stomach (no eating 3 hours before bed), take a Prilosec every day with the option of a second one in the evening (per gastroenterologist), have liquid Maalox around ALL THE TIME (I've become very attuned to early heartburn symptoms and have been known to go thru a half bottle of Maalox on a bad day), limit tea, alcohol, cola, coffee and avoid spicy, acidic tomato-based or fatty foods like chocolate, peppermint, citrus fruits and fruit juices.

By following the advice on GERD treatment I've substantially reduced, but not eliminated, the PSVTs. Eating errors (from above) or sitting for long periods at a desk (producing abdominal pressure) will often produce heartburn which triggers the PSVTs. That's when I slug down the Maalox to head off the PSVT. Also, when I engage in even mildly strenuous exercise (e.g., I like to dig clams) it often triggers a PSVT. So when I plan those kind of activities I take a 50mg Atenolol that day as a prophylactic. This enables me to dig clams or whatever without a PSVT incident. That always works for me. WARNING: people with CAD can't take Atenolol on a non-continuing basis. See your doctor about those details.

Lastly, when I have a PSVT event I try to resolve it as soon as possible but I've found the Vagal Maneuvers recommended (bearing down as if trying to evacuate your bowels, cold water on the hands/face, etc) have been largely ineffective for me. When I have a PSVT event at home, this is the procedure I've fined tuned and works for me – in this order:
- urinate and bowel movement if I can to reduce abdominal pressure
- drink 4-6 ounces of cold water
- take a good dose of liquid Maalox
- lie down on my right side with my legs stretched out
- meditate to calm my mind

This technique almost always resolves my PSVT in 3 to 5 minutes though I have to continue to lay down for another 20 minutes or so to prevent a recurrence.

The problem is if I have a PSVT event away from home, it's hard to find a place to quietly lie down for 20 or 30 minutes. When that happens I do as much of the procedure above as I can, try to find a way to "unbend" my body so as to reduce abdominal pressure (e.g., don't sit in a straight-backed or desk chair) and take an Atenolol. That usually resolves the PSVT eventually.

Maybe the medical community will take this serious if we keep bugging them about it. I also have the problem others have mentioned that the cardiologist doesn't care about the gastrointestinal issues and my gastroenterologist doesn't care about the cardiac issues. Unfortunately, they're linked in my case and I end up having to become the expert. Medical care should work better than this.

[FJ40_CRUISER]

I'm new here... discovered the site as I continue gathering health knowledge.

I shared the symptoms you all describe. I'll keep this very short... possible mineral deficiency (or imbalance). Specifically Magnesium... this took care of my AFIB bouts as well as muscle twitching, bowel movements, muscle soreness (exercise induced), stress relief, anxiety,... even lower back pain.

Background: I'm 56 and my palpitations began at 52 and led to a full up AFIB and ultimately a cardioversion to get me back in sync. Following a month on Amiodarone and Plavix I was diagnosed with a lone- AFIB and taken off the meds. Over time, the symptoms that led to the lone-AFIB began to return. I also developed a new symptom of my heart skipping a beat ever 3-5 beats... drove me crazy.

My focus in researching my symptoms was on fixing the 2 symptoms that gave me the most grief... constipation and muscle twitching (along with irregular heart beat). The first solution to try was Greek yogurt which helped tremendously. So much so, that I thought I had found the magic bullet... further research led me to believe it was the calcium (responsible for muscle contraction) along with the probiotics that was doing the trick. Still more research led me to Mg which is responsible for muscle relaxation... I do believe the health improvement from the yogurt was driven by improvement in digestive absorption.

Magnesium Oxide is cheap and works (the knock on this is that it is not as easily absorbed)... I graduated to a product called Calm that you can find at any health products store.

Obviously, this is completely anecdotal. I hope it helps and if it doesn't, I wish you luck in our research.

[scaredbear]

My story sounds just like everyone else's. 35 y o woman with a jump in my heart since age 18. I mentioned it to a doctor and she said not to worry, that I may need to take medicine for it when I get old. Cut to age 27, it seemed to get bad enough for me to start taking notice. then, I pigged out one night at a party. I had 4 or 5 glasses of wine and a bunch of tiny pizzas and empanadas and junk food. I'm 5'9", 160 lbs (tall, athletic, not fat) but I like to eat and drink and I guess my diet isn't historically the greatest. I smoked age 14 to about 30. That probably didn't help things any. I've completely changed my diet and eat much better these days. I guess I quit drinking, too.

After the pig out episode, I woke at about 5 am with the sharpest pain in my chest ever and couldn't fall back to sleep. Thought it was heart related. Went to the E room and they said my EKG was fine and I seemed fine. For the next 6 months or so, I went to clinics, E rooms and saw a variety of different doctors who said it was likely to be a variety of the following: GERD, anxiety, panic attacks, unspecific chest pain, etc. I had a stress test and many EKGs, also an echocardiogram, all of which my doctors said were unimpressive and that I seemed fine. It was frustrating enough to keep me from going back to the doctor for awhile. However, the heart jumps have gotten worse and worse. What started out as a jump once a month or so escalated to a jump once a week, and now it just happens all the time, every day. Sometimes it happens for hours at a time, sometimes it happens for awhile and then stops. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it, but accompanying pains may or may not include any or all of the following: pressure in my back, a light cramp in my jaw, the constant need to clear my throat, a fast paced "flutter" feeling in my heart / pulse that lasts for a minute or two at a time (if I get up early to go to the bathroom, etc), pains in my chest, the inability to catch my breath, etc.

I am exploring the notion of a vagus nerve relation because it seems like food definitely affects it. I quit drinking coffee because that always set it off. A few years ago, for about a year, I ate very little and lost about 20 pounds, because anything I ate gave me terrible chest pains. I drank Kombucha every day and that seemed to help. When I lie down, it sets my heart off like crazy. People ask me what it feels like and I describe it as "it's as if my heart forgot how to beat."

I went to the doctor a few weeks ago for the first time in a couple years and had an EKG. They said it was "unimpressive." I went again yesterday after the clinic referred me to a Cardiologist upon my insistence, and had another EKG. For the first time in probably 7+ years of getting EKGs, etc, the doctor said it showed a fibrillation, put me immediately on aspirin 81 mg a day and set me up with a holter monitor test and another echocardiogram. So, obviously, I'm not thrilled that my hunches of AF etc have proven correct, but it does feel better knowing it's not "just anxiety" and "there's nothing wrong." I was starting to really think I was going crazy.

Now I just have to figure out what is wrong / why this is happening, if and how it can be fixed, and I have to try to keep myself from freaking out when I read things like AF raises your likelihood of having a stroke 5x. I am really having a hard time with this.

I have low iron in my blood (I'm anemic, a vegetarian for years) and I heard that could be triggering it. I've been taking multi vitamins every day now for about 2 months and have started eating red meat once a week. I don't know what to do. I heard my grandfather had this too and I heard there's a chance this might be hereditary.

I can't believe how many people out there are suffering from this and how little I've ever heard about it.

[bengal210]

Hi All,
I was happy to find this forum and that I was not alone in this seemingly un-diagnosable and untreatable condition. I wanted to share how I was at least for now, able to put my condition into remission (so far for about 6 months) after having rather debilitating episodes on and off for 6 months. Without going into a long history, I found myself with these same symptoms about one year ago, never experiencing them previous to the initial onset. Not knowing the reason for these sudden lurches, skipped beats and palpations along with bloating and indigestion, I found myself in the emergency room. This visit was followed by the same battery of tests described in other post (heart stress test, halter, endoscopy) all negative with the exception of a small case of gastritis. The skipped beats were seen during the stress test while monitoring during the resting period as well as identified in the halter test at various times during the day. The doctors said that skipped beats were nothing to be alarmed about as the heart muscle was strong and there were no abnormalities in the actual heart beat itself. I have always had a strong heart, low blood pressure etc., as I am an avid runner, do some weight training and am generally pretty active. However I believe my activities leading up to the onset of the condition may shed some light on what causes this and thus what may cure or help keep it in remission. I have an extremely stressful job in Aerospace with long hours. I also try to find time to do my running and other fitness activities usually requiring me to get up around 5am so I can do it before work. About 3 months prior to the initial onset I was regularly getting only about 5 hours of sleep a night (max). I also found myself getting heavily reliant on caffeine. I would drink caffeinated sport drinks during my morning workouts (they contain about 250mg of caffeine) ech day and then black tea throughout the day. I would them get home late and find myself drinking a few beers or glasses of wine to unwind. In my normal routine, I rarely drank during the week. I had continued this cycle for a good three months prior to my initial symptoms.

I tried a number of things, antacids (doctor prescribed), Mylanta, aloe juice, enzymes but with no real relief. I then decided to try a more natural remedy that my wife had success with when she had some stomach issue. I stopped taking everything else and start taking Acid Ease along with Enzymatic Therapy DGL Ultra which is supposed to help support and repair the stomach lining. I also took a probiotic. Additionally and the most difficult, I completely stopped all caffeine an alcohol consumption. I tried to minimize spicy foods in an effort to heal my stomach and vagus nerve irritation which I believe (thanks to this forum) was the root of the problem.

It took about two month with this routine and suddenly the condition completely subsided. I stopped taking the Acid Ease and the DGL a month later but continued to this day to take the probiotics while continuing not to drink any alcohol or caffeine. I am actually scared to take either in fear of the symptoms returning. I think one day I may start to have a drink once in a while but I don't believe I will go back to drinking caffeine as I believe that was the key catalyst.

Just wanted to share my experiences with hopes that some else on this forum my benefit or find something useful to apply to their own treatment.

Peace.

[bengal210]

Hi All,
I was happy to find this forum and that I was not alone in this seemingly un-diagnosable and untreatable condition. I wanted to share how I was at least for now, able to put my condition into remission (so far for about 6 months) after having rather debilitating episodes on and off for 6 months. Without going into a long history, I found myself with these same symptoms about one year ago, never experiencing them previous to the initial onset. Not knowing the reason for these sudden lurches, skipped beats and palpations along with bloating and indigestion, I found myself in the emergency room. This visit was followed by the same battery of tests described in other post (heart stress test, halter, endoscopy) all negative with the exception of a small case of gastritis. The skipped beats were seen during the stress test while monitoring during the resting period as well as identified in the halter test at various times during the day. The doctors said that skipped beats were nothing to be alarmed about as the heart muscle was strong and there were no abnormalities in the actual heart beat itself. I have always had a strong heart, low blood pressure etc., as I am an avid runner, do some weight training and am generally pretty active. However I believe my activities leading up to the onset of the condition may shed some light on what causes this and thus what may cure or help keep it in remission. I have an extremely stressful job in Aerospace with long hours. I also try to find time to do my running and other fitness activities usually requiring me to get up around 5am so I can do it before work. About 3 months prior to the initial onset I was regularly getting only about 5 hours of sleep a night (max). I also found myself getting heavily reliant on caffeine. I would drink caffeinated sport drinks during my morning workouts (they contain about 250mg of caffeine) ech day and then black tea throughout the day. I would them get home late and find myself drinking a few beers or glasses of wine to unwind. In my normal routine, I rarely drank during the week. I had continued this cycle for a good three months prior to my initial symptoms.

I tried a number of things, antacids (doctor prescribed), Mylanta, aloe juice, enzymes but with no real relief. I then decided to try a more natural remedy that my wife had success with when she had some stomach issue. I stopped taking everything else and start taking Acid Ease along with Enzymatic Therapy DGL Ultra which is supposed to help support and repair the stomach lining. I also took a probiotic. Additionally and the most difficult, I completely stopped all caffeine an alcohol consumption. I tried to minimize spicy foods in an effort to heal my stomach and vagus nerve irritation which I believe (thanks to this forum) was the root of the problem.

It took about two month with this routine and suddenly the condition completely subsided. I stopped taking the Acid Ease and the DGL a month later but continued to this day to take the probiotics while continuing not to drink any alcohol or caffeine. I am actually scared to take either in fear of the symptoms returning. I think one day I may start to have a drink once in a while but I don't believe I will go back to drinking caffeine as I believe that was the key catalyst.

Just wanted to share my experiences with hopes that some else on this forum my benefit or find something useful to apply to their own treatment.

Peace.

[liviana]

Hello to all,
I was glad to find this site. I have the same problems as everybody here. I am from an Eastern European country and we do have the same situation, he does not care a gastroenterologist and a cardiologist heart he does not care stomach. I write by google translate, I do not know if I understand well ... I am 60 y. In 2003 I had radiofrequency ablation, birth with WPW. In my bloating cause palpitations, dizziness, fear, discomfort, etc.. I am afraid to go alone on the street. When I left the hospital I had these problems, because there was food regime and at fixed hours: 9, 13 and 18, nothing else but at home I can not respect that. Thanks for any information, you want full health!

[jpek]

Diagnosis: Hiatal hernia. Caused by acid reflux. The stomach is herniated at the oesophagus. Food, lifting, etc can irritate the stomach, the oesophagus, and yes the vagus nerve. Get scoped to confirm the hernia and possible ulcers on the oesophagus.

Good luck to all.
jpek

[renna]

Candida is the real problem for many of you. Kill the Candida inside your body and stop pvc's. Do a diet of only meat and salad and yogurt and eggs.
Do it for a year. After two weeks you will feel so much better. If you lose weight don't worry. At least you will be healthy and not have pvc's
BE PATIENT!!!!!!! TAKES TWO WEEKS TO FEEL BETTER. YOU MAY NOTTTTTTTTTTT EAT PASTA, WHITE FLOUR, BREAD, SUGAR, POTATO, STARCHES NEVER!!!!!!!
The candida is causing your pvc's and ruining your life. Fungus ladies and genteman. This is the case for many not all .
Try it!!! what have you got to lose.
Diet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to stop pvc's
Also take lots and lots of vitamin C gummies. Build your immune system

good luck

[madijane9]

We have been plagued with the same issues with my 4 year old daughter. The episodes that people describe seem to be gut and vagus nerve related. With our daughter, we have never been able to pinpoint the culprits but we are now thinking it is any kind of protein except fish. She started having the episodes when she was about 7 months old. After a year of having them, we figured out it was in response to chicken. About 20 minutes after eating chicken, you would find her standing quietly somewhere shaking and white as a ghost. When you picked her up, you would here an involuntary clicking in her throat and she would cough a few times like she was going to throw up. She then would go to sleep for an hour or so after the episode. She just had one this morning after eating cereal with soymilk. I feel terrible for her. We have seen specialists from Yale to Boston and they can't find a thing wrong with her except low IgA levels, high anti-gliadin antibodies,and a persistent left superior vena cava which the cardiologist said would not cause these issues. Neurologists have cleared her because at one time they were saying these were seizures. I've always described them as vasavagal episodes - it seems like she gets acid reflux and when the vagus nerve gets stimulated, she has the episode. It is so hard to feed her - she doesn't have gluten, dairy, meat or nuts. I feel terrible for her. If anyone has any insight, we would welcome a response.

[W.W.WELLS]

Hi all,
I am new to this forum. I read about your frustration by docs not taking vagus nerve involvement for arrhythmia seriously. My story may add further evidence to back up the connection.

My background: 68yrs very heathy until '06 Diagnosis of Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). I have always had a heart murmur and technical bradycardia (low BP) in the 40s to low 50s. I believe this to be part genetic and due to active physical lifestyle. I have had occasional very short term heart flutters all my life. CLL, although a leukemia, also presents as a lymphoma. Lymphadenopathy (swollen lymphnodes) often develop internally. Keep in mind that the spleen is a specialized lymph-node and is located to the left of the diaphragm and as it swells in grows down and toward the vagus nerve. I have a "bulky node" form of CLL with masses of nodes and swollen spleen now much diminished but not gone from chemo.

My first full blown Tachycardia/Afib came after a week of chemo for my CLL in '09. It began after midnight and I was able to stop it so long as I could hold my breath and maintain the "Pushing" position as if trying to defecate. Obviously this was intermittent and not curative. I have not had a reoccurrence of this until last night. Curiously, This comes after the ninth day of an experimental drug whose purpose is not to directly kill cancer cells but to interrupt internal cell signaling in the Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase. Bradycardia is a side effect looked for by researchers with use of this drug. Symptoms that may be relevant to vagus nerve involvement in my case were sharp pains radiating from the diaphragm area for about 45min 5 days prior. Some discomfort characterized by a feeling fullness and tenderness of the area may point to vagus nerve involvement as it again occurred yesterday prior to last night's event still going on as I write this.

Some speculation from the uncredentialed: The posts concerning acupuncture may have point. :=) Having benefited from acupuncture to cure a 2.5yr bout of prostitis after the failure of three urologists while in my thirties, I have come to respect the idea that some alternative medical practices may offer relief when AMA medicine fails. The problem which acupuncture is finding the right skilled individual. I had failed acupuncture to relieve back pain and tendonitis by two other practitioners when the first guy retired and left the area.

Though the proposed mechanism by which acupuncture is supposed to work is scientifically unknown, the most probable is in blood flow and synaptic nerve regulation. Nerve muscle signal regulation of the heart muscle contraction is done artificially by pace makers because we don't know how to do it any other way.

Will arrhythmia shorten our lives? Because one anecdotal story proves nothing but can help frame a discussion; my dad was pulled out of school when he was ten because of heart murmur and arrhythmia. He died at 87 after heart complications from 6yrs of untreated bladder cancer. He led an active life physically and was a heavy smoker.

[Linden]

Wow, thank you everyone. This has been so enlightening. I was greatly helped by finally being diagnosed. After years of miscellaneous diagnoses (IBS, duodenal ulcer, peptic ulcer, hypothyroid, anemia, restless leg syndrome, vitamin D deficiency, other nutritional deficiencies), it was the clinical nutritionist who had me test by using their Complete Gene and Stool panel. Blood tests ordered by my PCP had come back negative for Celiac Disease (CD), but the Enterolab tests finally pinpointed it.

Having undiagnosed CD for so many years led to the malabsorption issues that led to nutritional deficiencies. And imbalances. It was the nutritionist who stayed with the symptoms long enough to finally figure it out. All other docs moved on. Or, were too specialized to see the big picture. Contact the nutritionist if you want... she works with people all over the country, as the internet makes non-local treatment possible.

I now take a wide variety of supplements, as it can take years to replenish the stores of minerals and amino acids and fat soluble vitamins and other nutrients to a depleted system. Heart and vagus nerve are all involved with nutritional imbalances. I am also off of gluten and casein, two proteins that are problematic. And I never cheat. I'm not willing to undo all the hard work and commitment that brought me long-awaited relief. I take probiotics every day, though no yogurt, as it has casein. Read Breaking the Vicious Cycle, and Gut and Psychology Syndrome for much needed detail. And yes, I can't tolerate coffee or alcohol. As the gut heals (which can take years), some foods that weren't tolerated can be re-introduced. But never gluten again. Wishing you all relief!