This question has most likely been asked before on the forum but I can't remember what the replies said.
Can GERD cause your heart to miss/skip beats? Can a hiatus hernia cause ectopics? I know that medical advice can't be given, I'm just asking for forum members' experiences. I take 40mg of Omeprazole daily for reflux.
My personal view, and it is just that - a personal view - yes. No scientific or medical substance here except the link between the heart, brain and digestive system. I.e. the vagal nerve.
Do suggest you read up on vagal nerve and find online diagrams/schematics of how the VN is located in the body and where it reaches. It seems to be an information superhighway between the brain and a range of organs, including the heart and digestive system.
John
I read up on this subject a few weeks ago. I just don't know how to apply what I've read to my particular health problem. Probably too much information for my feeble brain to absorb 😄
For me it was necessary to consult a nutritionist. She analysed my digestive system, trained me to identify food that worried me, that I was allergic to or that I had an intolerance to. I was prescribed a course of probiotics as well. Set me up with a food plan which I expanded on over the years. It has been a long hard road, but worth it. A nutritionist will really be able to help and advise you. I always felt if I could identify the problem food I would be better off than if I took medication.
John
It does make it more prevalent for me. I have GERD and a H/Hernia and what I eat certainly affects the likelihood of ectopics and AF episodes. I also take a PPI (Lansoprazole) which helps. Losing weight may also help reduce pressure on your diaphragm and the hernia.
Good question. I thought I had gerd and was self medicating with Prilosec, only to find out 6 mo later it was a bad gallbladder!!! Before I go in to a fib I get symptoms of gerd but a fib doesn’t happen every time I had gerd symptoms. Will b interesting to see if it’s any different now the gallbladder is gone
It certainly does for me. I have reflux and hiatus hernia. Just on monday I saw my cardiac consultant and was told yes there is a connection. I have had less ectopics since stopping my ppi but need to go back onto them, which I am unsure about doing.
It's a rock and a hard place situation isn't it? Whichever way you decide, you suffer. I know I did when I tried to quit PPIs.
Very interesting about ectopics and PPI. My ectopics have been much less since I stopped Omeprazole, but I didn't think there was a correlation. My AFIB episodes prior to ablation always occurred at night and usually on a night where I had eaten too much before going to bed. Now that I am on a CPAP and have had an ablation, I haven't had any AFIB. I still try not to eat much a few hours before bedtime as the GERD isn't fun.
Have you read
roemheld-syndrome.com/ it is very interesting I came across it through Dr Sanjay Gupta.
Just downloaded the article, will read it later. Thank you.
He has several videos on the connection to the vagus nerve. Mine is very sensitive as both a colonoscopy and a DRE (digital rectal examination ) stimulated it and put me back into AF after having been in NSR for well over a year.
I used to have a lot of GERD and managed it without taking any PPI’s as I know I don’t have hiatus hernia, I don’t have gall bladder problems or any other medical causal problem but I do take a medication for another condition which is known to cause GERD so I have to be very careful.
If I stick with my protocol - I have no problems. I woke up at about 3 am last night with GERD for the first time for months and realized that the reason for it was that I had been resting prone for a lot of the day because I had a bad Myasthenia day so that is now my main cause and a timely reminder to stay upright more!
Other than that I take a small amount of fresh kefir (ever so easy to make at home) first thing every morning and before taking any meds - this has made a huge difference. I avoid all carbs in the morning especially cereal, bread/toast, biscuits or cakes - I have been known to sneak an odd treat in the afternoon. At the slightest sign of indigestion I sip warm/hot water with a slice of lemon in it. I eat much smaller meals and if, like last night, it happens during the night I take liquid Gaviscon and sip warm water and it goes immediately.
I was appalled that I was prescribed PPI’s as a prophylactic without advice, knowing what they were or even being asked if I wanted/needed them! I am of the mindset that I won’t take any medication I really don’t need, unless it is life saving or allows me to function, especially when Lifestyle Medicine can work just as well for minor ailments. Too many pills. My understanding is that PPI’s have side effects when taken long term can be serious and I have enough to deal with without adding more! Very personal opinion but it is a well debated subject - overview article here:-
nhs.uk/news/medication/use-...
Best wishes CD,
Hi. My experience is absolutely yes it does, without question. I have GERD and hiatus hernia. I was on lansoprazole and omeprazole and both made it worse. They seemed to be stopping food from being digested properly so I felt it was in my chest which gave my horrendous ectopics. I switched to ranitidine and it is much better for me. Food digests now easier. It did take a few weeks to adjust as my stomach seemed to produce loads of acid but it soon settled down. Now I take only when I need. Sometimes when i get ectopics I only need take a ranitidine and it stops them. Just my experience. Anxiety is my biggest trigger still, which in turn makes my acid bad which gives me ectopics. Nasty cycle
As I said earlier, I can't get my head round the fact that, given that I take a fairly large dose of PPI, why do I still get reflux, thereby causing ectopics. Sorry, such a convoluted question I know! And I don't really expect an explanation from anyone here.
That's a heavy dose. I took 20mg of Omeprazole and still had a few problems.
Long-term it reduces your body's ability to absorb Magnesium and this can lead to arrythmias.
I posted on here somewhere about my recent experience of having an infection that meant I had to stop the Omeprazole while I took an antibiotic.
I found an alternative, natural, product to help with the reflux and it worked so I haven't gone back to using Omeprazole. (Now six months.)
You will need to do some research on this yourself as I realise that some natural products seem to work for some and not for others.
It's called Chlorella and I take it in tablet form some in the morning and some just before bed. There are many people selling Chlorella so you need to make sure that you are getting a product that is manufactured to your liking.
Just a day ago someone posted article on Gerd. Search for "gerd and af interesting article"
upliftconnect.com/12-ways-u...
Found this link Hope it's helpful It's not too complicated to read and absorb
PVC and Ectopic Heartbeats 
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