As it says, this happened to me. Woke up about 3 ish and lay there before becoming aware of my heart. It was pounding out of my chest, an ectopic every few beats.
I also felt bloated and had a lump in my throat. So I checked my heart rate and rhythm and my HR was low 60s, about normal for me lying down in bed but it was pounding hard.
I googled a bit, stupidly but it was late, dark and I was a bit scared. Even prior to ablation, my heart had never woken me up before. I decided reflux had to be playing a role, as I'm painfully aware of the heart gut relationship, even if my cardiologist refuses to acknowledge it. So I took omeprazole.
Got up for work and my esophagus and stomach feel weird and my heart is still very... erratic. Not fast but harder than usual and more ectopics.
The irony is, I had a 2 week Zio patch on in July, and had my FU with cardiology last night who told me that, from previous echos and scans my heart - structurally - is fine and the zio shows almost less arrhythmias than a normal person. I'm just much more sensitive than most and am constantly aware of my heart.
I started taking vsl 3 last week and I am now thinking that's playing a part in the bloating when I lie down. Anybody had similar with good bacteria or just generally due to IBS problems or bloating in the night?
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DaveT81
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Absolutely! No just confined to the middle of the night. Anytime. If you click on my username and do a search on my posts you'll see. Many others have similar experiences. If you haven't already done so, read up on Vagal Nerve. It will then become clearer.
The VN is like an information superhighway between the brain and various organs, particularly the heart and digestive system.
Thanks for your reply. I've read a lot on the vn, as it's the main protagonist in my own AF issues, I believe but I'll take a look at your posts as similarities can often be reassuring too.
It's almost like it finds new and interesting ways to ruin your day and/or night!
Yes it’s very common and may be caused by a number of factors, in fact I came across a paper about the underdiagnosis of this just a few days ago - I’ll see if I can find it for you.
Data on GERD and oesophageal lesions after AF-ablation procedures will be reviewed. Treatment of GERD to avoid AF or to reduce AF burden might represent a future treatment perspective but needs to be scrutinized in prospective trials.
I certainly had a lot of discomfort after ablation which was after all my gastro problems (Ulcerative Colitis) had been resolved. They eventually lessened and resolved about 6 months after ablation.
Dr Gupta (York Cardiology) works with a gastroenterologist and has done joint presentations on this so maybe also look at their work and then go back to your doctor armed with the evidence!
I’m not sure what vsl is but strengthens the gut Microbiome does help but takes months and you need to know what to take - I had gut testing which identified several baddies which needed elimination before I work on improving the good. I use food and make my own kefir, both dairy and water, sour-dough & kumboocha.
Thanks for this. I had few problems after the blanking period, but 2 1/2 years later my heart is all over the place, although apparently everything is structurally and generally fine, according to the cardiologist.
It was more the QOL impact that was an issue for me though, than the threat of stroke. Although that weird incident waking me up 2 nights ago has been followed by three day's worth of headaches, pain and pressure behind my eyes and a lot of bloatiness.
I should point out that I also have CFS, so a lot of my symptoms could be related to that but the heart issues are rife at the moment too.
Yes, vsl 3 is a probiotic, prescription grade, but has been discontinued. A nurse I work with is still able to get. I stopped using it a few days ago and have avoided all probiotics for the time being.
The gastro problems for me started about 9 month post-ablation. I'd always had a stomach made of titanium and then suddenly couldn't tolerate a lot of foods. Cut out gluten, wheat, dairy about 2 years ago but have gradually been able to reintroduce dairy in greater amounts since taking probiotics. I think going from a 20 billion capsule to 450 billion drink must have been too great a jump though.
The link between my stomach and heart is ridiculously tight. One upsets the other almost daily. I'll have a read at that article though, thank you.
I find probiotics give me reflux so it could be the vsl causing the bloating. Not everybody can take them at the doses recommended and it might be better to stop for a while then restart at a much lower dose .
I had an ablation one month ago...and the cardiologist prescribed a PPI for 30 days to avoid any possible GERD related issues. I have had no problems since the ablation at all, not sure if the PPI made a difference or not, but - given the latest research noted elsewhere here - seemed like a good thing to do. And I have noticed in the past that middle of the night bloating or digestion of a heavy meal did impact how I felt, and heart rhythms. Hope this is helpful.
Yeah, I've been on a PPI myself for 2 years now. It has helped a great deal, and when this happened a couple of nights ago I took another one which helped settle down the reflux symptoms. Still haven't got a clue what set off my heart pounding though.
Having also had digestive issues in the 3 years post ablation I've changed my diet a lot so rarely eat anything 3-4 hours before bed and only eat larger meals at lunch time. Toast, cereal or something equally small is all I eat in the evening to avoid these occasions. Looks as if it hasn't work on this one.
Yup! Consider digestive issues as one of my main triggers. Do you get acid reflux? I think mine triggers AF so I went on an acid reflux diet. Feel miles better and more able to recover for m episodes when they occur.
I certainly do! Reflux was quite bad the night this happened, and then throughout a lot of this week. It came on again last night, so I took a pre-emptive Omeprazole and thankfully that stopped the reflux before the ectopics could start.
I'm getting extra beats now though. I don't know whether that's because I haven't eaten much yet but I seem to struggle as much when I haven't eaten a lot, as when I have eaten a lot. We can't win!
Thanks, I will take a look. Looks interesting! Is that by Nour Zibdeh? I've just discovered it's free on Kindle Unlimited so got a 2-month free trial. I'll have a read
I've had ectopic heart beats (pause) quite regular for 4 months. My resting heart rate is 55 to 60 bpm. I have a hiatus hernia and I agree with you that gut issues are part of the ectopic beats issue. I can eat a meal and within 30 minutes my ectopics can go wild, I begin belching and soon they disappear. They are random and speratic. Frustrating. My blood pressure is good 118/80, my blood work is bang on, I had a stress test which went well. I walk 25,000+ steps a day. A cardiologist at the hospital told me he has ectopic beats but he does not feel them. I FEEL EVERY ECTOPIC BEAT AND USUALLY MORE AT NIGHT. The cardiologist tried to convince me my heart is structurally sound and healthy and not to worry. Presently I take no medication except Nexium for my hiatus hernia. Still it's frustrating feeling all those ectopic beats.
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