Heart Palpitations with IBS?: Not sure what... - Anxiety Support

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Heart Palpitations with IBS?

rouri profile image
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Not sure what is causing the problem but I started to develop IBS problems due to my anxiety, sometimes it cause me to panic, as most of the things I eat cause me bloating/heartburn/constipation, I try to be very attentive but it seems everything i eat now is causing me a problem, the worst is having build up of Gas that I can't pass, mostly it goes up to my chest and gives me a feeling that i can only describe as bubbles which then makes me panic.

nowadays like this morning went to toilet(most of the times i have to push) but it feels like i don't go al the way, after 5 mins i felt like heart palpitations which scared, I mean i am not stressed early morning so why these horrible feelings?? :( it made me tired and left me feeling like i was running for one hour. forced myself to get the train feeling down. now at work am bit better!!!

not sure now is it coming from anxiety/IBS/anemia(had anemia most of my life)

I am worried now and it is not good to stress, 3 years ago I had few ECG tests/one was for 24hours nothing came up and then I had Heart eco for the heart muscles I think it was but the lady then told me there is notign to worry about, had another stress test (they put me on treadmill with some wires attached to my chest) and GP said there is nothing. the specialist didn't see me after the tests because he wanted another referal from my GP, then my GP said no everything is fine you don't need to go, that secialist is only looking for money becasue if i reffer you they get paid money!!??? honestly??? but i guess if there was something wrong he woul dhave told me!!!

anyone with same problem please let me know, feeling scared today :(

xx

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rouri
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Pickle165 profile image
Pickle165

HI i have ibs and god knows what ever else is going on in there!!!!! i had an anxiety attack on the loo yesterday when i got sharp pains across my stomach which was followed my first number 2 in 2 days which then followed a heck of a lot of pooping through the eye of a needle! sorry dont know how to put it!!!!!!! anyways i always get myself in a state over it, waiting to have a camera put inside me but getting no luck. doctors thursday. i get alot of heart pulpatations and they sent me to have it checked but said it was ok so i can only presume my anxiety is taking over. i always suffer more when im due on for some reason and get a really heavy chest like im being sat on. demand help...........x

rouri profile image
rouri in reply to Pickle165

sometimes i can go properly and sometimes I have to push until my eyes pops out!! I did have many tests few years ago but all came back as normal. ANXIETY is just awafulllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

I am researching a lot about Anxiety/IBS related palpitations and will let you know when i find anything that can help.

thinking of you sam, God bless you

xx

rouri profile image
rouri in reply to Pickle165

Hi Sam,

I spent 2 hours last night browsing for IBS/AnxietyPalps and came across this young lady who suffered from the same thing, I amposting her first initial problem and the solution she found herself, please ready and let me know what you think, what she prescribed is exactly what i am having and maybe you, apaprt from heart beating fast (this only happens to me when i fall asleep and wake up suddenly):

I am a 25 year old female, I eat very healthy, I follow an acidic-alkaline PH balanced diet, and drink tons of water. I try to stay away from a lot of dairy and a lot of gluten. I do not drink alcohol except for a very occasional glass of red wine with dinner, I do not take illegal drugs, I do not take any medication including antibiotics or even aspirin. I do not drink caffeine or take other stimulants.

I've always had a light feeling or sensation of "heart flutter" or heart palpitation. I can remember the first one arriving when I was about 16 during a very stressful situation at school. It didn't scare me then, and never has scared me all the times it's happened since then, maybe once every one to two years. I do have acute anxiety that I do not take any medications for, that I have dealt with since I was maybe 10-11 years old, and have always had good control over it.

about 5-6 months ago, I was sitting down eating dinner, noticed that I had a somewhat upset stomach - gas, bloating and gurgling. I had a very LARGE thump of a palpitation during the middle of a bite of food. It stopped me completely, really scared me and I rushed to the bathroom to splash water on my face and my heart began to race. It continued to race for a good three hours until I was so exhausted from the adrenaline pumping through me that I fell asleep. I starting having these palpitations more frequently after that night, maybe three of four a day. each equally as scary and I started becoming nervous of night fall because that's when it would happen. I wouldn't be doing anything in particular, just sitting watching a movie, or eating dinner, but they usually came late at night after about 8pm.

I went to the doctor many times, I've had everything checked from overgrowth of bacteria, to candida, I've had blood drawn for thyroid tests, I've had ekg's and heart monitors that never seem to pick anything up, but my doctor heard one through her stethoscope and said my heart is beating strong and healthy, it doesn't sound as if it's skipping a beat or if it's irregular, rather that it's pausing, she explained that the palpitation is occurring because something about my blood pumping too fast, so my heart is pushing it backwards to catch up so thats the sensation I'm feeling, but that it was benign and wouldn't hurt me. She said that I am perfectly healthy in all areas and that I have the basic symptoms of IBS, and there isn't much I can do for it, except maybe peppermint oils, teas, and relaxing, as it was stress related. BUT I never started feeling stressed out or anxious until I started having the palpitations, and I got the palpitations because I was stressed out about them...vicious circle.

So as advised I changed my diet I began taking magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals, I drink chamomile tea, ginger tea, take peppermint oils, and other holistic ways to eliminate my IBS symptoms. These have helped. I try to take them as regularly and often as directed.

I feel as though when I start to get a lot of gas build up, or a lot of gurgling and bubbling, my heart palpitations begin to flare up. Not necessarily coming from what or when I eat, but just when my IBS symptoms begin to flare up. Which is about every 4-5 days for about 2 days at a time. Then everything will cool down and I wont have symptoms of gas, or heart palpitations. Then about 4 days go by and they all begin again.

I'm wondering if there has been any study or anyone is having similar reactions to IBS, relating to heart flutters or anything?

I've also noticed that sometimes I'll get the palpitations from moving quickly, or bending over, also just thinking about it too much triggers them.

So I would like to know if anyone has any advice, or known remedies. Also if anyone has any known ideas on how to reduce them, or exercises you can do to prevent the recurrence?

THANK you so much for taking the time to read this lengthy post! I appreciate any response, even if just to relate..

Solution:

Hi Everyone,

So I am the original poster to this thread, and I wanted to just update everyone.

I can now say that my palps are gone.

In my post I told you I was suffering with very strange bouts of gas, and diarrhea, also having lots of other problems along the way. I was told I was suffering from IBS and Anxiety by doctors, but I always felt like there was an underlying problem or that I was fixable.

First of all they were trying to get me to take Anxiety medication on top of IBS problems. When you're suffering from IBS or any intestinal problems for that matter you SHOULD NOT take any type of prescription medication unless you were previously taking it, or it's a life and death situation, but adding anxiety medication on to my already upset stomach made everything WORSE. It unbalanced my intestinal flora and made me nauseous, I was not having regular bowl movements for days at a time, and I was feeling EXTREMELY miserable, BUT I do believe I've found a cure for myself.

After being told twice that there was nothing I could do, just deal with my IBS and palps, and try to eat healthy yahta yahta, I quickly changed doctors again and again until I found one that didn't just write me off. My new doctor took the regular blood/stool/urine tests and said that all my results were coming up normal but that she wasn't going to write me off, she asked a lot of questions and finally suggested I look into holistic remedies because she felt I should not be taking the anxiety medication if it's making the original problem worse. She told me that possibly looking into doing holistic remedies I could over come my IBS easily. By that statement alone I have started to realize that many western doctors are not really interested in "curing" you, just interested in getting you to come back to pay for more drugs, appointments, etc. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to take medication unless I really need it, and this time I really didn't.

I looked up holistic remedies for IBS and palpitations and began asking around and doing a lot of research with holistic healers/doctors/nutritionists etc. I found out that a lot of times palps, gerd, gas, and acid reflux can come from toxic build up's in your colon due to how we defecate incorrectly. Humans were made to hunch over and squat down to eliminate our bowls to help push everything out, but because we sit up-right on top of a toilet and eat a lot of junk foods all of it gets built up and stuck in our intestines causing a build up of bacteria ultimately causing things like gas, gerd, and palps.

*Please note that if you have a hiatal hernia or other complication like it, this is not the approach for you, and stick with your doctors advice*

I started with a natural colon cleanse called The Ultimate Cleanse to flush out any built up toxins I may have. I did a 2 week cleanse and within only a couple of days my gas, my palps, and my acid reflux came to a halt. I also started as advised on an all-organic diet, removing all processed sugars, breads, yeasts etc. For two weeks during the cleanse I ate raw and steamed organic veggies, eggs in any style, and low fat meats only. After the two week detox I started to introduce things back into my system but slowly. Now I continue to eat only organic foods that are not processed, and do not contain MSG, Aspartame, or other synthetic ingredients. I also stay away from sodas, instead I go for organic ginger ale, and I do occasionally drink coffee but only from organically grown beans. I do not drink dairy from cows milk because I've always had an intolerance with it so I use goats milk products or soy products instead. One thing I have added to my diet is an ancient fermented tea called Kombucha. You drink 1 bottle/12oz a day, which puts good yeasts, Vitamin B's, and live probiotics back into your intestines. It also helped me to start growing back my hair, and I feel less hungry and get less crazy cravings for high sugar/carb meals. I am happy to say that I am now palp and IBS free for 2 months. I have only had one very small palp about 2 weeks ago after indulging in a very heavy carb filled meal at a friends house that mostly likely wasn't organic products.

So I don't know about your situation or what you've tried or been told to do, but you may want to give some of this a try...if not all of it, just try a colon cleanse, because for me the colon cleanse was one missing ingredient. I had tried the yeast free diet thinking it was Candida, which was basically what I was eating during the detox; just veggies, eggs, and meat, and still I would get the palps and gas. After I was advised to try it again but organically, and with the cleanse is when it changed. It couldn't hurt to try it, and it may work for you too, because I seriously tried EVERYTHING I found information about. I went to see numerous doctors, had numerous tests, (and paid tons of bills) tried numerous diets, tried exercising 5 days a week, and took vitamins and minerals thinking maybe I was deficient in some area, and it just went on and on and on, and all the gas and palps were still there everyday. Now, I felt better with no anxiety, no upset stomach issues, I never feel bloated or sick anymore, and I feel like I honestly got my life back.

Here is a list of what I did, and the things that seemed to work for me, still I would advise that you talk to your doctor about the things I have done, and see if they would work with your medication or lifestyle, or even better try talking to a holistic doctor like this one: doctorajadams.com/CREDENTIA... - she will answer your questions in email form as well! I also advise taking down a food journal, because it may just be one specific thing that is bugging you, but if you are like me, and you've tried eliminating certain foods, tried certain diets, and it doesn't seem to help, maybe this is the thing for you too:

Here is what I did & continue to do:

-Take an organic over the counter colon cleanse or colon detox kit once or twice a year as needed. (do not use more than 1 month at a time) until your bowl movements are back to 2-3 regular movements per day.

-During detox eliminate all processed foods, carbs, and sugars for at least 2-4 weeks; eating only organic veggies, organic meats, and organic antibiotic free eggs.

-Take a comprehensive liquid organic vitamin daily- found in most health/vitamin store.

-Try to stay away from too much yeast & alcohol during and after the cleanse. (beer, wine, liquor, breads, pastries, etc)

-After your detox period is over slowly introduce new things into your diet like organic breads - fruits - fiber cereals - oatmeal, one at a time 2 or 3 times a week at most.

-Exercise regularly - take a 45 min yoga class, do 30 mins at the gym, take a bike ride, or at least just a brisk walk up and down your street - 3-4 times a week.

-Eat only organic foods free of processed ingredients, MSG, Aspartame, pesticides, herbicides, hormones, antibiotics, etc.

-Drink 1 12 oz. Kombucha bottle a day for 1 month and notice a HUGE difference after or during your detox! (can be found at most organic food markets like Henry's or Whole Foods, or online at kombucha2000.com <kombucha2000.com> ) Buy the brands made in dark brown bottles as it preserves the live yeast better. It tastes much like a sweetened apple cider, and it may be a bit strange and not what you're used to at first but after a few tries it's amazing!

Give this a try after talking to your doctor and let me know if this or something else has worked for you!

milo1 profile image
milo1

HI ROURI AND SAM sorry to hear the problems you two are having i can not comment on it because i have never had anything like that but i do feel for both of you i went to see neurologist today i am not happy with him i have been waiting 22 months to see him just done my b p and heart beat and tested my reflex told me to follow his finger with my eyes smile and poke my tongue out then told me he did not think anything wrong with blood supply to my brain but my b p is low and my heart only 58 beats per minute i am either super fit or something is wrong now have to go and have bloods done on thursday and wait to see cardiologist all this time waiting what a joke xx

rouri profile image
rouri in reply to milo1

Hi Love, I can't believe that you were waiting for ages and this is what happened?? honestly how could this be??he should have done a scan for your head and neck!!! i am not liking it!!! is this a professional test to check your blood supply to the brain?? so you left with no answer, poor you :(

how much was your BP?? 58 is very good for heart beat, athletics have low heart rate some of them 40 because of their fitness. 58 is not low.

what is the cardiologist for?? you didn't tell me if you have problem with your heart?? how long you have to wait for this one??

milo1 profile image
milo1

ALSO fogot to say i asked him what i should do when i have dizzy spell which is every day and lasts for sometimes hours his reply was get straight on the floor it does not matter if you are in the house or in MARKS AND SPENCER how stupid is that can you picture the scene you can not do that in a shop they would ring ambulance because i would be a liability if anything happened WHAT is going on

rouri profile image
rouri in reply to milo1

he is not in your place, very easy for doctors to say stupid things until he or one of his family becomes ill!!! no compassion and loads of doctors have no morals and respect for their profession!!

Hi, what you have written seems to be VERY common with anxiety sufferers. My personal view is that we need to understand that anxiety is a vicious circle. Your IBS causes you to panic (anxiety levels rise). You try hard with your diet but this causes you to panic (levels still rising). You finish by saying that you are now scared. Your anxiety levels must be going through the roof!! I feel for you because like a lot of sufferers it seems the harder you try the worse it gets. We then end up at our GP convinced we have something seriously wrong (this also happened to you). I am lucky that I have a very supportive wife and she is able to calm me down if things get very bad. Her outlook on life is live for today and worry about tomorrow....tomorrow! I try to do this as positively as I can and it helps. I even try and see things in a funny way and try a just laugh it off. I have only been investigating anxiety for a few days but as my understanding grows I am starting to feel better. Good luck with it, I have been through exactly the same thing that you have written about. I have had almost every test known to man and I now convince myself that actually, I am quite well.

rouri profile image
rouri in reply to

thx painter for sharing your thoughts, being positive is the key but it is a struggle when physical symtomps are in place!!! trying hard always, anxiety sufferers are fighters regardless, wake and do it all over again!!

milo1 profile image
milo1

HI ROURI AND SAM interesting reading are you pair going to try this like i said never had that problem but i wish you both can overcome this and get well x ROURI are you still going to meet in coffee shop in croyden on 4 august i have not heard any mention of this for a while x

rouri profile image
rouri in reply to milo1

hello, just finished my dinner and had one of these movements, i can never tell where gas/bubbles hits!! i am sooo confused!!!

i spent half of my day today browsing the internet to find more stuff, came across fennel and ginger can help gastro symptoms and weirdest thing that Turmeric has far too many benefits than those two, is used even for some type of cancer and can help depression and anxiety??? i was looking for gastro and got three in one, as it helps anemia as well.

now i have to look for proper colon cleansing kit to do it at home, but it will have to be safe, as when you do that the body goes into shock mode as too much will be going out of the body, I can do colon cleanse in clinic but that cost too much money and the procedure is not pleasant!! so have to look into it more, Sam didn't reply yet but she might be busy!!

nothing about meeting up in croydon, i guess they are a bit overwhelmed and might be a bit shy or just not bothered :)

is your blood tests tomorrow???

milo1 profile image
milo1

YES you really are funny bloods tomorrow let you know result x

nathalymarshall profile image
nathalymarshall

hi rouri.. i hope you found a cure or a way to lessen your symptoms.

I just started searching for info about this as my symptoms are getting worst... it used to happen once a year when i finished high school, then three or 4 times a year but now it is more frequent.. it happened last night and now this morning. I am so worried about this but it is good to know that I am not the only one (although doctors seem to know nothing about it.. i have been in ER 3 times and everytime doctors just tell me my heart is fine and i am very healthy). I visited the cardiologist and had a holter monitor for 24 hours and of course nothing happened.. i had an eco as well and all my heart structure is perfect... I find this so frustrating because people think is stress but I can tell my heart goes so fast sometimes after meals (specially at night) and I get a lot of gas and diarrhoea as well and of course I panic more with my heart beating like 100 times faster. I am planning to visit the doctor tomorrow to check my stomach and hopefully know what is happening there but I am pretty sure (by reading different posts) that I have IBS. What I do not understand is why it just happened suddenly.. I used to drink whole cow milk, eat white bread, cheese, ice-cream, drink coffee, etc. but now it is impossible as it immediately upsets my stomach causing my heart to go fast. I guess we all have different symptoms and are intolerant to different food. Thank you for sharing you story here, I feel comforted by reading what other people are going through and knowing that I am not alone. Pd. the post about the girl that tried everything is very helpful. If my doctor says everything is fine and I will take her advices.

bell407 profile image
bell407 in reply to nathalymarshall

I woke up early in the mornings, very bloated and gassy. I have palpitations and racing heart, do have a hertis hernia, how can..control the palps and anxiety

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