Possiblity of GastroCardiac syndrome?

Posted by step12345 @step12345, Oct 26, 2023

I am a 22 year old male, 140lbs 5'9, Asian. I am residing in the USA, no drug use/smoking. I am currently visiting a cardiologist, and they noticed an abnormal heart rythmn + higher blood pressure (140 when sitting, 160 when lying down). EKG shows voltage spikes are twice that of the average person. Echocardiogram is perfectly fine, and Holter monitor shows no arrythmia. We are doing the treadmill stress test soon. In high school, I used to be decently athletic, but my health took a nosedive soon after.

Starting from the very beginning of the pandemic, I had sudden energy crashes with fast thumping heartbeats (over 90 pulses per min when sitting down). These energy crashes occur almost everyday, I often get knocked out into 2-3 hr naps. These energy crashes would be triggered by eating heavier foods + more intense physical exercise, as well as if I feel any strong emotions such as anger. I also had a bad bout of GERD, but that faded a year later. I also feel a sinking pit in my lower left abdomen sometimes.

I visited an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, and had a sleep study done. Everything was fine according to these doctors, no sleep apnea/narcolpesy, no thyroid issues, etc.

Do you know what it could potentially be? Could it be related to cardiogastric syndrome? Due to past stomach issues, perhaps it is effecting my heart as well via the vagus nerve.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart Rhythm Conditions Support Group.

@step12345

I am willing to give this diet a shot. Thanks for the advice!

However, I have tried the keto diet and also cutting out carbs before, but there was no difference. Cutting out dairy also made no difference.

My energy crashes the least when I eat candy . I have no symptom of diabetes, but I need to eat hard candy in the morning to reduce dizziness. My energy crashes more when I eat fruits/vegetables in the morning. My energy crashes the most when I eat heavier protein.

Exercise can trigger the heart palpitations as well. Sometimes I have a thumping headache near my temples, before my heartbeat increases and I fall asleep

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Hi there, I found this article online and am having very similar symptoms. Have you ever found an answer for this? I am currently on a heart monitor and feel like it’s related to GI issues. I also have pain in temples and feel like my stomach sinks. I also have a lot of sinus issues and when I blow my nose it feels like my ears block and I can’t breathe until I swallow which spikes my heart rate. Just wondering if you ever got this figured out.

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@kennedyhope77

Hi there, I found this article online and am having very similar symptoms. Have you ever found an answer for this? I am currently on a heart monitor and feel like it’s related to GI issues. I also have pain in temples and feel like my stomach sinks. I also have a lot of sinus issues and when I blow my nose it feels like my ears block and I can’t breathe until I swallow which spikes my heart rate. Just wondering if you ever got this figured out.

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Hi Kennedy,

I received 2 diagnosis, but cardiovascular/gastro issues were not the rooot cause.

1. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosed at Stanford's CFS clinic. This is from mono/long COVID, where inflammation of the brain nerves occur due to excessive autoimmune response. I am on low dose naltrexone to control the symptoms

2. Neurologist found a small 3mm aneurysm on my right brain's artery during an MRA scan

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@gsalinas

I'm a 49 year old active male who's been fit my entire life. My main physical activity is cycling. about 10 years ago I began having sudden episodes of tackycardia, highblood pressure and anxiety. For no particular reason my body would go into the flight or fight response soon after a meal. I've ended up in the ER a few times after an episode since it feels like I am or about to have a heart attack. I have seen several cardiologists, nuerologists, urologists and gastrointestinal doctor. After under going many tests, they've never found the cause or problem. It wasn't until two years ago that I linked the episodes to my digestion/ eating. I've suffered from IBS for many years and have been diagnosed with gastritis. On one occurance, I went through a month where I suffered from severe anxiety and depression. Having considered myself a strong minded person, this was the first time I had ever felt this way. It was as if a switch was turned on in my body which I had no control of. During this month I had 3 occurring episodes of fight or flight responses. Doctors could not find an answer to what was causing it since my EKG were fine and all tests were normal. At the time of the episodes my heart rate would spike to 150-165 for a few seconds, My blood pressure would shoot up to 160/110 or so. The episodes lasted anywhere from 2- 10 minutes but my legs and arms felt heavy and I felt tired after each episode. There were days were I just felt so depressed I cried. I had a hard time sleeping due to anxiety. I refused to get on any anti depression or anti anxiety pills as this was not a normal feeling for me. I wanted my doctors to find out what caused this switch to turn on rather than to treat my symptoms. During this time I realized what if I wasnt suffering from IBS but rather it was the cause of my problem. I quickly cut out all sugars, flour, meat and high fat from my diet. I was strictly on fruits, veggies fish and chicken. After two weeks on this diet, the switch was turned off. No more anxiety, no more depression no more fight or flight episodes. I continued on this diet for 3 months and went from 185 to 165 lbs. I began doing some web browsing on diet and my symptoms and came across Romeheld Disease (gastric cardiac syndrome). Needless to say, I tend to get careless about my diet every now and then and but now I'm able to recognize the symptoms before they worsen. Doctors haven't diagnosed me with Gastric Cardiac Syndrome since non of the doctors here are familiar with it. I've given up on Doctors since they're main objective is not find your cure but to make sure you're not dying. Hope this helps someone.

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OMG when I read this I could totaly relate. I have had the same issue for several years now, it comes and goes, but the sudden onset of fight or flight, anxiety and heart rate increase is debilitating. I do notice that small meals and no carbs helps alot, but it's hard to eat like that all the time. I have been having more of these flairs lately so this post reminded me to go back to a strict diet. Thanks for posting! BTW, totally agree with your statement about doctors, they are totally useless at diagnosing anything.

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Have you considered an autonomic disorder? POTS is a well-documented outcome of COVID. Here is a quick resource for you:
https://www.sjogrensadvocate.com/dysautonomia
Although this website targets those with Sjogrens Disease, POTS and OH isn't limited to people who have specific other diagnosis. There's an easy at- home test you can do to collect data and share with your doctor. More info here: https://www.sjogrensadvocate.com/post/part-3-is-it-pots-pots-vs-oh

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