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Anyone have Vagus nerve problems causing strange, unnerving symptoms?

Posted by joannemm34293 @joannemm30809, Mar 23, 2023

Does anyone else have debilitating symptoms that affects the entire body, especially in the morning hours, and my Arrhythmia Dr told me I have Vagus Nerve malfunctions that causes major issues where my heart goes off beat, I have to continually use the bathroom and I get an overall body feeling of just feel sick, rush of nausea etc.

I still have the overall muscle twitching and strange internal vibrations as well as tinnitus and thumping sounds in my right ear.

Does anyone else have Vagus nerve problems that cause strange, unnerving symptoms??

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lesterholland | @lesterholland | Oct 20 6:36pm
In reply to @gloaming "@lesterholland The Vagus nerve is the regulator of the heart's rhythm when it has the correct..." + (show)
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@lesterholland The Vagus nerve is the regulator of the heart's rhythm when it has the correct 'tone', and when the Vagus nerve is not doing its job it's called 'dysautonomia.' As you would know, the body has to central nervous system response sets, the sympathetic (in sympathy with stress and threats, so 'fight-or-flight' with all the energy, heavy breathing, sweating before you exert yourself, and rapid heart rate due to epinephrine) and parasympathetic where you become calmed, relaxed, maybe sleepy. The Vagus nerve regulates the parasympathetic responses if you have no threats about you. So, if your Vagus nerve loses tone, it can cause the bowels to explosively evacuate, or one to void their bladder, essentially involuntarily. Believe it or not, it's a defense mechanism meant to distract or to deter a would-be threat to you, but also to literally lighten the load in case you have to flee to save yourself.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6004-dysautonomia

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@gloaming Thanks. That's a lot of good information.
LesHolland

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lesterholland | @lesterholland | Oct 22 10:33am
In reply to @gloaming "@lesterholland The Vagus nerve is the regulator of the heart's rhythm when it has the correct..." + (show)
Profile picture for gloaming @gloaming

@lesterholland The Vagus nerve is the regulator of the heart's rhythm when it has the correct 'tone', and when the Vagus nerve is not doing its job it's called 'dysautonomia.' As you would know, the body has to central nervous system response sets, the sympathetic (in sympathy with stress and threats, so 'fight-or-flight' with all the energy, heavy breathing, sweating before you exert yourself, and rapid heart rate due to epinephrine) and parasympathetic where you become calmed, relaxed, maybe sleepy. The Vagus nerve regulates the parasympathetic responses if you have no threats about you. So, if your Vagus nerve loses tone, it can cause the bowels to explosively evacuate, or one to void their bladder, essentially involuntarily. Believe it or not, it's a defense mechanism meant to distract or to deter a would-be threat to you, but also to literally lighten the load in case you have to flee to save yourself.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6004-dysautonomia

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@gloaming
Thank you!
Lester

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drowland | @drowland | Oct 23 10:24am

My vagus nerve was damaged during ablation for AFib. As a result I developed chronic low blood pressure that caused fainting, for which I take Midodrine. Now two years later I have sinus tachycardia, an AV block, and a pounding heart sound as well as breathlessness— all of which are due to the vagus nerve.

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rhanna2 | @rhanna2 | Oct 24 4:33pm

I had a positive tilt table test in 2006 with asystole for over 90 seconds. Since then I was fighting issues not only with low blood pressure but also fainting. I had a reader put in my shoulder that let my cardiologist know when my heart rate got below a certain amount and after I passed out while I was getting an EEG placed on my head for a 5-day evaluation for epilepsy, I went asystole again and it sent an alarm to my cardiologist. Within a week I had a pacemaker put in and since then I haven't had any issues with passing out. Now I'm still left with my low blood pressure, for which I take Midodrine 10 mg 3 times a day. My pacemaker company has indicated no electrical issues with my heart, they have it set to 60 so if my heart rate drops below 60 my pacemaker brings me right back up to 60, which doesn't happen too often. I was recently in the hospital and my previous cardiologist, the one who diagnosed me with vasovagal syncope, said that just because I have a pacemaker doesn't mean that the hypotension wouldn't stop. I hope this information helps.

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rhanna2 | @rhanna2 | Oct 24 4:37pm

I didn't mention this in my previous reply but 120/80 is very high for me and I feel strange when it gets that high. My normal is around 101/63 and I've had as low as 63/42 and up to 129/87, but most of the time, except during the summer months, it's usually in the normal range for me. Sometimes during the summer, I drink at least one cup of chicken bouillon a day just to bring my blood pressure up over 90. I live in Florida and one of the only things I don't like about living in Florida are the hot summers, but that's everywhere, I guess.

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lesormor | @lesormor | Oct 25 11:10pm

Yes, I just had my second event that was from the vagus nerve syndrome. Both times I fainted. The first time I went into a sweat, then fainted, then vomited. The second time I just fainted with no logical reason.

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lesormor | @lesormor | Oct 25 11:18pm
In reply to @rhanna2 "I didn't mention this in my previous reply but 120/80 is very high for me and..." + (show)
Profile picture for rhanna2 @rhanna2

I didn't mention this in my previous reply but 120/80 is very high for me and I feel strange when it gets that high. My normal is around 101/63 and I've had as low as 63/42 and up to 129/87, but most of the time, except during the summer months, it's usually in the normal range for me. Sometimes during the summer, I drink at least one cup of chicken bouillon a day just to bring my blood pressure up over 90. I live in Florida and one of the only things I don't like about living in Florida are the hot summers, but that's everywhere, I guess.

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@rhanna2
Thankyou so much for mentioning the chicken broth. I have just recently had my second fainting occurrence and was in ER. I have been adding more salt to my diet.
(crackers with salt, nuts with salt, and potatoe chips, plus salt on any food. I am also increasing fluids: water, gatorade, juice, etc.

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cwachowski19 | @cwachowski19 | Nov 4 8:40pm
In reply to @bjklemme "Yes, I am. Every night, just as I am about to drop of to sleep, I..." + (show)
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Yes, I am. Every night, just as I am about to drop of to sleep, I get a heart palpitation and then my left ear starts ringing, and my left foot goes numb. It all happens simultaneously. The tinnitus can get very loud and high pitched and has been pulsatile. There is a feeling of pain and pressure in my left ear. I have to urinate and it cycles all night waking me up at intervals and having to urinate repetitively (in a bad attack). My throat can get hoarse and sore and my nose runs. My face turns bright red. When it was really bad I would wake up sweating between 3-5AM every morning. I have had episodes of sleep apnea, muscle twitching. There is a constant sense of burning and irritation in my left ear. When I wake up my face is bright red and I get outbreaks of rosacea.

I am seeing a neurologist at Barrow and I will likely get in to dysautonomia testing. In my case, I can get the same symptoms during the day if I eat foods with histamine. It also gets worse at night if I have histamine attacks during the day. I have been to multiple doctors and specialist and Barrow is the only place where I was taken seriously.

Beverly

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@bjklemme Hi! This resonated with me so much. How did your neurologist appointment go? What did you find?

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bjklemme | @bjklemme | Nov 6 8:07am

The neurologist appointment was a long time ago! They said that my symptoms were not consistent with any known headache disorder. I am still histamine intolerant, although doing much better. I am planning on posting an update soon.

Best,
Beverly

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Janell, Volunteer Mentor | @jlharsh | Nov 8 12:50pm
In reply to @cwachowski19 "@bjklemme Hi! This resonated with me so much. How did your neurologist appointment go? What did..." + (show)
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@bjklemme Hi! This resonated with me so much. How did your neurologist appointment go? What did you find?

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Hello, @cwachowski19 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.

You mention recognizing symptoms that bjklemme had been having. If you are comfortable saying more, it may help others know how to comment to learn more about you and what you are dealing with.

Have you been to a neurologist? Why type of symptoms are you having?

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