Possiblity of GastroCardiac syndrome?

It could be diet. Only one way to find out. Cut out all sugar including rice, bread, other simple carbs, minimal salt and saturated fat. Eat fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds. No dairy. No fried foods. Small meals. No alcohol, tobacco, etc. Only small portions of lean meat. Stay hydrated. The diet sounds worse than it really is. Stay on it for 3 months and see if you improve. Your GERD should go away and digestive issues resolve. If you have gas take gasx and pepsid for stomach issues. No PPIs. Good luck. Sugar causes insulin spikes that cause havoc with your heart and digestion. Gerd can irritate your heart.

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

It does sound like low blood sugar. The blood sugar increases followed by insulin spikes is a viscous cycle that can cause low blood sugar, irritability, etc. Eat more complex carbs in the morning that cause a gradual rise in blood sugar. Instead of candy eat a banana. Simple carbs can provide quick energy but the crashes due to insulin spikes combined with exercise can result in low blood sugar and all the problems that go with in including fatigue. Might want to have a glucose sensitivity test to investigate this. An internist can arrange this. Hang in there a good internist can help you get to the bottom of this.

Thank you for the tips! I'll try more natural sources of sugar.

With the endocrinologist, they did provide glucose monitoring (both pinprick + 14 day continous monitoring), and there were no clinically significant results. There were a couple of times where the blood sugar dropped below 70, but nothing considered significant.

I will push for the glucose sensitivity test though, maybe that will yield better results.

I have atrial fibrillation that is apparently triggered by eating, as well as lifting. I also have GERD. You have received some excellent suggestions.

I don't eat after 5 or 6pm. I take Tums at night, and sometimes Pepcid.

It doesn't sound like you have diabetes. When are you below 70? Is that a few hours after sugar? I would stop the hard candy if you can, and always accompany simple carbs with protein/fat.

Heart, lungs, GI system are all close together and affect each other. GERD can also give me asthma-like symptoms.

I think you are on the right track. It is hard because docs tend to address one system or organ and we need to have them connected!

The technical clinical phenotype for "Gastrocardiac syndrome" is...Roemheld syndrome, in which the hiatus (& hiatal hernias) figures largely. Here's a good informational introduction/resource for Roemheld syndrome: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.764478/full.

Sliding hiatal hernias, often a feature of Roemheld syndrome, sometime predispose sufferers to experience GERD (as well as heart arrhythmias).

A suite of G.I. conditions also very often predispose and/or are associated with Roemheld syndrome & heart-arrhythmia conditions--& elevated G.I. inflammatory conditions also often figure largely, including G.I.-centered mast cell activation syndrome, IBS, SIBO (C & D), leaky gut syndrome...among others.

Finding American healthcare providers with interest & competency in diagnosing--let alone treating, these complicated conditions & interactions is...a nightmare. Sufferers (patients) are almost always their own best advocates.

Best wishes.

To step12345 - sorry to hear you are going through all these problems at such a young age. You mentioned your symptoms started from the beginning of the pandemic. Did you test positive for Covid? Your condition sounds suspiciously like Long Haul Covid to me. You can go to the Long Covid Support group on this site and you’ll find your symptoms mirror many of the participants in the group. Unfortunately, there is no treatment or cure for the syndrome and many of the participants’ stories are very discouraging. They are not finding relief from traditional medicine and trying to navigate this journey on their own. It helps to know you’re not alone in all this and you may find some solutions to your problems. Good luck!

Hi britelite, I did not get COVID at that time (but I never tested). I did get COVID in summer 2022, but getting COVID was much less problematic than my current energy crashes.

I did start to feel unwell a couple of months before the pandemic (October 2020), but had slightly different symptoms back then.

Also, my blood test in Jun 2020 showed that I had mono, but I highly doubt fatigue from mono would last that long

Great, thanks for mentioning this to me!

I just had the treadmill test from the cardiologist. He said everything was fine, but on the treadmill test, I felt more dizzy, and had very brief and very mild chest pain. For the time being, the cardiologist said to wait and see.

If the cardiologist ruled out any problems, what other avenues/specialists should I take a look? A friend suggested Integrative Medicine at Sutter.

From what I recall, below 70 was at times where I stayed away from sugar. I will try combining sugar with simple fats.

I just had the treadmill test from the cardiologist. He said everything was fine, but on the treadmill test, I felt more dizzy, and had very brief and very mild chest pain. For the time being, the cardiologist said to wait and see.

If the cardiologist ruled out any problems, what other avenues/specialists should I take a look? A friend suggested Integrative Medicine at Sutter.