GI Disorder and Internal Shaking

Posted by gigiraj @gigiraj, Feb 15, 2019

Hi all. I'm a 21 year old South Asian female and I have been having GI issues for about five years--mainly along the lines of constipation. I do have bowel movements every day but it takes a long time & I am rarely fully cleared out. These GI issues are always accompanied by other health issues (gas, pressure in head, etc). Recently, some scary new conditions have manifested: In the past few weeks, there have been times where my heart starts beating wildly and very fast. Sometimes, when I'm tired and constipated, my entire body feels like its vibrating internally; the shakes aren't visible but it feels like all my muscles are quivering. At this point, I feel a constant shaking/quivering within my body, especially in my heart cavity.

I have had TWO EKG's and both came back normal. All lab tests for diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, etc came back within normal limits. I am very concerned about this internal shaking. My dad says he found something about how GI disorders can impact muscoskeletal system and since the heart is a muscle, it's contracting and being affected. But I wanted to know if anyone here can help!!!!!!! If anyone knows anything at all please please please let me know!!!!!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.

@elysa222

I have the same issues on and off for over 10 years but it usually lasts a little while and goes away. However, I’ve been having an acute attack for almost 4 weeks. It feels like a panic or asthma attack, my heart races and I feel like I can’t breathe. I went to the ER in June and they did a Covid test (negative) and x-ray and EKG. The pulmonary doctor thought it was related to Gerd and reflux going up into my nose at night, because my chest X-ray was ok. My EKG was ok. But a month later this is when it started up again in mid July. I took an antibiotic and that started off horrible gastrointestinal issues and now it’s been steady for four weeks.

I get a severe tremor and shaking in my abdomen all day and night. I get a pressure on my abdomen like a huge weight . I also have what feels like severe anxiety/panic attacks several times a day, gastrointestinal issues, nausea, lack of appetite, vomiting (in the morning usually) , tingling/numbness in my left thigh, poor circulation, high blood pressure and what feels like very low pressure in the morning, arrhythmia, fluid in my ankles and lower legs, night sweats, chills.

I think it’s vagus nerve related. I also have a history of different autoimmune issues. I don’t know how these are all related other than the gut /vagus nerve connection inflammation in the system. I also think that because for the last few weeks I haven’t been really digesting food very well probably not absorbing enough minerals and vitamins The lack of sleep is making it worse. A few days ago I got a prescription for Xanax and that’s the only thing that is helping me to sleep. It seems to ease the tremors a bit. I also started taking probiotics about a week ago. I’m getting tested for a pheochromocytoma soon. My ultrasound looks ok other than fatty liver disease and a hemangioma on my liver. I had my gallbladder removed 5 years ago.

I really hope you get answers and I would love to hear the results because I’ve been unable to find a doctor or the right kind of tests to get to explore the vagus nerve issue and rule that out.

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Check for pots, MALS and other compression syndromes.

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@pika

Hi folks, this post is from a few months ago but I'm suffering from the same symptoms. I've been suffering daily from gas, a twisting feeling in the abdomen, head pressure, tension headache, fatigue, brain fog, internal shakiness, heart palpitations, chest tightness, shortness of breath. It feels like my body is falling apart but all lab reports came back normal after numerous tests.

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I am feeling accurately same as youu feel and just let me know if you find a speedy recovery for this symtoms.

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Hi. I have the same issues and have been trying to find answers for a very long time. The one thing that I have recently realized is that when I have certain milk products or foods that contain milk ingredients (which is a lot of foods), the internal shaking seems to be worse for me. I am looking into a possible food intolerance as all other medical testings have come back negative.

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@deb3

Hi. I have the same issues and have been trying to find answers for a very long time. The one thing that I have recently realized is that when I have certain milk products or foods that contain milk ingredients (which is a lot of foods), the internal shaking seems to be worse for me. I am looking into a possible food intolerance as all other medical testings have come back negative.

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I have lactose intolerance so milk products fill me with gas which, if too much, can feel like internal shaking. Some people are helped with Lactaid. I have better luck avoiding dairy. There are a lot of non dairy “cheeses” and other types of milk now that I think taste good. But that’s after years of having to go without so they are a treat for me.

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@nancy926

I have lactose intolerance so milk products fill me with gas which, if too much, can feel like internal shaking. Some people are helped with Lactaid. I have better luck avoiding dairy. There are a lot of non dairy “cheeses” and other types of milk now that I think taste good. But that’s after years of having to go without so they are a treat for me.

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Thanks for the reply. Knowing that this causes your internal shaking gives me hope that perhaps it is the reason for mine. I will try to completely eliminate milk and see if my shaking subsides.

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I get upset that my parents ignored my Celiac disease. It's clear that something was wrong with me.I see it in my baby photos and as a child I had a huge abdomen. It effected my cognitive abilities, extremely shaky, acted strange and yes, I was ignored by my parents. I guess they were narcissistic parents who only thought of themselves. Either way, it's neglect and I blame them for not doing something about it. I was the Susan Boyle of my time. Called dumb, ignorant, stupid, whatever! I was also bullied as a child. Mistreatment by relatives and friends! That's what Celiac can do to you when not diagnosed and I've had it for over 60 years...until tested. No milk, no soy, no chocolate, no grains, etc.I'm sure I have damaged villi. I have to eat small meals, or else I'm sick like I feel today. Most GI specialists don't have a clue and are useless. I've heard Celiac is on the rise.

Parents should take parenting classes before they become a parent. Mix in divorce and the nuclear family unit is destroyed. If the husband or wife strays, give them a second chance. Divorce is not an option. Your child is number one and needs two biological parents. Too many kids are neglected or killed in a divorced home. Being a RN, I've seen the abuse children have suffered when the nuclear family unit is broken.

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@oakbourne - I understand your anger. You said-we are our parents. Very true. I have inherited gallbladder problems from my mother, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes from my father. It makes me a bit disappointed that all the efforts to avoid these illnesses with diet, exercise and medication and excellent doctors I still end up with the predetermined illnesses. I’m probably in a better place now because of early treatment.
In addition I had autoimmune colitis etc. etc. Some years ago I started seeing a therapist- illnesses were overwhelming and family didn’t really understand. It has helped me a lot and I continue to go. Have you been seeing a therapist?
Celiac appears more common now- I don’t know if it’s because It is better known now and part of early testing in children. I grew up in Sweden, where celiac is common. When I arrived here I was surprised that stores did not carry gluten free foods. My 2 daughters have it.
One of my daughters also had Cushing’s, similar to you undiagnosed for years and causing a lot of damage. She was tested on and off during her childhood for thyroid abnormality, because of puffiness of the neck. Once she was diagnosed the doctor looked through photos since early childhood and could detect that there were changes. His goal was to educate doctors to recognize the disease early. Unfortunately, medical school never goes very deep into rare diseases.
Sorry about the long story- just wanted you to know that you are not alone.

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My problem isn't an every day occurrence, but when it does come on, it is mostly at night when I'm laying down to rest. It almost seems to start when my Digestive system reaches a point of distress, either from something I may have eaten, or possibly from taking too much to combat my gut issues like Probiotics, magnesium, digestive Enzymes, lemon water, or Peppermint oil. It's truly hard to tell, but my gut goes into such distress that my body breaks out into tremors sometimes lasting about 30 minutes. Doesn't help that I panic, but my wife is a godsend and gently rubs my belly in a form that actually brings relief and gets my mind off things. The tremors are specifically in my lower abdomen and from there radiate to my legs. I can visually see my thighs twitching from the tremors. I'm going in for a colonoscopy on December 9th to rule that out, but have to admit this is concerning. I'm very focused at the moment on healing my gut, cause I feel there is truly a connection between gut health and so many diseases and symptoms these days.

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Hi everyone. Well I'm here because I have been having the same internal tremors. Mostly at night but also starting throughout the day. Because I have been diagnosed in my early years with anxiety this is where the doctors always go to. I am on omeprazole because originally I would wake up with Tremor's just in my stomach. That all calmed down but with the stress if this past month or so I'm waking up with the racing heart which goes into sweating momentously and the shakes. It's starting throughout the day and I mostly feel shaky in my legs. When I sit down for the day, usually after dinner it starts. I'm feeling like it's really starting to affect my whole life in general because I hate this feeling and resisting it saved making it worse. I've had this problem on and off. All my tests have come out fine also accept for being diagnosed with SVT which isn't the cause. I used to think it was constant overstimulation and then my nerves take forever to get. I would appreciate any suggestions for calming this down. I have been put on xanax. I'm not usually a pill taker, but I'm desperate to feel normal! Even a turn over in bed will start these symptoms while asleep.

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@renmon56

Hi everyone. Well I'm here because I have been having the same internal tremors. Mostly at night but also starting throughout the day. Because I have been diagnosed in my early years with anxiety this is where the doctors always go to. I am on omeprazole because originally I would wake up with Tremor's just in my stomach. That all calmed down but with the stress if this past month or so I'm waking up with the racing heart which goes into sweating momentously and the shakes. It's starting throughout the day and I mostly feel shaky in my legs. When I sit down for the day, usually after dinner it starts. I'm feeling like it's really starting to affect my whole life in general because I hate this feeling and resisting it saved making it worse. I've had this problem on and off. All my tests have come out fine also accept for being diagnosed with SVT which isn't the cause. I used to think it was constant overstimulation and then my nerves take forever to get. I would appreciate any suggestions for calming this down. I have been put on xanax. I'm not usually a pill taker, but I'm desperate to feel normal! Even a turn over in bed will start these symptoms while asleep.

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Hello @renmon56 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect!

I am sorry to hear of the problems you've had with internal shaking. You don't mention how long you have experienced this problem, but that might be a helpful piece of information. You've mentioned having lots of tests, and I'm wondering if you have ever been evaluated by a neurologist? If so, what tests did the neurologist perform?

In order to sort out these problems, It might be helpful to keep a journal of these symptoms. Keep a small notebook, or recorder, nearby during the day and write down the time when these tremors occur, what you were doing at the time (f you are using a hand-held recorder you can dictate this information). If you were eating, how big of a meal was it and was it high in protein or carbohydrates, etc.? This might help you and your doctors to find some triggers for these tremors.

You mentioned that you have previously been diagnosed with anxiety. To control that do you exercise on a regular basis. Exercise of any type can be helpful, it does not have to be high impact. There are lots of YouTube videos that you can pull up that have seated exercises. Have you ever tried exercise to relieve the tremors?

I look forward to hearing from you again. Will you post an update?

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