Possible Explanation For Pounding Heart Beat After Eating Meals

[krishna]

Hi,

I met my doctor recently to talk about the pounding heart beat symptom after eating meals and got some answers. According to him, it happens due to delay in gastric emptying. The food break down flow process in your body is in haywire and there's a timing mismatch between the time the food enters and the production of enzymes in pancreas. This causes the new food we eat to accumulate in the GI tract, which can then cause blockage. Also I learned that the neurons that transmit signals to our abdominal muscles to function correctly get weak and can contribute to the delay in gastric emptying too. All this can cause different mechanisms in our body to kick in and cause the pounding heart beat. My doctor said eventually the mechanisms will fix themselves but it can take up to 2 years. For now, the best thing to do is to eat smaller meals. He also told me to take Triphala, ancient Indian herbal medicine which was invented 2000 years ago so I got it and now using it after every meal. BTW, my doctor is also gluten intolerant and have had some of these symptoms as well

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[burdee]

Pounding heart beat or tachycardia is my standard allergy reaction to cane sugar, one of my diagnosed (by ELISA blood test) IgG mediated allergies. I don't even have to eat a meal with cane sugar to get that reaction. I only need to take a Tylenol caplet which has cane sugar coating. So my tachycardia is not related to delayed gastric emptying. I also get tachycardia if my thyroid dose is too high. Tachycardia is a hyper (too much) thyroid symptom.

However, I did have delayed gastric emptying for years, even after diagnoses of and abstaining from gluten and 6 other food allergies. My delayed gastric emptying (also called gastroparesis) was caused by inadequate stomach acid, which was diagnosed by a Heidelberg capsule test for stomach acid production. My symptoms of gastroparesis were bloating, gas, and feeling very full after eating very little, but not feeling satisfied. The food felt like rocks in my stomach. I also noticed lots of undigested stuff in my stool.

Now I take hydrochloric acid capsules with each meal. Those improved my stomach acid level. So I no longer have delayed gastric emptying or any of those indigestion symptoms.

I never heard of tachycardia being caused by gastroparesis. I have heard of triphala being used for constipation. So maybe triphala improves gut motility, which could improve gastric emptying time. Since gastroparesis could also be caused by undiagnosed food allergies or gluten intolerance, I'd like to hear from others who have delayed gastric emptying or gastroparesis ... What are your gastroparesis symptoms?

SUE

[krishna]

Pounding heart beat or tachycardia is my standard allergy reaction to cane sugar, one of my diagnosed (by ELISA blood test) IgG mediated allergies. I don't even have to eat a meal with cane sugar to get that reaction. I only need to take a Tylenol caplet which has cane sugar coating. So my tachycardia is not related to delayed gastric emptying. I also get tachycardia if my thyroid dose is too high. Tachycardia is a hyper (too much) thyroid symptom.

However, I did have delayed gastric emptying for years, even after diagnoses of and abstaining from gluten and 6 other food allergies. My delayed gastric emptying (also called gastroparesis) was caused by inadequate stomach acid, which was diagnosed by a Heidelberg capsule test for stomach acid production. My symptoms of gastroparesis were bloating, gas, and feeling very full after eating very little, but not feeling satisfied. The food felt like rocks in my stomach. I also noticed lots of undigested stuff in my stool.

Now I take hydrochloric acid capsules with each meal. Those improved my stomach acid level. So I no longer have delayed gastric emptying or any of those indigestion symptoms.

I never heard of tachycardia being caused by gastroparesis. I have heard of triphala being used for constipation. So maybe triphala improves gut motility, which could improve gastric emptying time. Since gastroparesis could also be caused by undiagnosed food allergies or gluten intolerance, I'd like to hear from others who have delayed gastric emptying or gastroparesis ... What are your gastroparesis symptoms?

SUE

From what I understand, tachycardia is different from pounding heart beat.. tachycardia is when you have a heart rate of 100+ beats per minute and pounding heart beat is just your normal heart rate (mine is around 60 - 75 bpm). You could have tachycardia and pounding heart beat but in my case I only have the pounding heart beat sensation.

I have tightness/cramping in my abdomen, tightness in throat, pounding heart beat, fatigue and either loose stools or constipation.

I was initially misdiagnosed with gastritis by another doctor and took Nexium (acid blocker) for 15 days. Do you think this could be causing my acid production and causing it as well?

[burdee]

Sometimes I just have 'palpitatios' or what you call 'pounding heart beat'. However, I had tachycardia when I had hyperthyroid overdose as well as reactions from cane sugar.

My celiac symptoms were also initially misdiagnosed as gastritis. So I was prescribed zantac and Tagamet for several years. Also took Mylanta and maalox tablets for waaaay too long. Now I have diagnosed hypchloridia.

In answer to your question about Nexium ... ABSOLUTELY. Those acid blockers limit acid production long after you stop taking them. Low stomach acid will delay digestion and even cause indigestion when undigested proteins and fats enter the intestines. Do you notice any undigested food in your stools? That's a sure sign of malabsorption which can be caused by insufficient stomach acid or pancreatic insufficiency.

Reflux is almost never caused by too much stomach acid. Reflux is caused by the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) opening at inappropriate times. Some foods (chocolate, coffee, alcohol, onions, peppermint), certain drugs (demerol, NSAIDS, etc.) and lifestyle habits (going to bed right after dinner, tight waistbands and overeating) can all make the LES relax and open at inappropriate times. Also LOW stomach acid can cause reflux, because adequate stomach acid triggers the LES to stay closed during digestion. See "Why Stomach Acid is Good For You" by Jonathon Wright, MD for more info about reflux and low stomach acid. He also talks about gastritis, which can be caused by food allergies, celiac disease, prescription drugs and even H. Pylori bacteria.

SUE

[Gutsy Girl]

I've had magnesium deficiency a number of times (deficient enough to go to ER and get an IV with Mag dripping for several hours), and the pounding heartbeat is one of my clearest symptoms. I also get palpitations, much worse as my Mag deficiency becomes more severe.

Dehydration (a problem if you're often still having diarrhea or you just don't drink enough) can definitely play a part as well, and this only magnifies the heart pounding and palpitations.

I'm going to have to learn more about gastric emptying it seems, as I've suspected for a while that my GUT CLOCK that times where things go and when has been "off" for a long time. Good post.