Palpitations and racing heart after eating

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Has anyone else had palpitations and a racing heart after eating. I have googled it and it says it is all about the digestive system, and how much work the heart has to do to digest the food, especially if it is carb laden or sugar laden.

Anyway I took myself to the doctor who blamed it on me being 'obese' as she put it, and said that I should lose wight and then I would feel the benefits, and so would the health service.

I suppose what I want to let people know is if you do suffer with this, and you think you are the only one, that since I have been eating more fruit and veg and less carbs and cheese, and drinking more water, it has got an awful lot better.

Good luck to you all.:flowerforyou:

Replies

  • jacj46
    jacj46 Posts: 46
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    I would have an EKG done & maybe some blood work ... could be weight or it could be something else ... and after I had a quad by-pass; you sure don't want the something else ...
    check it out
  • Jaypea15
    Jaypea15 Posts: 71 Member
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    Thanks for that. Yes, Ive had a monitor etc, and they dont sem to be too worried, but if it gets any worse I will go back. Glad ur okay after your troubles, keep doing well with your weight loss. It sure makes you feel better eh :)

    I also found this re carbs:

    Cut Carbs, Not Fat to Lose Weight and Live Longer
    Author: John Phillip
    Published: December 20, 2010 at 11:11 am

    We’re having trouble changing our mindset about the best type of diet to promote health and weight loss. For decades we have been told that fat is bad and whole grain carbohydrates are good. Food manufacturers cleverly cut all the fat from many of their offerings and pumped up sugar and carbs to compensate. We merrily went along eating massive quantities of `healthy` low fat foods with the thought that we would avoid fat, get skinny and avoid the number one killer, heart disease.

    Unfortunately just the opposite has happened. American obesity rates are at epidemic proportions and heart disease still unnecessarily claims the lives of millions each year. Fortunately it’s not too late to make changes that can save your life and help you to lose weight permanently.

    Fat is Not the Problem
    Current dietary advice from the USDA food pyramid promotes the idea that the bulk of our daily calories should come from carbohydrates. Fat is to be used sparingly and there is no differentiation between different fat sources. Information provided by medical researchers and published in the Los Angeles Times explains that we have been misled over the years and that fat is actually a vital component to cellular structure. Carbohydrates and sugars are the real culprit that influence how body fat is stored and can wreak havoc with normal metabolic activity.

    Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health explains "If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases." Refined and processed carbs have become the core of our diet. Eventually, carb overload leads to insulin resistance, diabetes and heart disease and has a major impact on our ability to lose weight.


    Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/cut-carbs-not-fat-to-lose/#ixzz1AIjmVrm6
  • orting514
    orting514 Posts: 153
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    I agree, get an EKG, and get it checked by a different doctor, and dump the one you got now cuz he/she doesnt sound at all simpathetic to your feelings! My son had a raceing heart and general weakness just a few days ago, thats why this post stuck out with me, and yes hes a bit overwieght, not terribly but a bit.
  • schobert101
    schobert101 Posts: 218 Member
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    Do you have a high caffeine intake? You did the right thing by seeing the doctor but I"m skeptical about his/her response. There are many things that could do this such as thyroid problems, anemia, cardiac arrythmias. It does not sound normal. If it persists and you are not taking over the counter stimulants/weight loss agents which can have stimulant effect or have excess caffeine intake I would consider another opinion or push your doctor for a more thorough evaluation such as blood count, thyroid testing and consider an ambulatory heart monitor which can easily be worn as an outpatient for 24 hours so you can see exactly what your heart rhythm is doing at the time you feel the symptoms. A standard EKG is not likely to be of much help unless you have symptoms at the time they are doing it.. The 24 hour monitor would be more useful if this occurs daily
  • Jaypea15
    Jaypea15 Posts: 71 Member
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    Thank you all. I have cut down on caffine, and not taking any other stimulants except for vitamins and vit c tabs. Funnily enough it has become better since I am not eating a large portion of whatever, and also cut the carbs from my diet. It happened more if I ate pasta type dishes, ladened with cheese and garlic bread kind of foods.

    It seems that eating little and often does not put so much strain on the digestive system.

    Crazy though, I do have a few palpitations and then need to bring up some gas, and then they subside. It doenst always send me into a full blown panic either. You are right though, I think a monitor for 24 hours would be good. Have just booked another appointment with another GP.

    Regards
    Jay
  • Jaypea15
    Jaypea15 Posts: 71 Member
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    Orting154: It may be better to have your son checked also. There is an awful lot of causes, and I have suffered the same but the GP put it down to a panic attack and hyperventilation which caused the weakness? Better safe than sorry eh: Good luck.x
  • eedman
    eedman Posts: 7
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    Defiantely get it tested. I recently had a heart attack (4 weeks ago!) and had no symptoms at all.
  • minnie86
    minnie86 Posts: 187
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    I hate how doctors find it easier to blame it on one thing without looking into it. I would ask for a EKG, even if he doesn't agree, you pay for it, so push it a little. You are the patient, and any doubts should be cleared. I'm not a doctor, but for sure is not normal that you are experiencing that. Good luck!
  • Jaypea15
    Jaypea15 Posts: 71 Member
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    Update:

    After lots of tests and prodding by the doctors, it seems that the thing that causes my palpitations is.......... WIND!

    The doctors have told me to try eating little and often, and to have some carbonated water both before and after eating and also some tablets we can get here in the UK called windeze. Well it worked, and now I feel so much better and not so worried about going out to eat or having a panic attack because the heart was wanting to burst out of the chest.

    Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply and all of your advice. Good luck to one and all on our journeys. :happy:
  • ladyred133
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    I have the same problem but sometimes my heart palpitates at other times... I FOUND! taking magnesium stops the heart palpitations! It's like a miracle...Sometimes thought I should rush myself to the hospital because they got so bad...but as soon as I took the magnesium it stopped...So everyone on here don't yell at me for prescribing magnesium...I just know it was a Godsend for me by stopping those darn palpitations..

    And Doctors will blame anything and everything you have on weight...lazy, lazy, lazy, they won't even try to find out if there's something else going on and now that the Obamacare has gone through...we're even more screwed than before...
  • Lovetotest
    Lovetotest Posts: 7 Member
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    HI there,

    I seem to suffer from these palpiations quite often after I eat. Especially if I have not been good about eating every 4-6 hours or so. Typically after the meal, maybe 15 minutes to 30 minutes later my heart will start beating fast and heart. It scares me and I tend to also find the need to go to the bathroom due to the adrenaline released with it. It can last for 15 minutes or sometimes longer. Even if the meal is not high in carbs it will happen. It seems to be a really random thing for me. I don't think it's serious but non the less it scares me a lot when it is happening. I use to suffer from severe PAT attacks and had an ablation done to correct the really high palpitations I used to get with that 200 beat per min sometimes. Just like those attacks these attacks leave me feeling tired like I just ran a marathon.

    Linda
  • jagilb
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    Do any of you have these problems after eating have problems with drinking alcohol? My starts racing a few hours after I've had adult beverages in any quantity, like two more. "Holiday Heart Syndrome" is what it's called, but I think I'm having the same problem with just carbs.

    Jaypea, I've also had two episodes of PAT in my life.

    Jane