Gut health and heart issues: Is there a connection?

Hey everyone.

After spending a year bouncing from doctor to doctor, I decided it was time to reach out and see if anyone else is dealing with something similar to what I'm going through. For context, I'm 30.

It might sound a little crazy when I list my symptoms because they feel totally disconnected, but here goes...:

A year ago, I ended up in the ER with heart palpitations, dizziness, numbness in my back and arms, and shortness of breath. I honestly thought—heart attack, this is it. After all the tests, EKG, X-rays, etc., the doctor just looked at me and said, "Son, you're just stressed. Here's some Xanax, go home and relax."
And honestly, the Xanax worked. Everything calmed down, and I went home feeling relieved that it wasn't anything serious.
The next day, my GP sent me for more testing just to be safe. Here’s what I had done:
-Blood work for thyroid hormones, cholesterol, etc.—everything came back normal.
-Chest X-ray—the report said "within normal limits."
-Tetany test—clear, nothing found.
-Heart ultrasound—found a minor mitral valve prolapse. Doctor says it's nothing to worry about.
-Spirometry—normal.
-24-hour Holter monitor—results were fine.
I think that covers it, though I still have a cervical spine scan and a brain CT coming up...

I also saw a psychiatrist for the stress, who prescribed Wellbutrin and Normabel for when I need it, while my cardiologist put me on Concor for my heart.

Since then, over the last year, I've ended up in the ER about ten more times with even more intense versions of those initial symptoms, but it's always the same explanation.

However, about two months ago, I finally mentioned my constant heartburn to my doctor. It's been going on for 2 or 3 years, but I never really gave it much thought...
They put me on Nexium, which fixed the heartburn immediately, but right after that, my digestion went completely sideways. They diagnosed me with Campylobacter, so I was prescribed Zithromax to clear it up. But even then, I was stuck on the toilet every few hours with diarrhea. That's when I noticed something...

All those "heart attack" symptoms I mentioned earlier usually flare up right before I have to run to the bathroom, and they vanish almost immediately after I'm done.

Can anyone explain this to me, or is anyone else experiencing this?

Are you just a naturally sensitive, high-strung type of person?
Because honestly, this feels a lot like stress-induced gut issues to me...

I guess so, though I honestly think the root cause is just the massive amount of stress I've been dealing with over the last five years. Running my own business and trying to stay afloat in the American corporate world... it takes its toll.

By "nervous stomach," are you talking about IBS?

In principle... I’ve dealt with the exact same issues myself... I've even ended up in the ER a few times because of it. It’s the same constant heartburn, and I never really made the connection between my digestion and that weird tingling sensation in my hands, or the pain shooting through my chest and back...
They ran a troponin test on me and everything was fine—it came back at 0.05—and my EKG was totally normal too. I haven't had any other tests done yet, but what you’re describing sounds incredibly familiar to me. Doctors keep trying to tell me it’s all just stress, though I haven't quite worked up the nerve to sit down with a psychologist just yet...(Sorry if this looks a bit messy; my keyboard is acting up and some of my keys aren't working properly)....

Chris Howard3 said:Basically... I deal with this too... ended up in the ER a few times... got the same heartburn and never really connected it to my hands tingling or the pain in my chest and back...
They checked my troponin levels and they were fine at 0.05, EKG was normal, didn't do any other tests, but what you're describing sounds super familiar... and they always try to blame it on stress, though I haven't actually bit the bullet and seen a therapist yet...(my keyboard is acting up so excuse the typos)....

That's exactly it... I went to see a psychiatrist because none of my friends or people I know have ever gone through this, and when you look online, you find all kinds of stories—some that match perfectly, some that don't—so it just makes sense to follow whatever the GP tells you to do in the moment.
It’s honestly exhausting, living through what feels like a heart attack almost every single day, just sitting there at home hoping it’s actually nothing... you just want it to stop, but I haven't met anyone or heard a single person say, "Hey, I finally beat this!"... 🙂

Honestly... the absolute worst part is when everyone around you starts convinced you’re losing your mind—it gets so grating that you eventually just stop bringing it up altogether because you can't deal with the judgment. It's exhausting. Truly, while I was reading your post today, I actually had a moment where I thought, "No way, there's no real connection there." I figured, what if this is just some weird digestive issue? But now? Everything is becoming painfully clear.

Look, honestly, I’m not sure if it started with my digestion or just general stress stuff, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's all just one big interconnected mess. I don't know... it's been a year now (it was actually exactly one year ago yesterday that I first ended up in the ER), and nothing has really changed. In essence, nothing. The only thing I've learned is not to freak out when it starts happening, because a panic attack is basically just throwing gasoline on the fire at that point. I have made plenty of changes in my life, though—quit smoking, only have coffee every few days, trying to eat better, getting some movement in since I used to be a total couch potato, and so on... but all the symptoms are still there. I'm just holding onto the hope that it takes a long time to get everything back on track.

Honestly, this sounds like a textbook case of Panic Disorder paired with IBS.🤷

analogbison13 said:honestly, sounds like a textbook case of panic attacks mixed with IBS🤷

Assuming PA means panic attack, and IBS?...

Yeah, we're talking a full-blown panic attack here (believe me, I know 🤣) and you've clearly got IBS—just download a PDF and educate yourself. As for the panic attacks? It's textbook 😉

analogbison13 said:Yeah, panic attack... believe me, I know... 🤣If you've got IBS, check out this PDF... it might help. And regarding the panic attacks—yeah, that’s classic... 😉

Got a link for that PDF, maybe?...

silenttrucker16 said:Hey everyone!

After spending an entire year bouncing from one specialist's office to another, I’ve finally decided to reach out and see if anyone else here is going through something similar. For context, I'm 30 years old.

It might sound completely insane when I list all these symptoms because, to me, they feel totally disconnected, but here goes nothing...:

A year ago, I ended up in the ER with heart palpitations, dizziness, numbness in my back and arms, and shortness of breath. My first thought? Heart attack. I thought I was done for. After running the EKG, X-rays, and everything else, the doctor just looked at me and said, "Son, you're just stressed out. Here's a sedative injection, now go home and relax."
And honestly, the sedative worked. Everything calmed down, and I headed home feeling relieved that it wasn't anything life-threatening.
The next day, my primary care doctor sent me for a battery of tests just to be safe. Here is what I've had done so far:
- Blood work for thyroid hormones, cholesterol, etc.—everything came back normal.
- Chest X-ray—results show everything is within normal limits.
- Tetany test—clear, nothing found.
- Echocardiogram—found a minor mitral valve prolapse. Doctor says it's nothing to worry about.
- Spirometry—normal.
- 24-hour Holter monitor—results were fine.
I think that covers the basics, though I'm still waiting on a cervical spine functional imaging and a brain CT.

I also saw a psychiatrist regarding the stress, and he prescribed Wellbutrin and Normabagel 10 mg as needed, while my cardiologist put me on Concor for my heart.

Since then, over the last year, I've ended up back in the ER about ten more times with even more intense versions of those initial symptoms, but I always get the exact same explanation.

However, about two months ago, I finally decided to complain to my doctor about this constant heartburn I've been dealing with for two or three years. I hadn't really given it much thought before, thinking it was just minor indigestion...
I was prescribed Prilosec, which fixed the heartburn immediately, but right after that, my digestive system went haywire. They diagnosed me with Campylobacter jejuni, so I was put on Zithromax to clear it up. But even then, I was stuck on the toilet every few hours with diarrhea. And that's when I noticed a pattern:

All those "heart attack" symptoms I mentioned earlier almost always flare up right before I have to rush to the bathroom, and they vanish immediately after I've finished my business.

Can anyone explain why this happens, or is anyone else experiencing this?

Are you still taking the Prilosec, and has the diarrhea settled down yet?
Generally speaking, Proton Pump Inhibitors are linked to intestinal infections—more so with C. difficile than Campylobacter—but it could definitely be related.

vividsailor7 said:Are you still on the Prilosec? Did the diarrhea finally settle down?
Generally, PPIs are linked to intestinal infections—more so with C. difficile than Campylobacter—but it could definitely be related...

I’ve been taking Prilosec for a few months now and I think I’ll stay on it indefinitely. When I tried doing a two-month course and then stopped, the heartburn came roaring back within two or three days.
As for the Campylobacter, my doctor put me on a strict two-month diet. She said while the Zithromax cleared up the actual infection, that bacteria leaves your gut looking "shredded"—apparently the lining looks like a "lawn" covered in tiny little fronds that the Campylobacter just shreds? Because of that, I have to watch what I eat for a while. The diarrhea keeps popping up every now and then (even though I finished the Zithromax about three weeks ago), and I was running a low fever until about ten days ago (staying right at 99.5°F during the day, nothing at night). Now, I'm starting to get these pains in my back, right where my stomach is... just wondering if there's a connection...

By PPI, you mean Proton Pump Inhibitors...?

Are you actually taking probiotics?

analogbison13 said:Are you taking any probiotics?

Yeah, I got some probiotic pills, but I mostly just stick to those probiotic yogurts if they even actually do anything...

That’s barely anything. You really need to be taking a high-quality probiotic.☕

analogbison13 said:not much, you really need a high-quality probiotic ☕

Wait, is that stuff even in... pill form?

If you want the best probiotics on the market, just look up Vitality probiotic premium and VSL#3. I’m not here to be a walking advertisement or anything, but from my own experience? They actually work. Seriously.

So, my primary care physician is absolutely convinced that everything I’m feeling stems from my spine. However—and this is a big however—I just wrapped up appointments with both a physiologist and a neurologist, and they both flat-out disagree; according to them, my symptoms have zero connection to my vertebrae. To top it all off, I had an EEG done, which yielded some conclusion about "insignificant accelerated electrogenesis"—which, frankly, sounds like medical gibberish to me. So, where does that leave me? I'm essentially at a total loss as to who to turn to next. Should I be seeing a cardiologist or a gastroenterologist? And out of curiosity, which specialist did you end up seeing to deal with those bacteria issues? (Pardon the typos, my keyboard is acting up again.)

Chris Howard3 said:who did you go to for those bacteria tests?

My doctor sent me over to the local health department with a stool sample. They found the bacteria, gave me some antibiotics, nothing fancy. But I just got back from getting my bloodwork done today, and while things are mostly okay, my liver enzymes are through the roof. Honestly, no idea what's going on...