Effects of food

[julie]

Having been diagnosed with HCM back in October, I am just beginning to realise what efects different types of food have on the condition - I was wondering whether anyone else had seen this. Three days ago I started to experience an extreme sensation of my heart beat. This pretty much prevented me from sleeping as it was that strong - it didn't feel irregular but it was strong enough for me to feel my pulse through different parts of my body. I also felt as if my heart was floating. I thought I was going to have to see my cardiologist again. However, I thought about whether I had been eating anything different - and yes for 2 days before this and the 3 days of the symptoms I had been eating a lot of salads with salad onions. I stopped them on the third day and a few hours into the fourth day all the symptoms had gone. I haven't had the symptoms since. Has anyone else experienced this - it has happened before when I have had caffeine (I don't have any now) - are there other foods which can cause this?

[Sarah]

yes. yes, yes. isn't it funny how we are all so surprised (myself included) when what we eat affects us so strongly? i mean, biologically our bodies are designed to breathe, digest, and reproduce. that's it! every thing else is gravy.

the hcm heart is working overtime-all the time, so heavy meals, ice cold drinks/foods, spicy foods, anything that creates a charge or spike in the body's chemical engine is going to be a candidate for palpitations.

Caffiene, alcohol, nicotine, and drugs are the most obvious and common culprits, but not the only ones by a far stretch. People sometimes forget that dark chocolate has caffiene (by the way).

I don't know what you mean by "salad onions" (green?) but if your body was having a hard time digesting the increased amount of greens, that could have been it or perhaps you are sensitive to another ingredient or even the pesticides on the food.

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/produce-1.html

For me, sugar and cheese are like poison.

[Paul S]

I find oils bother me the most.

Salads bother me becuase of the dressing. So I usually get it on the side and dip a lil.

Indian food is a big no no for me. A lot of oil used. Yet my most favorite YUMMY food of all.

Deep fried food is taboo. Fries, Chicken, anything like that.

[jmurray]

Eating in general for me is now a very planned event. If I am at work (restaurant manager) I will not eat because I know I have to run around and talk to guests, and help out my staff. I instead choose to eat when I get home so that if I get my normal "after I eat chest pains" I will be in the comfort of my home chillin' out with the remote.

When I do eat outside of the home, I try to avoid carbs because they really make me feel like ****. I am definitely not on the "Atkins" plan, but if I stick to protein I feel fairly good.

What a drag....Eating used to be such a fun exercise. Now it is a bit of a gamble... Will I feel good after I eat? who knows I REALLY WANT A HUGE PEPPERONI PIZZA RIGHT NOW - YUM!

John

[Toogoofy317]

John, shall we both go and get some pizza?

I know how you feel some things really get me going as well esp if it is a big meal.

mary S.

[Largehearted]

Hi everyong.

In my case hi carb meals make me feel like rolling over and playing dead! So I avoid pastas, too many sweets, large "bready" meals etc. You would think I would lose weight. But no. So far my beta-blocker, slowed down metabolism just has a tough time shedding pounds.

I tried Atkins a few years back. I felt great, I lost weight, but my hair started thinning, and I missed "chewy" kinds of food terribly. So the truth that foods place demands on our hearts rules my life for now.

Peace,

Leon

[Debbie]

I, too, notice the chest pain after eating. I have recently put together the fact that when I eat breakfast in the morning, I feel bad the rest of the day. I work in the food industry, too, and run around all day. Last week, I just started drinking a meal drink, instead of eating, and I felt better.

I'm glad to see this post, as sometimes, you begin to think it is just you feeling these things, and it is helpful to know that others are experiencing the same thing.

I often, if not always, notice that eating makes me feel worse. Most of the time, it doesn't matter what I ate, I just experience pretty noticeable symptoms if I eat and then try to walk around or exercise at all.

Debbie

[Sarah]

Dear Debbie,

Have you talked to your doctor? Every/any meal shouldn't make you feel really bad regardless of what you ate (unless you are eating really large quantities every time). You should make sure something else isn't going on -just to be safe.

take care,

S

[cheerchicken05]

this might sound wierd, but is there anything wrong with green tea?? i was drinking it earlier and my mom said she remembers hearing somewhere that it was bad, i thought she was just going crazy. i've never had a problem with caffine or anything like that before, what do you think?

[Reenie]

The only thing I know of with green tea is the caffeine content. I'm not sure, but I think it has less caffeine than black tea, though. If you don't have a problem with caffeine I would think green tea is all right in moderation.

Reenie

[Gary Jackson]

I also have what debbie experiences no matter what I eat if i begin to walk or exercise after i eat ( wthin 2 hours) I have dyspensa and chest trightness. other than that i am symptom free

Gary

[jmurray]

I am also the same as Debbie. I most often do not feel well after eating even if it is a reasonably small meal. Breakfast is typically the only meal that does not have too much of an effect on me. I always thought that it was because I take my meds in the morning and they are helping the heart out. Maybe by the evening the meds effect have worn off????

The whole thing is crazy - If I do have a meal and DON'T feel bad after it is a huge blessing.

John

[Sarah]

The only safety warning I found on green tea was that you shouldn't have it while pregnant as it can lower your folic acid levels.

assuming you aren't drinking twenty cups a day, the only thing that is bad for you would be the caffeine. but they make decaf green tea now too.

http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/9/9/3312

[Debbie]

Sarah,

Thanks. I don't eat huge meals everytime... only sometimes. :) Seriously, though, I don notice symtoms with most meals. I don't get it.

I have talked to my doctor about it, and he prescribed Nexium, saying it must be an esophageal problem.

I took it, it doesn't help, I still feel the same way. Exactly like everyone else described. Chest tightness, weak in the limbs, dizzy, etc.

Thanks for the answers, guys. It's good to find others who experince the same things. (I'm not just a whiner :lol: )

I hope if there are more of you out there who have the same symtoms after eating, you will reply. It's interesting.

Debbie

[Lisa Salberg]

MODERATION - I found to be the key. Heavy foods are simply too much for my system to take. Too much chocolate can make me feel palpitations (good for me I have a rather high tolerance in this area!) and some foods just do not make me feel well - so I avoid them.

Some foods will interact with some medications and it hits different people different ways.

Best wishes and happy meals!
Lisa

[michael obrien]

Hi everyone,I have a problem if I eat a moderate to heavy meal,and then try and walk etc.I have less of a problem if I eat light and then go for a walk.I have a problem with heavy foods,oils,cakes etc.I just dont feel well after.one thing that I have read is not good for hcm people is hot and spicy foods.here I draw the line I put hot sauce on everything(Im a big rice &beans man :lol: )I dont know what I would do if the hot sauce had to go to.well i hope all are well take care mike

[Grecoeuro]

Don't take your beta blockers and the pig out on Tandoori Chicken!!!!

Trust me!! :lol:


Theo

[baer]

I JUST ASK MY DOCTOR THAT SAME QUESTION LAST WEEK AND HE LOOKED AT LIKE I WAS NUT. :lol:

[Pam Alexson]

Baer,

Maybe that is because he doesn't have HCM. We live in a whole different world sometimes :roll:

Pam

[jmurray]

Before my myectomy to remove the obstruction that I had, I always had problems after eating. It didn't seem to matter what was going in. About 90% of the time after eating I would get chest pain and feel overall like crap, sometimes with crazy heart beats. Since the surgery I haven't felt like that at all. Before the surgery I could combat it a bit by eating very small amount more often instead of sitting down and having a normal size meal.

John

[TrappedIllusion]

My worst symptoms associated with HCM are after eating food. A couple years ago it used to be every few days in the evening, then it would happen every day in the evening, and for the last few months it happens after breakfast/lunch/dinner!

It's just something that I haven't been able to figure out. I know that eating larger or fatty meals makes it worse, but now even if I eat a small croissant for breakfast, I will get pain. It's frustrating because now even eating smaller meals doesn't help.

What happens is about 15-30 minutes after eating, I start getting chest tightness/pain and I can't really pinpoint where the pain is originating from. Sometimes it feels like it's from my chest, sometimes a little lower near my stomach, and I get this generalized pain around my left arm/shoulder/back/neck, sometimes extending down to my wrist. I may or may not get short of breath. Lying down makes it worse, which puts me in a very awkward position because I feel so exhausted due to my symptoms that I want to lie down but I can't because it becomes unbearable if I do.

My cardiologist is aware of my symptoms, but doesn't know that it has become more frequent (I will tell him at my next visit). I was just wondering if anyone experiences anything similar and if medication or other treatments have worked for them?? I've tried a number of different beta blockers and have tried verapamil (but had to stop it due to constipation) and nothing has worked too well for me (right now I'm on metoprolol). I've recently tried ranitidine (zantac) and sometimes it helps a little, and sometimes not at all. I'm hoping to try Nexium soon or another proton pump inhibitor to see if it provides any relief.

Anyone with similar symptoms or have tried something that works?

[Reenie]

Many people have similar symptoms and find that eating several small meals instead of 3 regular meals help to decrease the symptoms. Try that and see if it helps.

Reenie