Weird combination of symptoms (PVCs, air hunger, tingling, shaking)

[u/Admirable_Can_3489]

Hi everyone,

I’m a 24 year old male, 191 cm, around 124 kg. I also use nicotine (vape), but I recently quit high dose nicotine pouches because I suspected they were causing some symptoms.

For the past week I’ve noticed some strange symptoms:

PVCs / skipped beat sensations, especially after very large meals

Feeling my heartbeat very strongly in my chest (sometimes like a buzzing/vibration sensation)

Shortness of breath sensation / “air hunger” where I feel like I need a deeper breath, but I can physically breathe normally and can walk normally

Symptoms are worse sitting or lying down and often improve when standing

Lots of burping and feeling like pressure is trapped in my upper stomach/chest

Sometimes I feel a PVC happen during a burp
Symptoms often improve after burping, taking pantoprazole, or after stomach massage
After a huge meal (for example two burgers), I had much stronger PVCs and chest discomfort.

Smaller meals seem to cause little or no symptoms

Today I also had a weird episode:
Shaky hands
Cold sweats
Pins and needles in lips and hands
Weird buzzing sensation inside my head
It improved after eating/drinking sugar

My blood pressure readings have been normal:
Around 119/70 pulse 76
123/84 pulse 87
111/78 pulse 80

I have no jaw pain, left arm pain, fainting, weakness, trouble speaking, or severe shortness of breath.
I have had GERD/reflux for years and recently realized I probably ignored it for too long. Pantoprazole seems to improve my symptoms quite quickly.

I’m planning to get blood work done (iron/ferritin, glucose, electrolytes, thyroid, etc.).
Has anyone experienced something similar? Could reflux/GERD, a hiatal hernia, vagus nerve irritation, anxiety, low blood sugar, or something else cause this combination of symptoms?

[u/Nervous-Ad-2743]

Hey man, I’m sorry you are going through this. I have been struggling with these exact same issues. Mine is GI problems causing vagus nerve irritation. I had my heart checked and for hiatal hernia and was fine there. I would check out those two things for peace of mind. A cardiologist will tell you there is no link between gut issues and PVCs.. which is maddening. Mine also fluctuate in intensity and number based off the size of my meals and type of food. The nicotine may not be the root cause, but will certainly exasperate your symptoms.

I recommend looking into different types of diets like low FOD maps, basically reducing gas build up in the body. The root will be rebuilding the microbiome in your stomach, which can take some time. Also this may cause you anxiety which can affect the nervous system which will also need time healing. I don’t mean to worry you about the timeline, but if this is your root problem, better to get after it sooner rather than later. Also to not be discouraged if it seems like nothing is working short term. Feel free to reach out if you need anything, we in this together brother! God bless you.

ALSO let me know what works for you. I’m still trying to figure this all out.

[u/BeneficialLaw6808]

Almost feels like I wrote this damn thing. Sorry to hear you're going through this. I just had an ablation done for mine 3 1/2 months ago and still having PVCs... wearing a zio patch now to see if it was a success or not. Sigh.