Question:
Lately after I eat my heart flutters. Does anyone else experince this?

I am four and a half months post-op and have lost 100 pounds (70 more to go). Thanks!    — Helen C. (posted on March 7, 2001)

March 7, 2001
When I eat something to high in fat or sugar I get sick and my heart does flutter. It does pass in a half an hour or so. Then I know never to eat that again
   — Lauren W.

March 7, 2001
I am 11 months post-op lap RNY. From the beginning, whenever I would eat anything with too much fat or sugar content...or if I ate too fast or too much...I would experience rapid heartrate, weakness and a hot, flushed feeling. This still happens to me, and I identify it as my version of "dumping" even though I don't experience nausea or diarrhea with it. It has been a valuable reminder to watch portions, slow down, and stay away from certain foods and I personally hope that it never goes away :-) I have asked both my surgeon and my PCP about it, and have had an EKG which was entirely normal. They were not concerned about it and both stated that since I could identify what brings these symptoms on, that I should concentrate on avoiding those behaviors. I have found that when I "stick to the rules" it rarely happens. I do think that you should mention this to your physician...he also may want to order an EKG just to check things out and perhaps compare it to your pre-op EKG. Good luck!
   — Diana T.

March 7, 2001
When I saw this qestion, I was excited because I have had this problem for a whlie now. As I read on, I was discouraged because I am pre-op and waiting for approval. If this happens to me now, what will happen if I am approved for the surgery? I was hoping this anoing thing would stop afterwards! This is a very discomforting feeling and it is weird (I don't know about you) but it seems the only way of relieving the flutters is to burp. Gross I know, but it's seems to be the only way to make the fluttering get better and make it easier to breathe. Does this happen to anyone else? No doctor has ever given me an explanation for this. If anyone reading this knows why I experiance this pre-op, please feel free to email me. Helen, did this happen to you pre-op also, or is this just a recent event? Sorry to be of no help to you, but I would like some answers myself! Way to go on your weight loss! Hopefully the fluttering can be solved in some way....I know this is scarey and almost takes your breath away when it happens(at least, in my case anyway)
   — Christi G.

March 8, 2001
I used to have a lot of fluttery heart problems, sometimes with mild sweating or tingling feelings. I heard about a problem called mitral valve prolapse syndrome and the symptoms sounded like what I was experiencing. I asked my PCP about it and she sent me to have and echocardiogram and confirmed that I did have the syndrome. From what I have been able to find out, it is not a serious problem. Although it sounds like a heart problem, it is really a central nervous system problem, that is why there are a lot of different vague symptoms. There is no treatment for it ( none needed). Symptoms for me seem to come and go. I haven't had much problem with it since I had WLS but don't know if the surgery was directly responsible for the change. Just something for you to check out, there are a lot of web sites with info about it.
   — [Anonymous]

September 22, 2003
Regarding heart palpitations post-op -- although there can be several reasons for this, a simple one may very well be lack of potassium. That is a COMMON symptom of low potassium, and left unattended could be dangerous. If you don't have current labs you may want to request them. But you could also try a potassium supplement, or try eating a banana a day for a while. Eat half at a time so as not to inundate your body with sugar... That might be all you need! We take in such a small amount of food, and if you're not supplementing you may not be getting enough of some nutrients. Give it a try, but also try to get a new set of labs done soon...
   — Jiminy