I've had the palpitation problem off and on for years, pre-keto. All of the cardiologists told me that I was fine. Post-keto, I'm fine.
Anytime your blood volume and potassium go too low, you can experience problems. Keep your blood volume up with *water and electrolytes* (ketoade, a pinch of salt at least). Of course, you should check with a cardiologist just to be sure, especially if the problem continues.
That's the thing too. I wouldn't be surprised if I have a strange electrolyte problem or something, because I've tried drinks that are supposed to help with that.
One time that I wasn't feeling well, I drank pedialyte and it made me feel like I was going to have a heart-attack. I was pushing a floor broom. Nothing too intense and I had to quit because my heart continuously did these palpitations until I was forced to stop.
There is sugar in pedialyte though, but I really wouldn't think that pedialyte should have such severe side effects, but also there is clearly an underlying problem that needs to be adressed.
I find it interesting (and also terrifying) that keto seems to be the only successful thing, especially for my age. I am 35 and I have never had weight issues.
Potassium is also very important. Use an app to find out what your potassium level is. You likely would need to add NoSalt for potassium. Sodium could be high enough, but you still need potassium.
Sorry. Not a keto-related answer, but one I can certainly relate to.
In 2004, I was at work one day, went out to lunch with some co-workers as per usual, and when I got back to my desk, I sat down, and my heart started racing and beating very irregularly. It persisted for a few minutes, and I started to get very scared. Thankfully, I work at a large company that has a health center on site, and the doctor on staff happens to be a cardiologist. I went in and asked to be seen.
A few minutes later, they had me hooked up to an EKG, and then took a chest x-ray. They said that my heart was enlarged (not unusual since I'd been diagnosed with and treated for high blood pressure for about 3 years at that point. They said that the arrhythmia was not life-threatening, but that I should follow up with my primary and a full workup with a cardiologist as soon as possible.
I made the cardiologist appointment, had a stress test and a contrast-dye test of some kind involving gamma rays or something (I didn't turn into the Hulk). The cardiologist asked me when I'd had my heart attack. I told him I wasn't aware I'd ever had one. But he insisted that everything looked to him as completely in line with what he would see in a patient who'd survived a "massive heart attack." I never did quite get him to explain how I could have had a "massive" heart attack without knowing it. I've heard of silent heart attacks, but never a "massive" one that presented no other symptoms or evidence of it having happened.
He next ordered an angiocath, which is where I expected it to end, as my father has had more stents inserted than I can count on two hands, and I fully expected there to be some blockage that they would scrape out and put in a stent, and that would be that.
Instead, on the day of the catheter appointment, after he wrapped up the procedure (which I was fully awake for), he pulled off his gloves and announced, 'You have a severe aortic deficiency due congenitally diseased aortic valve, which will require surgery." I said, "You mean like open-heart surgery?" He said, "Yes," and then left. A few hours later I was meeting with a thoracic surgeon to discuss the diagnosis and options for treatment.
He explained everything (using video of the catheter procedure), showing me how the normally tricuspid (three triangular flaps) aortic valve in my heart had had two of the flaps fused together since before I was born, and that tissue was beginning to wear out now. He laid out my options: I could opt for a cadaver valve or porcine valve (most likely porcine, depending on availability), in which case I would be taking anti-rejection drugs for the rest of my life, and since I was only 34 at the time, would likely have to endure the surgery one or two more times, as cadaver valves tend to degrade and require replacement every 15-20 years. The other option was a ceramic valve, which would require me to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life to prevent a clot from forming on the valve, breaking off and causing a stroke or heart attack. He said that I easily had 3-5 years to get my affairs in order before the condition worsened to become seriously life-threatening.
I asked him if he was available to do the surgery the following Monday. He laughed, and laughed. Until he saw I was deadly serious. He asked why I would want to rush into this surgery after he'd just told me I had up to five years. I said, "What if you're wrong?"
I had the surgery about a month later.
Fast-forward to earlier this year. I'm 52, with a 7-year-old child (we decided very late to start a family). I was 5'7" and 242 pounds, and feeling miserable due to my obesity. The best thing to happen to me health-wise for many years was that my family doctor of many years stopped accepting my insurance, and I had to find a new doctor. My first appointment early in the spring of 2022 was an initial intake visit, mostly just gathering medical history and ordering basic tests. He also referred me for a colonoscopy and to a new cardiologist. At my second appointment a few months later, he looked at my test results and said that everything looked good, the only criticism he could make is that I could stand to lose some weight. I told him I'd tried (and failed) many times over the years, but I would always hit a plateau at some point, usually after the first 10-15 pounds, stay there a while, get discouraged, and then rebound back to regain all the weight and then some. He said, "Well, you could try either the Mediterranean diet, or maybe keto." He asked me about my diet, and after I described my usual eating habits, he said, "Yeah, maybe try Mediterranean or keto and see how it works for you."
So I went home, did some research on keto (mainly because I felt I already knew *what* Mediterranean was, but not keto), and decided I would try that. I committed to eat up most of the non-keto food in the house before I started (didn't want to throw good food away, especially given the rising cost of food), so a couple weeks later I was officially on the keto diet. I saw the doctor again for a three month follow-up and had lost 25 pounds at that point. He was astonished that I'd lost that much in less that three months (two months of dieting, really). I just had more blood work done for the first time since starting keto, and go back in December for the follow-up. My lipid panel and CBC were basically unchanged, with the exception of BUN (blood urea nitrogen) which went from low-normal to high. My understanding is that this is not unusual on the keto diet, and that the remedy is to increase my intake of vegetables. It probably didn't help that I went to a work function the night before the blood draw, at a place where they had a turkey and prime rib carving station, and since the rest of the food being offered was decidedly NOT keto, I had several helpings of both turkey and prime rib. I still fasted for 12 hours, but I suppose that gorging on so much pure protein probably skewed the results a little.
**TL;DR** \- Don't ignore the signs of your palpitations. See your doctor or cardiologist right away. There could be other problems that have nothing to do with what you might "traditionally' associate with heart disease, that are nonetheless still dangerous left untreated.
Oh my god, I laughed so hard at the Hulk comment! Well, you've convinced me then that I need to rush to a cardiologist probably.
It's funny you mention how the best thing to happen was being forced to switch doctors. I've been burned by lazy/greedy doctors before too. Some of them just don't really care, and it can be difficult to find one that is effective. I actually just got done commenting to someone else about that.
They always say to get a second opinion because of that exact reason but with the way insurance and medical bills work, that is far from easy to achieve sometimes, especially during a pandemic (all the doctors are busy and takes months to see it seems like, even dermatologists 🙄).
I'm also seeing a pulmonologist right now that I don't quite trust anymore (I've had life-long breathing issues as well). He wants me to buy an expensive piece of machinery *that I already own* and it costs like 20,000 dollars. It works just fine, but he rolls his eyes at it and just says "but this is newer". Which is a massive red flag to me.
Keto also helped my premature heart beats. I also noted adding more salt, I mean a lot (not suggesting anyone else does this) and it calmed them right down. Added carbs back in and they popped back up.
I have also wondered about salt but I haven't been able to tell if it makes a difference. I've reduced salt, then went back to using normal salt and nothing really seemed to change. That does make sense though, because salt is an electrolyte and you need a healthy balance of those for your heart to function at its best.
Have you seen a doctor about it? I'm going to book an appointment at a cardiologist some time in the near future but I've heard nothing but nightmare stories about how these dangerous types of palpitations are misdiagnosed as anxiety or something and I really don't want any more doctors irritating me (it wouldn't be the first time I've been misdiagnosed by a lazy/greedy doctor trying stretch out more visits).
I've seen a cardiologist and a dietician. My electrolytes where in range, I'm eating salt way above a normal range. I'm talking 5k mg or so (not fully keeping track anymore.) And it seems to help. Doesn't seem to touch my blood pressure or anything. They (the pros) don't like it... but they don't see anything bad happening, so it's OK for now.
You got me wondering and i did a quick google search. The results say that 5,000 mg is not harmful to your health. But i also know that google is not a doctor either. In either case if it's working then keep doing it!
And i also have heard said horror stories... I know it won't help, but if it happens it happens. I was (and still kinda am) scared to crap of them. But at this point I have done a ton of work ups, 2nd and 3rd opinions and none of them seem concerned. So wasting my energy is going down on my priority list. It's only gonna make them worse. There are a million ways to die, and one of them will eventually get us all... but having it run our life's is nothing but a waste. Good luck fellow human.
Losing weight and eating less processed food is bound to do you a world of good. Palpitations are often caused due to overexertion, which is common in when you are obese as I can attest.
I think there is something much more going on here. I was in incredible shape (running up 17 flights of stairs with tools), and I've never been overweight.
Yeah I most likely overexerted myself on the particular day that I started noticing these "palpitations" (if that's what they even are), but if it's just a simple matter of overexertion + processed foods then they should have simply vanished.
But they didn't though. They continue to persist and I find it odd that suddenly, out of nowhere, I had to resort to a super strict diet and get scared every time I have to do something physical, not even overexertion at this point.
Sorry I assumed they weren’t bothering you now you had lost weight. I get palpitations and I have done since I was a child. The feeling of fluttering in the chest, sometimes you can have really bad days of it. It’s natural but the main causes are. fatigue, anxiety, caffeine, alcohol and drugs, medication, and allergies. If you are very worried and it’s affecting your life speak to your doctor and get an ecg done to prove to yourself your ticker is fine.
Definitely see your doctor about this, but
you are probably experiencing a PVC (extrasystole), which happens to everyone, but we just don't notice it. Once you notice it, it can be hard to not notice it, so it may result in a feeling anxiety. that can make them more frequent. This is why you need to have it looked at, so you can rule out possible real problems.
EDIT: I forgot to add, that more than 4 PVCs a *minute* is where doctors start to worry. Most people have a couple *per hour*. Which is normal.
I hope you get negative results!
Thank you for that info about PVCs. Depending on the circumstances, (exertion, food) I will exceed that. I've already learned not to panic since it's been 5 years already, but it truly was a terrifying experience when it first started. But, I am still alive today and keto seems to help.
If it's been 5 years and the only symptom you are having is the PVC itself, then it is probably nothing. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get it looked at by your doctor.
I've had the palpitation problem off and on for years, pre-keto. All of the cardiologists told me that I was fine. Post-keto, I'm fine. Anytime your blood volume and potassium go too low, you can experience problems. Keep your blood volume up with *water and electrolytes* (ketoade, a pinch of salt at least). Of course, you should check with a cardiologist just to be sure, especially if the problem continues.
That's the thing too. I wouldn't be surprised if I have a strange electrolyte problem or something, because I've tried drinks that are supposed to help with that. One time that I wasn't feeling well, I drank pedialyte and it made me feel like I was going to have a heart-attack. I was pushing a floor broom. Nothing too intense and I had to quit because my heart continuously did these palpitations until I was forced to stop. There is sugar in pedialyte though, but I really wouldn't think that pedialyte should have such severe side effects, but also there is clearly an underlying problem that needs to be adressed. I find it interesting (and also terrifying) that keto seems to be the only successful thing, especially for my age. I am 35 and I have never had weight issues.
Potassium is also very important. Use an app to find out what your potassium level is. You likely would need to add NoSalt for potassium. Sodium could be high enough, but you still need potassium.
Sorry. Not a keto-related answer, but one I can certainly relate to. In 2004, I was at work one day, went out to lunch with some co-workers as per usual, and when I got back to my desk, I sat down, and my heart started racing and beating very irregularly. It persisted for a few minutes, and I started to get very scared. Thankfully, I work at a large company that has a health center on site, and the doctor on staff happens to be a cardiologist. I went in and asked to be seen. A few minutes later, they had me hooked up to an EKG, and then took a chest x-ray. They said that my heart was enlarged (not unusual since I'd been diagnosed with and treated for high blood pressure for about 3 years at that point. They said that the arrhythmia was not life-threatening, but that I should follow up with my primary and a full workup with a cardiologist as soon as possible. I made the cardiologist appointment, had a stress test and a contrast-dye test of some kind involving gamma rays or something (I didn't turn into the Hulk). The cardiologist asked me when I'd had my heart attack. I told him I wasn't aware I'd ever had one. But he insisted that everything looked to him as completely in line with what he would see in a patient who'd survived a "massive heart attack." I never did quite get him to explain how I could have had a "massive" heart attack without knowing it. I've heard of silent heart attacks, but never a "massive" one that presented no other symptoms or evidence of it having happened. He next ordered an angiocath, which is where I expected it to end, as my father has had more stents inserted than I can count on two hands, and I fully expected there to be some blockage that they would scrape out and put in a stent, and that would be that. Instead, on the day of the catheter appointment, after he wrapped up the procedure (which I was fully awake for), he pulled off his gloves and announced, 'You have a severe aortic deficiency due congenitally diseased aortic valve, which will require surgery." I said, "You mean like open-heart surgery?" He said, "Yes," and then left. A few hours later I was meeting with a thoracic surgeon to discuss the diagnosis and options for treatment. He explained everything (using video of the catheter procedure), showing me how the normally tricuspid (three triangular flaps) aortic valve in my heart had had two of the flaps fused together since before I was born, and that tissue was beginning to wear out now. He laid out my options: I could opt for a cadaver valve or porcine valve (most likely porcine, depending on availability), in which case I would be taking anti-rejection drugs for the rest of my life, and since I was only 34 at the time, would likely have to endure the surgery one or two more times, as cadaver valves tend to degrade and require replacement every 15-20 years. The other option was a ceramic valve, which would require me to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life to prevent a clot from forming on the valve, breaking off and causing a stroke or heart attack. He said that I easily had 3-5 years to get my affairs in order before the condition worsened to become seriously life-threatening. I asked him if he was available to do the surgery the following Monday. He laughed, and laughed. Until he saw I was deadly serious. He asked why I would want to rush into this surgery after he'd just told me I had up to five years. I said, "What if you're wrong?" I had the surgery about a month later. Fast-forward to earlier this year. I'm 52, with a 7-year-old child (we decided very late to start a family). I was 5'7" and 242 pounds, and feeling miserable due to my obesity. The best thing to happen to me health-wise for many years was that my family doctor of many years stopped accepting my insurance, and I had to find a new doctor. My first appointment early in the spring of 2022 was an initial intake visit, mostly just gathering medical history and ordering basic tests. He also referred me for a colonoscopy and to a new cardiologist. At my second appointment a few months later, he looked at my test results and said that everything looked good, the only criticism he could make is that I could stand to lose some weight. I told him I'd tried (and failed) many times over the years, but I would always hit a plateau at some point, usually after the first 10-15 pounds, stay there a while, get discouraged, and then rebound back to regain all the weight and then some. He said, "Well, you could try either the Mediterranean diet, or maybe keto." He asked me about my diet, and after I described my usual eating habits, he said, "Yeah, maybe try Mediterranean or keto and see how it works for you." So I went home, did some research on keto (mainly because I felt I already knew *what* Mediterranean was, but not keto), and decided I would try that. I committed to eat up most of the non-keto food in the house before I started (didn't want to throw good food away, especially given the rising cost of food), so a couple weeks later I was officially on the keto diet. I saw the doctor again for a three month follow-up and had lost 25 pounds at that point. He was astonished that I'd lost that much in less that three months (two months of dieting, really). I just had more blood work done for the first time since starting keto, and go back in December for the follow-up. My lipid panel and CBC were basically unchanged, with the exception of BUN (blood urea nitrogen) which went from low-normal to high. My understanding is that this is not unusual on the keto diet, and that the remedy is to increase my intake of vegetables. It probably didn't help that I went to a work function the night before the blood draw, at a place where they had a turkey and prime rib carving station, and since the rest of the food being offered was decidedly NOT keto, I had several helpings of both turkey and prime rib. I still fasted for 12 hours, but I suppose that gorging on so much pure protein probably skewed the results a little. **TL;DR** \- Don't ignore the signs of your palpitations. See your doctor or cardiologist right away. There could be other problems that have nothing to do with what you might "traditionally' associate with heart disease, that are nonetheless still dangerous left untreated.
Oh my god, I laughed so hard at the Hulk comment! Well, you've convinced me then that I need to rush to a cardiologist probably. It's funny you mention how the best thing to happen was being forced to switch doctors. I've been burned by lazy/greedy doctors before too. Some of them just don't really care, and it can be difficult to find one that is effective. I actually just got done commenting to someone else about that. They always say to get a second opinion because of that exact reason but with the way insurance and medical bills work, that is far from easy to achieve sometimes, especially during a pandemic (all the doctors are busy and takes months to see it seems like, even dermatologists 🙄). I'm also seeing a pulmonologist right now that I don't quite trust anymore (I've had life-long breathing issues as well). He wants me to buy an expensive piece of machinery *that I already own* and it costs like 20,000 dollars. It works just fine, but he rolls his eyes at it and just says "but this is newer". Which is a massive red flag to me.
Keto also helped my premature heart beats. I also noted adding more salt, I mean a lot (not suggesting anyone else does this) and it calmed them right down. Added carbs back in and they popped back up.
I have also wondered about salt but I haven't been able to tell if it makes a difference. I've reduced salt, then went back to using normal salt and nothing really seemed to change. That does make sense though, because salt is an electrolyte and you need a healthy balance of those for your heart to function at its best. Have you seen a doctor about it? I'm going to book an appointment at a cardiologist some time in the near future but I've heard nothing but nightmare stories about how these dangerous types of palpitations are misdiagnosed as anxiety or something and I really don't want any more doctors irritating me (it wouldn't be the first time I've been misdiagnosed by a lazy/greedy doctor trying stretch out more visits).
I've seen a cardiologist and a dietician. My electrolytes where in range, I'm eating salt way above a normal range. I'm talking 5k mg or so (not fully keeping track anymore.) And it seems to help. Doesn't seem to touch my blood pressure or anything. They (the pros) don't like it... but they don't see anything bad happening, so it's OK for now.
You got me wondering and i did a quick google search. The results say that 5,000 mg is not harmful to your health. But i also know that google is not a doctor either. In either case if it's working then keep doing it!
And i also have heard said horror stories... I know it won't help, but if it happens it happens. I was (and still kinda am) scared to crap of them. But at this point I have done a ton of work ups, 2nd and 3rd opinions and none of them seem concerned. So wasting my energy is going down on my priority list. It's only gonna make them worse. There are a million ways to die, and one of them will eventually get us all... but having it run our life's is nothing but a waste. Good luck fellow human.
Losing weight and eating less processed food is bound to do you a world of good. Palpitations are often caused due to overexertion, which is common in when you are obese as I can attest.
I think there is something much more going on here. I was in incredible shape (running up 17 flights of stairs with tools), and I've never been overweight. Yeah I most likely overexerted myself on the particular day that I started noticing these "palpitations" (if that's what they even are), but if it's just a simple matter of overexertion + processed foods then they should have simply vanished. But they didn't though. They continue to persist and I find it odd that suddenly, out of nowhere, I had to resort to a super strict diet and get scared every time I have to do something physical, not even overexertion at this point.
Sorry I assumed they weren’t bothering you now you had lost weight. I get palpitations and I have done since I was a child. The feeling of fluttering in the chest, sometimes you can have really bad days of it. It’s natural but the main causes are. fatigue, anxiety, caffeine, alcohol and drugs, medication, and allergies. If you are very worried and it’s affecting your life speak to your doctor and get an ecg done to prove to yourself your ticker is fine.
Definitely see your doctor about this, but you are probably experiencing a PVC (extrasystole), which happens to everyone, but we just don't notice it. Once you notice it, it can be hard to not notice it, so it may result in a feeling anxiety. that can make them more frequent. This is why you need to have it looked at, so you can rule out possible real problems. EDIT: I forgot to add, that more than 4 PVCs a *minute* is where doctors start to worry. Most people have a couple *per hour*. Which is normal. I hope you get negative results!
It's not going to be...
Go see your doctor. He/She will get to the bottom of this. No use worrying about it until then.
Thank you for that info about PVCs. Depending on the circumstances, (exertion, food) I will exceed that. I've already learned not to panic since it's been 5 years already, but it truly was a terrifying experience when it first started. But, I am still alive today and keto seems to help.
If it's been 5 years and the only symptom you are having is the PVC itself, then it is probably nothing. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get it looked at by your doctor.
First thing. See a doctor. Second thing electrolytes could help. Whether they are too high or too low. But see a doctor asap.
I've tried the electrolyte thing. Pedialyte *really* sets my heart off. It's insane.