heartburn and dizziness

[tricia]

Before I went vegan i used to have really bad bouts of heartburn... it was soo painful and constant it kept me from eating tomatoes etc... i sometimes would want to cry and would eat tums daily... after i went vegan all the heartburn stopped... it was great..i could eat tomatoes i finally got rid of my tums.... well its been a couple of days and im feeling a bit off... i am experiencing heartburn again almost pretty constant... im also having some issues with dizziness... like this morning i was soo out of it... and it happened for most of the morning on and off... i would jus get a loopy feeling... i dont like not feeling in control...so its actually got me a little concerned... i havent had any changes in diet or anything...

has anyone had issues like this? or similiar problems.. any advice or what not... thanks in advance...

[Erin Pavlina]

Did you eat anything strange?

Did you get enough sleep last night? And more importantly, did you get to finish sleeping this morning or did someone wake you up prematurely?

[Casey]

If you’re not sleep deprived and if you eliminate anything you might have eaten, maybe it’s something else you’re ingesting:
Have you had a cold/allergies/headaches recently and been taking any new medication?
Any other drugs?
Have you started taking any new supplements or herbal remedies?
Have you been drinking more coffee or caffeinated beverages? Or less?
More alcohol than usual?

If this has been going on for a couple of days, it's not improving and you can’t identify any external reason for it, then you should probably see your doctor. I don’t want to sound like an alarmist, but I’ve read that if you’re experiencing heartburn combined with dizziness that you should see a doctor right away (even call 911), it could be serious (heart attack, hernia, ulcers, blockage, etc). It could also be arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm / irregular heartbeat) – even normal, healthy hearts can get them. But I think you should get checked out as soon as possible.

[duckie1978]

When do you experience the heartburn? After eating? How long after?

Does it happen at night when you go to sleep? If so, how long ago did you eat?

Have you tried sleeping on a incline? Did this help if you did?

What types of foods are you eating? Have you noticed a pattern? I can't eat a lot of oatmeal or things with cinnamon because I get terrible heartburn. Mints tend to cause heartburn in some people.

Are you under any stress? How are you dealing or not dealing with it?

You could have esophogitus (spelling?) or one of the gastro-reflux (spelling?). I would suggest looking at your diet and exercise routine to see if there is a recognizable pattern. Call the doctor's office (if you have a regular one) and ask to speak with a nurse. Give her as much detail as possible (they will suggest checking out your diet for a pattern too) and the nurse can speak with the doctor between patients. They can suggest for you the next best step.

[tricia]

Wow it feels like im filling out paperwork...lol...so here i go...

Did you eat anything strange? : Nope same stuff as usual

Did you get enough sleep last night? And more importantly, did you get to finish sleeping this morning or did someone wake you up prematurely?: I slept good went to bed same time woke up same time...

Have you had a cold/allergies/headaches recently and been taking any new medication?: Nope

Any other drugs?: Nope

Have you started taking any new supplements or herbal remedies? Nope

Have you been drinking more coffee or caffeinated beverages? Or less? Nope

More alcohol than usual? None in like almost a year


When do you experience the heartburn? After eating? How long after? Umm seems like on and off all day... cut out most common heartburn causing foods... i dont eat fried food or spicy food so thats not a factor...

Does it happen at night when you go to sleep? If so, how long ago did you eat? Nope not only at night...

Have you tried sleeping on a incline? Yup

Did this help if you did? Nope

What types of foods are you eating? Ummm same ole stuff... veggies, not that much soy milk either, umm pasta, jus the same old stuff

Have you noticed a pattern? Nope becuz sometimes i have it when my stomach is empty in the morning when i wake up...

Are you under any stress? How are you dealing or not dealing with it? I am moving but its not stressful.. as everything has been pretty much packed since last week... lol...

Ok i think i covered all the basis.... heres a question for you guys... :D has anyone known anyone to have periods while pregnant?? i read its quite rare and uncommon... i have had my periods for the last 2 months but they were lighter than normal lasting only for 2 days and i didnt need any protection really that much during the day...as i wear tampons i wouldnt even bother with them... i dont think im pregnant at all cuz one we pull out and yes yes yes i know thats not 100% but i also have a tilted uterus so its kinda hard to get preg in the first place... ok this is one long post... :cool:

[Erin Pavlina]

Woman! Any unprotected sex can result in pregnancy. You're playing with fire there, even with the tilted uterus. The pre-ejaculate contains the most powerfully-swimming sperm I read. Pulling out before the end isn't going to cut it to prevent pregnancy. Not saying you're pregnant, mind you... but take it from someone who thought you couldn't get pregnant in a jacuzzi...and did... any unprotected sex can lead to pregnancy.

[duckie1978]

Ugh, you sound like one of my high schoolers: "he pulls out so I know I won't get pregnant" Then what happens? They end up in the family way.

Back to the questions: you said the heartburn comes on and off all day but that it also comes at night. How soon after eating do you go to sleep? Is it at least 3-4 hours after eating? If not you may be getting acid reflux.

I had (still have, whatever) esophagitis and was getting severe chest pains, so bad that I went to the E/R. At 23 I should not have been having any chest pains. I was put on some acid blockers and other non-vegan medicines because nothing else worked. I was under severe stress which I could not escape or deal with, changing my diet did not help (I had to eliminate all acidic foods, peanuts, oatmeal, pasta, breads, most fruit because they all caused heartburn), slept on an incline, did yoga and meditated and nothing worked until I took the medicine. I was only on the medication for a few months and haven't taken any since. I have a history of heart burn issues though. At 19 I was on ulcer medications because my stomach lining was being eating away as a result of stress and my diet.

As for your period being short: mine is only 2 maybe three days long and is often not very heavy. I don't complain, if anything it makes me really happy. I would get a complete hysterectomy if it wouldn't cause premature menopause. If you are concerned, take an EPT style test or call the doctor and ask them what they think.

[tricia]

I made the pull out comment jus to get those reactions...lol... i remember the first time i heard a teenager say that i smacked her in the back of the head.. :D like i say we arent trying then again we aint preventing... but with khaila i had severe breast pain and thats how i knew i was "in the family way"...lol... ( i love that term):p that doesnt have me really concerned... i dont eat like 4-5 hrs before bed...dinner is my last meal but sometimes if we end up watchin a late movie i might eat popcorn but i havent had any in a very long time... today the heartburn is with some a feelin of nausea... i will not waste the money on the prego test due to the fact i dont wanna get my hopes up...

its funny cuz my heartburn went away when i cut out all the dairy out of my diet... and its been great..so this flashback has not made me the happiest person in the world... lol... khaila has a dr appt on tues so i will take a test and chat with him about it.... it jus has me baffled....

[Christa]

Tricia,

I had rather severe breast pain almost immediately w/ Angelina (my older dd). However, I had basically no symptoms when I was pg with Tessa (my younger one) - no breast pain, nothing. Although I did spot a little, I did not get my periods, though. I do have a friend who got totally normal periods for the first 6 months of her pregnancy, though, so you can't rule anything out.

I'd take a pregnancy test asap! Let us know.

[tricia]

Christa,

U kinda bursted my little bubble of denial... u jus thought i would let u know... trying not to get my hopes up..and will probably end up at the drug store after khailas gymnastics 2morrow... i am not concerned at all about pregnancy though... im nervous about somethin more severe...

[Erin Pavlina]

Yeah, let us know what happens. It's strange to develop something like that where your food intake hasn't changed and such.