I have a Roemheld Syndrome for 8 years, now I am better

dr sonjay gupta in the uk

Hello all. I'm a retired Registered Nurse. I've suffered from Roemheld for 30 years. It started with episodes of Supraventricular Tachycardia (very rapid heart rate) after eating Cajun Chef Green Chili Hot Sauce. It only took two episodes to figure out that there was a direct cause and effect relationship. I quit using the hot sauce, and it didn't occur again. My symptoms expanded from there. Spicy food or anything that would cause indigestion would trigger episodes where I would have chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, profuse sweating and nausea. From there I started having arrhythmias. I would have episodes of A-fib, as well as, short runs of Ventricular Tachycardia. I've seen numerous cardiologists and electrophysiologists through the years. In February 2022 I had an Atrial Cryoablation. It has completely relived all of my symptoms. I no longer have palpitations or A-fib. I do still have a Right Bundle Branch Block, so my EKG tracing is funky, but it doesn't bother me much at all since the ablation. Keep searching to find an electrophysiologist that will listen to you and help you.

Hello, what type of magnesium do you take please? Magnesium citrate, etc? Thank you

THIS DIET?REGIMEN HELPED ME TREMENDOUSLY (not medical advice):

1. STOP taking antacids - Many cases of GERD and Acid-Reflux happen because of LOW stomach acid. Low gastric acid causes the valve to open at the top of the stomach, thus letting gastric juices into the esophagus (and though they are low enough to cause the esophageal sphincter to open due to PPI's or other Antacids dropping the acididy, they still caustic enough to cause problems there).

PPI's were causing my stomach acid to be constantly to low. Google how to test your gastric acid levels. With low stomach acid, UNDIGESTED food was making its way into my upper intestines, and this triggering massive gastric bloat when the bacteria there feasted upon the food material - causing TERRIBLE bloating.

2. I switched to a low-FODMAP and LOW-SULFUR diet. I found that things like Egg's, though low-FODMAP, were still causing terrible bloat. Even chicken could cause bloating I found.

3. Stopped drinking fluids AT LEAST 30 minutes after OR before a meal. When I drank during a meal, the food was getting pumped into my guts and causing bloat. Especially while taking PPI's and other antacids, where the stomach saw the low acidity a sign the food was digested.

4. While my body got used to making proper levels of somtach acid again I would take Betaine HCL capsules to up my stomach acid. I would take it a few bites into the meal. That way my stomach acid would go up, delay the gastric emptying into my intestines, and also help to digest the food more before it got into my intestines.

This has worked quite well for me. I also taken an anti-convulsant when symptoms pop up. They help with the PVC / palpitations and tachycardia. They also help with the anxiety. I recommend a benzo in the anticonvulsant class, those being the ones that end in "pam". E.G. Lorazepam, Clonazepam, Diazepam. They have have stopped the tachycardia almost entirely, but the palpitations still occur. However the palpitations are far, far milder.

Note: I registered an account so I could fix the typos and elaborate on the above post. This is not medical advice.

How I Treated my Roemheld Syndrome - and how PPI's and Antacids were CAUSING much of MINE:


1. STOP taking antacids (only take emergency short and quick acting ones if you are having heartburn/etc).

Many cases of GERD and Acid-Reflux are counter-intuitively caused LOW stomach acid.

Low gastric acid causes the valve to the esophagus top open at the top of the stomach. Thus letting gastric juices into the esophagus.

And though the gastric juices have had their acidity lowered enough that the PH level triggers esophageal sphincter to open (due to PPI's or other Antacids dropping the acididy) the somach acidi is still caustic enough to cause problems in the esophagus. If the acid had actually lowered due to complete digestion, after the emptying of the digested stomach contetns being emptied. there would not be excess fluid to work its way into your throat.

In my case, PPI's were causing my stomach acidity to be constantly low (Google how to test your gastric acid levels). With low stomach acid, UNDIGESTED food was making its way into my large intestine, and this was triggering massive gastric bloat when the bacteria there feasted upon the undigested food material. This was also causing me IBS in the form of of SIBO, where the excess large-intestine bacteria was migrating into my small-intestine, and this causing TERRIBLE bloating there as well (Further compressing my vagus nerve and causing IBS symptoms).

2. I switched to a low-FODMAP and LOW-SULFUR diet (white rice was my friend).

I found that things like Egg's, Chkecn, and Beef (all low-FODMAP), were still causing terrible bloat. This also included any sugars of any kind (obviously sugar alcohols are a no-go too). Even chicken could cause bloating at first I found.

As I healed up, chicken was the first meat I could eat again.

3. STOP drinking fluids AT LEAST 30 minutes BEFORE or AFTER a meal. The water dilutes the gastric jucies, thus lowering the acidity. And though some people claim otherwise, I can assure you this was a problem. Especially drinking during or after a meal.

When I drank during/after a meal, I could feel my stomach gurgling the contents into my bowels. This would happen near instantly, clearly not giving the food time to digest in the stomach first. The food was getting pumped into my guts and causing gas & bloat. This was especially when still taking the PPI's and other antacids (and for a while after). With the PPI's and prandial/postprandial fluids, my stomach pumped food into my gut almost instantly, instead of digesting it.

4. Add Betain HCL to your meals while your Stomach is regaining its ability to pre-digest and disinfect your food.

While my body got used to making proper levels of stomach acid again I would take Betaine HCL capsules to up my stomach acid. I would take it a few bites into the meal. That way my stomach acid would go up, delay the gastric emptying into my intestines, and also help to digest the food more before it got into my intestines.

5. To treat Cardiac and Anxiety symptoms seek out a Anticonvulsant Benzo (not just any Benzo),

(Wikipedia even mentions this in its article on Roemheld Syndrome even that anti-convulsants sometimes completely cure the syndrome - but you might as well get the ones that help with biologically-caused anxiety it creates too, thus one of a few specific Benzos)

Most crappy doctors will treat you as if the GI/Cardiac symptoms arebeing caused by anxeity, which is the opposite. But if you can take advantage of that, you might be able to get one of the Benzo's in a certain a class that help.

This has worked VERY well for me. I take anti-convulsant when symptoms pop up (or there is one that lasts all day, that will help prevent them). The benzo's helps firstly with the PVC / palpitations and tachycardia (Especailly the latter). They also help with the anxiety (which is likely happening with the tachycardia). It needs to be a Benzo in the anticonvulsant class, those being the ones that end in "pam". E.G. Lorazepam, Clonazepam, Diazepam. Alprazolam (Xanax) does not work for the tachycardia, though it does help a little maybe with the anxiety.

The anti-convulsants have all but stopped the tachycardia. However the palpitations still occur, but they are much, much milder.

I hope my experience helps.

What type of magnesium?

I’m 100% exactly the same as you. PPI’s have ruined my life with this c**p! I do great on junk type food and am miserable on healthy food.

Weirdly when I eat white rice, and most chicken, I do ok. But truly the Clonazepam saved my life, I might have ended it if not for that curing the Palpitations, Spasms, and Overwhelming Spontaneous Anxiety. Though I am writing this again 10 months after my last episode, and it see now that my my bad Winter diet triggered this - as well as drinking alcohol to excessively twice. Anyways, the thing treated my symptoms best was the anticonvulsant class of Benzos. They settled my vagus nerve down to acting near normal. Just give in to the doctor and say anxiety is causing your stomach issues, not the other way around. Then repeat until you say you'll loose your job unless your panic attacks stop, and they'll recomend the long acting benzo Clonazepam. Lorazepam also worked, but it didn't last long enough. I kid you not, Clonazepam 1mg twice daily settles my vagus nerve into a normal rate. Its been as close to a cure as I can get except when I really screw up my diet and the palpitations return - but oh so much milder unless I forget to take the Clonaepam (aka Klonopin).

I take Magnesium, Digestive Enzymes, Betaine with meals when I have a flare up, and also I found that when I have a flare up that taking Niclosamide + Ivermectin killed off my SIBO/LIBO after reading multiple studies on non-antibioic treatments that work for killing C Diff and H Pylori (the main buggers in SIBO, at least for me). But Since those 2 drugs are also shown in studies to be effective as off-label treatments for C19, the government has made them almost impossible to get f(Its almost like they only want taking a jab that can cause your already funky heart to have even worse problems... I kid but it is bizarre that Aliexpress and Ebay vendors have to hide the name of non-scheduled Niclosamide and Ivermectin just to list them anymore (unless you like horse paste - and i don't want them for C19, I want them for killing C Diff [use Niclosamide] and H Pylori [use Ivermectin] without wrecking my microbiome).