1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Abdominal Disorders

Light-headed, palpitations and abdominal pains for over 5 months

Posted , 5 users are following.

stumped21
stumped21

Let me start off by saying that I am a 20 year old male in good shape who was perfectly heatlhy up until September 2016.

?Right before my symptoms started I noticied I had got a bruise across my upper abdominal region (right at the bottom of my ribcage) after being at the front of a concert mosh pit and being shoved up against a railing for a few hours. However the bruise seemed to fade away normally after several days and I thought nothing of it. At that time I was also on a mostly soy-based diet and took large vitamin supplements that had metabolism boosters daily to increase my energy.

About a week later while I was eating dinner I expierenced a sudden palpitation, dizziness, shortness of breath, and feeling so unwell that I had to stop what I was doing and lay down and almost called an ambulance. After about half an hour the palpitation slowly went away, but I still had a feeling of being light-headed and generally unwell. At that point in time I cut off taking any vitamins/supplements and switched to a healthy diet of fresh fruits and vegtables. I also decided to cut out all caffiene from that point onward, which I was consuming copiously large amounts of at that time.

At first I thought I was something like the flu, but after a week of being constantly light-headed I was woken up suddenly in the middle of the night (which is very rare for me) with the most severe chest/upper adominal pains on the left side and the most extremely intense palpitation imagiable. I was genuinely concerned for my life as it felt like a heart attack and I thought I was going to have to call an ambulance, but I was able to walk it off and went back to bed within an hour.

Two days later at work my symptoms were so bad that I had to leave the office early because of the palpitiatons and abdominal pains. On the train on the way home from work I experienced what I can only describe as a palpitation so intense that I could feel my pulse almost jumping out of my body. I immeditley went to an urgent care clinic where they did an EKG which only showed a rapid resting pulse of 100bpm and a slightly elevated blood pressure. They did some of the standard blood work which all came back fine. The doc told me to take few days of work to relax and eat healthy. I did that and it had no effect on my symptoms at all.

I went back to work and the palpitations and pain prevented me from doing anything so I left and went straight to the hospitial ER. They did a chest x-ray and a CAT scan of my appendix and found nothing. The doc refered me to go see a GI as my symptoms seemed to be worst when eating or drinking was involved.

The GI did an upper endoscopy and didn't really find anything so he put me on a PPI to see if reflux was causing some of the pain. It didn't help my symptoms so I was refered to a cardiologist for my palpitations.

The cardiologist did an echocardiogram, stress test, and 30-day ekg event monitor. The only thing he noticied was that my heart rate was high occasionaly when I was walking but didn't think it was a big deal. Then I was refered to a neurologist to be checked out.

The neurologist did a brain MRI, Lyme test and EEG and said all tests were fine. I also saw an endocrinologist who ran some thyroid tests and those came back normal as well.

Now I'm stuck with the lightheaded/dazed feeling which seems to get worse after eating or any excersise. The lightheadedness is almost always the worst when the abdominal pain is present. I've also noticed that my ears get red and hot at completely random times throughout the day.

I can say that after 5 months the symptoms seemed to have leveled off, especially the palpitations which seem not as bad or frequent as they were in the first two months, but the light-headed/dazed feeling has not had any improvement. I have trouble focusing and when speaking it is difficult for me to form my sentances and hold down conversation.

The nearly constant light-headed sensation is interfering with my ability to do my job and I'm desperate to find any answer on what to do next. Thanks for your help and support!

1 like, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • lilian05079
    lilian05079 stumped21

    Posted

    Hi stumped21

    Do you exercise regulary if do this can cause high levels of cortisol from the adrenal glands which in turn can cause light headedness brain fog and interfere with other bodily functions...Also, have you had your B12 checked because low B12 can cause similar symptoms..go to doc and get cortisol levels and B12 checked...best wishes....

  • sara0969
    sara0969 stumped21

    Posted

    As suggested above, def get your B12 and cortisol levels checked out, sounds as though you could be lacking in something. Also, are you getting a balanced diet? You mentioned briefly about your eating habits but if there's something missing from your diet it may be that and therefore causing a deficiency in something.

    • stumped21
      stumped21 sara0969

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply. Ever since my symptoms appeared I have been on a balanced diet but my appetite seems very diminshed. My B12 levels were normal and I will have my doc check cortisol to see if that is causing it.
  • lilian05079
    lilian05079 stumped21

    Posted

    Hi stumped21

    I forgot to mention that cortisol is a stress hormone so when you exercise regularly and intensely you are stressing your body and bringing your cortisol levels up causing a 'fight or flight' response that we get when we are stressed thus causing rapid heart beat and light headedness.....also, perhaps you are taking too much soy is there a correlation between starting the soy regime and your symptoms....perhaps the excessive exercise and too much soy are causing your symptoms....

  • lilian05079
    lilian05079 stumped21

    Posted

    Hi stumped21

    I forgot to mention that cortisol is a stress hormone so when you exercise regularly and intensely you are stressing your body and bringing your cortisol levels up causing a 'fight or flight' response that we get when we are stressed thus causing rapid heart beat and light headedness.....also, perhaps you are taking too much soy is there a correlation between starting the soy regime and your symptoms....perhaps the excessive exercise and too much soy are causing your symptoms....

  • lilian05079
    lilian05079 stumped21

    Posted

    Also if you are on a vegan diet this can greatly lower your B12.....and cause the symptoms you mention..so all in all perhaps you have all 3 going on too much soy, high cortisol levels...and B12 deficiency.....best wishes
    • stumped21
      stumped21 lilian05079

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply. I was on a vegan soy based diet and was excersing very heavily at the time the symptoms first started. However I once I got the symptoms I switched to a balaned diet with meat and also stoped all excercise. Is there any reason that these symptoms could persist for 5 months afterwards? My B12 was checked and was normal and I will ask my doctor to check my cortisol level to see if thats an issue.
    • lilian05079
      lilian05079 stumped21

      Posted

      Hi stumped21

      Yes they can if you are still exercising even though not as much as before your cortisol levels may still be raised.....causing mild palpitations and light-headedness....get the cortisol level checked and maybe you will have to stop exercising....

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.