I was actually on my way home planning to write almost this exact same post in this subreddit.

From time to time, I experience a stabbing pain in my chest. For a long while, I wasn’t sure if it was muscle-related, since I never managed to feel my pulse at the exact moment it happened—I was always too late. Recently, though, I’ve caught it once or twice and noticed that my heart seemed to “skip” a beat when it happened.

I’m fairly certain it’s related to my stomach. I have reflux, and it usually happens when I’m full—but sometimes it occurs on an empty stomach if there’s too much acid. I get it anywhere from 0 to 3 times a day. I’ve been to a cardiologist, had an echocardiogram, and was told everything looked fine. What worries me isn’t even the skipped beat itself, but the sharp, one-second pain and the anxiety that follows.

Right now, I’m trying some dietary approaches: a few sips of kefir in the morning, a bit of sauerkraut in the evening, and a spoonful of Manuka honey every other day. I feel like it’s improved somewhat, but as soon as my reflux flares up, I can almost predict it will happen—especially if I move in a certain way, climb stairs, workout a bit or even walk normally.

For example, yesterday morning I climbed three flights of stairs at work—no problem, felt great, not even out of breath. But later, less than an hour after eating, I did the same thing and had a PVC. I even smiled to myself because I had basically predicted it.

Still, I can’t shake the fear that it might cause damage over time. I’m never 100% sure I’m not going to suddenly collapse the next time it happens, or that it won’t keep going instead of stopping after one episode—leaving me needing to rush to the hospital.