I am not a doctor. Here are some thoughts (addressed to both you and the GP): I have a hietal hernia[0] that causes reflux and dyspepsia (trouble swallowing) a

I am not a doctor. Here are some thoughts (addressed to both you and the GP): I have a hietal hernia[0] that causes reflux and dyspepsia (trouble swallowing) and mimics these heart symptoms: shortness of breath, arrhythmia, chest pain, and tachycardia. A ketogenic diet helps, as does an OTC PPI[1] (e.g. Prilosec, Nexium). You might consider getting scoped to see if you have one as well (or just take a PPI for two weeks and see if it helps). I've had arrhythmia since I was a teenager. Some of it is sinus (i.e. pressure on my vascular system caused by breathing) and some of it is not[2]. I've found that taking a daily multivitamin helps considerably, as does a diet rich in magnesium and potassium (occasionally supplemented), so I must have some deficiencies. I can't take too much pseudoephedrine (and try to avoid it completely after a particularly scary episode). Regular exercise helps as well. If I start to freak out about a particularly bad spell of arrhythmia and/or palpitations, I tell myself to eat an apple or a banana and go for a walk. Alcohol and caffeine wreak havoc on all of the above, so I can't drink like I did in my 20s, and I try to limit myself to one pot of coffee per day. ;-) > "your EKG is normal and you're fat" If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that... If you have bacterial endocarditis[3], that could explain why a low-carb diet is helpful: lower blood sugar -> less fuel for bacteria -> reduced heart valve inflammation. Maybe. I have something else going on right now that I don't understand: waking up at night with back pain under my right shoulder blade, anxiety, and arrhythmia. I went to the hospital after the third incident and the EKG, blood work, chest X-ray, CT scan, etc. didn't reveal anything. I suspect it's stress-related and either an ulcer or bacterial endocarditis, so I need to get those looked at by specialists. I also had a clot in my leg last year for which I needed six months of blood thinners, so I wonder if that's related... Getting old sucks. 0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiatus_hernia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiatus_hernia 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-pump_inhibitor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-pump_inhibitor 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_ventricular_contraction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_ventricular_contract... 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infective_endocarditis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infective_endocarditis