My heart scares me.
Hello,
Before I describe my problem, here are a few details about myself: male, 28 years old, non-smoker, overweight due to unhealthy eating habits, hypothyroidism (which is being treated with medication), no other known illnesses.
The problem: for about two weeks now, I have often noticed in the evenings in bed that I can feel my heartbeat in my chest. I sleep on my side/stomach, and every time I lie down like that, I feel it. Don't get me wrong, my heart is not racing. It beats at a normal rate. But I just feel it. And I never had this problem before. Sometimes it scares me so much that I am afraid to fall asleep. I am afraid that something is wrong with my heart and that it could just stop. In addition, last night I had a very intense dream and when I woke up, my heart immediately stumbled. It felt very strange, I had to sit down immediately and clear my throat a few times to calm it down. I was very scared.
One more piece of information: I have been suffering from heart palpitations for many years. For this reason, I have already had several long-term ECGs done (2010, 2012, 2016). All of these ECGs were completely normal, but I did not experience any palpitations during the measurements (typical Hawthorne effect). They were therefore not recorded. My doctor thinks based on my description that they must be harmless extrasystoles. But I don't have any certainty.
So I wanted to ask here, because if I go back to my doctor because I am afraid of a possible heart defect, she may not take me seriously anymore, because it has been investigated so many times (although only with ECG and long-term ECG. There was no stress ECG and no ultrasound).
So, what do you think about my symptoms? Are they worrying? Or could it also be because I am so worried and paying too much attention to it?
