Fear of enlarged heart [Archive]

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KeeKee

31-08-13, 20:11

This is my latest fear due mainly to being able to feel my heart most of the time, although not if I wake during the night. I also occasionally get pressure behind my sternum but this is mainly when I sit scrunched.
Any comforting thoughts?

Fishmanpa

31-08-13, 20:37

Feeling your heart beat is perfectly normal and the fact that it seems more pronounced is because you're focused on it. It has nothing to do with an enlarged heart. The symptoms of an enlarged heart would present themselves as being similar to heart failure/cardio vascular disease.

I don't know what to tell you about the second part of your post. Perhaps not sitting in a scrunched up position would be beneficial? ;)

KeeKee

31-08-13, 21:12

Thank you fishmanpa. I don't know why I fear it so much but it may be due to me looking it up a few months ago when my anxiety was at its peak and now I'm scared of it. Typical really.
Yeah I should really sort my posture out to be honest, it may make me more comfortable.
Plus what's the chances of fearing enlarged heart (with no 'real' symptoms) and actually having one?
Sometimes though my chest feels 'full' and I wonder what it could be.
When I first got anxiety though my throat genuinely felt like there was a lump in it and that eventually cleared.

harrys mummy

31-08-13, 21:45

Sometime ago when I saw a councillor I was getting a heavy chest as if my bra was really heavy laying across my chest, she said it was because I was taking in too much air.

She suggested taking in a really really deep breath and then blowing it out literally until you completely run out of puff

I actually found it helped and eventually eased my heavy chest, try it if you havent already x

KeeKee

31-08-13, 23:30

Thanks Harry's mummy. I tried it but it didn't work :-(
Howeeve that is how i would describe it like bra strap being too tight. Can the reason you were given be the same even though I don't hyperventilate?

Eyji1

31-08-13, 23:40

I thought people only got enlarged hearts if they've had high blood pressure for many years (10 -15+ years) or are super marathon / olympic runners. Either that or steroid using weight lifters.

m.g.mcgraw9690

31-08-13, 23:42

I have this fear too, I am almost always aware of my own heart it drives me crazy. I also used tohave the lump in my throat feeling a few months ago where I swore to my doctor I had throat cancer. It was just tonsillitis mixed with anxiety and the less I thought about it the less I noticed it. Its amazing how powerful fear can be! My Mother had a heart attack in front of me and nearly died and ever since I have had a major phobia of anything heart related.

KeeKee

31-08-13, 23:50

Eyji is that true? We'll I haven't had my blood pressure checked fora while but when I was pregnant it was always low. I'm also no where near a marathon runner so hopefully I can put this fear to bed soon.
M G McGraw that must have been awful.
Thank you both for your replies :-)

Eyji1

01-09-13, 00:02

KeeKee. I'm not a doctor but from what I've read people are either born with it or it happens from the heart muscle working overtime for a really, really long time.

swajj

01-09-13, 03:45

My mother died from having an enlarged heart. The heart specialist told me that he believed that it was caused from a virus. So it isn't always related to high BP. My mum lived for many yrars after her diagnosis. Trust me if you had an enlarged heart your symptoms would be very apparent. You would become extremely breathless after very mild exertion.

poppy1

01-09-13, 08:53

I can feel my heart beating loads of times during the day. It's been racing for 3 hrs now and won't slow down. I'm considering a&e it's scaring me I'm worried it will cause a heart attack surely it can't beat so fast around 120 for so long without effect?

KeeKee

01-09-13, 10:36

Thanks again guys. I'm never breathless and I'm sure if I'd had it from birth it would have been picked up by now (I'm 24).
Also poppy when I first had panic attacks my heart was racing for the whole night for 2 nights running. I'm sure it's just a very long panic attack. That's all mine were, no hyperventilating or anything just a racing heart. I know how scary it can be though.

poppy1

01-09-13, 19:47

Fishmanpa

01-09-13, 22:47

It's horrendous keekee it scares me so much can happen in the day but I can distract myself. I'm worried now because I had a missed beat when it was racing and now I'm worried I do have a heart condition. Feel sick with fear and very angry because I thought my HA was pretty much gone over last 3 years and now I'm right back where I started :(

Hi Poppy,

Listen.... if you had a serious heart condition, we wouldn't see you posting here. You'd be in ICU with wires hooked up to you waiting for a donor or helping the plants grow if you know what I mean ;)

My heart skips a beat watching Beyonce bust a move so I wouldn't worry too much :)