Is it normal to feel every single hea... - Heart Rhythm Diso...

Heart Rhythm Disorders Support

6,756 members2,768 posts

Is it normal to feel every single heart beat?

Notorious_Nick profile image
24 Replies

Just curious because my heart beats pretty damn hard. So hard that it shakes and moves my chest. I can literally watch my heart beating by looking down at it's position. Granted, I am pretty skinny (5'7" and 146lbs)...but I still feel like this is abnormal. I have other heart issues and terrible anxiety because of them. People tell me to stop thinking bout them but it's kinda hard when your heart keeps booming against your chest and shaking your whole darn body lol.

As I stated in another post, I've had every test under the sun and they've all come back normal. My cardiologist doesn't seem worried about any issue I bring to his attention, including the clicking sound my heart makes and the racing heart issues I have when standing up, eating or drinking alcohol. He says it happens to a lot of people. And since I had two normal echos, normal stress test and normal EKGs...he basically says I'm fine. I'm scared to do almost anything, especially exercise. If the clicking sound is MVP, I've heard of people dropping dead from working out.

Written by
Notorious_Nick profile image
Notorious_Nick
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
24 Replies

I have had these symptoms from age 28, I will be 73 in 4 weeks. You will not die but it’s horrible to live with these symptoms. My heart sometimes beats very hard and then misses, called ectopics. I have got a mild mitral valve prolapse now and have Supraventricular tachycardia which is the heart racing up to 200 beats a minute which started in 2017. I,ve always been an anxious person and we tend to home in on our heart when we have a problem like this it’s very distracting.

Notorious_Nick profile image
Notorious_Nick in reply to

I'm sorry you have to live with this. It's horrible. You get the heart noises, too? I don't know what to think of all this. My tests were all normal including two echos and a stress test. I'm scheduling another appointment with my cardiologist just to be sure they aren't missing something ...After this, if they don't find anything...I guess this is just what my heart does and I have to live with it?

in reply to Notorious_Nick

Mine were normal for years despite all this going on. When I first got them they alarmed me to the point of taking over my life, I just had to learn to live with them or go down, I worked ,brought up 3 children and I,m still here and quite fit for my age apart from this.

in reply to Notorious_Nick

Oh and the noises, I hear it in my left ear especially at night and it is missing beats as I sit here.

Notorious_Nick profile image
Notorious_Nick in reply to

Its terrible...I know how you feel. I can't sleep at night because of being afraid I won't wake up.

in reply to Notorious_Nick

Hope you are ok this morning. I found that taking my Bisoprolol at night helped me sleep a bit better,I still wake up several times in a panic and come out in a hot sweat sometimes. I read your profile and you have had a tough time, I was wondering if the clicking is your mitral valve, I watched a programme once where a young girl could hear her prolapsed mitral valve in the night , I just feel and hear a chugging sound in my ear but don,t know if it’s my valve. They don,t normally tell you if your valve is damaged unless you get symptoms, I had to have an op for a broken ankle 2 years ago and that is when I found out my mitral valve wasn,t shutting properly.

Notorious_Nick profile image
Notorious_Nick in reply to

Hey, thanks for checking up on me. I really have no clue what the clicking sound comes from. When I lay in certain positions, it will click with every beat. Otherwise, while I'm standing up or laying on my back...it will only click maybe once a minute or so. It's very scary. Two normal echos, supposedly ..So I'm guessing it's not a HUGE deal ...They would have found something by now I'm guessing, with one of these tests? Still...it's not normal :(. I've brought it up to my cardiologist multiple times, he just says my heart is fine. I've told ER doctors too. I wonder if, since it's a postural thing, my heart is beating up against something? I just don't know.

Not sure if I want to try bisoprolol, as metroprolol made my heart rate drop into the 40s at rest.

How have you been? Hope you're getting some sleep.

Notorious_Nick profile image
Notorious_Nick in reply to Notorious_Nick

On a side note, I was born with a heart murmur. And now that I think about it, I remember noticing the sound many years back when I laid on my side...but I didn't pay it any mind. Now that I'm older and have had SVT attacks...I'm more in tune with my body.

I wonder if the clicking sound is part of the heart murmur? I wanna say it's gotten worse since the last time I noticed it. I keep trying to tell myself I'm gonna be fine, since my tests were normal. But it just doesn't feel right.

in reply to Notorious_Nick

I,m ok thanks,sleep on and off all night. The electrophysiologist took me off Bisoprolol a year or so ago but I went back on them because I was having a hard time with the palpitations,I only had to get upset or angry and my heart would pound like a drum and keep on going until I went to bed. They make me feel awful and drops my blood pressure and heartbeat too low but I,m afraid my heart will kick off and I.ll end up in A and E,it takes me a few weeks to recover now after an attack. It has got worse as I,ve got older. I,m pretty active and drive but I get tired quicker now, I don,t know if it’s getting older or this condition and I do avoid eating with the family because I can,t eat as much as them so it’s a prolonged event with 3 courses for them and drinks. I,ve never smoked or drunk alcohol except a few when I was young. I,m Welsh and lived in an isolated part of Wales,no electric and a long walk to a bus so opportunity wasn,t there,I,m now living outside London. All I can advise to you is try accept this problem and try to live your life because before you know it you are old. Lol

aneerj profile image
aneerj in reply to Notorious_Nick

Dnt use any medication without dr approval..irlts dangerous

Jordynfrye29 profile image
Jordynfrye29 in reply to Notorious_Nick

I was diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia

And one of the symptoms is a fast heartbeat because my heart has to pump extra blood all over. my heart is pounding in chest as I type this. If you have Facebook messenger we could talk on there

matty309 profile image
matty309

Hi, I have supraventricular tachycardia too. But I also experience this constant hearbeat sensation. I can also feel every single beat. Made worse by eating large meals or drinking alcohol. It's very distracting because some people can't even feel there heart I don't understand how they couldn't. I guess some people are so unaware of their own bodies.

I've noticed my heart best since I was a kid. My echo was normal too, did your echo show a MVP? Or was it the Dr listening to your chest ?

in reply to matty309

Eating my evening meal causes me discomfort, my heart pounds and I feel very tired. I would ask my daughters if they were aware of their heart but they said no. My son has the same problem as myself but leads an active life skiing,golf diy and is a computer consultant. I found mine got worse in my 50s and anxiety and unhappiness made it worse.

Notorious_Nick profile image
Notorious_Nick in reply to

I thought I was the only one that had that problem after eating. It's terrible! For awhile I was losing weight due to being scared of eating.

aneerj profile image
aneerj in reply to Notorious_Nick

To all of you who have palps after having meals please watch Dr Sanjay Gupta a cardiologist in york on you tube where he explain the issue between your digestive issue and your heart issue..

Notorious_Nick profile image
Notorious_Nick in reply to matty309

Hi there. Yes, it is very distracting. When my roommate sees me having anxiety and checking my heart rate or feeling my heart, she tells me to just ignore it. Kinda hard when it's shaking your whole chest. If I put my phone on my chest while laying down, you can see it go up and down with every beat.

Yes, eating meals makes my heart pound and exhausts me. My doctor said a lot of people have this problem but I doubt it. Alcohol really sets my heart off. I quit drinking because of this recently.

I'm not sure if I have MVP. No doctor has really TRIED to listen for the clicking sound my heart is making. They listen for a few seconds and say it's fine. Plus it usually isnt noticeable unless I'm laying down and it's absolutely quiet. Two normal echos. It amazes me.

I believe my heart has kinda always beat hard since I was younger but it's gotten worse and I notice it more now ever since my really bad SVT attack. It got worse in the ambulance, they couldn't find a vein on me so the paramedic had to drill into my bone to administer medication to slow it down. That sent me even more into a panic and has caused me to always check my heart throughout the day.

matty309 profile image
matty309 in reply to Notorious_Nick

Ah I feel for you I know the feeling:( well of it's any consolation, I have the exact same thing as you, SVT, here bounding in chest. Makes my whole phone move etc. Strong hearts I guess 😜

Notorious_Nick profile image
Notorious_Nick in reply to matty309

Sucks but it's comforting to know I'm not alone lol. If you ever wanna chat or need someone to talk to, you can PM me.

matty309 profile image
matty309 in reply to Notorious_Nick

Thanks will do ;) same for you

aneerj profile image
aneerj in reply to Notorious_Nick

I can relate..please read my other posts and help yourself..you will b ok

aneerj profile image
aneerj

Delnoleen said that our heart took it all and thats so true..our brain our subsconscious mind put all the anxiety in our heart of course because we are humble people..for other people anxiety will manifest like migraine.upset stomach (it can b dhiarea or constipation).h blood pressure.diabetes.thyroid,cholesterol.anemia.fever.etc the list goes on and is very very long..so we got palps and it also refer that our lives is constantly in fast pace..its a message from our heart to slow down our daily routine..please understand that and make in practice better things in your life because also your doctor ddnt see any heart related issue..from a Severe Health Anxiety sufferer to a moderate now..take care

in reply to aneerj

You are so right in what you just said. I think we are humble people,I don,t have any self worth and have suffered anxiety all my life, I could be a recluse if I allowed it. I don,t like people I prefer animals because they don,t hurt you.

aneerj profile image
aneerj in reply to

Thats y we suffer anxiety and people who are tough they cope..but yeah.we have to take our precaution..now with this covid 19 am very scared.i was a severe hypocondriac to moderate now but this situation dnt help me..my sis is stress and making nightmares about me dying as i told her i cough a bit last night..now am more concerned n very afraid..i know it will pass but still.

Alloedtech72 profile image
Alloedtech72

Hey Nick, read some of your posts and I can relate. My kids would comment about my “clicking” heart when they would put their head on my chest. I too was born with a murmur - that’s the sound blood makes leaking through a valve the wrong way. Anyway, I developed severe mitral valve prolapse, MVP. I had robotic valve surgery 12 weeks ago and no more leak, murmur sound, or clicking / squeaking heart. Let me stress to you this very important fact: if you have MVP, DONT WAIT TO GET IT FIXED. It gets worse as men age, more so than women. It will cause afib and flutter as well. Many reasons not to wait until you are symptomatic. And please, find a surgeon that specializes in this repair. Many great surgeons that do high volume repairs. You want a repair and not a replacement. Now, with all that said, I must say this was my experience and I pray you don’t have MVP but if you do get it fixed ASAP. Oh, and the pounding heart beats are part of MVP as well. I had it for over a year before I figured out what was going on. My only regret with my surgery was not getting it done sooner to avoid other potential damage to the heart. I hope my experience can be helpful to you and others.

You may also like...

Etopic heart beats and feeling lightheaded.

with etopic heart beats since I was 15 years old. They still scare me, and I have been to heart...

Ectopic beats and heart rate

Ectopic beats seem to be worse lately and I’m getting them on and off every single day. Doc isn’t...

Sudden very slow heart beat when sitting down

became increasingly aware of my heart rate. I've noticed that my resting heart rate can go to low...

Heart palpitations (slow skipped hard beats) with bad stomach problems (bubbly gut, cramping) HELP

couple of heartbeats my heart would miss a beat and then ramp up and do a really hard heartbeat...

Need help asap if anyone can. I had a few short episodes of extra beats in a row, a skipped beat. I'm feeling better now.

extra beats a pause, a hard beat Then normal\\\\ Then again, ,when I would clear my throat, ,...