Abnormal Heart Beat

I'm 19 years old. In high school around 16 I started feeling "weird". I got sick a lot and would miss 1 week of school at a time. I am afraid of death, and because of this for some reason I don't like going to the doctor. I 'toughed' it out until about 17 and at school i would get tired/lightheaded if i stood for too long. Keep in mind i had a horrible diet then, and couldnt eat in the mornings and was around 105 lbs and 5'9.

To my current problem, Since highschool I slowly but surely made recoveries to my condition for no apparent reason other than getting older and eating more. I got a job that required physical demanding work and after a week my heart/body adjusted to the work and i gained muscle and weight. If you saw me I would seem like a very healthy person.

My symptoms: when at rest my heart beats normal, and most of the time when i am walking around it is normal. The problem is that i can feel my heartbeat without checking my pulse, i feel it in my chest. When i exercise or stand up quick and move quick my heart starts to beat fast, then slows down to about 50 bpm then speeds back up. It also happens when i am exercising or walking/running for a while where a normal person would get up to like 160 bpm which i get up to, but when i stop moving or concentrate on my heart pattern it pauses, skips a couple beats then beats really hard and keeps going along its merry way.

Keep in mind i am living fine with my condition and although i dont know if my heart will stop beating in the next second, i am still afraid to tell my family, or anyone for that matter my problem.

Can someone help me out with the risk factors of ignoring this problem and trying to live a happy normal life, or going to the doctor to take a drug that will cause other problems, or w/e cure if there is one.

[RNRita]

Feeling your heartbeat without checking your pulse means nothing.  Most of us here are cardioconscious.  A lot of people in the world actually get all the same symptoms as us but never feel a thing!  Can you believe it?  I feel everything.  Nothing you have said gives me any cause for alarm.  It is normal for your heart to speed up when you move quickly and slow down after, then get up to speed.  As for the little skips you have once in a while.  Normal.  BUT, you always should see a doctor to make sure your heart is structurally normal before taking ANY cardiac issue into your own hands.  I think everything is fine, but a trip to a doc won't hurt to make sure there is nothing underlying that you don't know about!

[Dylan718]

You know the funny thing about that is after my dad told me his friend could slow down his heartbeat with his mind, i would lay in bed trying to concentrate on slowing it down, but all it did was make me able to feel my heart whenever i concentrated on it.

[AaronBa]

I was very athletic at your age and sometimes had your same symptoms as does my younger brother who is almost 16.  They are not uncommon and you probably have nothing to worry about, but I currently have a heart issue that I'm trying to sort out and I know how my wife and my parents would feel if I didn't tell them about it.  I think you should see a doctor and tell your parents about it so they can advise you and support you just in case something is wrong.  But I'm sure your'e fine.