Strong pulse followup

[tarek]

Hello,

This is a followup question regarding my strong pulse in my lower center neck. I also can feel my pulse (and actually see it)in my center arms (peripherial)) and also sometimes in my stomach).

But my beck pulse is always visible. I have read from this website (one of the doctors ) that all this most likely be caused by "this feeling is most likely caused by peripheral vasoconstriction and/or stiff blood vessels".

What are the chances of having stiff blood vessels in a 26/m/fit ?? and should i be concerned about this neck pulse and pulse in my center peripherial arms?

Thanks a lot doctor.
Tarek

[tarek]

hey .. first thanks doctor i will ask my physician about aneurysms.. what are the ways to detect them though?

and no im not that thin .. (im not fat either, but i can definitely loose some weight around my belly lol) .. anyway thank you all for your inputs...

[deedle1976]

I'm not thin but not fat either. I'm female with a 31 inch waist. US size 8 but I have plenty of fat around my middle. LOL.

[Capleton]

Are both of you thin?  I am not particularly thin, yet I can see my heart beating quite prominently in all these places.  It is never that bad when I wake up first thing in the morning, but looking at my abdomen now the whole thing is shaking to my heart beat and if I were to look in the mirror my neck arteries would be pulsing strongly. I guess its just normal for some people!

[deedle1976]

I can feel my heart beating all the time too. It doesn't bother me (apart from the PVCs) as it feels normal for me. I don't have to feel my wrist or anything to take my pulse. I can just count it from deeling it inside me. I think it would be weird not to feel it. My partner can't feel his heart beat at all, even if he concentrates really hard. He says he can only feel it when he is excercising.
My stomach moves too. Actually two members of my family have had AAAs but they were quite elderly.

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

Hi Tarek,
I do not think that a young, thin individual would have to have stiff arteries or vasoconstriction to see arterial pulsations -- I hope not because I can see mine also.  It is important that a phyician sees it so they can decide if it is a normal variant or if it requires further work up.  Most people that can see their pulses in their abdomen, wrists, neck, or arms are healthy, but their is a minority that may have aneurysms or some other conditions.  That is why a physician should see it even if the chances are small that it could be something that needs further work up.

I smile when I read your questions because my college roommate at Notre Dame played for the varsity soccer team and was very fit. One day he noticed pulsations in his neck and he thought he was going to die -- it took us quite some time to talk him down from that.

I hope this clears up your questions.  Thanks for posting.

[Capleton]

Hi.  I was the one who asked the question in the other forum.  My whole stomach shakes with my heart beat and my neck pulse is very prominent, especially when standing up.  The doc scared me slightly with all of his ideas about aneurysms etc but I am starting to think that it is perhaps just normal for me that I am so aware of my heart beat.