My son Tyler is 19 and at the age of 2 had corrective surgery to fix a hole in his heart. It was located in the muscle between the two chambers that alowed blood without oxygen to pass into the body.
He went to Texas Childrens Hospital every 6 months untill he was 13 and is not on any meds at the time. His doc gave him the all clear, and said that he would live a normal happy life, but from time to time, he comes and tells me that when he is tryin to sleep, he can feel his heart beating in his chest. I tell him that he is aware of his heart beating because he is worrying about it, but that it's nothing to worry about.
Can someone please tell me if this is normal or if it's something I should worry about.
I want to thank everyone that helped me out......I've worried about him his whole life, and now that he's finished High School, and is about to enter college, I'm going to worry even more. We're going to get checked out and hopefully everything will be ok......Maybe it's just a little stress about going to college. At least, I hope it's that simple.
He needs to f/u with his doc ASAP!! While you can feel your heartbeat with stress, it can also be a symptom of something far more serious. Given his heart history, I wouldn't tell him simply not to worry about it. Just for the record, I'm an ICU nurse.
I'm adhd... so I ALWAYS feel my heart beating. Each and every single beat, all day, every day... and it's interesting because there are different *types* of beats (strengthwise... but different from BP, I'm talking about feeling my heart muscle itself) in addition to different speeds. It was utterly shocking NOT to feel my heart beat, which is what happened on certain types of adhd meds.
I understand non-adhd types have to actually think about their heart beating unless they're running or scared or excited. But I always feel mine. Including the blood flow in and out of it in about 6 inches in most directions. Especially in my inferior vena cava. I only feel my entire vascular system, however, if I've just quit something strenuous. Which is annoying.
When you lay down your BP changes. I can feel that as well, but I don't know about other people.
So I'd 2nd getting it checked out, if it's something new.
I have worn a heart monitor twice... once for 10 days and once for two. Can he get a monitor just to make sure that everything is ok? When he feels it and panicks it makes it worse :( Through the heart monitor i found out that i have palpitations and tachycardia. I take meds to help. I really would have a dr check this out.... then he can rest a little easier...
I used to feel my heart beating in my chest when I was trying to get my thyroid levels just right. I no longer need thyroid supplements, but when I did, I went through all sorts of symptoms as we tried different dosages and brands of thyroid, including feeling my heart beat at night. It really is a strange sensation. Given his heart history, it might give everyone some peace of mind if you could check it out with a doctor. And have them check his thyroid levels while you're there. :)
Both my mom and sister had this same problem fixed, but at age 55 and 30. Apparently, this is a congenital problem and most people don't even know they have it. All babies are born with this hole between the chambers, but it usually closes in a short while. My mom found it when she had a heart attack, and my sister got curious when she was in med school and found it in herself.
A problem with his heart now wouldn't/shouldn't be related to the other. You should probably have him checked out just to be sure all's well. I only feel my heart beating when I'm pregnant or have exercised hard.
I am also a cardiac patient and the only thing that will allow your son to relax is to have him go to the doctor. Maybe the cardiologist can put him on a halter monitor for a day or two so they can see what is going on through out the day and night. It's probably nothing, but it's better to be for sure, especially with a history of having a cardiac problem.
As far as I know, my heart is perfectly healthy and I often feel it "beating in my chest" at night. I believe it has everything to do with the position I'm sleeping in, as being on my side tends to make it worse (I can't sleep on my left side at all for that reason). If he's feeling it no matter which way he lays, you might want to give the doc a call...if for nothing else then some peace of mind.
I've also experienced occasional heart palpitations, during which I become acutely aware of my heart "fluttering" in my chest (even when standing/sitting) but those are normally quite harmless and can be caused by stress or even a vitamin deficiency. Palpitations are usually brief, however, only lasting for a few seconds or up to a minute. So again, if this is happening for extended periods of time then it might be worth looking into.
