I can see my heartbeat?

[kio]

Hi everyone, I'm a 20 year old female and have anxiety issues especially health anxiety. Anyway three years ago when I was 17, I noticed I could see my heartbeat in my stomach and my left breast. At the time I was having severe anxiety about other 'problems' and was afraid I had a disease which caused heart issues so I was checking my heart rate all the time (pretty much always in normal range unless extremely anxious) so I don't know if this is how I noticed it but I don't remember seeing my heartbeat prior to 2014. In 2013, when I had an infection, a nurse gave me an ECG just because I was having dizzy spells (but this was just from the illness) and the ECG was normal and when I was having it done I don't remember seeing my heartbeat at all. Anyway, I am planning to o to the doctors just because it freaks me out much. It's like this 24/7. I place an item on my stomach or chest and it bounces to my heartbeat. And if I'm reading a book and lean it on my stomach the page moves to the rhythm of my heartbeat. Also I occasionally get palpitations but they seem to be when I'm thinking about my heart or am anxious even though sometimes they seem out of the blue. Is this even normal because it scares me so much? I'm afraid I'll be diagnosed with a horrible heart disease if I see the doctor but I am also desperate to not be worrying about it anymore. It's taken over my life the last three years health anxiety is becoming so hard to deal with :( thanks in advance

[Kirk]

The chances of a 20 year old female having any heart related issues are extremely remote.

[willheal]

It's normal to be able to see your pulse. I have a lot of heart concerns too (ok, actually I've been freaking out about my heart constantly since early 2015).

I went to the doctors and made sure everything is ok. Now the hard part is trusting that they are right! My brain is really good at finding loopholes or overlooked details. I've been to the hospital 6 times this year. lmao.

Don't be like me

Edit:palpitations are fine in healthy individuals, too. But it's good you're going to get checked out anyway!

[Synner]

Hi everyone, I'm a 20 year old female and have anxiety issues especially health anxiety. Anyway three years ago when I was 17, I noticed I could see my heartbeat in my stomach and my left breast. At the time I was having severe anxiety about other 'problems' and was afraid I had a disease which caused heart issues so I was checking my heart rate all the time (pretty much always in normal range unless extremely anxious) so I don't know if this is how I noticed it but I don't remember seeing my heartbeat prior to 2014. In 2013, when I had an infection, a nurse gave me an ECG just because I was having dizzy spells (but this was just from the illness) and the ECG was normal and when I was having it done I don't remember seeing my heartbeat at all. Anyway, I am planning to o to the doctors just because it freaks me out much. It's like this 24/7. I place an item on my stomach or chest and it bounces to my heartbeat. And if I'm reading a book and lean it on my stomach the page moves to the rhythm of my heartbeat. Also I occasionally get palpitations but they seem to be when I'm thinking about my heart or am anxious even though sometimes they seem out of the blue. Is this even normal because it scares me so much? I'm afraid I'll be diagnosed with a horrible heart disease if I see the doctor but I am also desperate to not be worrying about it anymore. It's taken over my life the last three years health anxiety is becoming so hard to deal with :( thanks in advanceCompletely normal. I have Panic Disorder which is, like yours, centered on health concerns. I can totally see my heartbeat in my chest and stomach if I'm lying still. Palpitations are also normal. I used to spend a lot of time with my finger on my wrist checking my heart rate. One of the things you learn the hard way when doing that is that it's pretty normal for your heart to skip a beat, or beat out of rhythm momentarily, particularly when you're experiencing panic or general anxiety.

Usual caveat- I'm not a doctor. If you are concerned about a new symptom, you should always check in with your doctor.

[RudyL90]

Yes that is very normal. I've had similar concerns and checked non-anxious family members, I can see their heartbeats too.