Fear of hearts/heartbeats: is it normal?

I am an 18 year old female. Growing up, I was always the "healthy child" as my mother so often put it. My brother and sister were both born with heart murmurs, and my mother would always compare their heartbeats to mine. She always said that my heartbeat was strong and sounded so much more healthy in comparison to my siblings'. I never noticed a fear of hearts/heartbeats until more recently. When I was 15, I went to the doctor for a routine physical (I was on poms and loved dancing). My physician gave me an EKG because, as he explained, there are so many young athletes who have heart conditions that they simply aren't aware of. I failed the EKG and because of this my doctor advised me to get an Echocardiogram. The results? Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease (BAV). I was born with it and never even knew. Perhaps that's why my heartbeat always sounded so strong; it was beating harder than the average person's. Now I can not bare the sight of hearts. I can not stand to feel or hear a pulse/heartbeat (whether it be someone else's or my own--this is a definite issue when I am trying to cuddle with my boyfriend). I have a very difficult time falling asleep comfortably at night because I can feel/hear my heart beating. I put a pillow on my rib cage to try and find some sort of comfort. This is now the only way I can fall asleep. Is this a phobia (Cardiophobia?) due to my doctor's findings of BAV, or am I just weird? Let me know if you or anyone you know has been in a similiar situation! Thank you!

Voting Results
65% Normal
Based on 52 votes (34 yes)
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Comments ( 8 )
  • squirrelgirl

    Based on your history and your recent diagnosis, I'd say it was normal that you developed a fear of hearts. I developed a fear of choking when I was a child and choked for so long that I started to "brown out" (tunnel vision prior to passing out).

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    • Jube

      Thank you! Makes me feel a bit better.

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  • RoseIsabella

    Read The Telltale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe.

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    • Jube

      I have, I love Poe. He's one of my favorites.

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      • RoseIsabella

        Me too.

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  • palepunk

    Given the circumstance, your fear is very normal.

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  • KURO&SHIRO

    You could have cardiophobia. It is the fear of the heart or heart disease. Usually, people with family or personal history of heart problems have a bigger chance of having this phobia. If you are afraid of your heart skipping beats, have this feeling that your heart beat is unsettling, or find yourself not being able to feel it, you probably have this. Therapy and panic treatment might help you.

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    • Jube

      Thank you very much!

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