Q. I feel my heart beat hard against my sternum. What to do?

Hi doctor,

I am a 46 year old female, and I am obese. I do not drink caffeinated drinks, smoke, or do drugs. I took myself off Lisinopril because it was causing more symptoms than helping. I have high blood pressure, but it got too high, so I am back on it. I was born with a small heart murmur, and it never bothered me. About 4 to 5 years ago while training in mixed martial arts, my heart started beating too fast and then pausing. At this point, I was still about 280 to 290 lbs, eating healthy, working out 6 to 7 days a week in training, but it would not last long. Last year or so, it acted up, and my heart will pump hard against my sternum. In the last episode I had, it actually hurt a little when it would hit the wall of my sternum.

This time, it has been a week now, and it has not stopped. It happens every day. The first cardiologist I saw did not find anything after I wore a Holter monitor for two days and did an ultrasound and a few other things. I went to the ER last week, and nothing showed up, but when I got into my car to leave, it started up again. I am beside myself and scared. Can you please help me somehow? Which direction do I need to go? I do not workout anymore because I have a reverse curve in my cervical spine and some curve loss in my lumbar. It has caused the lower thoracic to straighten a bit, and I see improvements in my posture. I was wondering if this could be a cause because I know the innervation to the heart comes from the cervical and thoracic spine. But if not, what would you suggest? By the way, I am improving my food quality, drinking about 2 liters of water a day. Sometimes, I take magnesium. Thank you.