Scared about "skipped beats"

I'm a 40 yr old male and new to this forum.

I have actually had these "skipped beats" for many years, and being a normal guy and hating dr. visits, I just tried to ignore them and live with the anxiety of not knowing what's going on with me. This problem actually disappeared totally in my mid thirties for a while but returned in 2009. I finally went to the dr. and he ordered a stress test with the dye and I made it through with no trouble at all. When the results came in he told me all looked fine except for one little spot on the image. He said it actually might just be the image, or I may have had some type of "cardiac event" at some point in my life. I can't recall any "cardiac events" other than regular panic attacks in my 20s. He really didn't seem all that concerned about it and told me not to be concerned either. Yeah right! Ever since then I have been overcome with fear about this and my "skipped beats" have gotten more and more frequent. I was scared to go back for any follow up tests, fearing what might be found. I know that's a stupid way to think because if there is a real problem, it's there whether you find out about it or not, and finding out may save your life. Anyway, these "skipped beats" mainly occur after a meal, happen when my body is in certain postures, or after stressful situations. In the past, I began an exercise program and they would ease up greatly after a few weeks. Now I'm so obsessed with the thought that I'm going to just fall over dead if i really exert myself with exercise, I get lightheaded just thinking about it, start exercising anyways, get more lightheaded and have to stop. I feel like my mind is taking over my body and I'm not liking it. Some days I feel like conquering the world, some days I feel like I won't see tomorrow. I recently lost my job of 19 years due to my company's bankruptcy, in a relationship I can't stand (that's a whole other story in itself LOL), and dealing with labor issues caused from company's bankruptcy as I was the union president. Since I lost my job, I have no more health insurance to have any additional tests done anyways. I am by no means trying to say "poor me" by stating my troubles, I know there are many out there worse off than I am. I'm just a scared person looking for some answers. I am overweight. I do smoke cigars occasionally (I know I need to quit). I cut out the caffeine. Eating healthier. Nothing seems to be working for me though. I am also taking diovan for high bp. I hope someone has some insight to this mess for me, and I will certainly read others' posts and see if I can help them with any of their issues. I appreciate any feedback I get from this post. Thanks for listening and take care everyone.   

Hello,tlf186
I am 22 years old, and I, too had skipped beats at times and let me tell you it is a scary thing, But i chose to ignore it for numerous years. My biggest advice when it comes to health is : don't ignore it, your body speaks to you, and you should go with your first instinct. You say you are scared to find out the test results, however, if you choose to ignore it then you may have bigger problems that are irriversible later, the doctors are only there to help alleviate or find the solution to your problem. Don't be scared in fact, be eager to find out so you can get cured and get a peace of mind. Now let me tell you my story, and perhaps it will make you change your mind. Before my recent open heart surgery I had a very vibrant life; I travelled all the time, I was very active and spontaneous; did alot of sports, had a big party lifestyle, and went to school full time, worked double jobs, also I was a very stressed person, and sometimes had anxiety; which by the way is 99% cause to all sicknesses; so it can cause skipped beats at times or just more strenuous on your heart, so here's another advice; if you are a stressful guy try to do some yoga or some type of meditation to avoid stress, go speak to a stress counsellor because it is NOT healthy; a little bit of stress in our lives is good but too much can be damaging to our health.

So one, day in short summary I had a lung infectino while on vacation, and was given antibiotics, which then I became allergic to, in turn had major side effects on my hearts : BIG PALPITATIONS (which are also known as skipped beats), and i was hospitalized on and off. I then had a feeling it had to do with my heart so I insisted on getting verified at a promising institute that specializes only in hearts, and I discovered i had a congenital malformation; its a birth defect I was born with a hole in my heart, with the years it could have grown biger but now it was speaking to me ; time to get it fixed because it was gettig weak with the way i lived however i had no symptoms before. So finally, now, I just went through a recent open heart surgery to close it up , but there are two procedures for this type of defect: 1st procedure is not invasive, takes about 30 -1 hr, and it goes through your hip, and the one I did. Some holes are too small, they don't do the operation; they just give you pills to take to get "regular beats" or whatever.
But i also learned about my disorder that it could take up to mid 30's or even 40's till you detect the hole in your heart; so if that's your case you should go checked as soon as possible; and not to scare you there are worse things that could happen to you if you don't such as: strokes, and even heart failure. Maybe your case is very minor, and you just have to get pills, or because you are too stressed but I would go checked as soon as possible to make sure.
If you can't afford the insurance, try to see in your network if there is any one who knows a cadiovascular doctor and try to get advicel because in order to find out what you have truey you will need to do some tests on your heart.
Good luck! Hope you make the right decision.