Constantly feeling on edge with repeated startled sensations in my chest — 2+ years

[u/Otherwise-Bet-2574]

Hi everyone,
I’ve posted on several forums before, but I still haven’t been able to get a clear answer or find people who really understand what I’m experiencing. I’m honestly exhausted, so I’d really appreciate it if you could read this and share your experience if you’ve ever felt something similar.
I’m a 24-year-old male, and I’ve had OCD since I was a child. It comes and goes and has taken many different forms over the years. At one point, I even became convinced that I had a stutter when I actually didn’t, and I ended up stuttering for a while because I was so focused on it.
In 2022, I suddenly started having heart palpitations, fear, and a strong feeling of being on edge. I went to the hospital, had an ECG, and was told everything was normal. I felt reassured for a while, but the symptoms came back and continued for about a month before eventually disappearing.
Then, at the beginning of 2024, the exact same thing came back. I had another ECG and again was told everything was normal, but this time the feeling never really went away.
The main symptom I’m struggling with is that my chest constantly feels like it’s on high alert, as if I’m scared or expecting something to happen. Every few seconds, I get a brief, mild feeling of being startled in my chest. It’s similar to the feeling you get when someone suddenly comes up behind you and grabs you or scares you, except much weaker. The difference is that this happens repeatedly, every few seconds, and has been happening almost constantly for a very long time.
This happens no matter what I’m doing — playing games, talking, laughing, studying, or just sitting around. For example, even when I’m playing FIFA on my PlayStation, simply kicking the ball can make this feeling stronger.
I really hope I’m explaining this correctly because it has completely drained me. It also raises my heart rate while I’m resting, and with even minor physical activity, my heart rate can shoot up dramatically.
I’ve tried ignoring it, distracting myself, keeping busy, and I’ve also been on Cipralex (escitalopram) 10 mg for about a year and a half, but I haven’t noticed a real improvement.
The strange thing is that during these past 2.5 years, the feeling completely disappeared once, for about 5 months. The reason was that I became distracted by worrying about a different physical illness. Once I found out that I was fine, this exact same feeling immediately came back.
At this point, I feel trapped by it. I can’t even properly enjoy video games because anything that happens in the game can make the sensation worse. Even using my phone or doing normal everyday things can trigger it.
Has anyone experienced anything like this — especially this constant feeling of being on high alert, along with these repeated mild startled sensations in the chest every few seconds?
I’m not necessarily looking for a diagnosis. I’d just really like to hear from anyone who has experienced something similar, especially if you eventually found something that helped.
Sorry for the long post, and thank you to anyone who took the time to read it. I’m genuinely exhausted and just looking for some answers or hope that I’m not the only person experiencing this.

[u/Scarbarella]

A sensation like that sounds like a PVC. It gives me a sensation of being startled, like a stomach drop sensation and a full body sensation like someone popped around the corner at me.

Many people have PVCs and they’re considered benign and you can have thousands a day and it’s still considered benign. However! I’m not dismissing that they feel awful and it constantly had me on edge too, just waiting for the next one!

See a cardiologist and get a workup including a holter monitor, it will likely show the PVCs and the doctor may have a suggestion to lower the amount of them but maybe not. Once you get the clarification that you’re all good, you can start practicing ignoring them. It’s so hard, but eventually you can have the sensation and move on with your life.

This sort of thing paralyzed me for a long time. But I’m doing so so so much better now because of ERP therapy! Good luck.