Hi I am 17 years old, and recently my heart has been acting strange. For a few years now I would suddenly feel my heart pound very heavily sometimes to the point of where it makes me cough rather hard. But it would only happen say...once or twice a year if that. So I didnt pay much attention to it. Recently this year (2011) my heart has done it many times, so often that it doesnt take me by suprise, I just stop what im doing and take a few deep breathes and try to really work on breathing steady. WELL, now this year, not only has my heart done that many times, but now it flutters? I think thats how you would explain it. I feel it like...almost tripping over itself so-to-speak. And a few weaks ago it did it for like a whole 20 seconds. I was in the car talking to my bf, so there was no stress, i was not driving. And especially within this month (may) it has done it countless times, also, last night it did it and i felt very short of breath so i layed down and sort of just waiting for it to quit. I know this is long but i wanted to tell all the details. My grandmother has cardio myopathy, her left vintricle valve did not completely form as a child. She says its like a sponge? where when blood passes through it sucks it up and so it prevents the proper amount of blood to go through. Heart conditions run in my family. So ya. pls help? I am going to the doctors when I can.