Does anybody know if doctors can tell if the heart is enlarged or if there is any damage to the heart just by listening to it with a stethoscope? I'm wondering why when i go to the doctor he checks heartbeat with his stethoscope in my chest, stomach, back and all over the place. Also, can they tell if there is fluid in the lungs?

Reason i'm wondering this is because when i went to the doctor all he did was listen to my heart and he said that he doesnt think there is anything wrong my biggest fear is cardiomyopathy and with my anxiety disorder i tend to think myself into believing i have it which makes me suffer soo much. I actually get my mind off of my heart for a few mins and then this pops in my head

YOU GOT CARDIOMYOPATHY!

and then i get all worried again.. :confused:

I think hes listening to hear if youre airways are clear.Dont use the internet to diagnose yourself otherwise you will end up thinking you have every serious illness.All the best.

He listens to your heart in all different areas as he can detect such things as murmurs, bruits, fluid and for abnormal heart sounds. Your heart has four chambers and has normal sounds throughout each one, when he listens to each chamber he can hear if the swooching and lub dubing are moving in the appropriate pattern. If someone has a heart murmur he can tell by listening and detect where it is in the heart. he may be able to detect valve regurgitation, aortic aneurysm, cardiac tamponade and many other things. I noticed in one of your other post that you questioned having an enlarged heart? A simple chest xray will show an enlarged heart but would require further testing such as an echo or TEE. Sometimes an EKG can show you have an enlarged right or left side?

But i have read that when your heart is enlarged murmurs and other things happen that can be heard with the stethoscope. So if when he does all this with his stethoscope and it is all normal would it be safe to assume that my heart is in tact and not enlarged? I've also read that feeling the area with hands or tapping the area with fingers can indicate an enlarged heart.

I'm beginning to think that the stethoscope, invented in 1816, is quickly becoming one of those things that shows "who's the doctor." Like the white smock.

A stethoscope can show a heart murmur or MAYBE pneumonia but little else and both of these conditions would then have to be checked out with better testing methods. My doctor even misdiagnosed my pneumonia as a "cold." I guess some are better than others with the primitive instrument.

He can't tell if a heart is enlarged with a stethoscope, spencer. Getting an OK after a stethascope exam shouldn't give one much comfort.

Spencer, I have read all your posts over the past several months and in particular your post on the ANXIETY board. You mentioned that you were diagnosed with anxiety? Hopefully you are on medication for this. I believe because you are only 15 years old they can certainly rule out any type of actual heart disease or previous heart attacks. I doubt your symptoms and age warrant having an angiogram done. At your age they may have considered some type of congenital heart defect that may have been missed at birth but in the absence of an abnormal EKG or abnormal heart sounds or the fact that you have no heart murmur then they would not go ahead and do an achocardiogram or a TEE. Your fast heart rate does not appear to be linked to any type of an arrythmia. Your doctor looks at the whole picture when he decides what to do when you complain of particular symptoms. In your case it seems that they have determined you have anxiety. It may seem insensitive for us here to not validate your complaints as you believe that they relate to your heart and in the end the anxiety does alter your heart rate and also affects peripheral arteries but only secondary to the anxiety process. Although for you stress and anxiety over time can be damaging as some recent studies indicate. It may be best for you to concentrate on getting your anxiety under control and see if your symptoms subside or lessen. Ask your doctor about the possibilty of havin what they call a CONVERSION DISORDER this is a total pre occupation of ones thoughts that they have an illness or disease that no medical basis can be found for. Have you considered get out and away from your computer, maybe joining a group after school like some sort of sport. What about your studies? Sounds like you are bored with a lot of time on your hands. Do you do anything as a family? Are your parents at all concerned with your unusual pre occupation with your health? They should help direct you in life at this age. You may be better able to relate to other teens that have anxiety or depression issues, but only on the level that they actually want to control it or overcome it and not just complain about it. Hope that you do get the validation that you are searchiong for but in a healthy way.