<s>[INST] Hi,35 f last week I noticed my heart felt like it was skipping a beat or beating hard in my chest.  Thought maybe it was stress and it would go away but now have shortness of breath and feel like I need to cough or like I have a "lump in my throat". Any ideas? [/INST] Thanks for your question on Health Care Magic. I can understand your concern. In my opinion, we should first rule out arrhythmia and other heart diseases in your case. So get done 1. Ecg 2. 2d echo 3. Holter monitoring (24 hour continuous monitoring of ecg). If all are normal than no need to worry for heart diseases. Stress and anxiety can cause similar symptoms. So better to consult psychiatrist and get done counseling sessions, try to identify stressor in your life and start working on its solution. You may need anxiolytic drugs too. So avoid stress and tension, be relax and calm. Don't worry, you will be alright. But first rule out heart diseases. Hope I have solved your query. Wish you good health. Thanks. </s>