I'm certainly no doctor, so it's not a doctor's advice I can give you, but just my thoughts:

1: About your heart and the feelings you are having: GET YOUR HEART CHECKED, make you doctor do a ECG, and -

2: - if you don't have faith in your GP, wouldn't it be a good idea to FIND ANOTHER GP. That must be possible.

If your heart is okay, then your palps are "benign", though they don't feel nice at all. And benign palps can be caused by several of the other issues you are dealing with: (Often difficult to prove what causes what, though ...)

3: Anxiety and stress can cause your autonomic nervous system to "act up" and via the vagus nerve send "false" impulses off, among other places to your heart where they might cause extra beats, which might feel different from time to time. So you'll probably have to DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR STRESS-TRIGGERS.

4: Benign palps can also be incited by GASTRO-INTESTINAL "EVENTS". I think some of mine are due to occasional over-eating, especially late overeating - and too much red wine. Herbal tea? That would probably not be because of the herbs, but because of "over-filling"?

5: Maybe your SNORING AND TONSILS are causing many nights with bad sleep? That contributes also to stress in my experience.
The snoring/tonsils-thing must be dealt with. Some doctors and "sleep-clinics" must be able to deal with this.

Five points of action! Go ahead - and best of luck.

Martin

Okay, welcome to the forum and I've read your post. Firstly, let me suggest that you seek out a physician who can restore your confidence, for being without a physician in whom you can place your trust is no different than the absence of a physician altogether.  

Regarding your long-standing hypertension, I'm constrained to point out that the origin could very well be associated with the sleep apnea. I certainly recommend that you seek out a referral for a sleep study and if treatment is prescribed, you should follow through and work to regain a normal sleep architecture. Lack of quality sleep or disturbed sleep patterns as a result of sleep apnea can have a significant impact upon your health.

As for the palpitations, the descriptions of "fluttering, cramping, spasms and jumping thuds" are all characteristic of benign palpitation events and typically vary in presentation. Generalized chest discomfort can arise from a number of causes, but anxiety is often responsible for the onset or persistence of GI difficulties. Hyperacidity and reflux is quite common and again, poor sleep only serves to exacerbate the problem.

You'll likely find relief from the palpitations by addressing the sleep disturbance and the GI difficulties. While the palpitations are incapable of harming you, they tend to be very distractive and serve to raise concerns about whether they constitute a warning sign.

Lastly, always be sure to directly address medical issues with a physician when seeking advice. The forum can help you better understand the nature of symptoms already evaluated by your doctor, but I advocate caution when seeking any kind of evaluation via the internet.

Best Regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)