Here is my situation.
About a year ago, I woke up, went to get out of bed, and felt this strange tightness—almost like a pinching sensation—on the right side of my chest.
That discomfort hasn't actually gone away to this day. It isn't exactly an agonizing pain, just a rather dull ache, but it definitely bothers me.
During those first few months, I noticed that if I performed any neck exercises, like rotating my head, the pain would flare up in that exact same spot.
Interestingly, if I used my other hand to hold that area steady while rotating my head, the pain wouldn't happen at all.
That specific part eventually stopped happening after a while.
What really confuses me, though, is that the pain seemed to intensify if I had smoked a few cigarettes; I suppose I'm not sure if it's just in my head or something more tangible.
Basically, if I smoked a couple of cigarettes the night before, I’d find the pain was much stronger the following morning.
I've had chest X-rays done, and everything looks perfectly fine.
My sinuses are also completely clear.
Even my blood work came back normal.
I did deal with H. pylori previously, but I managed to clear that up with antibiotics.
In the meantime, I've been dealing with constant mucus buildup in my throat, which seems to get worse whenever I have a beer or some wine.
A few times in the morning, it felt as though there was a literal lump in my chest, especially if I had enjoyed some wine or beer the evening prior.
If I don't drink, I don't seem to have these issues.
While I was taking Pepcid, which my doctor prescribed, the mucus in my throat would vanish after just a few days. I stayed on the Pepcid for three months and the mucus stayed away, but as soon as I stopped for about two weeks, it all came right back.
I'm honestly at a bit of a loss regarding what to do about this lingering chest pain; sometimes I'll even feel it while I'm out for a walk.
If I use my hand to press down on the area and "pull" it away from my chest, the pain disappears...
Could this possibly be something related to the chest wall, maybe a muscle issue?
Perhaps something involving tendons or ligaments?
Does anyone have any sensible advice on what my next steps should be?
I suspect my doctor might already think I'm just being a hypochondriac...
