Starting at the end of last week, my neck, upper back, and right shoulder started aching, like i'd pulled a muscle or had a pinched nerve. Starting about Sunday IIRC, my sternum now hurts when ever I breathe in, not quite sure what is the cause. It hurts more when I am laying down, making it difficult to sleep. This morning, the pain in the back, neck, shoulder seem to be gone, but still hurts to breathe. Not quite sure what the cause could be. I don't have any history of asthma, personally or in the family. I don't spend a lot of time around particles that could cause asthma. I've had a very strong immune system, and my pulmonary system has been really good. I'm thinking maybe it's bronchitis or a strained muscle. I haven't gotten light headed at all. I did feel a little ill yesterday, kind of cold, lack of energy, etc. I'm hoping it's just a simple virus that will go away. Going to the doctor or receiving medical treatment is kind of out of the question right now, because my mom's health savings plan is pretty much depleted, and our deductible went from $2,500 to $10,000 after obamacare started going into effect.

Just wondering if anybody has any thoughts about this.

EDIT: Also, I've never smoked.

Breathing problems are often connected to weight problems. I would suggest losing some weight as a first step, even if it is just a pound or two - every little bit helps, and once you start you may find it easier than you think.

Good point. I'm actually trying to do that now. I am 5'8" and weigh somewhere in the 200-220 lb range. I have decided to quit drinking soda and limit my caloric intake, as well as not backloading my calories to the end of the day. I'm trying to get out and walk a lot more(which is now becoming a logistical problem because of the breathing issue).

If you want a diet to succeed, start with only a few changes, until you've done those for a while, and then add in more. I'd suggest against the walking for now, or only go at a light pace. Changing what you drink is a very good start, but don't feel forced to change foods and such right away too. And treat yourself to something nice once in a while.

It sounds like it could be a pulled muscle. I've had something similar after I've over done it running. Or maybe you strained your back badly somehow- our backs are really delicate, and injury there can impact us in surprising ways. That said, if it gets worse, you might have to suck it up and go to a clinic!

What follows is a great way to deal with some kinds of muscle related back pain. I'm not even going to pretend that I know this will help, but it is a good practice to prevent back pain in the future!

Get a pilates ball, and some light weights. (Like, 5 lbs or even less will work for this!) Sit straight on the top of the ball, with your feet on the ground, but just for stability- your balance should be coming from your body.

Take one weight in each hand, bend your elbows fully, and hold them at about shoulder height, the ends of the weights parallel to your facing. Lift the weights straight up until your arms are fully extended, and then rotate your torso 90 degrees (or as close to it as is comfortable) in one direction. Hold for a moment, then turn back, lower the weights slowly to the starting postion, and repeat the exercise for several reps. Then do the same thing, but rotate in the other direction.

This is a good exercise for many types of back and shoulder pain. What it does over time is strengthen the muscules in your back, which are wrapped around your spine. When these are stronger, your back and shoulders will be generally less prone to stress and injury.

Thanks for the pointers. I'll have to look into giving them a try.

The soda change is something I've been kicking around for years now. I know it's horrible for me, but it tastes so good, and the caffeine is addictive. With a scary history of obesity and type II diabetes on my mom's side of the family(when they hit their 40s anyway), I've decided I need to be proactive and stop that from happening now. My mom used to be very obese and was on her way to becoming diabetic, and managed to lose 150 lbs via gastric banding surgery. Consequently, she's not diabetic like the rest of her sisters and her mother. I would rather lose the weight now in a natural way than wait till I'm in my 40's and have invasive surgery.

NOTE: The pain seems to have lessened up a bit after a good afternoon nap(only interrupted by a phone call from my dad to tell me that a terrorist attack by Iran had just been foiled and that we may be headed for war again, lol)

Aye, changing what you drink can radically affect your diet. And good on you to step in, I've done the same about half a year back, while I was only a bit overweight I had a high fat % and showed heightened cholesterol values. Since that is an issue in my family, my doctor and I agreed that diet changes were in order. I dropped weight, and my fat % is within the safe zone these days. Comes with the added bonus that I enjoy exercise a lot more since my body isn't holding me back, and I have a much more positive body image.

I've recently changed soda for water again. I thought I could get away with Coke Zero, but I noticed that arificial sugar makes me get food cravings. I've looked it up and it seems to be something that studies have shown as an existing side effect, something with body insulin. I don't fully understand it, but I have noticed that when I drink water I crave snacking a whole lot less. And since I've found a brand of bottled water I like, I just keep a bottle on my desk. Also helps with monitoring that I drink enough.

Surprisingly, when I was at the doctor's office a few months ago for a checkup in relation to my ulcer, my blood-pressure/cholesterol were really good, despite my love for salty and greasy foods(which I have recently cut way back on).

I usually go for a good fiber content in my breakfast, with more granola and oats now, instead of the crappy Fruity Pebbles I used to eat.
My lunches are generally sandwiches or maybe Macaroni & Cheese. If I'm going to eat a high calorie meal, I do it at lunch, so that I have time to burn the energy before going to bed and having it store as fat cells.

I have noticed with more water and no soda, that my appetite and snacking have decreased significantly. My jeans also fit better this morning :P

Woohoo! It's lovely to see results like that. Tracking progress helps you stay motivated too. Keep at it *shakes cheerleader pom-poms*

My breathing is slowly improving. I've been running up the stairs a few times today for various reasons without much difficulty. The back, neck, and shoulder pains are gone. I can sleep a lot better(except last night, DAMN YOU TO HELL STINKIN ALLERGIES). I've also been without soda for 9 days, with the only adverse effect being headaches, which I'm sure will go away soon. I kind of feel better without the soda though.

If the headaches get too bad after the soda, there are always caffeine pills to buy (at least over here). I've resorted to them at times when my headaches got too bad after being off coca-cola for a while. As a guideline, I think one litre of cola contains 100mg caffeine.

I've always thought myself lucky I do not get caffeine headaches. You could also try a healthier caffeine substitute if you don't want to go for pills. A cup of tea or coffee, with a tiny bit of sugar if you must. Or milk <_<

I don't drink tea or coffee(religious reasons), but I did have some crystal light yesterday which helped. It was the Dragonfruit energy flavor, with caffeine in it. Just mixed 2 tubes into my 34 oz fountain drink mug.

Breathing is better today too.

Breathing fine now...the back pain is going away.

I've been without soda since Thursday, October 6.
No more headaches, but am having cravings. The weird thing is.....I'm a Dew guy but I've been having the strangest craving for a Coke today.