I have been experiencing an intermittent pain under my left side rib cage for several years. When it happens it seems to last for a few weeks then goes away for a while. I have been bothered by this bout so much that I feel like I can't catch my breath (not because my lungs aren't clear but because it feels like my lung just can't expand completely). I had blood tests yesterday and ruled out pancreatitis. Still waiting for results on the bloodwork for ulcer. I have had an ultrasound during one other bout and they couldn't see anything. I get heartburn occassionally but not regularly. Today, I not only feel the pain under my rib cage but a "tightness" in my esophagus and still feel like I can't catch my breath. I am scheduled to see a gastroenterologist but I can't get in for over a month. I am very frustrated because it seems like the symptoms I have don't fall into any obvious diagnosis. Do you think seeing a gastroenterologist is the correct next step? There is no food that I've noticed to aggrivate it. In fact the only thing I notice that aggrivates it is abdominal exercises (like sit ups).