Hello, johnpaf7, I see that you aree a weight lifter, which is good. The symptoms that you describe are suggestive of GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). These symtoms may be associated with a hiatus hernia. If a part of your stomach slides up and down through the hole in the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest and abdomen, that is hiatal hernia. This can get aggravated by heavy lifting , bending, coughing etc. What happens is, there is a sphincter barrior at the junction of the esophagus and stomach that prevents acid from backing up into the esophagus. If the sphincter is weak, then acid can back up and cause pain,heartburn etc. If you are experiencing pain when you eat, drink, or swallow, that may indicate inflammation at the area of the junction. You might even have some scarring from acid damage and spasm or narrowing. What you need is to get an x-ray of the esophagus and stomach first to look for any narrowing or big hiatus hernia. If present, then you need an endoscopic evaluation by a specialist to get a direct look and perhaps biopsy to look for problems. As for the history of gallbladder disease in the family, you can get a sonogram of the gallbladder as a screening test. There are effective medications to treat GERD which you can discuss with your doctor after the tests I mentioned above. I wish you good luck and good health.