Hi, Im a 45 year old woman ios now experiencing pain on the left hand side of my ribs. I was abroad in September and came back off holiday with a chest infection/virus. I had to have sterroids to get shot of it and it seems to have cleared up. I have a cough in the morning which brings up green phlegm but after that I dont really cough much during the day. The pain starts the front of my chest and it can work around to the back and the side, under my arm but further down and it is alway on the left hand side. I have smoked in the the past and have been able to battle the cigarettes for periods of months but some stress factor has always made me turn back to them.Im currently not smoking . I have been to the doctors who has sounded my chest and said he couldnt hear any crackling. He thinks its the muscles between the ribs and said to go back if still there in a week. Its been a week and the pain is still there.Ive been taking paracetamol and that seems to ease it.