Last year I had 9 incisional hernias removed from my stomach due to a back surgery where they went through the front, then the back. Since then, I have developed horrible shortness of breath. I had a chest x-ray but my family doctor just said i had some COPD. It doesn t make a lot of sense to me, as sometimes I can hold my breath for long periods of time, no problem. But also, because I have a lot of pain in the upper part of my stomach as well as some periodic bloating in my upper stomach. I also have bouts where I am unable to swallow. I spend a lot of time sitting humped over with my legs crossed. Could this have anything to do with my diaphragm or something