I am a 37 year old man who should be in the prime of life, but as of late I have had recurring pain that I think is related to heartburn. When it gets out of control I have crushing pain in my chest that shoots into my jaw, teeth, even ears. I can also feel the pain in my back and I have pain and difficulty swallowing. Its not constant, it comes in waves. The longest episodes have lasted 2 or 3 hours, the shortest less than an hour. Sitting in a prone position, leaning forward seems to help along with an arsenal of antacids, pepto bismal, and acid reducers. I am so desperate for relief that i'm sure I often exceed the normal dosage but I don't care because it is so bad that death would be a relief. Let's put it this way: if I had had a gun in my hand, I would have pulled the trigger and I can stand a lot of pain, I even have tattoos, but this has me in agony and most of the time i'm in tears.

My family is desperately worried. They want me to go to the nearest er but I don't have insurance and i'm afraid i'd be turned away. I really don't know what to do. Any help would be appreciated. I am very scared right now, scared of what might be causing this and scared the symptoms will return.

P.S. I have no bad habits, I neither smoke nor drink. However, my roommate is a heavy cigarette smoker and it bothers me to no end.



Thanks.