I would stay away from a chiropractor and seek out the opinion of a spinal surgeon. Either an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in spines or a neurosurgeon that specializes in spines.

It sounds like you are in dire need of an evaluation with a spinal surgeon. Spinal x-rays show very limited information on spinal issues and are not very good with information on discs.
An MRI of your spine would be a far better test to determine the disc condition as well as the spine and other things within the vertebrae.

It is not uncommon to have breathing problems when you are in pain, especially spinal pain.
I have asthma, myself, and am extremely well controlled. Maybe use a rescue inhaler 10 times in 12 months if that much. On the other hand, when I had my spinal issues and for about a month after surgery, the spinal pain was so bad that I was using my rescue inhaler several times a day. That was considered normal under the circumstances. Since a month post op, I have gone back to my normal and have not used the rescue inhaler once in the past 2 months.

Good luck with an evaluation with a spinal surgeon and see if that results in finding out what is going on.

Fran

One thing is for sure, if you have had your gall bladder removed, its a very good idea to have your omega 3 levels checked, and vitamin D!

This can also be a rib "subluxation". Have you had some good deep tissue massage work on the area? Many times, just with firm pressure in the area (of course not causing pain) can put the rib in place.

What happens when you twist left and right? Can you feel a joint restriction?