Bwyjewel, It probably is heartburn, but it could be heart problems. Heart pains in women often don't fit the patterns for men. I don't have any medical degree, but it probably is not cancer.
Please get this checked out immediately. Good luck, and please let us know how you are doing. Take care,
Lynne

Yes, you really need to get this checked. It could be something as simple as arthritis. But on the chance that it could be one of the other things that the previous poster mentioned, you should make sure that your doctor knows about it.

The back pain and the stuffy nose probably don't have a thing to do with each other. But your doctor needs to know about this too. He is the one to advise you as to what you should do.

I had a heart attack about 3-1/2 yrs. ago & the symptoms did not seem bad at all on the day it happened. I went to work all day with a pain in the middle of my chest that just felt like someone poking their finger on my chest. Long story short, get it checked out as things are not always what they appear, especially having to do with women & heart related problems, altho your symptoms do sound like something different to me, but I'm not a dr. for sure.

I bet you have gall bladder stones. Right-sided pain along with pain that feels like it shoots from between the shoulder blades is *classic* for symptoms. That is exactly what I had back in 2002. Off and on over the course of a month or so, I would get right-sided chest discomfort (usually just under the right breast) with sharp pain shooting out from between my shoulder blades. Each "attack" was slightly worse than the previous. It was so bad one night I thought it was a heart attack! We went to the E/R, an ultrasound confirmed gallstones. I had the gall bladder out via laproscopic outpatient surgery and never had a problem with it again.

I would go to your general doctor, describe your symptoms of specifically right-sided pain and upper back pain together, and he/she will most likely order an ultrasound - you might even get an additional ultrasound of the heart called an echocardiogram, just to make sure everything looks fine from the cardiac standpoint. Get it all checked out to be on the safe side.

I think the nasal and cough symptoms may be allergies? - I don't think it's related to the other issues.

Good luck!

Thanks to all who respond.

I've been checked for gallstones and that was fine. I'm also on medication for heartburn already. I'm under a tremendous amount of stress in my life lately. I really think the discomfort I'm feeling is related to my back/neck problems. The pain and stiffness is more in the back even though I have pain in the neck, shoulders and legs. I will check it out with my internist when I see him in July.

My first thought was also gallstones, until you mentioned the tremendous amount of stress you've been under. I would BET the stress is causing your back pain. I know this will sound crazy, but you need to read the book: Healing Back Pain: The Mind - Body Connection by Dr. John Sarno. You are probably suffering from Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), the name Dr. Sarno gave to this condition. The book teaches you how stress causes most back problems. Just reading the book will probably cure your back. Don't take my word for it. Read some of these reviews on Amazon.

I bought my book on eBay for about $4. It stays loaned out to friends most of the time, so I'm thinking about buying a second copy so I will always have one on hand. Seriously, read some of these reviews so you'll know how much this book can help your back pain. This is one of the best books I own, and I reread it anytime my back starts to hurt, and it's always when I am stressed out about something.

I first heard about Dr. Sarno on the TV program 20/20 about ten years ago, and it showed him healing three different patients, just by teaching them that they can cure their back with their mind. Just knowing about the TMS syndrome and how the mind works will make your back stop hurting. It's so simple, it's unreal. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: 318 book reviews on Amazon

Acid reflux or GERD have symptoms like you have. Some people have to cough in the morning to feel relief because of the backwash from the acid in your stomach. Good luck...

Wow, last night I went to get up off of the couch and out of the blue at the pain that you described. (In the right side of my chest, into the back and shoulder). I already had my gall bladder removed. I do have lower back problems, and I have had rotator cuff repair surgery on my left shoulder, which made that worse. But the right side pain was very new to me and scarey. I am under a great amount of stress, so I am wondering if it is related. I am going to try to find that book and see if it helps me.