Appreciate the prayers! I've had so many issues, I forgot to mention covid. My symptoms have been around for 10 years (all started after I had a double hernia mesh surgery, which I had pain from for 8 months and was put on fibromyalgia medicine for, which I stopped taking a long time ago), but the pain and general gnawing feeling in my stomach started a few weeks after I had covid 2 years ago, and have been up and down ever since. It was also after covid when several of the symptoms I mention appeared more prevalently, specifically my eye issues.

I have had GERD since my 20s, and regularly visit my gastro, and was scoped last year. Just before the scope, I was having the same gnawing pain in my stomach, and he said everything looked great (his words). The gnawing continued after. I suspect it's more of an issue with my esophagus, but no one has a clue. I consistently take my meds, and never have reflux in the sense of anything coming up, never coughing or throat soreness. I'm 5'7 and 155 lb, and don't eat after 7. There really isn't a reason for it that I can pinpoint.

I would love to wean off the PPIs and have tried in the past, but it's just never been successful. I tried 1 nexium 1 day, 2 pepcid ac the next, for a month, then started replacing nexium with pepcid, then weaned off pepcid, was also supplementing with apple cider, but I continued to have pain daily. No reflux really during this time, which I think is odd. Perhaps it was coming up just far enough into my esophagus to erode it again.

I have considered costochondritis, it seemed very likely due to how it hurts on the outer walls, closer to my armpits, and when I breath deep, and when I have these upticks, I take advil to address it. They eventually go away after a week or two and won't come back for a while. I've never been able to confirm it though, xrays are always normal. I've noticed the chest wall pain on my left side, when it comes in the middle of the night, will throb for an hour or more, until I get up and drink a sip of water. Within seconds, it's gone (though it does come back later). I think that must be related to my esophagus and hiatal hernia possibly.

I woke up this morning after sleeping well for the most part, except some minor pain at the base of my neck again, but was pain free. Then I started feeling this sensation like something pushing on my lung, like thumping on it, and like it was going to take my breath away, happened about 10 times, and I finally drank some water, and it stopped. Since I have muscle spams visibly on the outside, I just wonder if they are also inside and hitting my esophagus or hernia area. It's so hard to describe this stuff to a doctor, and I've been to dozens and tried. It usually ends up with them telling me I have anxiety. Which I don't...I can see how someone might get it after dealing with this so long though!

Thanks for the input, it really is appreciated!

Oh, and regarding seeing another gastro. That's basically impossible where I live. They are all in the same network, and they refuse to see anyone that is a patient of someone else from their network. Talk about a dereliction of their oath. It is what it is, and I've even written my useless congressmen to suggest they outlaw this, but I guess my pockets aren't deep enough to get a response that has anything to do with the question I asked.