My god, 20 years? I've been going through this for almost 3 months and I don't know how to cope. Doctors not really helpful. I too feel like this is a nightmare. Did they make sure to check that you don't have any kind of leaky valve regurgitation? Because it sounds like you have something that's reccurring. I started having this stuff almost three months ago right after I was running and got really overexerted, and then all of a sudden my chest kept hurting and my breathing isn't right. The doctors told me they suspected pericarditis, and have been treating me for that. On my scans they saw pericardial effusion, pleural effusion, and atelectasis. For me, it is like something in my chest locks up and I can't get a deep breath to go down. I also get this severe pain in the right side of my chest, but I swear I can feel a spot where it's more tender.... The doctors told me it was pleurisy, but I'm not so sure. My primary care doctor wants me to go for a mammogram. And then I still have cardiac scans coming up. Breathing issues are some of the worst things you can get because it is so hard to pinpoint the cause.