Discomfort above belly button, digestive issue

I have an interesting condition. Just wondering if anyone can tell me what's happening to me.

First, I am a 25 year old male, and it is now January 19th, 2011.

Just before Christmas, I felt some discomfort in my abdomen. Periodic aches and pains in various locations. At times I would get feverish, and I felt very constipated. Never felt nauseous or vomited or anything, and the pain wasn't severe. The problem cleared up by the sunday after Christmas, for the most part...

Then I was shoveling snow from our driveway on Sunday, Dec 26th, and I felt something pull in my upper stomach/diaphragm region. Ever since then, It has hurt to breathe out. Not breathe in, just out. It feels like it hurts just below the tip of my sternum. Sometimes the pain causes nausea. Not severe, nor do I have/get a fever, but it's annoying. I have noticed a loss of appetite. I just don't feel hungry. I can still eat, I just don't feel any need to.

Also, I feel bloated in my lower abdomen region. I often feel as if I need to pee or have a bowel movement, even though I don't. Sunday (January 16th) my stool was green, but it is back to normal brown now. I still feel slightly constipated, and my bowel movements have been small. I constantly feel gassy in my stomach, as well; I always feel like I have to belch, and often do... little small ones. Also, my ribs often hurt me in the front, especially my lower ones. My back has not hurt whatsoever.

One more interesting thing is, when I sit or stand or anything else, the pain below my sternum remains whenever I breathe out. However... when I lay down on my back (not my side or stomach) the pain goes away in that area. Not immediately, but within 5-10 minutes. When I first lie down, my ribs hurt pretty bad, but soon that goes away, too.

Now, when I wake up in the morning, the breathing pain and rib pain are always gone, but the last two days, I've felt nauseous when I first woke up. Within 10 minutes of being up and around, however, the nausea was gone and the pain was back. It seems to be improving, but after a month, I decided to get some opinions on it.

I haven't been to the doc, as this all seems more like a minor inconvenience than anything else, but I was curious as to what my condition is. I don't want to do any strenuous activity (like snowboarding) if I've physically injured my diaphram or something, but if it's just a minor infection, I should be ok.

Anyone else have this problem? Can anyone tell me what's going on with my body? Any input would be appreciated. Thank you very much.

[Striker37]

One more thing... I think I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on top of all this. I have been overly fatigued and tired for the past couple months, plus I have some of the other symptoms, as well. Random joint pain, forgetting words, etc.

Don't know if that matters or not.

[Striker37]

Now I'm feeling nauseous again. No appetite. Seem to be running a fever. :P I'm sick of being sick.

[ggreg]

Oh, you'll have to go to the doctor.  Couple things might be going on.  Could be you strained a muscle when shoveling snow, or a hernia may have developed, which is where muscles tear in the abdomen and it hurts.  The fever and other uncommon symptoms tells me that something is wrong in your intestines, like maybe an infection is going on in your gut.  Infection makes a person feel tired.  I don't know if the pulled muscle and gut infection is related, but if it is, you have no choice but to see a doc.  Also, I think you are probably constipated, combined with the little digestion you are having, so while you wait to see the doc, add more fiber to your diet, drink more water and do some easy but regular exercise, like stretching carefully or walking, helps the bowels move better.  I might add that the holidays often bring extra people to this forum, indigestion is common at this time.  So, see the doc, get some bloodwork done, stool sample, your abdomen pushed on to find why your tummy hurts in a specific place, and so on.