Mild Gastritis won't go away... It could be something else.

I had an endoscopy done early last year that revealed mild Gastritis.  The doctors concern did not reflect how much the problem affects me, and did not offer much in the way of treatment.  H. Pylori = negative.

I had the test done because I feel like there is an obstruction in the top of my chest, leading into my throat.  It does not come with the typical pain of heartburn; very rarely do I feel that and it correlates with foods I've been aware to eliminate for a long while now.

A couple things about this obstruction is that there is a correlation with air trapped in the chest and position.  For instance, it causes most discomfort laying flat on my back, forcing me to sleep on my stomach just to feel like I'm breathing (I've had lungs checked too.).  If I'm standing, the discomfort is decreased by close to 50%.  And, the trapped gas.  If I lean forward, my throat opens slightly and I let out little burps.  It feels great to do this, but it seems there is always air trapped there and I find myself trying to do this all day.

Over time, I found foods that aggravated heartburn and eliminated them.  Quit drinking, and eat a healthy diet consisting of mostly rice, vegetables, beans, and well-cooked meats.  Still, this extremely discomforting, yet not-painful condition persists on.

I've tried to assist in the recovery with herbs and supplements known to reduce inflammation, and half of these supplements cause a hyper-active reaction and sometimes make my chest-throat discomfort worse.  It's not an allergy as nothing else happens.

Finally, I'm no saint.  I drank and smoked moderate to heavily for about 7 years.  I'm well aware that these can cause the issues I'm describing.  I haven't drank alcohol in over a year and my smoking reduced to minimal or nothing daily.  Again, my diet is what I would consider superb with healthy meals and a rare soda.  Water, powerade zero, and green tea are the preferred now.

In conclusion, thank you for reading this much, and I'm totally baffled how my endoscopy could come out fairly clean with so much discomfort.  Does anyone have advice for me?  Please feel free to ask more questions.   I tried to be as detailed as possible.