I am a 22 year old male, and I have been having dull aches under my rib cage and in my back for over 6 months now. I recently went to see my physician, and he ordered a chest x-ray, which came up clear. Before this, I had been coughing up a thick brown mucus and found a trace of blood a couple of times. That was about 5 months ago, and has lessened or stopped completely. The pain is constant though and is really starting to worry me. I experience this pain very irregularly. Sometimes I get it when I breath in or out, but sometimes not, and sometimes I get it when I move a certain way, but not always. I feel it mostly on my left side, but also on my right side to a lesser extent. Again, it feels like it just beneath my rib cage. What could this possibly be, and what other action should I take now that I've had a chest x-ray?
I don't have health insurance, so I want to know what course of action to take before I go back to the doctors office.
Your help is greatly appreciated