Chest pain, aching joints

[col81]

I'm a 24 yr old male,reasonably healthy (up until recently).For the past 2mths,I have had infrequent pain in my chest.Mainly,it is like really bad heartburn,but recently other discomfort has occurred (notably tender to the touch,especially at the front of the ribs & muscular aches going round to my back).I saw my doctor approx 2 wks ago & he said I had a virus (I do currently have a headache & feel bunged up & stifled,although that may just be hay fever).My chest now feels a bit 'tight' & like i have a really bad chest cold. Also, over the past few days, the muscular aches seem to be spreading - my neck is quite stiff at frequent intervals,my shoulders (particularly my left one) feel like they've been wrenched out of their sockets (the left one, again, can be uncomfortable to move), my elbows & knees also stiffen up regularly (I take cod liver oil once a day) & my back aches all over.My stomach can be uncomfortable as well,I get a lot of excess gas (although this may be connected to an unrelated problem, i.e. my doctor thinks i may have a hernia & I'm awaiting a scan for this).
Basically,I'm just wondering if anyone has any idea what could be up with me,if they've experienced similar,etc. & what i can do to alleviate the problem.I don't want to keep pestering my doctor & have him think i'm a hypochondriac,but I know that something isn't right & i want to get it resolved myself if I can as I feel weary & it's getting me down (I'm supposed to be going on holiday in 10 days,i can't be ill for that!)

[col81]

myproblem, thanks for the advice. I shall look it up.

[myproblem]

Look up Reactive Arthritis, also known as Reiter's Syndrome. This is most common among young men. It typically occurs after a bacterial infection from Salmonella, Yersina, Shigella, or Chlamydia. It can cause all of the symptoms you are having.