frustrated with pain under left breast/ribs

I have been having off and on pain under my left breast and to the right of it - also back and forth between sides in my upper chest wall.  my doctor thinks it is GERD or costochondritis but has done no tests.  frustrating.  told me to take GERD meds for a few weeks consistently to see if it helps.  well it hasn't.  no xrays, nothing.  does anyone have GERD and no real taste of acid reflux?  i also carry my 3 yr old son sometimes and carried a bunch of boxes at work which seemed to bring the pain back.  i have been to chiropractor which hasn't helped much.  he thinks i have a rib or two out and keeps adjusting me.  i have had and told them sternum pain and this is what they come up with.  said GERD can cause that.  i'm sick of guesses.  what tests should they be administering and does this sound like GERD?  i would think the meds would help more.  i'm not sure it is associated with eating really.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the forum!
Well if it is GERD you would also need some lifestyle changes with it. Avoid heavy meals. Avoid too much of caffeine, tea, fried food and drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic fuzzy ones. Avoid heavy exercises within 4 hours of a heavy meal. Raise the head end of the bed by pillows to 30 degrees. Go to bet at least 2 hours after food. Maybe these tips will help you. Another possibility is hiatal hernia, where a portion of stomach herniates into the chest cavity through the diaphragm. This causes acidity like symptoms and burps too.
You should see a gastroenterologist (a specialist who looks after the diseases of our digestive system) or a physician for this if these tips reduce your symptoms. An upper GI endoscopy would need to be done.
However if you are sure it is none of these then you should also look as fibroadenosis as the possible cause. This is a benign condition of the breast that causes pain and tenderness.
It can also be due to compression of lower cervical or thoracic spinal nerves. Costochondritis too is a possibility that would be best treated by an orthopedic doctor.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!