Breathing issues, dizziness, chest pain

I've had some frightening issues develop over the last couple of years related to breathing... I would appreciate any advice on what may be the cause as well has how to best approach seeking medical help.

• 25 year old male
• Lightheaded/headache and chest pain when I use talk loudly or try to sing for for a few seconds
• Lung capacity feels less than normal
• Lungs hurt/burn after exercise
• Chest pain and overall tightness during rest/non exercise

  To put this in context, basically whenever I try to exert my lungs more than an "inside voice" I get shortness of breath and dizzy. I used to have a strong voice and could inflect very well, but I'm now reduced to speaking at a very steady volume and pace and I don't feel like I can express myself like I used to. My endurance when running/exercise hasn't been effected too much while exercising, however after exercise I feel super dizzy and my chest feels heavy and tight for hours and even into the next day. When I'm stressed or anxious these symptoms are definitely heightened.

  There are some things that could have possibly lead to this/made these symptoms worse. Firstly, I've smoked weed consistently for the last two years. I wouldn't call myself a heavy smoker or a "pothead", but I do enjoy smoking. I go through periods where I smoke everyday and periods where I don't smoke at all. When I do have weed, I'll usually smoke the equivalent of a joint everyday. I take big gaps between periods where I smoke. Lately my rule has been that I need to double the time I'm sober compared to when I smoke. For example, if I smoke weed everyday for a month, then I wait 2 months before I smoke again. During the periods when I smoke, the symptoms get much worse. Not when I'm actually high, but the next day when I'm sober. My suspicion, is that weed is not the root cause of these symptoms, but rather a trigger due to anxiety. Like many people, weed causes anxiety for me and I think this is what heightens these symptoms.

  Speaking of anxiety, another important note is that these symptoms began during a very stressful time in my life. I had recently failed out of college after 5 years and lied to everyone close to me about graduating. I moved into an apartment alone, and was making a living driving doordash/uber eats (alone) and barely surviving. My future felt very bleak just as new responsibilities were being piled on as I entered adulthood, not to mention the death of a close family member and other failures in life. All of this caused an extreme amount of stress/anxiety on an already stressed and anxious person.

  At the same time my health started to decline. I was eating almost entirely fast food and binge drinking on the weekends on top of smoking weed. I was exercising daily via long walks/lifting weights, but not doing any cardio. Over the last two years I've gained over 50 lbs, although some of it is muscle. According to the BMI measurements I'm obese at 5'11 240lbs, however I don't think that's accurate. I'm still mobile and athletic enough to play a game of half court basketball and I don't look extremely overweight or anything. Most of the fat is concentrated in my belly.

  The first symptoms were the headaches and then chest tightness. The shortness of breath and reduced lung capacity has only developed over the last 6 months or so.

  I've found ways to reduce stress/anxiety in my life which has helped reduce symptoms like light headedness and chest tightness to an extent even when I'm smoking. However, my lung capacity is still weak even on mentally good days.

  Overall, I just feel like a weaker version of myself and want to feel strong and confident again.

  Early on, about a year and a half ago, I went to my family doctor and he took a blood test and it came back negative. He said the only concern was high cholesterol. However, this time my only symptoms were really headaches and dizziness. I want to go back now that things have gotten worse, but now I don't have any health insurance. What I think I really need is a pulmonologist, which is expensive, so I don't want to pay for a check up just to have to pay again for a pulmonologist.

  Any idea what I may be dealing with based on these symptoms? Are there any ways I can strengthen my lungs and see if that helps?

  If anybody read all of this, thank you so much!

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