I'm new to this illness, and I have questions (long post)

I’m a 43 year old woman, non-smoker, in otherwise good health, and recently diagnosed with Tietze’s Syndrome/Costochondritis. I first experienced it a couple of weeks ago after walking my dog for an hour up a very steep hill in cold weather (something I have been able to do in the past without that much difficulty). The first thing that alarmed me was the fact that it seemed to take an entire day for me to get over this. I had this feeling in my lungs like I was about to start with a bad chest cold, although I wasn’t coughing. Just a general achiness, somewhat laboured breathing (I was certainly able to breath, but it just felt like it took a bit more effort than normal) and a tight feeling in my chest. These symptoms lasted an entire day (although I was able to go about my normal daily business). The next morning I woke up with chest pain, just a feeling of tenderness/soreness/pressure going up both sides of my chest (just above the breasts towards the sternum). It was at this point that I went to see the doctor. She checked me out by listening to my chest as I took deep breaths and thought all sounded normal and clear and therefore ruled out asthma. I had to blow into this contraption like a breathalyser (I’m assuming it was to test lung capacity) and my reading was 310 (I’m about 5’5”, and was told my reading should be closer to 380). Surprisingly, this low reading did not alarm my doctor. After taking a history and feeling around on my ribs and chest, she diagnosed me with Tietze’s Syndrome (but also used the term Costochondritis). All she said about it was the fact that ‘young, fit’ people get it, and it is usually caused by overexertion and deep heavy breathing, overuse of the area around the ribs (which made sense to me). She also said I should lose weight and get more exercise (I am about 3 stone overweight, but was also this same weight last year and did not have these problems, although I was still walking just as much!). One wonders if she would have taken my symptoms a bit more seriously if I were thinner?? She seemed to imply that if I increase my fitness level (which is of course always a good idea) then this thing will be under control. With that she sent me home, no prescriptions, no advice as to treatment nor how long this would last. As it turns out these symptoms persisted for another day or two (not so much the chest pain, which went away rather quickly, but the laboured breathing persisted). However, I have to say the symptoms disappeared as quickly as they presented themselves.I just made the decision not to overexert in cold weather again. I thought that was the end of it! Well, yesterday I took the dog for another walk, going up a hill (not as steep as the last one) and made a really conscious effort to take things slowly and not overexert. It was very very cold (in fact it was freezing fog, so it was extremely damp as well). I live in Cumbria, which was the coldest place in England yesterday! After I came in from this walk, again, I felt like my lungs were burning, like the cold air was just trapped in my airway and in my lungs. This feeling persisted all night, and this morning I have again awakened with that same feeling of laboured breathing (I am able to breath normally, it just feels like it takes a bit more effort – very difficult to explain, as I don’t wheeze or cough, so to the casual observer I am breathing normally, but it just feels a bit tighter). I also have the same localised chest tenderness/soreness going up the same area around the sternum (not a severe pain like the rest of you describe, just an achiness). I expect these symptoms will disappear the same way they did a couple of weeks ago, but I am really worried now. My questions are:

Did I get the right diagnosis? Should I get a second opinion and see a different doctor within my local practice?

Is this something that is going to recur again and again, especially during the winter? I am only 43, but feel as vulnerable as a pensioner. Obviously, the trigger is walking uphill, because I was fine before I did that.

Everyone on this forum complains of chest pain. What about breathing difficulties like the one I describe? Is this a normal symptom of this condition?

Help, please!

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