Thanks for the quick response, guys!
I agree that getting a CT scan with contrast should be my next step. I had that done three years ago, and I could see that my right SP was pressed up against a vessel – which one, I’m not sure.
Which test shows blockage of blood flow – is that a venogram? Should I have that done prior to the CT scan? I don’t have any particular head position that makes it worse, so I’m concerned that nothing will show up on the CT. I also know that the timing of contrast injection determines whether veins or arteries are visualized. So, maybe I need to have some tests done before the CT…sorry, thinking out loud here.
Regarding the chest and throat pain, the vagus nerve idea is interesting. I had even thought it could be MALS (median arcuate ligament syndrome) where the celiac nerve plexus (which contains branches of the vagus nerve, among others) is compressed by an incorrectly positioned ligament across the spine, at the level of the solar plexus. That could explain why I get pain in my solar plexus and up into my throat when I tense my abdomen muscles, but then again, I don’t get the extreme stomach pain that most get with MALS. Anyway, just a new symptom of ES seems more likely in my case.
Jake