Over the last year Ive found it increasingly more difficult to catch my breath with activities that what would have normally been very easy for me to do. I periodically also suffer from swollen calves & ankles,,especially around the top of my sock line and have very thick, heavy flem and coughing in the am. I also have a lot of problems with a knot on my left side of back around the scapula,,,and always in the same exact spot. Ive been a smoker for almost 35 years so I was sure it was my lungs. I had a chest X-ray, it was normal, I had a COPD test,,it was normal too. Im currently a 56 years old male and other then my breathing I think I am in pretty good shape. (6 Ft, 185 lbs) Could I be experiencing symptoms of congestive heart failure.