My friend a male age 65 started experiencing pain in his ribs on the right side and some shortness of breath on Saturday. He lives in Chico, Ca and the air quality has been poor related to multiple fires near there so he thought perhaps that was the cause. He was preparing to go on vacation but since he was still feeling poorly he was uncertain if he should go. I started asking him questions about the specifics of the symptoms he was complaining of. These are the results: the rib pain is actually in his right chest just below his nipple , it is worse when he takes a deep breath. He also related he has a mole on his back that looks weird and a pain in that area that seem to go deep through to his front ribs. He is a veteran and tried to get an appointment but the first available one is November. I am a BS RN, family friend and think he need to be seen before then obviously. I suggested he see his regular Dermatologist regarding the mole as he could have that appointment immediately. If the dermatologist had additional concerns perhaps he could help initiate an earlier appointment with the VA. Any recommendations you can share will be appreciated.