scared and going down the google rabbit hole

Jason1

hello,

This fall I began to notice small things about my swallowing that were slightly off. I seemed to eat just fine but noticed maybe sometimes that bread didn't go down as fast as other food. I never really put much thought into. Now, in late October I started noticing my throat felt tight between my breastbone and my larynx. My wife had a chest cold, so I didn't put a lot of thought into again. I was still eating just fine. A little history, I have been on pantoprazole for maybe 15 years for occasional heartburn reflux. I have taken it religiously for most the time. I would forget some nights but mostly took it. I might have regurgitated once or twice a year if I ate too late or too much. I really never had any problems. I do not smoke or drink. I had a brother of my grandparent that passed in his 80s from either stomach or esophagus cancer. No other history of cancers anywhere. I have a busy desk job. Back to November I woke up after eating a big steak late and had regurgitated in my sleep. I went to the bathroom and coughed and wretched for a while to get it out of my throat. I pulled some muscles in my diaphragm area and it hurt to laugh for a few days. Since then, my throat has felt like it is getting tighter above breastbone and below larynx. I can swallow ok, but I always have this feeling like my throat is tighter. I went to my primary and he upped my pantoprazole to twice a day. Things have stayed the same with my tightness. I can't say my throat hurts but it feels tight. When I eat, I feel the food going down but cant say for sure it gets stuck? I have been drinking a ton of water. I get occasional discomfort from just below my sternum but really no pain. I am still working every day. I have raised my bed a little and I do still get a slightly Metallic taste in my mouth some mornings that last into the afternoon. I feel my swollen sensation gets better in the evenings and then gets tight again after mid-morning. I can swollow my medicine with water and I think I can feel it maybe touching my throat as it goes down. I feel great otherwise but this tightness in my esophagus has me terrified. I went and seen my local surgeon who has me down for an endoscope next Tuesday. He didn't seem to worry about my symptoms and asked me what I thought I had. I told him EC and he explained to me the stats and how few get it and how my reflux over the years was more of a when I ate to late or to much but he would do a scope. I have a terrible tendency to google everything, and this has me breaking down reading all the stats and symptoms. My god, all the symptoms are the same for everything from EC to LPR to GERD or esophagitis. I have had this before where I thought I had something and then was tested and nothing. I have a real problem with googling pains. My hands shake, I cry and spend every minute on google looking for possible explanations. Please someone can you make sense of this.

paul61

Hi Jason,

Your symptoms don't sound to be severe enough to be EC. When I was diagnosed with EC I had food get stuck on the way down, hiccups when eating, and could feel pain when the food passed my tumor. Your symptoms sound more like esophagitis or perhaps anxiety. But you are doing the right thing. Getting an EGD will give you peace of mind or identify the source.

Ignore 90% of what you read about EC on Google, that information is dated and misleading. EC caught early is very treatable. I am an example. I was diagnosed 13 years ago.

Jason1

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1702830#Comment_1702830

Thank you so much. My throat is still swollen with back pain beginning directly behind my stomach. I had an abdominal CT scan in October to check in a kidney cyst and all was clear with pancreas and gastro area. Also had a chest xray last week to check fir asperation. I'm just a mess with pain and losing weight as I dont want to eat really. Thank you

kyrani99

Hi Jason,

Do you have any life issues causing you anxiety? I have seen someone I knew with esophageal cancer and she had a lot of anxiety due to problems at work. It is important to find some solution if you have any anxiety so you can get rid of the anxiety.