Eighteen year and really scared

My dear “TY”

First, congratulations to an 18-year old who has wisdom enough to abstain from smoking and drinking.  Those are often two main culprits for Esophageal cancer.  However, none of us here would want to further depress you by saying, “Yep you’ve got Esophageal Cancer for sure!”  Swollen lymph nodes could come from lots of things, so if that were your only symptom, I would want you to try to quit stressing out and jumping to this conclusion.  Yes waiting till Thursday for your Endoscopy seems like too long to wait, but it’s a necessary step toward reaching an accurate diagnosis. 

Moreover, since my husband didn’t have any of the symptoms you list.  All he had was a pesky HICCUP each time he started to eat.  He had no other symptoms.  No difficulty swallowing—no heartburn, or anything one would normally expect.  Plenty of people do go on to be diagnosed with Esophageal cancer.  However, you have waited this long, you must not diagnose yourself before this Thursday.  If the gastroenterologist sees anything, he will tell you that very day.

Incidentally, any time we go for a test, we ask for a copy of the report.  And when a scan is done, we ask for them to make an extra copy for us.  Now you’ve been quite a few places by now, so I hope you’re keeping a journal of where you’ve been and the results.  And just in case you do receive a diagnosis that is definitive, if I were you, I would seek a second opinion as well.  Yes, “two heads are better than one” when trying to ascertain a correct diagnosis.

And when you see the gastroenterologist on Thursday, ask for a copy of the “pictures” that will be taken.  There is no charge for that, but you have to let the people know ahead of time, so that when they take pictures (and they do), they will make an extra copy for you. 

So, TY, at this point, I doubt that any of us that frequent this site on a regular basis would dare tell you that you have EC.  The symptoms you exhibit are definitely something to worry about, but we’re patients and caregivers here, and would need something much more definitive to definitely classify it as Esophageal Cancer.  At this point, all I can say is you will have to “chill out.”

But if we can be of help, in the event that your fears become a reality, we will certainly help you any way we can.  There are some seasoned veterans here who have “fought the beast” and won.  We have more than one long-term survivor of Esophageal Cancer who monitors this site in order to help out any way we can.

As for my husband, his hiccup turned into a Stage III Esophageal Cancer diagnosis of “T3N1M0”.  This meant that his cancer was in the advanced stage.  It had penetrated all 4 walls of his Esophagus, and was found in 2 local lymph nodes.  The “T” stands for “tumor”.  The “N” stands for nodes.  The “M” stands for metastasis (spread to another major organ or distant lymph nodes).  Thank God this number was a “zero” meaning that the cancer had not advanced further than the Esophagus.  Now my telling you this will probably engender more fear, but you asked about our symptoms.  That was it, so I’m not going to negate the symptoms you exhibit.  But we’re not doctors, and would get “thrown off the site” if we were to play the doctor role at this point.  Most of those who write here have already been tested and diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer.  That gives us a lot more freedom to comment and help where we can. 

While I don’t want to appear to be nonchalant about your fears, you just have to “wait” a bit longer.  Now I know your fears are real but while heartburn can indicate cancer, it doesn’t always mean that it is.  And honestly, sometimes doctors do not order an Endoscopy, and simply prescribe Omeprazole for the heartburn.  Persistent heartburn and acid reflux should always be taken seriously, and an Endoscopy should be done.  If cancer is present, the earlier it is detected, the better. 

You’re very young and having health issues at this age is very disconcerting.  I know you’re upset.  That’s understandable.  And “YES” we will pray for you and for the doctor’s to know how to find out what your problems really are. 

 Love and prayers, from a Grandmother, age 78, and I do believe in prayer!

Loretta Marshall

P.S. These are helpful sites that help “newbies” find their way.  Hopefully, you will not need them.  There is a condition that is sometimes a precursor to EC.  It is known as Barrett’s Esophagus, so I’ve included a link from the Mayo Clinic on that as well. 

1.  http://news.cancerconnect.com/newly-diagnosed/

2.  http://news.cancerconnect.com/types-of-cancer/esophageal-cancer/

3.   http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/barretts-esophagus/basics/definition/con-20027054

Hello,

Sorry to hear you're having a cancer scare, especially at such a young age.  You asked about symptoms.  The only symptom I had beforemy initial Stage III diagnosis was an inability to swallow at times; food was getting stuck.  It wasn't getting worse, but it wasn't getting better either, so I went to my gastoenterologist and he found a tumor during an endoscopy.  I had reflux/heartburn for years prior to geting cancer.  I had it for more than eighteen years, but that wasn't so much a symtom of EC as it was the cause.  Heartburn became reflux became GERD became Barrett's esophagus became cancer.  It wasn't something that progressed quickly, it took a couple of decades.  

I'm sure you're running into a ton of anxiety about your test Thursday.  My best recommendation is to just worry about things that are in your control.  You can't do anything about the wait, so don't worry about it.  You don't know what will/won't be found so don't worry about it (sounds from what you describe that it may be a GI issue).  When you get an answer, if there's a problem, then you worry about it.  Realize where you are and where you want to be and figure out a plan to get there.

Wishing you good results on Thursday,

Ed

Hello, 

You don't mention what your doctor said about the possibility of cancer, so while he maybe didn't rule it out, he didn't find a tumor either.  That's very encouraging.  Hopefully, they figure out what's going on with you and hopefully it's a lot less serious than cancer.  The vast majority of medical conditions out there are less serious than EC.  

Best Wishes,

Ed