I searched the forum today as I too have this set of symptoms. Also stressing out about esophageal cancer, my main concerns are I am grossly overweight, and have had acid reflux off and on for years, but since Tuesday nothing helps it, not Rennies, Nexium, Zantac. My throat burns constantly, I also constantly feel I have something in my throat, and I find it hard to swallow sometimes. Often when I lie down I feel I am going to choke if I don't swallow, as it feels something is pooling in my throat and getting more and more, so I am swallowing every 20 seconds whether I am sat or lying down just to clear my throat of this. Being 39 I am also not that young which concerns me, also I have been over 24 stone for nearly 20 years, I even went up to 34 stone for a few years. I first went to the docs in 2013 with bringing up blood with white foam, but was told it was probably allergies, but antihistamines don't help, nor did antibiotics. Fast forward to now, and suddenly since Tuesday this begins with nothing helping, I have never had it like this before. I can totally relate how jumping to cancer is done, especially when we suffer from anxiety. I don't think I have cancer, but it still plays on my mind as a valid possibility, especially when 2 of my school friends have died of cancer already (not EC though).
I will tell you how crazy I am, I had a panoramic dental x-ray the day this began, and I have been paranoid ever since thinking the radiation has burnt some of my already damaged esophagus as the scan goes around the neck and teeth, I know, ridiculous, I hate my brain and the way it works. Also I wore a special "99% removal of all viruses respirator mask" (I know, I know) all the way to the dentist as the person driving me there had a bad chest and head cold and I was terrified of catching it as my tinnitus goes crazy with a cold for a month, so I am also worried the mask has in some way scarred my throat as it was a pressure to breath against, so my stupid brain is thinking the pressure from breathing so hard against the mask has damaged something. I also chickened out of having my lower wisdom tooth removed due to the fear of nerve damage, so I went there for no reason in the end, I am just a damn nervous freak, I hate it. I definitely know this acid reflux is real, so I don't believe I am imagining it, but I sure am not helping it by wondering all sorts. No idea why tablets are not helping though, that adds some worry, coupled with the swallowing problems.
Do people here with anxiety find it hard to swallow sometimes even without acid reflux ? So if you chose to swallow multiple times, could you do it without a problem each and every time ? Or would some times be hard to do ? I seem to be able to swallow every other time basically. First time usually not, then 2nd time yes.
This only started Tuesday so I haven't been to a doc yet, I will do if I still have this in 7 days time. Good luck to Chris for your 7th March appointment, are you having a modern style transnasal esophagoscopy ? Or the old style "lie on side" endoscope ? I desperately would want to the newer style TE style, if you get the choice and the doctor says both are as good as each other, then choose the TE style.
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Originally Posted by Chris1985
