throat esophageal cancer

[justice38]

Please someone take the time to read this. 2 years ago I woke up with what I thought was another ear infection. Swollen tonsils, ear ache, generally feeling like crap. Went on another round of antibiotics. Didn't help. Since then I have had 4 infected teeth removed as well as some jawbone . I then had my tonsils removed due to infections that wouldn't resolve with multiple rounds of anti biotics. Now I'm scared #*&less because my doctor doesn't seem to take it serious that I have difficulty swallowing.

What I mean by difficulty is that it takes effort. I don't have a sore throat and I don't have trouble eating or drinking I just can't normally swallow. It takes effort.
Now I know that it could be because I have reflux but is it possible to have difficulty swallowing for 2 solid years without it being serious? Please someone tell me they know what I'm going through
PS. Sometimes it seems likes its getting better and I get my hopes up and boom here it comes again. HELP!!!!!!!!!

[Fishmanpa]

I have swallowing issues due to head and neck cancer and treatment. The only way to determine if indeed there is a physical cause is a swallow study (barium swallow test). Typically done by a speech pathologist.

That being said, anxiety can and does cause similar issues and the fact that it gets better and you can eat and drink with no problems indicate that it very well could be anxiety related. This is from the "Symptoms" link here on the site:

Throat tightening/Choking/Swallowing problems

What you feel:

Often one of the first symptoms of anxiety. People complain of feeling as though they will choke or being strangled. In reality its not nearly so dramatic – the muscles in the throat contract and salivary glands produce thick mucus leading to a feeling of restriction around the throat, it can produce a feeling that you are having difficulty swallowing or breathing. In fact you are not having difficulty, it just feels as though you are. You also get a dry mouth and it can feel like you cannot drink but you can.

You feel as though there is something stuck in your throat or sometimes feel there is a lump in your throat. Other times you may feel that you can barely swallow or that there is a tightness in the throat, or that you have to really force yourself to swallow. Sometimes this feeling can lead you to think that you may suffocate or get something stuck in your throat.

What causes this:

When in danger, stress biology produces a tightening in the throat muscles which produces the choking or 'something stuck in the throat' feeling. When in a nervous or stressful situation, many people will experience this feeling. It is often referred to as 'a lump on your throat'.

There is minimal danger of choking or suffocating under normal conditions, however, some people are very sensitive to things in their throat and therefore caution should always be observed when eating. Chewing food thoroughly andslowly will prevent inadvertently swallowing something that may provoke someone to gag. This symptom can come and go, and may seem to intensify if one becomes focused on it.



Positive thoughts