C-Scan tomorrow...hopefully no mass in esophagus

Hi,
I have been apart of this forum for some time. I don't post much but I do read it everyday.
Tomorrow I'm getting a cat-scan done of my chest to see if there is a mass growing in my esophagus. Very nervous. Over the past weeks it feels as if I have a lump right behind my breast bone.
I have suffered from gerd for 10 years. I don't know if there is a correlation but I had the displeasure of watching my father suffer and die of cancer in my arms. The stress of that whole situation had deteriorated my health.
I sat in the hospital with him day in and day out. The only thing I ate was subway and Dunkin donuts. I came back to NY with heart problems and blood work revealed that cholesterol is terrible and the pain I was feeling in my heart was stress induced.
Since that my gerd has gotten worst. Example; I get up in the morning with an empty stomach. I drink a glass of water and take my nexium (40mg). I get heartburn from that. When I wake up I feel pressure in my esophagus behind the breast bone.
I have an appt with my gastro in March and an endoscopy in April.
After seeing my father go through cancer I asked if I could get a c-scan just to give me peace of mind.
After 10 years of acid hitting the same spot in my stomach I'm afraid cancer could show its ugly face.

Tracks, I just wanted to say that I hope everything goes well with your c scan today, and that you get a clean bill of health. I know that I always worry that the years of reflux will finally take their toll on my esophagus.

Thank you all. I'll keep you updated. Hopefully I have good news.

The good news is that my esophagus is clear of any mass or obstruction. Negative results on that. However they found a lung nodule on my upper right lung approx 5mm in size.
Life is a son of a b@#$H!!! Not only do I sit here suffering like the rest of you with gerd and trying to cope and lead a normal life. I have to monitor my barretts bc you never know if cancer will show its face. Then to watch my father get defeated by lung cancer and watch him die in my arms. Now I have to worry about a whole other organ and monitor that to make sure it doesn;t turn to cancer. What else??
Im tired of all this. I still haven't gotten over that whole ordeal with my father and now I have this on my plate!!! Really?

The next person that tells me to be positive I think Im going to punch them in the face. How in the world can anyone be positive when you have to worry about two different cancers sneaking up on you and to deal with the magnificent pains of heartburn all day long???

Edit:  Removed JC from you comment.

Post Edited By Moderator (stkitt) : 2/17/2012 1:27:44 PM (GMT-7)

tracks,

I do understand your anxiety and your anger as I know this feels like you are getting dumped on majorly with way more then you can handle.

I won't tell you how to feel, positive or negative, but I will tell you that I lost my Father, all my Aunts and Uncles, and my sister and my brother to cancer.   It seems to run in our family.  I have had skin cancer but that in no way compares to finding a nodule on your lung.  I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers that this nodule will be benign.

I will also tell you that I understand how you feel when you say can not handle  anymore bad news.  I have walked in your shoes way to often. 

Please know it is good to come here and let out your fears and your feelings of anger.  We will always be here to listen.

I know you weren't up for the positive thoughts, but think of if you hadn't had the scan. You wouldn't have caught the nodule until much later. It's crappy news, but not much you can do about that now except figure out what it is and if you need to do anything.

Tracks-
I had an abdominal CT done in November of 2007. My GI called and said everything gastro wise looked good, but I need to see my PCP because they found a nodule on my right lower lobe. My PCP didn't even bother to see me and sent me straight to a surgeon. A great surgeon by the way, he is the one who just did my open redo in August.
Anyhow, he ordered another CT and we met again on Christmas eve. He gave me the options of repeating the CT every 3 months and see if it changes, biopsying it or removing it. His gut told him it was benign, but since I had been n the 1st Gulf War we decided to just remove it and move on from there.
Mine was said to be the size of a marble when they found it in late November and when he removed it on December 28th, '07 it was the size of a walnut with the husk still on it. Mine turned out to be benign and caused from mold spores native to the back swamp waters of the Mississippi river.

Find a good thoracic surgeon and go over your options. Praying yours is as mine was, just a benign growth.

Take care,
Bill