GERD or Esophageal Cancer maybe? Scared.

HI Jen
Hope you're feeling better.Esophageal cancer is a very scary thought, but it is rare (about 16, 000 cases/year) and is extremely uncommon in women, especially young women. The main warning symptom is difficult or painful swallowing (which is a common occurence with GERD/LPR), but you seem to be complaining more of the cricopharyngeal spasm which is the tightenting of the UES area due to acid--this can make you feel like food is stuck or that you can't swallow .

If you are really worried about narrowing (or worse) in your esophagus, and you feel that your symptoms are not responding to the PPI, then maybe you can see about other tests, other than an endoscopy. I think lots of what you are describing , is what is very common to GERD and/pr LPR (I am a severe hiccuper)

On another note, I just had an endoscopy and my esophagus did not appear to have any injury, although my stomach and my throat (dx by ENT) are swollen--so you can have severe reflux, but not have direct injury to your esophagus.

I am just now seeing both of your posts. Thankyou for the reassurance. Really it means a great deal to me knowing that there are others out there who care enough and can share in the distress and difficulties of this condition. I cannot thankyou all enough! I did think my questions were becoming annoying. Sometimes I even annoy myself lol. I guess I really need to quit procrastinating and make that appt. Here's another question. Can you have GERD without the heartburn? I don't have trouble swzllowing but sometimes one or two hours after I eat it feels as if the food comes back up and lingers in my throay. What causes that feeling exactly?

Hi, first time poster, I stumbled on this post and was shocked to see someone with almost my exact same symptoms. I too visited the ER a couple times initially because I thought I was having a panic attack. I was of course given anti-anxiety pills and I felt it was just masking the real problem. So I started really paying attention to my symptoms and researching. By the way, I should mention, the reason I went to the ER was because I was feeling really short of breath (like I would imagine an asthma attack would feel like) so obviously I thought I was having a panic attack and actually worked myself into an actual panic attack for one of the visits:(

Anyway, I did some research online and with the symptoms I experienced and by logging when the "attacks" happen (after meals and lying down flat) my "aha moment" came, I might have GERD. I made some ground there and went to my physician with what I discovered and after pushing around my throat and stomach and asking some qualifying questions, he decided to put me on a PPI omezeprole 20mg. So far with the medication and with some changes to my diet and eating habits my symptoms have adjusted drastically, rarely any shortness of breath! As well as my doc gave me a full physical, with blood work, and other than acid reflux I'm completely healthy:)...albeit overweight, but I'm working on that.

So that's the good news, bad news is I still have aching in behind my sternum after eating and I've developed an ache below my sternum around the top of my stomach (mostly the left side). Also I do have a cough and clear my throat a lot (again, after eating sometimes when I wait too long to eat) and sometimes going hoarse after talking too long. I've only been taking the omezeprole for a week so maybe I just need to give it more time. But I'm paranoid, I've been doing all kinds of research online and frankly scaring the hell out of myself cause I'm worried about Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer...mainly because I read that most don't show symptoms until the condition is in the advanced stage.

Would it be kind of paranoid of me to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist for a endoscopy? And can I just request one? I just really don't know if I have just cause to worry or not. Also I've been noticing when I swallow my throat makes a clicking noise near the Adam's apple and when I push around my throat it makes a crunchy noise:( I hope that I'm not just making a lot out of nothing. I'm 30, a non smoker and rarely ever drink and haven't really had any bad illness since I was a kid, so now that I'm getting hit with this I'm just afraid it must be really bad if I'm suffering so much from it.

Thank you for the prompt response I figured as much and I think I'm going to schedule an appointment with a GI. I appreciate your input.