Terrified that I have oesophageal / throat cancer

[SpawnChorus]

A couple of years ago I started having a "clunking" in my throat when I swallowed or when I turned my head. I ended up having a camera-up-the-nose examination and everything looked fine. I felt reassured and continued to put up with it as a mild nuisance.

Anyway, of the last year or so the clunkiness has got more noticeable, and in the last month or so I've had mild difficulty swallowing. There are always a few bits left at the back of my throat and I need a couple of attempts to get it down. I've also been feeling food get stuck lower down in my oesophagus, like the feeling you get if you've been eating too fast, even though I've been eating slowly.

Finally in the last couple of weeks I've noticed that my voice feels weaker / hoarse.

I did the STUPID thing of googling, and of course two main causes of these symptoms are really nasty - cancer and Parkinson's.

Bu "happy" coincidence I'm due to have an endoscopy in the next couple of months as ongoing monitoring for my v mild and currently asymptomatic Crohn's disease, and I've mentioned my swallowing probs to the doc, so the ball is rolling, but I am so SO freaked out about it.

I'm hoping someone might be able to tell me they had similar symptoms and was fine...please?? :)

my dad had some "pockets" on his oesophagus, he had similar problems to you, but ended up unable to swallow. He had an op, and was fine. They just needed to "burn shut" the pockets. It was day surgery.

Do you smoke? Drink to great excess?
If no to both, unlikely to be anything nasty. Something like a pharyngeal pouch as PP described much more likely. I know it's hard to not worry though!

Doesn't Crohn's disease effect the whole of the digestion system, from the mouth downwards, so potentially it could be that?

Can you speak to your doctor and try and get an endoscope sooner then in two months time?

I used to smoke a couple of joints fags a day for about seven years, but gave up eight years ago. I'm 35. I used to be teetotal, but now drink about 15-20 units a week.

belgo - you're right, the doctor said that it's actually rare in the oesophagus, and that the chances are it would have been picked up as something v noteworthy on my previous endoscopies.

It also doesn't hurt at all, which makes me more worried iykwim.

sorry - but the doctor...

As you are worried then go back to your GP. They might bring forward your scan as more urgent or reassure you.

Do you have any sinus problems Spawn ? I had very similar symptoms and mentioned it to my ENT comsultant who I was seeing for sinus problems and he prescribed Pariet and it really helped with the swallowing problems. I'm not sure why but assume it was sonething to do with gastric reflux.

Hmm, well not right now, but I often do get blocked sinuses. Nothing too dramatic though!

Many years ago I had similar symptoms to yourself. I had difficulty in swallowing and felt that food was getting stuck in my gullet. It got so bad at times, that I sometimes had to get up during a meal and go to the loo to be sick just to get rid of the stuck food. My neck also swelled up - it looked as though I had a goiter (sp?).
In the end I had barium meals etc and it was found that I had a problem with the valve leading into my stomach.
I had an operation called Hellers myoctomy and it cured the problem straightaway and I've had no problems since.

Sorry, just been on Google to check name of operation - should be Hellers myotomy (no 'c')

Apawn, it's good that you having your problem investigated properly.

Another thought - have you heard of Globus? This is quite an interesting article.

Spawn!