Feeling of lump and heartburn

[Sarah371]

Please can someone help. These are what I am currently feeling. I need someone to help keep me calm.
I have a feeling of something constantly being stuck in my throat.. recently it seems to feel like it is getting bigger. When I drink water I feel like I have actually swallowed it down but then I can feel it as it comes back. Whatever i drink or eat cause me immense heart burn and i am far too frightened to check my neck for any actual lumps. I have a gp appointment on Saturday but I assume they wont do a camera test down my throat straight away will they?
My daughter is pregnant and I am worried the stress of this will cause something bad to happen again. I have never smoked and never drank before either.

Have you take some antacids first of all?

No nothing like that. It has been persistent for around 3 weeks and now getting worse

I think it's likely you will be referred to gastro. In the meantime I think gp will probably recommend antacids or a ppi.
This is what happened to me.
Do you have anxiety issues?. It's what started my gastro problems and lump feeling and terrible heartburn and gas in chest.
I had an endoscopy but all was found to be ok and it was put down to anxiety.
I was very sure I had a physical medical problem.

Sounds very much like it could be a hiatus hernia?

Any acid will be made a lot worse by anxiety - I know you can't help it but try to calm down a bit.

Are you taking anything for the heartburn? GP will probably give you something like omeprezole or ranitidine (I take both!)

Heartburn and reflux are incredibly painful - I have been to a&e with it a couple of times this year - I honestly thought I was having a heart attack the second time I was bent over double.

No you won't have a camera test straight away - I had a wait of a few weeks and they will soon see what it is.

I'm not medically trained but I have been through all this recently and honestly it sounds very similar - have you recently started taking any meds or anything? Mine is caused by reactions with my steroids with other drugs I have been prescribed.

I also get the 'food not going down feeling' and have been convinced I had a hernia but I didn't.

Try not to stress - yoga and meditation help me.

Thank you for your detailed replies. I did not suffer with it but I feel like since feeling like I have a lump it is all I think and worry about.

I think you need to push for a camera scope or CT scan as soon as possible - don’t be fobbed off with antacids

This is called Dysphagia and is caused by reflux; you likely have a hiatus hernia like I do.

You need to get on Omeprazole or Landaoraze. The GP can help. Don't do what I did and ignore it until my oesophagus went completely into spasm and I had to be admitted to hospital and given muscle relaxants in order for it to relax so I could eat and drink again.

I get this if I am stressed. Constant indigestion and lump in throat sensation. Antacids didn’t really help. It just went away when the stress was resolved. Hope your doc puts your mind at rest.

I'm a specialist in this area (clinically I mean!) - I would put money on you having Globus. Caused predominantly by stress and/or reflux and usually abated temporarily by drinking fluids. What you're describing isn't dysphagia.

GP will examine you and probably refer to ENT for a scope and I would also bet that they will find nothing, you will feel relieved and the symptoms will disappear!

In the meantime, lots of water, and gaviscon advance. And relax!

Honestly I'm more than happy to do tests although them sending me for them will panic me more. They will have a brief look down anyways at the appointment wont they in order to give me some hope it is not something more serious? I feel like all I do is sit and cry from the worry right now and it is not helping anyone around me

Also my appointment is at a medical practice that was once classed as 'walk in centre' does that provide any changes as to what they can investigate on the day

Sorry I misread and thought you were struggling to swallow. Ignore my dysphagia comment!

A good GP will have a thorough examination of your neck for lumps and bumps. They can look in your mouth and upper pharynx but that won't be where you're feeling the sensation. They will need to refer on for investigations.

Go see your GP. Ask to be referred for an endoscopy. Please.

My husband died from oesophageal cancer. His first symptoms were similar to yours. He was seen by GP quite a few times and just prescribed a PPI. Eventually he was sent for an endoscopy. They found the tumour but it was too late.

Perhaps thyroid issues, when i started getting symptoms i always felt a lump when swallowing and everytime i was falling asleep id feel like i was choking. My thyroid was enlarged, neck swollen, ridiculous heartburn which i never had before.

Gp gave omeprazole for the refulx, felt relief quickly, years down the line im still on it butvrather that than the pain. Thyroid went down quickly afrer starting thyroxine and lump feeling went away.

I will say i had to really push docs for thyroxine, i had lots of other symptoms too

Definitely see your GP as regards the above & id also suggest asking fir a Heliobacter Pylori trust. It's a gut infection that can cause these symptoms

Honestly, OP - it's overwhelmingly likely that the worry is making this worse. You start to focus on the feeling of the lump every time you swallow and become hyper-aware of it. Trust me, I had exactly this, plus the reflux, and I was so, so anxious.

It IS worrying but take some omeprazole (or just buy Nexium from the chemist if you haven't got to the GP yet; it's only one a day) and see the doc. It turned out that I had a hiatus hernia. Most of the time it doesn't bother me at all now but if I have a flare-up I take omeprazole or similar till it calms down. Which it always does.

Sounds like you have Globus

Will keep you guys updated tomorrow. Now also got hiccups randomly which again points towards the sinister

Try to relax. Easier said than done, as you could have been me a year ago. A constant, progressively more noticeable feeling of a lump in my throat as time went on. Little fragments of stuff (like polos) feeling like they were getting stuck in the back of my throat. Heartburn/indigestion but not massively bad. It turns out it was caused by reflux. I was referred by my GP and saw a gastro consultant who used a camera to see. I had to take omeprazole each morning, then Gaviscon Advance last thing at night for a month. No fizzy drinks or fruit juice, they loosen the muscle (which was what the problem was, it wasn't closing properly due to the reflux). After the month, I was fine. It pops back from time to time, but never as bad as that first time and the Gaviscon sorts it out pretty quickly. I hope you appointment with your GP goes ok and all is well.

I'm awaiting a camera appointment, similar symptoms dr isn't worried but it's precautionary

I am currently taking gaviscon dual action... would the advance be better?
Fingers crossed I get the same positive response and it turns out to only be reflux

Hiccups don't point to anything sinister! You have anxiety