Esophagus pain. Can it be anything else than sinister causes?

[LtMarvel]

Hi everyone, I am seeing a GP in two weeks (sigh waiting times!) and looking for some reassurance whilst I wait.

I am nearly 40 and have head GERD and other digestive issues for long time. To that extent I had enscopy 2 years ago which was normal bar some inflammation in the stomach.

Now recently I started feeling like pressure when I swallow food, just being the breastbone. It is worse with dryer foods and some cold fizzy drinks. There is some pain between my shoulder blades and some heartburn too. What worries me is I can't remember exactly for how long this has been going on. I have a feeling it was a while and maybe wasn't as noticeable or I just thought I should be okay because of recent endoscopy.

Then the penny dropped.... because 2 years isn't exactly recent is it. And for over a year I have been dealing with unusual fatigue to which despite extensive tests my GP can't find a cause of.

Can anything else cause this sort of feeling of tightness / pain when swallowing in the esophagus rather than esophageal cancer?

Eeeeeeek.

they thought it was okay to do a routine one

Because they didn't see signs of an urgent condition?

Touché. I gave understated my symptoms though, or, they have progressed, I don't know it's been over a month since I have seen him.

I meant for it to be encouraging, @LtMarvel ! I have similar problems sometimes and go through panicky phases so I know a little how you're feeling.

Would eating gluten free help? I had similar was prescribed a course of antibiotics which i googled as relief for possible stomach ulcer, stopped taking ibuprofen (was having pain whilst waiting for different thing), and perscribed omezelprazole for reducing stomach acid. The combination approach along with reducing stress where possible really helped reduce that horrid pressure feeling.

My ex had oesophageal cancer.
His symptoms were losing a lot of weight (4 stone) lethargy, being sick after pretty much every meal, having bad reflux even after taking daily medication, pain when eating pretty much anything.
The GP said that this type of cancer is extremely rare in people under 60.
My ex had to kick up and shout a lot to be heard and eventually was sent for a scan and biopsy.

Are you on any medication for GERD or reflux? I am and I find lansoprazole much better than omeprazole, I still get symptoms with the latter.

I guess my question would be what sort of diet are you following to reduce any reflux and associated symptoms. Globus , which is the sensation of a lump or blockage in your throat also has a diet of restrictions very similar to acid reflux diet . In brief that’s no alcohol, fizzy drink , fruit juice , no caffeine ,food wise no spicy food, fatty food or acid food , especially tomatoes and acidic fruit, no chocolate either .
If it’s of any re assurance, I understand 90% of ENT cancer pathway 2 week checks are found to be cancer free .
Omeprazole once or twice a day at 20mg each would normally be prescribed for reflux , are you on this already ? Also Gaviscon Advance aniseed ( not the other Gaviscon) at 10ml per night . Sleep ideally on your left hand side , and on a raised wedge pillow , with a gentle incline from stomach to head , not just a raised head on pillows .
I would try not to panic at present , as there are so many possibilities.

Chronic reflux does cause lots of oesophageal issues / damage.

One in particular is where the there is damage to the cricopharyngeal sphincter which is the junction between your throat and oesophageal. When you swallow, the sphincter should relax and open to allow food through. With chronic reflux you can damage the tissues and get cricopharyngeal hypertrophy so it doesn't relax and open and food sticks in the area you describe. It's a plumbing issue really which is really debilitating.

I brought that up but the OP wasn't forthcoming. It's pretty obvious that no changes have been made to diet to reduce the reflux so the symptoms persist. It's shit, it's boring but it needs to be done.

Some people don't listen though. My friend is the same. Just won't have it that she can help herself here.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this so far but goitre/ thyroid issues can cause symptoms similar to yours - lethargy, feeling of an obstruction (globus), etc. They are generally very treatable, even in the worst case scenario that the nodule is cancerous. And like others have said, GERD is often very painful and can cause globus sensation.

Oesophageal cancer is fast and very brutal, like others have said, and yours has been going on for much longer I think? It's not an indolent disease. For my friend (and others in his treatment group) it was around a year, or slightly longer, from noticeable symptoms to death, unfortunately.

Hope you find an answer. It's not fun worrying about health.

I have been having similar. Had it a year ago really badly but had normal endoscopy. Nothing found at all. Consultant said it was stress induced.

It's come back again now and I am worrying like you. But I think it would be overkill for me to have another endoscopy. I could end up having one a year or more often if I had one every time I had symptoms. And I have been stressed so I suppose it is that again.

I didn't find that omeprazole helped. The consultant suggested gaviscon advance to me. And no alcohol/spicy foods etc.

I stupidly Googled today as I was getting a tingly feeling between my shoulder blades and Dr Google said it was a heart attack so that didn't help!

My diet could be better, but the feeling isn't in the throat, it'd half way to my stomach in my food pipe. So basically, if I eat bread I feel it is really hard to go down from about midway. It clears the throat OK but feels stuck in the middle of chest.

Being a busy working mum and suffering with extreme fatigue for over a year really make it hard for me to make changes, but I shall.

I have asked the consultant whether ot could have been due to bad reflux and he said no. He thought it was globus (not in throat) but in a food pipe. So we will see. I am hoping it is more of a inflammation of the food pipe but nothing sinister.

@LtMarvel how did you get on with your endoscopy? I hope things have eased for you OP?

It could be GERD, or hiatus hernia. Definitely get yourself checked out, but remember it's much more likely to be something benign and treatable.

Thank you! I have my gastroscopy and it was normal! Not even inflammation.

The problem still persists so my gastrologist thinks it could be a problem with how the muscles work. Like a spasm, which sort of fits because the food swallow problem is really behind my chest bone but when I drink I feel the pressure in my throat so could be something to do with that.

Another possibility is that I have been having problems with one side of my teeth so maybe i stopped chewing correctly, i dont know.

They also took biopsies for hystology, EOE and some bacteria which could explain some of that too so waiting for those. Gastrologist isnt worried and I am now not anymore.

What a lesson! The symptom is very much there and very much physical and always needs to be checked out.

I want to say huge thanks to everyone who contributed here with words of support and reassurance. I can't tell you how many times I went back to reread some of the messages whilst I was awaiting the procedure. It really helped me to function normally and not to spiral too much.

@LtMarvel oh that's great news! You must have been so worried beforehand. I'm really glad there was nothing sinister going on! Hopefully they'll get to the bottom of it but it's great the consultant wasn't worried. How did you find the procedure and did you have sedation?

Genuinely delighted for you, OP. What a relief.

Thank you! Yes, I am so relieved! the procedure was absolutely fine. I did have sedation but I was so nervous that it didn't knock me out so I was awake and conscious through it all but it definitely made it comfortable, I didnt feel uncomfortable. Apparently, I also grabbed a doctor's hand without realising it and the nurses wanted to get me to stop holding him, haha, but he said it was fine and did the whole procedure with one hand.

@LtMarvel haha, that's impressive multitasking from the doc!! So glad it was ok. I've had one without sedation but was thinking of having sedation for the next one! How long would you say it took for it to wear off afterwards?!

Oh, I think I get those when I drink something very, very, cold. The first time it happened I thought I was having a heart attack! I was sitting in a cafe by myself and wondering if I should call for help. Of course the pain subsided, but it takes a while.

Glad to hear things went well OP.