Worry about esophageal cancer

[bin_tenn]

Eh, it's been over six years now. It's much easier to think/talk about it now than it was four or five years ago. I hope you feel better and can let this worry go.

 

[jerry2]

I got aspiration today on saliva, 4 days ago when sipping hot soup... This seems too much, my anxiety is not making this I guess.
Yesterday I was on ultrasound of thyroid and they found a 6mm cyst, I am scared it is cancer. They say it is not connected to my neck problems or my swallowing.
Last 2 days I have severe behind left eye headache at night, I got scared of brain cancer, it says hedache that is more severe at night is a red flag.
There are so many things wrong with me I fear I will not survive this.

 

[bigjetplane6]

I got aspiration today on saliva, 4 days ago when sipping hot soup... This seems too much, my anxiety is not making this I guess.
Yesterday I was on ultrasound of thyroid and they found a 6mm cyst, I am scared it is cancer. They say it is not connected to my neck problems or my swallowing.
Last 2 days I have severe behind left eye headache at night, I got scared of brain cancer, it says hedache that is more severe at night is a red flag.
There are so many things wrong with me I fear I will not survive this.

I had a 3.8cm nodule on my thyroid and it was benign. Don’t worry. You’re ok most of them are benign, especially a cyst

 

[jerry2]

Ufff, 3.9cm nodule and it was benign, that is great to hear. I read in men there is much more cancer than in women, although women have 7x more nodules in thiroid.

The aspiration on saliva still worries me though. Headache a little less because I've had such headache 3 years ago so it must be the same thing.

 

[bigjetplane6]

Ufff, 3.9cm nodule and it was benign, that is great to hear. I read in men there is much more cancer than in women, although women have 7x more nodules in thiroid.

The aspiration on saliva still worries me though. Headache a little less because I've had such headache 3 years ago so it must be the same thing.

Not always true. My ENT told me it’s the same stats and almost always likely benign. With cysts usually they just drain it out versus solid nodules - I had half of my thyroid taken out because of it and it was a solid nodule.
I wouldn’t think twice about the saliva tbh. I feel like since you’re so focused on it, it’s increasing it for you. Kind of like when you focus on breathing and then you feel like you can’t breathe without thinking about it. The brain is gnarly.

 

[jerry2]

Hard to believe my focus is making my problems worse. When I aspired on saliva today I didn't think about swallowing, because I wasn't eating or drinking. But maybe my brain is now programmed to think I have esophageal cancer and I subconsciously have problems with it, I am not sure. But it happened only once and few days ago sipping hot tea. I would suppose sipping can make your drink come into your lung easier because it is a lot of air with drink when sipping.

I have no idea, I need to defocus it somehow, but it is so hard. And when I think I do and have positive thoughts I aspire on saliva like tonight :-( I was having a good day, food did not stick in my throat for a whole day and my tension relaxed (so I think at least) and now it got worse again. And now it tickles me to cough every few minutes, I guess it is because of aspiration I had before.

I hope that if it would be ALS or cancer I would have problems on every drink. For cancer it is wierd I can eat mostly ok (except some throat sticking and sometimes aspiration on drinking), that is just the opposite of what cancer would make. ALS would make this symptoms, first "choking" on drinks, but I still hope that is not it, I read first tongue would be severly weak, then throat muscles.

bigjetplane6: you had operation on thiroid because of the nodule, even if it was benign?

 

[Vandelsrock21]

How you doing jerry?

 

[jerry2]

Thank you for asking. I am not doing well.

4 days ago I got aspiration on drink. It was the 4th time in 2 or 3 weeks, that is scary. This time it was severe so I coughed on the water. The next day I got pain in the upper abdomen again like with GERD. I got in such severe anxiety state I thought I will choke and I was 100% I had throat cancer.

But then again, 1 month ago I had more problem in lower esophagus, like the food is not going properly to the stomach, and then food sticking to my throat and latest is aspiration a few times and still this food sticking... "GERD" was better, today it is worse again...

But... Last 2 days I had less problems with swallow, not 0 but less, even less food sticking and not much in clearing throat except at night I got new problems. I woke up to cough 2 times and I had a lot of mucus around vocal cord that is the reason for cough and swallow of the mucus that was there. This is new, the cough thing, but today it didn't happen.

There seem to be problems related to 3 types of cancer, not only one...

And doctors found a lump in my thyroid 0.5cm. Today I went to see the thyroid doctor, said that it is 95% benign cyst, can not make swallow problem or neck problem, to come back in 3 months.

And when my urineanalyses come back I got hematuria = 1 (normal is 0) on the stick test and 0-3 on the sediment test... Now I can fear bladder cancer? I have no problems with urinary tract...

I feel so miserable...

 

[Vandelsrock21]

Thank you for asking. I am not doing well.

4 days ago I got aspiration on drink. It was the 4th time in 2 or 3 weeks, that is scary. This time it was severe so I coughed on the water. The next day I got pain in the upper abdomen again like with GERD. I got in such severe anxiety state I thought I will choke and I was 100% I had throat cancer.

But then again, 1 month ago I had more problem in lower esophagus, like the food is not going properly to the stomach, and then food sticking to my throat and latest is aspiration a few times and still this food sticking... "GERD" was better, today it is worse again...

But... Last 2 days I had less problems with swallow, not 0 but less, even less food sticking and not much in clearing throat except at night I got new problems. I woke up to cough 2 times and I had a lot of mucus around vocal cord that is the reason for cough and swallow of the mucus that was there. This is new, the cough thing, but today it didn't happen.

There seem to be problems related to 3 types of cancer, not only one...

And doctors found a lump in my thyroid 0.5cm. Today I went to see the thyroid doctor, said that it is 95% benign cyst, can not make swallow problem or neck problem, to come back in 3 months.

And when my urineanalyses come back I got hematuria = 1 (normal is 0) on the stick test and 0-3 on the sediment test... Now I can fear bladder cancer? I have no problems with urinary tract...

I feel so miserable...

Jerry we might be living the same life. I have been having issues for over a year with swallowing problems and all that stuff I use tabacco so I assumed I had cancer. Just last week back to thinking I have cancer. Went scooped me seen nothing. I got so back I would gage my self with my finger trying to find a lump in my throat. My tongue hurts from sticking it out all the time. Pretty much forgot how to swallow right from force swallowing. But cancer doesnt feel any better one day to the next its progressive. I too have RBC in urine been 10 years no issue. You will be fine friend

 

[jerry2]

Oh, I have to say I am sorry to hear that. I do not wish somebody has similar problems... At least I hope your neck doesn't hurt and your shoulders.

I did put my finger in throat 3 times and I noticed a lump there. This times Google saved my sanity as it seemed I was touching epiglottis on the front of the throat... I hope that was it...

You also have aspiration, drink going to the wrong pipe (not to the lungs but producing some cough?) It happened to me whole life like once yearly if I talked, but this now... 2 times to sipping hot soup, 1 time sipping hot tea, one time on saliva (not much though) and one time drinking water (first sip)... That is really scary. And you can have like no cancer on scopy? Is that possible, to what is the food in my throat sticking then?

I may eat nuts and after 30 minutes I can still have some tiny piece somewhere that start irritating my throat. I gargle salt water now and there is still some food left (little though) when I gargle...

Yes, the 2 days I had better I am sticking to in my mind, that if I can aspire one day to water and next day I can drink normally almost and eat bread, that this can not be cancer... I hope.

Take care!

 

[bigjetplane6]

How are you @jerry2 ?

 

[jerry2]

Well, not very good. Since I last write, I didn't have any more serious respiration, and in fact I did have like 4 days with less swallowing problems. Then it started again, but now I have also globus sensation of a lump in a throat when I swallow saliva, and my stomack also hurts again.

I have been to MRI of the neck spine and this days I will get results by post. I am scared to death as I feel (I know at this point this is not reasonable) that I will get my death sentance, they will have to find something in my spine, I have pain there for 3,5 months... And I am waiting for the results very anxious. That doesn't make my throat symptoms any better.

 

[Vandelsrock21]

What s up Jerry sorry to hear you not doing well. Something interesting happened to me over the weekend. We had a huge storm lost power trees went down everywhere 18 inches of snow and it had me stressed out big time. Well the event is over and I noticed I no throat or tongue issues the entire time. But once my mind goes back to normal my tongue hurts and my throat feels wierd. It most some tenstion from being stressed all the time Idk. Its wierd.

 

[jerry2]

Oh, glad you are ok. I am also noticing my globus is at worst when I am at my computer or taking a walk, if I am busy doing something else it is better.

My MRI is back, they didn't mention cancer, that I am glad for. But I do have 2 forarminal nerves (the ones that go to hands not the central spine) pinched and now I am looking for solution somewhere.

I found a manual therapist who says he can help. He also said one important ganglion is at c4-c5 location and the swallow issues can be from spine... So maybe I don't have cancer in the throat. But I have severe globus (lump in throat feeling) last days, less food sticking and aspiration. Logically it doesn't reason to be cancer...

 

[Vandelsrock21]

Well thats good news

 

[jerry2]

I went to manual therapist today, said he can not help, that I don't have so much neck problems, he can not explain the severity of the pain...